Among the highlights from Friday’s ROH card in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a matchup that saw award-winning actor Paul Walter Hauser compete in a violent, bloody “Fight Without Honor” against QT Marshall.
Hauser, who has appeared in films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and The Naked Gun, has been known as a diehard wrestling fan, inspiring him to help work behind the scenes for MLW and perform in the ring nearly two-dozen times over the past few years.
Those who have seen Hauser compete before knew that he likes to give a physical effort in his matches, willing to take nasty bumps and absorb hard shots. Friday was no different, taking a powerbomb onto thumbtacks, going through a table with broken glass on it, and bleeding onto the canvas of the 2300 Arena in Philly during the 20-minute battle.
Hours after the match, Hauser reflected on his performance during the show’s post-event scrum. He explained why he chose to put in such a physically taxing effort:
“I said to QT [Marshall], I said to Tony [Khan], all the folks backstage who I texted with and stuff, I said, ‘Just so you know,’ because they’re very safe, they know it’s dangerous, they care about the performers here. This company cares a lot about its performers. But I said to them, ‘Please do not go soft on me,'” Hauser remembers saying. “‘If I get hit with a kendo stick, hit me. If we’re doing thumbtacks, let’s do thumbtacks. I just want to give everybody the pound of flesh and give everybody the show they deserve, whatever that looks like. Same with acting. If you watch Blackbird, I play a serial killer. It’s not a fun role; it is a lot of work. It’s not nearly as fun as goofing around in Cobra Kai. So here I was looking at it like, this is Blackbird. It’s time to bleed, it’s time to remember your stuff, and it’s time to show up.”
Hauser’s effort in the match caused a “You’re a wrestler” chant from the live crowd in Philadelphia. The bout was his 23rd appearance since his in-ring debut back in 2023, and his first on an AEW/ROH program.
Following the extreme performance inside the building known by many as “ECW Arena,” Hauser called the night “a dream come true,” and said that “to be a tiny part of tonight’s show was unreal.”
