Answering The 10 Count: The S.A.T aka The Maximo Brothers

Brian Damage

There have been many within the history of pro wrestling that have been either very innovative and or influential. Names like Eddie Gilbert, Jake Roberts, the Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes are just a few names that have changed the business in a positive way. Even rarer are wrestlers that are both innovative and influential. One team that checks both boxes is the tag team called The S.A.T also known as The Maximo Brothers which consist of Jose, Joel and Will Maximo. Most may not know who they are and what they have contributed to the wrestling business, but rest assured, they have helped pave the way to the style of wrestling we see today.

On this edition of Answering The 10 Count, we talk with the Maximos about their careers, what they did to help progress tag team wrestling into the 21st century and what they still want to accomplish in the business.

Ring The Damn Bell: Where did the name SAT derive from?

SAT: The SAT name was giving to us by Fans Of Hardcore Wrestling Alliance. HWA ran by ECW Legend Paul Lauria , we use to sit at the Spanish Announce Table and call the matches is our real gimmick , so it stuck SAT.

RTDB: You guys have been in the wrestling business since 1998, what is the secret to your longevity?

SAT: We’ve been in the business 1998 and we kept ourselves to this day always training like a student , maybe that’s the secret to stay good at your craft, always train.

RTDB: You guys and your cousin Amazing Red have been so influential in pro wrestling for so many years. Who initially trained and help you guys get into wrestling?

SAT: Mikey Whipwreck was our trainer by the way , we were the Last Students to come out the ECW House of Hardcore

RTDB: You guys had a brief stint in WWE as enhancement talent, were you ever offered a contract or tryout?

SAT: We had matches in WWE since 2003, we wrestled The Big Show in a handicap match for Velocity. We also wrestled the Basham Brother’s twice on Velocity and Heat. Never got offered a contract even though Eddie Guerrero was pushing for us at the time, Johnny Ace had a problem with hiring more Latinos at the time where WWE had Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero Jr, Chavo Classic , Rey Mysterio, Juventud Guerrera, Psicosis and Super Crazy. Plus, he got offended that we told him that we spoke better English than half of them. So on a tryout match in 2004, he grabbed our VHS promo tape that we gave him and threw it in the garbage in front of us. Our dreams got a bit crushed, but we kept at it.

RTDB: Oh my God! How disgusting of John Laurinaitis to do that to you. Did you ever considering complaining to WWE higher ups or was that never an option for you guys?

SAT: At the time, in WWE, he was the higher-ups and it happened 20 years ago and we did not know what to do at that young age.

RTDB: Tell us your memories of Eddie Guerrero.

SAT: When we first met Eddie Guerrero, was at the ROH show where we were in the main event against him and our cousin Amazing Red in a classic match up no one really talks about. We became friends instantly, traded numbers once our match was over, and we talked every Wednesday about God , the wrestling business and family and family traditions in our business here in professional wrestling. I remember being at an MLW event in Orlando, Florida. We wrestled the Havana Pitbulls of Rocky Romero & Ricky Reyes. Eddie Guerrero came to meet us at the show, everyone was excited and didn’t know what he was doing there. He made us feel like brothers and is why our families mixed it up. The Guerreros & Maximos go way back…RIP the GOAT Eddie Guerrero, he talks about us in his book.

RTDB: You mentioned ROH aka Ring of Honor and you recently shared a little unknown nugget about the Maximos and the name of that orgainzation. Can you share that?

SAT: We took a trip to Tennessee with RF Video in 2001 where me (Joel) Jose and Amazing Red were brainstorming when Rob Feinstein and Doug Gentry said they where thinking of running shows in Philadelphia PA. We came up with the name Ring OF Honor and Rob and Doug loved it and ran with the name. That is the truth behind the ROH brand, we even suggested the ring should be half red half black like Japanese rings.

RTDB: Many don’t realize how creative and innovative you guys are. I would like you to share with the readers some of the many things the Maximos were responsible for in pro wrestling.

SAT: We are responsible for many of the insane wrestling moves and style you see today like 1.Spanish Fly 2. CANADIAN DESTROYER 3.TOWER OF DOOM 4.powerbomb to the knees 5.beachbreaker 6.tope DDT 7.Doomsday DDT That’s just some man…

RTDB: Wait, the Canadian Destroyer? I thought that was created by Petey Williams?

