John Stagikas (born July 31, 1979) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

, R. J. Brewer. Brewer is known for his appearances with Lucha Libre USA, where he portrayed a conservative supporter of Governor of Arizona

Jan Brewer Janice Kay Brewer (''née'' Drinkwine, formerly Warren; born September 26, 1944) is an American politician and author who was the 22nd governor of Arizona from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Brewer is the fourth woman (and was ...

and

Arizona SB 1070 The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (introduced as Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and commonly referred to as Arizona SB 1070) is a 2010 legislative Act in the U.S. state of Arizona that was the broadest and strictest an ...

opposed to

illegal immigration to the United States Illegal immigration to the United States is the process of migrating into the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. This can include foreign nationals (aliens) who have entered the United States unlawfully, as well as thos ...

. He is also known for his appearances elsewhere on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

as "Hurricane" John Walters, including with

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

, where he is a one time Pure Champion.

Early life

Stagikas attended Framingham High School, where he was a wide receiver on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team and graduated in 1997. He also played volleyball and basketball in high school. He then attended

Assumption College Assumption College may refer to these educational institutions: Australia * Assumption College, Kilmore, Victoria * Assumption College, Warwick, Queensland Canada * Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) (formerly Assumption College) * Assumpt ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, where he played football for a further two years as a wide receiver until his career was ended by an operation to remove a cyst from his neck in his junior year. Stagikas graduated in 2001 with a

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

Communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

Professional wrestling career

Training and early career

After his neck surgery forced an end to his football career, Stagikas applied to several wrestling schools, and eventually joined Killer Kowalski's school in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

on January 27, 2001. He trained under Kowalski for five months. Stagikas adopted the

"John Walters" as a tribute to Kowalski, and later prefixed his name with "Hurricane" at the suggestion of a college roommate. He debuted in mid-2001 in battle royals, with his singles debut coming in August 2001, and began wrestling regularly on the Bostonian

, for promotions such as the World Wrestling Alliance, New England Championship Wrestling and

Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling (CW) is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for producing successful, ...

Chaotic Wrestling (2001–2006)

(CW), based in Stagikas' home state of Massachusetts, was the first promotion where he got regular bookings. Here, he received supplementary training from Mike Hollow, a former trainer under Kowalski who had become the head trainer of the Chaotic Training Center. On September 7, 2001 in

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, Walters defeated Slyk Wagner Brown in a match for the

CW Television Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Television Championship was a professional wrestling title in American independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. The title was first won by "Latin Fury" Luis Ortiz in Revere, Massachusetts on February 23, 2001. There have ...

. He lost the championship to CW Light Heavyweight Champion Dukes Dalton in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

on February 16, 2002 in a championship unification match. In the course of his Television Championship reign, Walters formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

known as 12 Pack with "Good Time" Vince Vicallo. The tag team partners were the epitome of a personality clash, as Walters had the wrestling gimmick of being a strait-laced, well-conditioned athlete, while Vicallo was known as a

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

-drinking "party animal". On December 14, 2001 in Lawrence, 12 Pack defeated

Edward G. Xtasy Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

and Aaron Stevens for the

CW Tag Team Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in American independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. It was first won by The Damned (Mad Dog and Draven), who defeated Derik Destiny and Kid Krazy ...

. They lost the title to

Adam Booker Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

and Frankie Armadillo on July 13, 2002 in Lawrence. The former teammates then feuded for several months. Walters challenged for the

CW Heavyweight Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Chaotic Wrestling. The current champion is Davienne, who is in her second reign. Title history As of , , there have been 47 reigns between 30 champio ...

at ''Summer Chaos'' on August 16, 2002 in Methuen, Massachusetts and defeated Aaron Stevens for the title. Following a successful

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

title defence against Vicallo, he began a lengthy feud with Luis Ortiz. Walters lost the belt to Ortiz on April 5, 2003, but regained it from Billy Kryptonite on January 16, 2004 in a "loser leaves Chaotic Wrestling" match. His second reign ended on March 13 of that year when he lost to Arch Kincaid. Walters was a regular performer in Chaotic Wrestling until leaving the promotion in January 2006. Walters later returned to Chaotic Wrestling for one night in 2008 to wrestle Bryan Logan for the CW Heavyweight Championship. Walters was inducted into the Chaotic Wrestling Hall of Fame in February 2009. The same night, he defeated Chase Del Monte.

