Max Damage
Encyclopedia
Slade Mercer is a professional wrestler
, otherwise known as Max Damage or Max "The Axe" Damage. He currently wrestles for the Brisbane
based promotions PWA Queensland and PROWL Wrestling. He is an Ex-New Zealand Heavyweight Champion and Ex-New Zealand Tag Team Champion.
before joining New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling
where he was further trained by Martin Stirling, Inferno, Island Boy Si and a myriad of other senior wrestlers with the group. He made his official debut as Max Damage on 25 March 2005 at NZWPW's Powerplay II. He lost to Island Boy Si in the semi-finals of the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship tournament, where IBS was later crowned the inaugural champion.
At the start of his tenure in NZWPW, Damage joined the heel
stable, The 'Naki Phullas, wrestling alongside "The Deal" Dal Knox, "Silencer" Jean Miracle, and Gold. By the time he had joined, Dal Knox had already left to wrestle for IPW, and Gold had been ejected from the company, making it a two man team consisting of himself and "Silencer" Jean Miracle.
During the year after a three-match series versus Inferno, Max turned face by making a stand against Def Sentence (Punisher, Jonnie Juice
, X-Rated and The Ram) and then paired with Inferno, forming a team unformally named "The Weapons of Max Destruction".
At NZWPW's first Wellington High School event, versus X-Rated and The Ram, Inferno and Max were crowned NZWPW Tag Team Champions - however this reign is very controversial, as there were no belts at the time, they were "paper champions". As such, New Zealand wrestling historians argue as to whether they were the first tag team champions (NZWPW now having actual tag belts and have had three teams held them as of writing) or whether their reign is non-existent.
Max inexpicably turned heel at the request of NZWPW owner Martin Stirling, with no explanation provided to fans, and began to tag with "Silencer" Jon Miracle forming the T-Phullas, a different take on the original name of the previous Taranaki-based stable - due in part to Stirling's dislike of the term "Naki" as he felt it was a bastardisation of a maori placename. In his final big show match, he and Miracle beat "The Dream Team" of N.O.S and H-Flame in the main event of Powerplay 3, NZWPW's annual equivalent to WrestleMania.
Max wrestled one more match at a "Bringing Down The House" event versus Chrome before May 2006 when Damage, along with other NZWPW wrestlers, joined Kiwi Pro Wrestling
.
during their first-ever show Storm Warning. Similar to Damage's debut in NZWPW, he was part of an eight man elimination tournament to crown the first challenger to the KPW NZ Heavyweight Championship. He lost in the first round to H-Flame due to interference by Jeremiah. He became #1 contender for the KPW NZ Championship after beating H-Flame on Off The Ropes (KPW's Nation-wide TV Show). On the series finale (Episode 13 being a highlight episode) Max Damage wrestled the Championship from Inferno to become the 3rd ever KPW NZ Heavyweight Champion.
- twice he wrestled in Hobart, Tasmania under the WCW/NAW promotion. His first wrestling match in Australia was teaming with H-Flame to be defeated by The Chapel Street Crew, and on his second tour defeating Iron Horse Morrison in singles competition by submission. His third tour was a to Brisbane
for PWA Queensland, where he defeated Kyote in a singles match in August 2009.
While still named Max Damage, he wrestled PWAQ's first outing at the Brisbane Ekka in August 2010, having matches with Seoul, Johnny Lukas, Esteban Molina, Johnny Gunn, Big John Marshall, Kyote, and AJ Istria to name a few. In September, he moved to Australia to live. His first show was for the now defunct Smash X Wrestling promotion based in Sydney
, wrestling in a tournament to crown the first Smash X Champion. He defeated Carlo Cannon in the first round, but was beaten in the second round by Esteban Molina, who went on to defeat Krackerjack in the finals to become inaugural champion.
He wrestled PWAQ's October Double Shot Weekend, using the name Max Damage one last time while tagging with Roger Ventura, getting a shot at the PWAQ Tag Team Champions The Haze Brothers - Josh and Joe Haze. After they were defeated, Max powerbombed Ventura and walked off. Later that night, a hooded attacker attacked PWAQ International Champion Seoul after he defended his belt against Johnny Gunn. This turned out to be Max, now calling himself Slade Mercer (as he had done in Smash X) and aligning himself with the Nightmare Assassin Squad (N.A.S) consisting of Johnny Gunn, Donnie St Michaels and Ronnie St Michaels.