SAT: We were in Atlanta, Georgia making up moves using the pool for wrestler Quiet Storm and came up with the famously move that was eventually named the Canadian Destroyer this is also a fact! Made by The SAT and Amazing Red for real. Fast forward at an independent show in New Jersey… Cyberspace wrestling where Pete Williams and Quiet Storm were both on the show with us and Williams offered money for the move to Quiet Storm we are witness to this , he should offered us the ones that made that move up.

RTDB: How much did Pete Williams pay for the maneuver?

SAT: I believe he paid 50 bucks to John/ quiet storm lol is more than what we got for the Spanish Fly.

RTDB: How much did you get paid for the infamous Spanish Fly move? Everybody uses that now.

SAT: Zero $! The only thing that is cool about all this, is that everyone kept the name Spanish Fly. By the way, for your knowledge….the Spanish Fly is not with one person only , that is a single Spanish Fly, The Spanish Fly is both men on top with a third in the middle. So when you hear double Spanish Fly, that is wrong!

RTDB: You guys have worked in the early days of both ROH and TNA and helped establish both promotions in the process. What was the atmosphere like for both starting out.? Did you think they would both last till this day?

SAT: For ROH, the atmosphere was awesome and very very competitive you had the NYC Guys VS The world NYC guys The SAT Joel, Jose & Red, Low Ki, Homicide, Bugalou Divine, Quiet Storm, Xavier The Hit Squad Vs Texas Guys Spanky, Paul London Michael Shane, Hernandez, Brian Danielson, down south & Mid West Guys like AJ Styles, Slim J, CM Punk, Colt Cabana Donavan Morgan, Mike Modest, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe and the list goes on and we saw that we had to rep NYC as the best that wrestling had to offer for some reason. LOL

RTDB: And what about TNA Wrestling?

SAT: TNA was a story and amazingly fun to work there at our young age. We took a Greyhound from NYC to Atlanta, GA for NWA Wildside two days before me and Jose Maximo’s first PPV show with the company TNA. Amazing Red had his first match alone for TNA two weeks prior, now they were bringing us in together all 3 SAT members, anyways while in Georgia, we had a day to hang and go swimming before ridding up to our first TNA match with AJ Styles who gave us a Lift to the show that was held in Tennessee fairgrounds, where we wrestled a six man tag against The Flying Elvises that landed us a contract on that day. We had no choice, we were told if not sign that day we may lose the opportunity, so we did for a duration of 3 years.

RTDB: You have been credited for your creativity and talent by the likes of Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, the late Eddie Guerrero and the Briscoe Brothers…has AEW or WWE ever reached out to you about a contract offer since?

SAT: No one from AEW or WWE has reached out yet…no.

RTDB: What is something you want to still achieve in the business? Are there any teams you’d really like to face?

SAT: We want to face FTR and the Young Bucks & Kenny Omega in trios combat!

RTDB: What about a tour of New Japan Pro Wrestling?

SAT: Just finished our debut with NJPW. We wrestled the Aussie Open in NYC on October 27th, 2022. We would love an opportunity to keep doing NJPW, but our goals at this last run is ether WWE or AEW.

RTDB: Tell fans and the promoters what the SAT’s/Maximos offer as a team to a promotion…

SAT: I think we have a lot to offer on any tag team division in any program on TV. We innovated the style of today with moves who have gotten people signed to deals on our hard work. Our goal is to change the game again!

RTDB: If Tony Khan or Triple H were reading this interview right now…what would you say to sell yourselves to them?

SAT: I would tell them that we are more than the average wrestlers, we have done everything in this business and are a long lasting family of wrestlers who today have change professional wrestling forever! We can be great teachers, scouts and agents with creativity and love…Real love for this wrestling business! We are owed an opportunity to show the world what we’ve paved.

We are also entrepreneurs. Check out the headphones we invented and patent them…

Www.bandphones.com

RTDB: I want to sincerely thank you for your time with this interview and truly wish the Maximos/SAT the very best of luck in FINALLY securing a deal with a major promotion!

SAT: Gracias hermano