Wrestling is a serious sport. Between star ratings, grapplers and constant fan discourse over the littlest of spots, it can seem like things get a bit too serious. With this air of seriousness, one has to wonder where the fun is in this genre of entertainment. In this space where things can be taken too seriously lives the subject of this article. Matt Brannigan has been twisting nipples and spreading laughter throughout the indies for quite some time now. Whether you’ve seen him on AEW TV, at your local indie or on Twitter, Brannigan brings a unique brand of entertainment with him everywhere he goes. Though, before we really get into things, Matt would like to offer up a formal warning:
Before I dive into this I feel obligated to warn you that I ramble trying to deeply explain simple concepts cuz I’m not smart. Ok? Ok. Let’s rock.
Depending who you talk to, Comedy Wrestling can be seen in two different ways. It can be seen as an entertaining way to break up a show and as a way for wrestlers to cut loose creatively and stylistically. Or it can be seen as a lower form of professional wrestling; something lazy or corny that brings down a show. Personally, I find the style to be in the first category. Though much like with any genre, when a wrestler is great at what they do, they can find themselves pigeonholed into a category.
…I have been type casted as “comedy wrestler” quite often. Which is cool, I don’t mind. [Because], like, I am very very VERY very funny, so it’s an understandable misconception. People see me being charismatic and fun, they see me cutting entertaining, funny promos and dismiss it as “oh he’s just doing comedy” or whatever.
My goal is to be a good entertainer. That’s more important to me, and it’s more difficult than just getting your shit in, [you know]? And anyone who has ever watched me wrestle or worked with me knows I’m a good AND entertaining wrestler. I can win over kids, adults, the internet wrestling crowd, the elderly, non-wrestling fans who got dragged to the show by friends, my mom, etc.
I know what I’m doing. I’m not smart, we covered that earlier, but I know wrestling. I know that shit. I’ve been around forever haha like I’m closing in on my 11 year wrestling anniversary haha fuck! How embarrassing… I should retire.
Any of my matches at New Wave Pro are good examples of me being a more than just comedy guy… Hog & Dog vs Flip & Twist at BLP is another good example. I can’t think of much else, my memory is terrible…haha shit.
On the indies, where few wrestlers cut promos anymore, Matt comes through with his own style of promo. Where other wrestlers will talk about what they’re going to do and where they’re going to be, Matt adds a little dash of humor to the recipe. In my experience, I am quicker to stop for one of Matt’s promo videos on the timeline than I am for most wrestlers on the indies today. But just where does this humorous style come from?
I was inspired by the fact that barely anyone on the indies cuts promos. And when they do they are usually bad. Or, at best, just more of the same. People have had the same sterile approach to promos for a long time, and it bothers me [because] promos can be so good. No one wants to do them [though], no one wants to try. It takes effort, and so many are bad at them. They don’t want to look stupid. That’s a big problem on the indies, being afraid to fail. Everyone’s doing more of the same. Improvement is hard. Some people just want to do their moves and share the clips later and pretend they accomplished something. So I guess I’m always inspired by trying to do what I think is missing from what I personally want out of wrestling. Making the wrestling I would want to watch if I watched wrestling.
(I don’t watch wrestling tho that’d be embarrassing)
But yeah when you’re on Twitter are you really gonna stop for [two minutes] and listen to “At this date, at this location, at this time, I will beat you up with my wrestling moves and show you why they call me Walrus O’Houlihan” or whatever? You’ve heard the shit, you know the formula. And, like, you’re on Twitter! There are memes there. I can look at boobs and butts and dicks and nuts, fuck this promo, y’know? I try to do my promos with edits and random shit just to trick you into watching the whole thing. Keep ya on your toes, y’know? Fuck this played out shitty promo malarkey.
Basically all promos to me look like someone trying to cut a promo… Usually in a car so we don’t see their out-of-gimmick home, or maybe in a weird field haha. Inorganic, rigid, and rudimentary character work. I just love comedy. I love weird sketch comedy, improv, acting, Looney Tunes, stand-up, etc. So I throw elements from all that shit in there as well. Most of my biggest influences in wrestling don’t come from wrestling -and I love wrestling. A lot. But I think a lot of wrestlers get stuck in the bubble, get up their own ass, and do dumb shit. Non-wrestling fans look at it and nothing makes any sense to them. It’s important to see how your shit looks to people who don’t watch wrestling. I’m all about mass appeal, baby, and I think it’s paying off for me. After all, I have ahem ALMOST 4,000 followers on Twitter!
No matter how you categorize Matt, he has had his share of opportunities as he’s worked with All Elite Wrestling. Yes, the AEW that plays home to such Comedy Wrestlers as Orange Cassidy and Danhausen, as well as some of the best pro wrestlers in the world. While only appearing on Dark and Dark: Elevation, Matt has had the opportunity to face off with the likes of The Dark Order and the new AEW Trios Champions: The House of Black in his appearances.
