An open challenge from RJ Brewer has drawn the ire of the New Zealand pro-wrestling community. Several Kiwis have offered to wrestle the brash American at Sakura Events On the Mat in November.
Brewer issued a challenge in a video uploaded to the Sakura Events Facebook Page earlier this month.
“I am going to flex some American muscle and show New Zealand—a country that has no clue how to professional wrestle—how a real American wrestler takes care of business,” Brewer said.
“I’m issuing an open challenge to anybody in On the Mat wrestling that wants to step in the ring with me. It’s an open challenge to one of the young guys who wants to get famous. It’s an open challenge to one of the established wrestlers. It’s even an open challenge to one of those losers from the All Blacks rugby team. Come and wrestle RJ Brewer, make a name for yourself. But before you accept the challenge, know one thing: you won’t be successful.”
Several New Zealand wrestlers have responded to the challenge, including SPW Champion Marcus Kool.
“I may be English but right now I’m representing New Zealand,” Kool said. “Because if there’s one thing the Kiwis hate more than the English it’s you loud-mouth, arrogant Americans.”
Shane Sinclair also offered himself up for a match with Brewer on November 12.
“Why don’t you prove yourself against an elite-level athlete?” Sinclair asked. “Someone who has multiple national, even Oceania, gold medals in amateur wrestling. Someone who might happen to be six-foot-two, 105 kilos of pure kiwi bad-ass. Why don’t you prove yourself against the best wrestler in New Zealand?”
The video to have gained the most traction online comes from “That Young Warrior” Paul Sayers. Sayers’ response, inspired by Netflix series Stranger Things, has garnered more than 5,000 views.
“You asked for someone to speak up and stop dreaming so, on behalf of New Zealand, I’m speaking up,” Sayers said.
“The one thing that stays in the back of my mind, no matter what’s happening, is On the Mat and the chance to wrestle RJ Brewer for Sakura Events … It’s such a huge opportunity and something that I am not taking lightly.”
Of the thousands of viewers for many of the responses—including videos from Blaze, JPE, and Liger—RJ Brewer has not been one of them. The former Lucha Libre USA star released a new video this week indicating he had yet to see anyone step up.
“I issued an open challenge a little while ago to anybody in the pro-wrestling industry, anybody in On the Mat pro-wrestling, and anybody in the country of New Zealand and so far, not one response. I even went as far as to challenge the national rugby team, and not a peep from them either.”
Brewer promised to be at the Trusts Arena on November 12—opponent or not—and closed out his latest video with one final dig at New Zealand.
“If RJ Brewer is challenged or the United States of America is challenged I will accept that challenge before the sentence is even finished. But clearly New Zealand doesn’t have the same balls as America does.”
