10 Things Fans Should Know About MTV’s Wrestling Society X

When wrestling promotions find a niche, it can sometimes mean great success. For example, the likes of ECW managed to bring in an audience who loved extreme wrestling, whilst in more recent times AEW has procured an audience who love a focus on in-ring work.

Wrestling Society X tried to find a niche which involved explosions, special effects, and quite simply complete mayhem. WSX was a wacky promotion which was unlike anything else seen before. It has been over 15 years since WSX folded, so many newer fans to professional wrestling may be unaware of the company. There are certainly some interesting facts, tidbits, and pieces of information that should be known to fans though.

10 It Aired On MTV

It is usually fairly difficult for wrestling promotions to get a TV deal, especially when it is a startup. However, in the case of WSX, it was a joint project between the founder, Kevin Kleinrock, and MTV themselves, as he pitched the idea to TV executives.

With the classic ECW no longer existing after being bought up and rebranded by WWE, there looked to be a hole that needed to be filled in the professional wrestling market, and MTV latched onto that, as explained by Kleinrock in an interview with Rolling Stone.

9 Wrestling Society X Was Canceled After One Season

WSX was given a fairly big budget of a few million dollars, in addition to having a pretty decent roster, a unique look, and quite an enjoyable product at times too.

However, it was very short-lived, lasting just one season, getting filmed in 2006 and then airing in 2007. The show would air for three weeks, take a brief hiatus, and then air their remaining episodes in one go. The season finale, Episode 10, didn’t end up airing, although all WSX content became available on DVD.

8 Vampiro Was The First WSX Champion

Vampiro was one of the more notable names brought into WSX, as he competed in the likes of WCW, and he happened to be one of the show’s bookers too, so it was unsurprising to see him crowned as the very first WSX Champion.

Competing in a WSX Rumble, in which it was a Royal Rumble-type match which then morphed into a Ladder match, he earned his way to a shot against 6-Pac (X-Pac). He would defeat him in a brutal yet enjoyable match, winning the belt.

7 Wrestling Society X Featured A Mixture Between Wrestling And Music

With WSX appearing on MTV, it was decided that the promotion would become somewhat of a clash between wrestling and punk rock music. This led to musicians being guest commentators, although it was clear that they had no clue about wrestling for the most part.

WSX shows would also have live music performances from those guests too, although these were edited out when it came to DVD releases.

6 Originally Called Rancid Wrestling Federation

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When Kevin Kleinrock originally pitched his idea of a wrestling company to MTV, the name he brought with him wasn’t “Wrestling Society X”. In an attempt to capture that clash between punk rock and wrestling, he pushed the name of Rancid Wrestling Federation.

This was in reference to the band, Rancid, who are notable wrestling fans. In the present day, their song Ruby Soho is used by AEW wrestler Ruby Soho, and they would also play her to the ring live for a PPV event too.

5 Seth Rollins Wrestled In WSX

In terms of those who competed in WSX, one name stands out in particular as one of the most major to come from the promotion. Tyler Black, now known as Seth Rollins, was a member of the WSX roster.

He would team up with Jimmy Jacobs and wrestle in the tag team division. This would be one of Rollins’ first appearances on a national televised scale, and it no doubt gave him some more exposure as he began to climb up the ranks in terms of notoriety.

4 The Roster Had Many Recognizable Names

Seth Rollins wasn’t the only recognisable name on the roster, as it was surprisingly filled with several notable wrestlers. ECW alumni such as Justin Credible, New Jack, Chris Hamrick, and more were on the roster, in addition to others who would become more prominent in the future.

The likes of Matt Sydal, Scorpio Sky, Jack Evans, and Puma (TJP), would all compete, in addition to Colt Cabana, who played the character “Matt Classic”, whose gimmick was an old school wrestler stuck in time.

3 WSX Went Head-To-Head With WWE’s ECW

One of WSX’s biggest flaws early on was airing its first episode directly head-to-head with ECW. Whilst WWE’s version of ECW was hugely toned down, it was still going to mean that a chunk of potential viewers failed to tune in.

WSX should have undoubtedly aired on a different night in order to gain some attention and traction before trying to go up against a brand that they were not only trying to emulate, but to surpass too.

2 Featured Talents From The Dragon Gate Promotion

When it comes to the Forbidden Door, which has been talked about a lot in recent years, it has been opened many times in the past. WSX welcomed in some talent from Dragon Gate, and this was quite notable for a major reason.

It was the first time the Dragon Gate promotion had been featured on American television, and whilst WSX didn’t have the biggest viewership, it would have likely brought some new eyes to the promotion.

1 Ricky Banderas Throwing A Fireball Caused Bad Blood With MTV

As mentioned, WSX was canceled quite early on, and a huge part of that was due to an incident featuring the debuting Ricky Banderas. Whilst WSX had featured explosions, barbed wire, and blood, TV executives decided things went too far when Banderas threw a fireball in Vampiro’s face.

This episode was axed from airing, with WSX being discontinued the very next day, canceling plans for a future season. The future Lucha Underground star wasn’t at fault by any means, with it being a very illogical decision considering how crazy WSX had been prior to this fireball.