Aaron Mercer on Deathmatch and the Physical Toll of Independent Wrestling

All Guts, No Glory Interview #1

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Aaron Mercer has suffered for his art. The San Antonio-based wrestler has made a name for himself in Texas, but not without a fight; in August 2019, Mercer destroyed his knee just a few seconds into the only non-tournament match on the inaugural Texas Deathmatch Massacre, putting him out the ring and out of work for over a year. He returned as a man possessed, pushing the limits of his body in a series of regular matches and entering the world of deathmatch, quickly proving himself to be one of the most-underrated ultraviolent workers on the planet. It all came to fruition over the weekend when Mercer claimed victory at the Texas Deathmatch Massacre 2; just watching his victory speech on the replay, it’s easy to see just how much passion Mercer has for professional wrestling.

What follows is our conversation about Mercer’s transition from basketball to pro wrestling, entering and exiting the deathmatch scene (for now), the greatest singer of all time, his best matches and more. You can follow Aaron Mercer on Twitter and Instagram.

From what I can tell on the internet, you're relatively new to professional wrestling in general. How did you get interested in it in the first place?
Cliché answer but I have always been a fan and watched since I was a kid, so I always had it in the back of my mind. I never really knew how to get into it, though, until one year I was playing semi professional basketball and our PA announcer mentioned he trained people. So once I was done with basketball, I immediately hit him up and got started right away.

You ended up in the world of deathmatch pretty quickly despite Texas not having a huge scene for it. What drew you to the genre? 
I never really even considered doing it when I first started. Whenever I came back from injury, I had a death wish. I’d take insane bumps for no reason. Eventually ICW NHB hit up a promotion called Heavy Metal Wrestling that I was a regular for to do a joint show and Heavy Metal wanted to spotlight me and another guy, Great Scott. I hadn’t had any hardcore experience really, so I was like, “Well, throw me in the deep end. Give me Ruben Steel in a bare-boards deathmatch.” Then I got such great praise so I just ran with it.

You won the Texas Deathmatch Massacre 2 over the weekend, making it your first tournament win. How do you feel, physically and mentally, after that achievement? 
It was very emotional. Some may see it as whatever but the first Massacre tournament is where I blew my knee out. The fallout of that brought new challenges I’d never experienced before. So to be back at the second one, and not only win it but prove to myself that I could put my body through hell and keep going, was incredibly overwhelming. Physically, I feel way better than I should. My pain tolerance is through the roof now.

On the same token, you're stepping away indefinitely from deathmatches. What goals are on your agenda for 2023? 
I was lucky enough to face some of the top deathmatch wrestlers going today… JWM, The Kirks, Casanova [Valentine], Neil Diamond Cutter, Atticus [Cogar], Ruben Steel, MASADA, the list goes on. So while I’m not DONE, it’ll take the right person to bring me back.

I respect the hell out of that style but my body is absolutely wrecked just from the year and a half of doing it. As for 2023… I really want to make some noise and just keep making memories. I have some big matches early 2023 already, so hopefully the right eyes get to see those matches and I can start being a cool fly-in guy or something.

How about opponents you'd like to face in the new year? 
Me and Mike Bennett have been clamoring for a match for about a year now. I was supposed to wrestle Lee Moriarty before he got signed, so if that could possibly happen. There’s a lot of guys I’d like to have rematches with like Kevin Blackwood. But my “big fish,” if you will, just because of a mutual love of the Japanese style, would be Eddie Kingston.

What's the biggest challenge being an independent wrestler that fans may not consider when we watch?
Oof. Uhm… man. Maybe just the mental toll this takes. The ones that really care about this sport put everything they have into it and it’s incredibly draining. It’s refreshing when guys like Kingston and [Jon] Moxley are open about their stuff and kind of let fans know that this takes a lot out of us.

Outside of wrestling, is there anything you want people to know about you? 
I feel like I’m a very open person. I’m not some wild character, I’m just me. So I openly tweet or post about how being a father is the most important thing to me and I’m usually open about everything else. Cher is the GOAT. That’s what I want people to know. 

If people don't know who you are, what's one match of yours they should watch?
I always go to me vs Bryan Keith 2 at New Texas Pro. It’s on YouTube on their channel. But also vs Shota Suzuki at WrestleRave In Your Warehouse. He just came over from Japan for a tour and, man… after that match, I was like, “That may be my favorite match I’ve had”. I don’t know, it just felt special in the moment and afterwards. That one is on IWTV.

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5 Recent Matches You Need to See

Hoodfoot vs Abdullah Kobayashi [Deathmatch] - ICW No Holds Barred Vol. 39
Matt Tremont vs Colby Corino [I Quit Match] - Sean Henderson Presents: Great Expectations
Brian Keith vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey - Freelance Deck The Halls with Balls of Fury
Aaron Mercer vs Neil Diamond Cutter [Deathmatch] - Infamous Texas Death Match Massacre 2
Gringo Loco & Los Vipers vs Arez, ASF and Komander - GCW Amerikaz Most Wanted

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