Philip Andrew "Phil" Livelsberger (born February 7, 1962), better known by the ring name Max Thrasher, is an American retired professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. He is best known for his tenure in Eastern Championship Wrestling, as one-half of The Night Breed with Glen Osbourne, and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, where he won the MEWF Heavyweight Championship three times, the MEWF Mid-Atlantic Championship two times and the MEWF Tag Team Championship two times (once each with Dino Casanova and Lucifer). Livelsberger also trained a number of independent stars including, most notably, Morgus the Maniac, Adam Flash and Kevin Featherstone.
Livelsberger started his career in the Atlantic Wrestling Federation and had a brief stint in Jim Crockett Promotions as a preliminary wrestler. He emerged as a top heel performer in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. during the 1990s and wrestled for several prominent independent promotions: the National Wrestling Federation, National Wrestling League, Trans World Wrestling Federation, Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and Maryland Championship Wrestling. He has also wrestled overseas in Greece, Guam, the Philippines and Japan.
Early life and education Livelsberger was born February 7, 1962, to Leo P. Livelsberger and his wife and raised in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He is one of seven children. His father was a hospital worker, while his mother was a homemaker. Livelsberger became a fan of professional wrestling after seeing an episode of WWWF All-Star Wrestling when he was six years old. Livelsberger attended Delone Catholic High School where he took part in football, rugby, and wrestling. He also studied karate for eight years.
He played football for Delaware Valley College and worked as a debt collector to partly pay his way through school. Livelsberger left DelVal to compete in full contact karate but returned after two years and graduated in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He also earned a degree in animal care from the University of New York in 1985. Over the next few years, Livelsberger had a number of jobs including work as a brick mason, dog groomer, and sous chef.
Professional wrestling career Early career and the Atlantic Wrestling Federation (1987–1988) Livelsberger struggled to break into pro wrestling during his mid-20s, owing largely to his lack of connections and was turned down by several wrestling schools due to his size. In late 1986, he got in contact with Bob Miller who owned the Mason-Dixon Gym in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. Miller had recently started a local training facility out of the gym with National Wrestling Federation wrestler Damien Kane. At the time, Livelsberger was earning minimum wage as a waiter but another restaurant employee agreed to co-sign a loan so he could pay the $1500 tuition (). One of their first students, he spent the next six months training under hard conditions. The school did not have a wrestling ring and students had to work on a cement floor. In July 1987, Livelsberger was one of several students featured in a story on the school by the Hanover Evening Sun.
Livelsberger made his pro debut on August 22, 1987, against Larry Winters in front of around 2,500 fans for a Mason-Dixon show at Heiges Field House. He was accompanied by Darren Wyse as his manager. Miller started running shows under the Mason-Dixon Sports / Atlantic Wrestling Federation banner and within two months Livelsberger was working as the group's booker. After a handful of shows, Miller closed down the gym and Livelsberger took over the AWF in early 1988. Ed Zohn was brought on as a partner and later served as the on-screen AWF President. Livelsberger also opened his own wrestling school, initially out of a garage in his hometown of Hanover and later in York, Pennsylvania. Using a mix of established Mid-Atlantic talent and his wrestling students, Livelsberger promoted regular events at the Hanover State Armory. In addition to wrestling, his students also set up the ring, put up posters and sold tickets for AWF events. In April 1988, Livelsberger defeated Sweet Daddy Falcone in a tournament final to become the promotion's first heavyweight champion.
Jim Crockett Promotions (1988) During his rookie year, Thrasher was contacted by Jim Crockett Promotions to work as a preliminary wrestler. Thrasher made his JCP debut against Brad Armstrong at the Baltimore Civic Center on June 11, 1988. He subsequently wrestled Blackjack Mulligan, Jimmy Valiant and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) at house shows in North Carolina. His appearances for the promotion stopped after then booker Dusty Rhodes was fired by Turner Broadcasting in November 1988. He spent much of his early career on the local independent circuit wrestling as "The Bounty Hunter" but began using the ring name Max Thrasher to separate himself from other wrestlers using the name at the time, particularly the masked wrestler who appeared on World Championship Wrestling television during 1989.
Independent circuit (1989–1990) The following year, Thrasher feuded over the AWF Heavyweight Championship with Bam Bam Bigelow. For their first match in York, AWF President Ed Zohn brought in Don Muraco as a special referee. Wrestling journalist Bill Apter, who was travelling with Bigelow at the time, was present for their match in Elkins, West Virginia. This resulted in coverage from major pro wrestling magazines and was a nominee for PWI Match of the Year. Bigelow was impressed by Thrasher and passed along his name to casting agents. This led to Thrasher being considered for a role in the romantic comedy film Mannequin Two: On the Move (1991). Following a successful audition in April 1990, Thrasher and his wrestling student Don Eminizer were to appear together in the film's bar fight scenes.