On the second night, Slade, Donnie and Ronnie won a one-sided Handicap match against "The Graduates", Sammy Lee Shayder and Louie Hardwood. Later in the evening, after the main event Slade came out and attacked Esteban Molina with Johnny Gunn, before being chased out and challenged to a match against the man he had been hired to take out, Seoul, for the PWAQ International Title. This match took place on 11 December 2010, where Seoul was victorious.
announced that Max Damage, along with eight other wrestlers on the Kiwi Pro Wrestling
roster would be part of a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment
before their SmackDown / ECW live tour on 11 June 2008.
In March 2010, Max travelled to Los Angeles
for a few weeks. While there, he trained with Jesse Hernandez
at the School of Hard Knocks
, and wrestled for the Empire Wrestling Federation
, first in a winning effort vs El Gran Maravilla, and secondly in a losing effort to "Top Shelf" Jeremy Jaeger. During his time in California, he also had tryouts with the WWE at the Raw
and Smackdown tapings in San Diego and again in Los Angeles respectively.
On August 1 2011, Max received another WWE tryout prior to a Raw House show in Sydney, Australia.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, otherwise known as Max Damage or Max "The Axe" Damage. He currently wrestles for the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
based promotions PWA Queensland and PROWL Wrestling. He is an Ex-New Zealand Heavyweight Champion and Ex-New Zealand Tag Team Champion.
New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling
Damage initially trained under Jonnie JuiceJonnie Juice
Jonnie Juice is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is currently contracted to the Wellington based promotion Kiwi Pro Wrestling.-New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling:...
before joining New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling
New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling
New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand.-Formation:WPW started in October 2003 by martial arts trainer, Martin Stirling...
where he was further trained by Martin Stirling, Inferno, Island Boy Si and a myriad of other senior wrestlers with the group. He made his official debut as Max Damage on 25 March 2005 at NZWPW's Powerplay II. He lost to Island Boy Si in the semi-finals of the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship tournament, where IBS was later crowned the inaugural champion.
At the start of his tenure in NZWPW, Damage joined the heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
stable, The 'Naki Phullas, wrestling alongside "The Deal" Dal Knox, "Silencer" Jean Miracle, and Gold. By the time he had joined, Dal Knox had already left to wrestle for IPW, and Gold had been ejected from the company, making it a two man team consisting of himself and "Silencer" Jean Miracle.
During the year after a three-match series versus Inferno, Max turned face by making a stand against Def Sentence (Punisher, Jonnie Juice
Jonnie Juice
Jonnie Juice is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is currently contracted to the Wellington based promotion Kiwi Pro Wrestling.-New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling:...
, X-Rated and The Ram) and then paired with Inferno, forming a team unformally named "The Weapons of Max Destruction".
At NZWPW's first Wellington High School event, versus X-Rated and The Ram, Inferno and Max were crowned NZWPW Tag Team Champions - however this reign is very controversial, as there were no belts at the time, they were "paper champions". As such, New Zealand wrestling historians argue as to whether they were the first tag team champions (NZWPW now having actual tag belts and have had three teams held them as of writing) or whether their reign is non-existent.
Max inexpicably turned heel at the request of NZWPW owner Martin Stirling, with no explanation provided to fans, and began to tag with "Silencer" Jon Miracle forming the T-Phullas, a different take on the original name of the previous Taranaki-based stable - due in part to Stirling's dislike of the term "Naki" as he felt it was a bastardisation of a maori placename. In his final big show match, he and Miracle beat "The Dream Team" of N.O.S and H-Flame in the main event of Powerplay 3, NZWPW's annual equivalent to WrestleMania.
Max wrestled one more match at a "Bringing Down The House" event versus Chrome before May 2006 when Damage, along with other NZWPW wrestlers, joined Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Started in May 2006 by veteran New Zealand wrestler Rip Morgan, KPW was formed with the express purpose of taking NZ wrestling from club level to professional level and groom local wrestling talent...
.
Kiwi Pro Wrestling
On 23 June 2006, Damage made his debut for Kiwi Pro WrestlingKiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Started in May 2006 by veteran New Zealand wrestler Rip Morgan, KPW was formed with the express purpose of taking NZ wrestling from club level to professional level and groom local wrestling talent...
during their first-ever show Storm Warning. Similar to Damage's debut in NZWPW, he was part of an eight man elimination tournament to crown the first challenger to the KPW NZ Heavyweight Championship. He lost in the first round to H-Flame due to interference by Jeremiah. He became #1 contender for the KPW NZ Championship after beating H-Flame on Off The Ropes (KPW's Nation-wide TV Show). On the series finale (Episode 13 being a highlight episode) Max Damage wrestled the Championship from Inferno to become the 3rd ever KPW NZ Heavyweight Champion.
