Blood, Glass and a White Towel: Phil Insane Gets His Revenge

By Kayjel J. Mairena

Kayjel Mairena is a talented multimedia journalist and we are very proud to have him contribute to the Ten Four. You can support his work via Venmo here

LOS ANGELES — On Aug 29, deathmatch wrestler Phil Insane exacted long-awaited revenge on Joe Dred, the man who mutilated Insane’s body and left him a mangled near-corpse. The two fighters competed in a Last Man Standing Match at LA Church in Los Angeles during Severe Nature Wrestling’s latest event; it ended with Dred’s manager throwing in a white towel, signaling to the referee, and the world, Dred can no longer continue — he quit.

Dred’s manager, Steven Jury, said before the fight Dred felt “tip-top.” “Anybody who is recognized under my banner, they’re nothing but the physically best, the mentally best.” Jury continued a braggadocious rent, saying, “these are the strongest men in wrestling that I have under my care.”

The feud started after Dred lost the respect he had for Insane, after Insane tried a peaceful retirement from wrestling. A medical condition had sidelined Insane for several months; in January, Insane went to SVN: HATE ME to announce his retirement. 

Dred attacked Insane in front of more than 100 people in the middle of Insane’s farewell speech. Insane survived a pummelling of Dred’s punches, a barrage of frame-denting chair shots and bundles of light tubes being shattered over Insane’s hemorrhaging skull. 

Jury, a self-described “hyena disguised as a lion,” cackled into Insane’s ear while zip tying Insane to the ring. By the time referee Mike Valencia and fellow deathmatch wrestler Shlak interjected, all that remained was a mutilated body in desperate need of medical attention. 

Dred said “very few people want to be in [deathmatch wrestling] because they want to prove they’re the best and the baddest.” Most wrestlers have aspirations to join World Wrestling Entertainment to be on television, according to Dred. But not him, or Insane. Seeing Insane, a man Dred-described as “the last of a dying breed,” leaving the industry standing on his own two feet, instead of going out on his back “hurt” him, Dred said. That’s what led to the initial attack. 

 Fans chanted “can’t kill Phil” whenever Dred appeared for months after Insane’s departure. They refused to let the memory of a man who bled for them be forgotten. 

Dred wanted a challenge at SVN: Tell Me When I’m Telling Lies, and received one from a man he presumed dead. When Insane returned for payback in May, cheers rang throughout the hall of worship. 

The duo’s previous encounter in May ended in disqualification after deathmatch wrestling legend Alex Colon interfered in the match to save Dred from losing. Colon has dominated hardcore wrestling for almost 20 years, recognized as the “Best of the Best,” and he’s partnered with Dred to form a tag team known as the “Blood Fighters.” 

Jury called May’s clash between Insane and Dred a “fluke” before Saturday’s match. “I’m not surprised that a low-life thug like Phil Insane could get one up on a true competitor, like Joe Dred,” Jury said. He continued to call Insane a rogue, saying “that doesn’t surprise me, that he would sink himself low enough to do the things he did, but it does bother me.” 

Jury continued, “Tonight’s a new night, is it not. It is a new opportunity. A new opportunity to take a gutter rat, like Phil Insane, and put him in the ground like he belongs. They say ‘you can’t kill Phil.’ I say Dred will make you dead.” 

Fans pushed the barricade as close to the carnage as possible for Dred and Insane’s fight. Ring announcer Myra Mendez explained the rules for a Last Man Standing Match: “There are no pin falls, no submissions, no countouts, no disqualifications. The only way for someone to win is by entering a standing 10-count. Or, alternatively,” Mendez said, “their manager has to throw in the towel for them and they will be losing.”

Dred entered the ring to “Beware” by Big Punisher blasting through the church. Jury sauntered close behind. Insane walked out to Bailey Zimmerman’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” alongside deathmatch wrestling veteran Hoodfoot. Hoodfoot acted as Insane’s manager for the match after protecting Insane from the Blood Fighters at SVN: Tell Me When I’m Telling Lies. 

