In today’s world of professional wrestling, word spreads fast. Clips and highlights from matches all around the world are shared and performers are compared. The title of “best in the world,” is highly disputed, and don’t even get me started on GOAT discussions! However, that’s not what this article is about. This is about one of the most underrated wrestlers on the planet right now. I’m talking about Josh Alexander, Impact’s very own Walking Weapon.
“But Ben!” I hear you cry, “Josh Alexander isn’t underrated!” And yes, it’s true that he’s holding a title in Impact and working NJPW Strong. However, no one outside of diehard fans of either company seems to have heard of him. Furthermore, the wrestling mainstream seems to only just be waking up to his skills and talent. Everyone’s talking about his 60 Minute Ironman Match, but that’s not the only good thing he’s done. I’m going to set out a little bit about what makes him underrated generally. But if you want match recommendations:
- Josh Alexander vs TJP (60 Minute Iron Man Match)
- Josh Alexander vs El Phantasmo
- The North vs Motor City Machine Guns
- The North vs LAX
Journey to the Top
Josh Alexander is 34 years old, and a natural babyface, despite promos being his weakest aspect. This is because Joshua Lemay has overcome considerable adversity throughout his career. Multiple neck injuries and surgeries almost called time on his career. However, he was able to overcome these injuries before reuniting with Ethan Page (his indie tag partner) in Impact. I find Lemay’s story to be incredibly inspiring. His devotion to wrestling and his family is made apparent in this documentary, which is worth a watch.
That’s not to say he cannot work as a heel. Indeed, The North were a heel team during their Impact run. However, I think his road to Impact, and the X-Division title is a natural babyface story that not enough people know about.
Wrestling Machine
Anyone who wrestles under the ring name of the Walking Weapon has to be able to walk the walk. Fortunately, Josh Alexander can. I’ve seen him compared to Kurt Angle, Bret Hart and other technical greats. Anyone who can wrestle an hour-long Iron Man match has to be a solid wrestler. However, Josh Alexander is far more than just a “solid,” wrestler. He can wrestle New Japan strong style, Impact’s hard-hitting offence and his own catch-inspired moves.
As well as this versatility, Alexander is able to incorporate his injuries and style into his character. Wrestling in a head protector improves his presentation as a legitimate “wrestling machine.” As well as this, his physical charisma makes up for his arguable weakness on the mic. As part of his entrance, Alexander will insert his mouthguard and grin at the camera. Maybe it’s just me, but I have always found that little nuanced details improve a character.
To summarise, Josh Alexander is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the world right now. He’s a natural babyface with versatility in ring. Despite his weaker promos, he’s able to give his character considerable nuance which improves his presentation as a whole.
