1 Called Manders is coming off one of the biggest victories of his career as he won the SCI 2023 tournament on July 15.
Manders is a well-traveled veteran who trained at the Black & Brave school under Seth Rollins, and has wrestled for MLW, GCW, REVOLVER, AEW and more.
Like any wrestler out there, Manders has his list of dream matches, and one name at the top of his list is Jon Moxley.
"Having someone who is at that pecking order, the tippy top, the 1%, he is The Guy. Having him say some things that we all say was mind blowing. The way he operates, the way he thinks, the way he does things. We all sat there. Him and (Matthews) Justice were in FCW together, so there is history there. Just how he operates and how he thinks of certain spots in wrestling or certain things. He's at the top of pro wrestling, where were all aspire to be, and he kind of thinks like us. Sometimes we think, 'is the business different than what we think it is?' There is no wrong in wrestling, but there are many rights. We sometimes feel the way we think and operate doesn't work versus all these other things, so we're wondering, 'is it us, is it them, or is it both?' Having Mox around, we get little breadcrumbs. We had a match with him and we're like, 'he does think like us.' That inspires us to be like, 'we're actually doing something if he thinks like us,'" recalled Manders in an interview with Jeremy Lambert & Stephen Jensen on The Spotlight.
Manders teamed with Moxley at REVOLVER Wrestling Revolver And The The Ring Of Destiny in an eight-man tag. Mance Warner & Matthew Justice joined Manders & Moxley against Rickey Shane Page & The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz).
"After the show, Mox kind of took a liking to me. I don't know why, but he started asking questions. I've met him before at Black & Brave. He probably doesn't know that. I told him the backstory and he was like, 'Oh shit, you're a Tyler Black [Seth Rollins] kid.' Then he went on this whole rant about him and [Rollins] on the Indies and FCW. I was texting Rollins about it," said Manders.
Manders dream match nearly came to fruition, as he recently saw REVOLVER owner Sami Callihan at a show and was told a bout with Moxley was almost booked.
"Sami Callihan was like, 'we almost had you versus Mox.' I was like, 'Why would you say that? Why would you do that to me?' I'm sure it'll manifest and happen," he said.
So it is written, so it must happen: Manders vs. Moxley.
Moxley makes regular appearances at Pro Wrestling REVOLVER shows, but does not always wrestle at the events.
Manders will be in action at REVOLVER on August 3. Fans can keep up with Manders by clicking here.
Check out the full interview with Manders in the video above.