Ring of Honor (2003–2005, 2006)

Following the formation of

in early 2002, Stagikas sent a

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

of his work to the owners of ROH, but did not hear from them. After he met ROH ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta at a Chaotic Wrestling show, Stagikas sent his

résumé A résumé, sometimes spelled resume (or alternatively resumé), also called a curriculum vitae (CV), is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. Résumés can be used for a variety of re ...

to ROH once more, and was contacted by booker Gabe Sapolsky in May 2003. Walters debuted in ROH on May 31, 2003 as a face, wrestling against Andy Anderson at ''Do Or Die''. Walters entered the 2003 Field of Honor event, but was eliminated by

Matt Stryker Brian Woermann (born July 21, 1979) is a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Matt Stryker. Professional wrestling career Brian Woermann attended Milford High School, where he played basketball and Diving. Af ...

. He then began feuding with Xavier, facing him for the first time on September 20 at ''Glory By Honor II'', and defeating him decisively on December 27 at ''Final Battle 2003'' in a hardcore "

Fight Without Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

". On February 14, 2004 Walters entered a one-night tournament for the ROH Pure Championship, but was eliminated by

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

in the opening round. In mid-2004, he began a feud with

Generation Next Generation Next may refer to: * Generation Next (professional wrestling), a professional wrestling stable * ''Generation Next'' (album), the debut album from Aventura * Generation Next (comics), a Marvel Comics team and eponymous series * '' Gene ...

, a stable of young wrestlers with no respect for tradition. At ''Generation Next'' on May 22, 2004, Walters teamed with Jimmy Rave and the Briscoe Brothers to face Generation Next in an eight-man tag match, which Walters' team lost. At ''Testing the Limit'' in early August, Walters defeated Nigel McGuinness to earn a match for the ROH Pure Championship. Walters won the ROH Pure Championship from Doug Williams on August 28, and went on to successfully defend it against McGuinness,

Homicide (wrestler) Nelson Erazo (born March 20, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Homicide. He is currently competing for both National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is a former NWA World Junior ...

, Jimmy Rave, and Jay Lethal. During this time, Walters joined Prince Nana's

faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...

, known as The Embassy. After losing the Pure Championship to Jay Lethal on March 5, 2005, Walters left ROH in order to heal from several nagging injuries. Walters returned to Ring of Honor for one match on November 3, 2006 in Braintree, Massachusetts, competing in a losing effort to Nigel McGuinness.

Lucha Libre USA (2010–2013)

In 2010 Stagikas began wrestling for Lucha Libre USA. Under the ring name "R. J. Brewer", he adopted an anti-illegal immigration character who vows to "clean it up" and take the Mexican style out of the company. As part of the gimmick, he has wrestled in tights bearing SB1070, a reference to the

Act, frequently enters the ring with the flag of Arizona draped around his shoulders, and claims to be the son of Arizona Governor

. The

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

has garnered him much

heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

for his anti-illegal immigrant promos. He participated in a number of matches in Season One feuding with Magno as well as a four-way match on the Season finale for the Lucha Libre USA Championship in which he was unsuccessful. In season two, Brewer formed an anti-Mexican stable called The Right with Petey Williams and Jon Rekon. At the tapings of the season finale on June 18, 2011, Brewer defeated

Lizmark, Jr. Juan Carlos Baños (born October 16, 1972) is a Mexican professional wrestler or "Luchador" known as Lizmark Jr. or El Hijo de Lizmark (The Son of Lizmark). Baños previously worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and AAA. Lizmark Jr. works as ...

and

Marco Corleone Mark Robert Jindrak (born June 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional wrestler, and actor. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Mark Jindrak and ...

in a three-way match, with help from the newest member of The Right,

Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...

