Current WWE referee Drake Wuertz was recently profiled in a WWE.com article about his past as a deathmatch champion on the independent scene, and his transition to being a referee.

The article features quotes from WWE Superstar Dean Ambrose and NXT General Manager William Regal and Wuertz himself; you can read a few excerpts below and view the full article by clicking here.
http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/scars-stripes-drake-wuertz-nxt-hardcore-referee-27047554/page-2

If Drake Wuertz is doing his job, chances are you’ve barely noticed him. The man who refereed Kevin Owens’ NXT debut isn’t meant to be the center of attention. Still, he may look familiar to those fans who have trolled the darker corners of YouTube, even though it’s hard to recognize him without thumbtacks hanging from his body and his face stained bright red.

“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been in the ring with,” Dean Ambrose said of his friend and former rival. “Drake’s a guy who could take great amounts of punishment and dish it out, as well.”

Underneath the requisite black-and-white striped shirt, Wuertz still wears the scars of his days as a hardcore wrestler in the grueling independent deathmatch scene, where a regular night at the office included being thrown into fluorescent light tubes, panes of glass and, sometimes, makeshift nets of barbed wire. Every weekend ended with something being dug out of his flesh, resulting in a new scar and a new, almost unbelievable story behind it.

Human Podcast Machine

Taz’s latest guest on his Human Podcast Machine show is TNA Knockout Gail Kim. The show is now available to listen to or download on iTunes, as well as Play.It (click here for Play.It)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/human-podcast-machine-taz/id951166132?mt=2