6 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (April 7)

5. Dan Severn Had One Of The More Entertaining Matches Of WrestleMania Weekend

Hardy Ladder
WWE.com

The perception of Dan Severn among the wrestling fandom - even though it is largely wrong - is of a boring old brutish martial artist rendered even more drab by the raucous WWF environment in which he performed. He is the least enticing prospect of a stepdad ever.

At 58 years old and removed entirely from the mainstream wrestling spotlight, he seemed to have as much of a chance of making a dent at WrestleMania Weekend as Garrett Bischoff - and yet, he wrestled an impossibly entertaining bout with current internet beau and fellow ex UFC fighter Matt Riddle at Joey Janela's Spring Break on March 30.

Severn and Riddle was a fabulous match, one which even the snarky commentary team couldn't help but get on board with. The MMA-influenced grappling was absorbing enough. Then, the apparently colourless Severn up and decided to climb to the second rope and encourage chants of "Beast! Beast! Beast!" Riddle was having none of it. He slid out of the ring, waving his arms around dismissively. Most pro-wrestling/MMA hybrid bouts attempt to fuse the two disciplines to make the former appear more realistic - but this oddity might as well have taken place inside an octagon within the Dallas Sportatorium. Comedy gave way to sheer brutality at the finish when Severn applied a dragon sleeper and kneed Riddle so hard in the back the commentators giggled out a genuine "Holy sh*t!" in unison.

It was a mess in both tone and execution (the erudite Riddle confirmed afterwards that they "didn't call sh*t") - and all the better for it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!