During this period, he successfully defended his AWF title against National Wrestling Alliance star Nikita Koloff. as well as ex-World Wide Wrestling Federation veterans Afa the Wild Samoan and Chief Jules Strongbow. He also made appearances for other local Mid-Atlantic promotions including the National Wrestling League and Trans World Wrestling Federation. In June 1990, Thrasher went on his first international tour with the NWL to Guam. It was on this tour that he lost the AWF Heavyweight Championship to John Rambo at the University of Guam after a two-year title reign. The show was seen by 3,600 fans and included Gov. Joseph F. Ada and Congressional Del. Ben Blaz in attendance. Their match was featured on the front page of the Pacific Daily News. Their rematch the following night was seen by 4,500 people. After being pinned by Rambo once again, Thrasher attacked referee Dave "The Wave" McCallister and was fined $1,000. Thrasher has attributed the show's popularity due to foreign wrestling fans believing Sylvester Stallone was actually portraying Rambo.
He quickly regained the belt in Hilo, Hawaii, on June 30, before 2,500 fans. and held onto the championship for another year and a half. In the next few months, the AWF wrestling school was featured in the Hanover Evening Sun and on WGAL-TV. Around this time, Thrasher ran his own boxing-wrestling ring rental service. It was suggested by his friend Ted Petty, who sold him his first ring, as a way to network and make introductions to promoters outside the Eastern Pennsylvania area. He and Petty were one of the few people on the U.S. East Coast that owned a wrestling ring. The two worked closely together to supply rings to many independent shows in the region for a number of years. Thrasher has credited Petty for helping increase his visibility in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast independent circuit.
Atlantic States Wrestling Association (1990) Thrasher began working for Atlantic States Wrestling Association run by Earl Kirk and Axl Rotten. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, it had a weekly television series that aired on Home Team Sports. He feuded with A.J. Fritzoid, then one of the Mid-Atlantic's most popular indy stars, over the ASWA Heavyweight Championship. While doing guest color commentator on ASWA Wrestling Fury, Thrasher attacked Fritzoid after a title match against Morgus the Maniac. He also attacked both Fritzoid and an ASWA announcer during a TV interview. Thrasher was fined $1,000 and suspended for 30 days by Kirk. The feud culminated in a barbwire match at the Springettsbury Township Fire Company.
Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (1990–1991) In the fall of 1990, Thrasher joined Joel Goodhart's Tri-State Wrestling Alliance promotion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Goodheart had initially hired Thrasher to rent out his ring, based on the suggestion of Petty, but later brought him in as a wrestler. He made his debut at the company's fourth supercard Autumn Armageddon on September 15 at Pennsylvania Hall, defeating Tim Frye. Thrasher was also part in the co-main event, a 20-man Reverse Battle Royal match in which the first man to climb into a steel cage was declared the winner.
Thrasher's work with other local groups at this time, as well as his own promotion-wrestling school, initially limited his TWA bookings. He made several appearances on TWA's "Original Sports Bar" shows facing J.T. Smith (January 28), Michael Bruno (February 24) and Ghetto Blaster (August 19). On August 20, 1991, Thrasher entered an 8-man tournament to crown the inaugural TWA Bar Wars Champion but was eliminated in the opening round by D.C. Drake. He came back several months later winning victories over Harley Watkins (November 19) and The Rockin' Rebel (December 7, 1991).
Independent circuit (1991–1993) On February 28, 1991, Thrasher teamed with Sammy Austin as The Executioners against The Beach Boys (Larry Winters and Dusty Wolfe) at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, as part of a one-night NWF tour of Athens, Greece. Thrasher wrestled as the masked Executioner #2 and was pinned by Winters. Seen by 5,500 fans, it was the most attended show by an independent promotion for that year.
That spring, Thrasher became involved with Ed Zohn in Universal Independent Wrestling. The organization was formed partly as a way to encourage collaboration between all the independent promotions based in Maryland. A weekly television series was co-produced with the Gambo family at WJZ-TV as a way to showcase the best talent in the Mid-Atlantic region which aired in Baltimore and syndicated to York, Pennsylvania, and Keyser, West Virginia. Thrasher became one of the company's early stars. Aligning himself with manager Kevin "The Truth" Casey, Thrasher feuded with UIW Heavyweight Champion The Golden Phoenix. On August 17, 1991, he wrestled The Golden Phoenix in a Hair vs. Career match at "Romp 'N' Roll II" in Dundalk, Maryland.
In late-1991, Thrasher began working for Dennis Wippercht and Tim Burke in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. On October 11, 1991, Thrasher and Kirk Dredd unsuccessfully challenged MEWF Tag Team Champions The Lords of Darkness (Agony and Pain) in a Falls Count Anywhere match in Pasadena, Maryland. He briefly formed The Hellhounds, a masked tag team, with Ricky Blues. and they captured the AWF Tag Team Championship in December 1991.
In early-1992, Thrasher teamed with A.J. Fritzoid to win the UIW Tag Team Championship from The Cream Team (Rip Sawyer and Dave Casanova). He next appeared for the Wrestling Independent Network, run by Ed Zohn and Steve Unterman, in Baltimore. On April 11, Thrasher wrestled The Cheetah Kid at Juniata High School in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. Thrasher briefly left the UIW that same month, forcing the promotion to vacate the tag team belts. A month later, Thrasher was back in UIW where he and Brick Bronsky battled to a double countout in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. On June 14, 1992, Thrasher defeated Tommy Rose at WIN's Star Mangled Banner I to advance in the tournament for the WIN Heavyweight Championship.