5 Best Brawlers In Wrestling Today

Black eyes, bruised knuckles, bloody noses and some very bad attitudes.

By John Cunningham /

Wrestling’s a world of styles and no style’s more heavy duty than that of the brawler. Punches, kicks, clotheslines and a whole lot of chaos come whenever these types step into the ring, so get ready for a fight.

Advertisement

Throughout the 1980s , the style ran wild through the southern wrestling scene with the likes of Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk tearing the house down. Battles branched out into the stands, giving audiences a far more up close and personal experience. Brawling continued to dominate the American scene through the '90s with the rise of ECW and the immense popularity of stars such as Steve Austin, Mick Foley and The Undertaker.

Nowadays, it seems the brawling style is on the wane. High flyers and technicians often dominate the indie scene and in turn the more mainstream promotions such as New Japan and WWE where hardcore brawls are more of a novelty than a fixture. Despite this perceived depopulation of heavy hitters, there are in fact a diverse range of wrestlers worldwide bringing the goods and often tweaking and enhancing it to fit a more modern setting.

From hardcore bloodbaths to MMA inspired strike fests to the legend of Strong Style, here are five current workers keeping the brawling style alive and well.

5. Pentagon Jr.

The mysterious Mexican masked menace of many names has plied his trade all over the world, throwing his signature Cero Miedo catchphrase between the bloody beatdowns. The deadly inversion of his highflying babyface brother, Rey Fénix, Pentagon’s matches are sadistic fare with bats, Legos, drawing pins and all manner of hardware getting involved.

Advertisement

His arm break spots and big power moves blend perfectly with the stiff strikes he administers. On top of that is his aforementioned fondness for weaponry which has gone as far hammering spikes into opponents’ foreheads. All of it adds up to hard hitting, gory matches not suitable for the squeamish. His mask and war paint add a theatrical aura to his ferocious demeanour and sadistic style, pulling audiences in to the brutish stories he tells between the ropes.

A smash hit with American audiences, Pentagon has reigned supreme in Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling and is now a fixture in AEW where he wages war alongside his brother. Expect him to ply his bloody trade against all manner of opponents in the quest for gold.

Advertisement