It’s pretty chill there. They have good brownies. I drink all their coffee. I joke about peeing my pants on live TV for clout. My opponents and teammates just laugh nervously. It’s rad. But yeah it’s a really relaxed atmosphere. I can’t believe they haven’t deleted my contact info to be honest haha. They probably will [though] if you snitch on me about the coffee thing.
Matt Brannigan does not just roll alone in the independent wrestling world. As of late, Brannigan has been flanked by fellow pro wrestler and professional eater: Megabyte Ronnie. The two, aptly named Hog & Dog, have thus far made a strong run at Black Label Pro’s tag team division. And with both men’s entry into the Black Label Pro Rumble coming up, Matt reminisced on the duo’s short time together.
Hell yeah. Me and Ronnie are three matches deep, met for the first time a few months ago. Killing it. “Solid” as he would say. We click really well creatively, he’s really easy to bounce off of. And he just gets it. Lots of versatility. He’s really fun. People get happy as soon as he comes out. He’s all jovial and shit, then he launches a motherfucker 10 feet in the air hahaha. It’s incredible a dude with his size and his mind isn’t just on TV already. But yeah tagging with him has been a blast. He quickly became one of the few people in wrestling, and in life, I’m genuinely friends with. We have a blast doing promos, and working with him in the ring is so easy. Hell yeah. Excited to do more with Hog & Dog this year.
Ronnie is a big fucker. He’s a big buff hairy fucker with a nice mustache. People love seeing a big buff fucker doing man shit. I know I do. On top of that he’s just really friendly and has an instant connection with fans. Me? I’m very buff and mustached, but I’m also the more silly one. I’ll run my mouth, I’ll grab nipples, and Ronnie will manhandle people. That’s basically it. We’re a little bit Shawn & Diesel, a little bit George & Lenny, and a little bit drunk.
In ring action aside, Matt Brannigan has also become known for his openness about his other entertainment pursuit: his OnlyFans. In the past, where people might potentially go through sleazy management to model, now sites like OnlyFans, Fansly and even Patreon have come along to offer an outlet for creators to own their own work. While these sites have come to the public eye as a legitimate way for all sorts of models to make their pay, so has the stigma of people who create on these platforms; especially OnlyFans.
In the wrestling world, I have seen various wrestlers start or already have an OnlyFans. Though Matt falls is one of the few male talents who has one, and the only male wrestler I can immediately think of that has an OnlyFans. To Matt’s credit, he is loud and proud about it with no tip toeing around being a creator for the platform. A sentiment that I feel is important as shaming an individual for what they do professionally is a sad thing to do. So it was with this thought in mind that I pondered if Matt had ever felt stigma or judgement in wrestling due to his OnlyFans presence.
Definitely. Not everyone, and not always in a negative way but I’ve definitely noticed a difference. I didn’t even want my wrestling character to acknowledge it, but over time my peers persuaded me. So it’s in my introduction during my entrance, and that’s cool cuz I usually end up with new subscribers after I wrestle! Haha. But yeah I feel like that’s just another thing that boxes me in. When people just see me as the “sexy wrestler.” Which is cool, I don’t mind. [Because], like, I am very very VERY very sexy, so it’s an understandable misconception. But my character isn’t “just” anything. I have some humor cuz I’m funny, I have some sexiness cuz I’m sexy, and I have good matches [because] I’m a good wrestler. So yeah. Hell yeah.
There’s definitely a stigma, but I know if you ask ANY wrestler or person who makes content for OnlyFans they’ll tell you they’ve had shitty interactions or situations because of it. I don’t think that’s a uniquely male experience by any means. The stigma comes from, as it so often does in life, creepy and bitter dudes haha. I think being open and honest about having an OF, doing sex work, whatever, is the best way to get rid of the stigma. That’s why I was always so forthright about my porn and shit. There are/were lots of wrestlers doing it, but most of them did it secretly. Now it’s almost commonplace. No way it has the same stigma it used to even a couple years ago. Still a ways to go but some progress for sure. Hopefully it keeps progressing. We’re all just pursuing a stupid dream to fake fight in our underwear for a living. Taking sexy pics in your underwear for money seems like good practice for that. But what do I know? I’m not smart, but you know that.
Whether you think of Matt Brannigan as a good wrestler, a fun entertainer or just plain sexy, you can follow Matt on Instagram and Twitter. Trust me when I say that Matt is a Top 3 follow on social media. You can also buy Matt’s merch through Brainbuster Tees and Pro Wrestling Tees with official Hog & Dog merch coming soon to PWTees. And of course, you can support Matt Brannigan by subscribing to Matt’s OnlyFans. Hell yeah.
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