- Early days
Darryl Peterson became involved in wrestling in grade school when he transferred from football to amateur wrestling as result of a personality clash with the football coach. However his amateur career was halted by a motorcycle accident in his junior year of high school. Paterson then decided to return to amateur wrestling after spending 2 years in the construction industry. Peterson was introduced to professional wrestler Red Bastien by his wrestling fan who then decided to train him.
- WWF / NJPW
While training, Peterson started working for WWF in 1986 and even put together the steel cage used in the main event at WrestleMania 2. When his training was completed, Peterson travelled to Japan to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he trained in the New Japan Dojo alongside Chris Benoit for 5 months.
In 1988 Peterson developed the character of Max Pain (short for Maximum Pain), a sinister, grungy, heavy metal guitarist. The character had a neo-noir look and feel, as far the live theater of professional wrestling would allow. His original idea was Lucifer Payne, but he felt that the name was too foreboding.
- UWF / CWA
Following a short stint with the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), Peterson debuted in the Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). He quickly began pursuing the CWA Heavyweight Championship and on February 8, 1988 in Memphis he defeated Jerry Lawler to capture the title. Peterson then went after Lawler's more prestigious title, the AWA World Heavyweight Championship but the attempt was unsuccessful. Peterson forfeited his CWA title to Brickhouse Brown but won it back soon after, however his second reign ended when he was defeated by Phil Hickerson.
After leaving CWA and returned to Utah, Peterson opened his own wrestling promotion. However, his employees began to leave the territory and soon after Peterson received a phone call from Benoit, who invited him to join an upcoming tour of Germany. He then spent 6 months in the German Catch Wrestling Association as Buffalo Patterson, and won the vacant CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship when he defeated The Warlord in Bremen. He vacated the title the following year when he returned to America.
- WCW
Then WCW booker Bill Watts was impressed by Peterson's amateur credentials, and hired him in 1993. Peterson wrestled as Maxx Payne and made his 1st WCW pay-per-view appearance on SuperBrawl 1993, when Maxx Payne played the National Anthem on his guitar before challenging Dustin Rhodes for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. After Rhodes locked him in an abdominal stretch from which he was unable to escape, Peterson pushed the referee over rather than submit and was subsequently disqualified.
At Clash of the Champions, Peterson shot Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) in the face with the "Badd Blaster" (confetti gun), scarring him so badly that he had to wear a mask and forcing him to forfeit their scheduled match. This led to a match at Beach Blast, which Peterson lost. They faced one another again in a mask versus guitar match, with Peterson putting his beloved guitar on the line in order to unmask and therefore humiliate the mutilated Badd. Badd won once more and took Peterson's guitar.
Peterson formed a tag team with Cactus Jack towards the end of the year. At Starrcade 1993 they defeated Tex Slazenger (Mideon) and Shanghai Pierce (Henry O. Godwinn). They then faced the Nasty Boys for the WCW World Tag Team Championships, in a Chicago Street Fight at The United Center at Spring Stampede 1994 but were defeated in a brutal brawl.
During their feud with The Nasty Boys, Peterson had become increasingly unhappy with their stiffness and insistence on controlling the match. During their brawl at Spring Stampede 1994, Brian Knobbs (of Nasty Boys) and Peterson did not cooperate on a fall and Knobbs broke his shoulder as a result. After the match, Then WCW President Eric Bischoff shouted at Peterson for hurting Knobbs, and Peterson responded in kind. Peterson was subsequently buried by WCW and was fired soon after.
- WWF
The morning after he was released by WCW, Peterson was contacted by Rick Rude, who convinced WWF owner Vince McMahon to hire him. Peterson was renamed Man Mountain Rock by the WWF. The rocker character was considerably more upbeat and less gritty than the popular Maxx Payne character but did not achieve the same success like it used to be.
Debuting on an episode of WWF Superstars, Man Mountain Rock played a large electric guitar which was shaped like the WWF logo. He would come to the ring during a commercial, with the arena going pitch black and the ring announcer saying "Ladies and Gentleman, Man Mountain Rock!" Rock would then play his electric guitar while pyro burst off. Man Mountain Rock would say "If it's too loud, then you're too old!" Vince McMahon, then a on-screen commentator, would often comment that Man Mountain Rock "rocked the house".
Peterson had suffered several injuries during his amateur wrestling career, and had hoped to secure a backstage position with WCW. When he moved to the WWF, he asked to be made an announcer, but his request was denied. His career in the WWF met with several disruptions, including a serious hernia, an addiction to pain pills and downers in additional to Marijuana habit, which ultimately led to his release in 1995.
While working for the WWF, Peterson filmed several hours of behind-the-scenes footage with a video camera which he often carried. Peterson often claimed that he would release a documentary called "The Thing that Should Not Be" or "The Real Maxx Payne" based on the footage, but never did. The footage reportedly contained scenes showing substance abuse and solicitation.
- Retirement
Peterson worked briefly for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Mississippi in 2000, and on October 7 he defeated Bob Serio for the NWA Mississippi Taped Fist Championship. He later vacated the title.
In 2004, Peterson addressed an audience in the Schubert Theater at the Western States College for the Performing Arts in Gooding, Idaho, talking about professional wrestling. Peterson continues to be involved in film projects.
Links:
1) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce (Starrcade 1993)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQHYsdA-kb0 (Thanks to delikadir1977)
2) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Nasty Boys part 1 (Spring Stempede 1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiSBeTXM5f4&NR=1 (Thanks to DYLANO15)
3) Maxx Payne & Cactus Jack vs. Nasty Boys part 2 (Spring Stempede 1994)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw5FvSBytpQ&feature=related (Thanks to DYLANO15)
4) Man Mountain Rock vs. Jean Pierre Lafitte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IpGZSyULyQ (Thanks to paulglory)
5) The Real Max Payne (Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlkbAlKL2QM (Thanks to SaveHolmes)
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