Australia/PWA Queensland
Slade has had three tours to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- twice he wrestled in Hobart, Tasmania under the WCW/NAW promotion. His first wrestling match in Australia was teaming with H-Flame to be defeated by The Chapel Street Crew, and on his second tour defeating Iron Horse Morrison in singles competition by submission. His third tour was a to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
for PWA Queensland, where he defeated Kyote in a singles match in August 2009.
While still named Max Damage, he wrestled PWAQ's first outing at the Brisbane Ekka in August 2010, having matches with Seoul, Johnny Lukas, Esteban Molina, Johnny Gunn, Big John Marshall, Kyote, and AJ Istria to name a few. In September, he moved to Australia to live. His first show was for the now defunct Smash X Wrestling promotion based in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, wrestling in a tournament to crown the first Smash X Champion. He defeated Carlo Cannon in the first round, but was beaten in the second round by Esteban Molina, who went on to defeat Krackerjack in the finals to become inaugural champion.
He wrestled PWAQ's October Double Shot Weekend, using the name Max Damage one last time while tagging with Roger Ventura, getting a shot at the PWAQ Tag Team Champions The Haze Brothers - Josh and Joe Haze. After they were defeated, Max powerbombed Ventura and walked off. Later that night, a hooded attacker attacked PWAQ International Champion Seoul after he defended his belt against Johnny Gunn. This turned out to be Max, now calling himself Slade Mercer (as he had done in Smash X) and aligning himself with the Nightmare Assassin Squad (N.A.S) consisting of Johnny Gunn, Donnie St Michaels and Ronnie St Michaels.
On the second night, Slade, Donnie and Ronnie won a one-sided Handicap match against "The Graduates", Sammy Lee Shayder and Louie Hardwood. Later in the evening, after the main event Slade came out and attacked Esteban Molina with Johnny Gunn, before being chased out and challenged to a match against the man he had been hired to take out, Seoul, for the PWAQ International Title. This match took place on 11 December 2010, where Seoul was victorious.
Los Angeles and WWE tryouts
On 3 June 2008 KPW's CEO Rip MorganRip Morgan
Mike Morgan is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as one half of the New Zealand Militia in WCW with Jack Victory...
announced that Max Damage, along with eight other wrestlers on the Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling
Kiwi Pro Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion based in Wellington, New Zealand.-History:Started in May 2006 by veteran New Zealand wrestler Rip Morgan, KPW was formed with the express purpose of taking NZ wrestling from club level to professional level and groom local wrestling talent...
roster would be part of a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
before their SmackDown / ECW live tour on 11 June 2008.
In March 2010, Max travelled to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for a few weeks. While there, he trained with Jesse Hernandez
Jesse Hernandez
Jesse Lizarraga is a Mexican American Pro Wrestler, Pro Wrestling Referee, trainer, Actor and owner of the School of Hard Knocks pro-wrestling training facility. He also promotes an independent wrestling organization called Empire Wrestling Federation in San Bernardino, California, performing...
at the School of Hard Knocks
School of Hard Knocks
The School of Hard Knocks is an idiomatic phrase meaning the education one gets from life's usually negative experiences, often contrasted with formal education...
, and wrestled for the Empire Wrestling Federation
Empire Wrestling Federation
The Empire Wrestling Federation is an independent wrestling promotion based in San Bernardino, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez). The EWF is also tied to Hernandez's wrestling school, The School Of Hard Knocks. The EWF is the longest running promotion in Southern California,...
, first in a winning effort vs El Gran Maravilla, and secondly in a losing effort to "Top Shelf" Jeremy Jaeger. During his time in California, he also had tryouts with the WWE at the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and Smackdown tapings in San Diego and again in Los Angeles respectively.
On August 1 2011, Max received another WWE tryout prior to a Raw House show in Sydney, Australia.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Collateral Damage (Double leg slam)
- Damage Gauge (Vertical suplex powerslam)
- SNT(Professional wrestling throws#Powerbomb)
- Signature moves
- Burying the Hatchet (Running forearm smash)
- Diving leg drop
- Sidewalk slam
- Snapmare followed by a dropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
to the back of the head
Championships and accomplishments
- Kiwi Pro Wrestling
- KPW Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (3 time)
- New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling / NZWPW
- NZWPW Tag Team Championship (1, time, with Inferno)
External links
- http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/7031582
- http://www.kiwiprowrestling.co.nz/Storm-Warning.528.0.html
- http://www.kiwiprowrestling.co.nz/Max-the-Axe-Da.498.0.html