Dred started the Last Man Standing Match on Saturday by playing mind games with Insane. Dred would exit the ring and galavant around, angering Insane. Insane lost his patience with Dred and demanded he enter the ring, and give the people what they came for, “blood.” Dred obliged. 

Insane won the first exchange of blows, putting Dred flat on his back with a running clothesline. The match spilled out of the ring; Insane proceeded to exact his violent revenge on Dred. Insane rammed Dred’s cranium into the metal ring pole repeatedly. He used the pole’s brindle straps to suffocate Dred.  

The crowd and momentum favored Insane. “PHIL, PHIL, PHIL,” reverberated throughout LA Church. 

Insane took his eyes off Dred while climbing the ropes, giving Dred the opportunity to smack Insane in the back of the head with a bundle of light tubes. Insane had seemed unbeatable until Dred caught Insane off guard. 

A deafening applause from fans followed a second of momentary silence. There was cause for real concern: when Insane fell from the second turnbuckle, he went through a glass plane he had set moments earlier. 

Insane laid on the ground surrounded by glass, unconscious and helpless.

Hoodfoot cried out for Insane to stay down as referee Mike Valencia began a 10 second count-out. Hoodfoot pleaded with Insane multiple times to quit. Insane kept getting up when the referee shouted “nine.”After multiple 9-counts, Hoodfoot cocked his arm back to throw in the white towel. Right before Hoodfoot threw the linen, SVN owner Mike Gevorgian grabbed Hoodfoot’s arm and told Hoodfoot, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Against his better judgement, Hoodfoot let Insane continue but told him he needed to fight back. 

Insane defended himself with trembling arms that wouldn’t rise to the temple of his forehead. However, Gevorgian asked Hoodfoot to trust Insane.

Dred motioned for Insane to meet him in the center of the ring to exchange malicious haymakers. Insane limped his way to the middle of the ring where Dred unloaded several punches across Insane’s bloodied face. It appeared Insane had lost another standoff with Dred until Insane grabbed Dred by the trachea, lifted Dred up several feet above the ground and then slammed him into the shards of glass blanketing the ring. 

Both men threw punches with vigor late in the match but only Insane’s were doing damage. 

Dred tried rallying using a pile of light tubes that were taped together but when he turned around Insane charged at him with full force. Glass exploded everywhere, and Dred dropped to the canvas. 

Dred tried hoisting himself up using the ropes, but his legs shuddered, refusing to help. As Insane approached Dred, who was lying on the floor powerless, Jury made an executive decision. Jury launched the white towel into the ring. The match was over, Jury quit for Dred. 

Following the match, Dred sprinted toward Gevorgian to confront him about interfering with his match. Dred threatened not only to quit SVN but leave to go work at a rival company instead.  

Jury said he threw in the towel because they had “bigger fish to fry.”

He also yelled at a Ten Four reporter during both interviews. Jury told the reporter he was offended by the reporter’s behavior, and lack of professionality. He called the Ten Four’s questions “insignificant.” The question the reporter asked Jury was: does Dred have any concerns facing Insane again after nearly losing their last confrontation. 

“We have a tournament of death next week,” Jury said. “Do you think that I need my client bleeding to death in this fucking warehouse for 250 people? No.” The Tournament of Death is an annual professional wrestling tournament scheduled for September 5.

“You think Joe Dred lost? Absolutely not. Nothing was lost tonight. The only thing that was gained was more energy, more life, and more purpose.” Jury said the upcoming Tournament of Death was an opportunity for Dred to become an even larger menace nationwide. “Next week, Jury said, “Joe Dred etches his name into history when he wins Tournament of Death 23, and we’re going to leave this warehouse and crappy company behind, and all you people with it” Jury added. 

Fans said they were shocked to see Jury throw in the towel for Dred. Others said they were disappointed.  No one had anything negative to say about the event. Long-time wrestling fan Jason Benesch told Ten Four, if people liked “quality fucking entertainment” it could be found at SVN Wrestling. 

“Pro wrestling’s amazing. Keep reading free media and long live deathmatch wrestling,” Benesch said.