, to win the Lucha Libre USA Championship. On October 20, 2013, Brewer lost the title to El Solar, but regained it later that same day. Brewer has claimed to turn down offers working for lucha libre companies in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Brewer was featured on ABC Nightline in January 2013. He has also had appearances on Fox News, CNN, The Geraldo Rivera Radio Show as well as being front page on publications like The LA Times and Harper's Magazine.

Other promotions (2002–present)

After then-WWE employee Tom Prichard held a training seminar at Chaotic Wrestling in 2003, Stagikas began working sporadically for

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

as a jobber, facing

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. O ...

mainstay Aaron Stevens in his first match for the company in April 2003. The following night, he faced Team Angle. His most prominent appearance was a loss to

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

on the episode of ''

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'' preceding

WrestleMania XX WrestleMania XX was the 20th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured professional wrestlers from both of the promotion's two brands divisions – Raw and ...

. At WrestleMania itself, on March 14, 2004 at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, he accompanied

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

to the ring while dressed as a black-clad

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

and wielding a flaming torch. Walters has also wrestled for the

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

-based Eastern Wrestling Alliance, winning both the EWA New England Heavyweight Championship and the EWA Heavyweight Championship. He has appeared for Jersey All-Pro Wrestling,

Connecticut Championship Wrestling Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and New England Championship Wrestling (NECW), where he won the NECW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Paul Lombardi on March 18, 2006. Walters has also worked for Big Time Wrestling, where he has held the BTW Heavyweight Championship. In 2003, Walters began working for the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA). After winning a six-man qualifying bout on February 28, 2003, Walters took part in the eighth annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament on April 3, 2003. He defeated

Nicho El Millonario Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for his appearances with the promotions ...

in the first round of the tournament, but lost to Austin Aries in the semi-finals. On May 1, 2004 in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, Walters challenged

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...

, who had won the ECWA Heavyweight Championship in the Super 8 Tournament semi-finals. Walters won a four-way match which also included Aries and Mike Kruel to become the new ECWA Heavyweight Champion. His reign lasted nine months, before he lost the title to

Scotty Charisma Scott Wright (born August 8, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder, better known by his ring name, Mr. Scott Wright. He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Scotty Charisma. Early life Prior to wrestling, Wri ...

in a five-way match on February 12, 2005 in

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a small city in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. According to the 2010 United States Census, ...

. In November 2020, he announced his return as a full-time wrestler.

Personal life

Stagikas owns a villa in

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. After graduating, Stagikas trained shelter dogs and worked in

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

Championships and accomplishments

*Big Time Wrestling **BTW Heavyweight Championship (3 times) *

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) **

( 1 time) – with Vince Vicallo **

( 1 time) ** Second Triple Crown Champion **

Chaotic Wrestling Hall of Fame Chaotic Wrestling (CW) is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for producing successful, ...

(2009) * East Coast Wrestling Association **

ECWA Heavyweight Championship ECWA Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested in the independent professional wrestling promotion East Coast Wrestling Association East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded by p ...

( 1 time) *Eastern Wrestling Alliance **EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **EWA New England Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Lucha Libre USA ** Lucha Libre USA Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *National Wrestling Superstars ** Chris Candido Memorial J-Cup Tournament (2010) * New England Championship Wrestling **

NECW Heavyweight Championship The NECW Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship was the top professional wrestling championship in New England Championship Wrestling. It was originally known as the NECW Heavyweight Championship until unified with the PWF Northeast and Mayhem cha ...

( 1 time) * Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI ranked him #144 of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2012 *

** ROH Pure Championship ( 1 time) *Squared Circle Wrestling **2CW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brewer, R. J. 1979 births 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Assumption University (Worcester) alumni Living people Sportspeople from Framingham, Massachusetts Professional wrestlers from Massachusetts ROH Pure Champions Framingham High School alumni