Examing The Legacy Of The Forgotten Radicalz Member, Perry Saturn
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Perry Saturn is a wrestling legend who has won titles in numerous promotions, yet somehow his legacy has seemingly become forgotten with time. His big introduction as a full-time member of the Attitude Era occurred on the January 31, 2000, episode of Raw Is War. Saturn appeared alongside three other former WCW stars, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit. However, compared to the careers of the three wrestlers mentioned, Saturn struggled to become a prominent star in the singles division.
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Saturn was a very talented wrestler who held gold in WWE, WCW, ECW, and USWA, among other promotions. Without further ado, let's review the wrestling career of the forgotten member of The Radicalz, Perry Saturn.
Perry Saturn Dominated ECW's Tag Team Division As Part Of The Eliminators
Perry Saturn was trained by Killer Kowalski's wrestling school and later worked for Kowalski's promotion, IWF. When he went over to the USWA, Saturn formed a tag team with John Kronus. Wrestling as The Eliminators, they won the USWA World Tag Team Championship and got noticed by ECW promoter, Paul Heyman. In 1995, The Eliminators made their way over to The Land of Extreme.
While members of the ECW roster, Saturn and Kronus became two of the company's top tag team stars. The Eliminators went to war with teams like The Gangstas, The Dudley Boyz, and the tandem of Sabu and Rob Van Dam. They wowed fans with their high-risk maneuvers and hard-hitting action, becoming three-time ECW World Tag Team Champions. The Eliminators also made an appearance on Monday Night RAW in 1997 as part of the ECW invasion storyline. Saturn sustained a knee injury in ECW, which meant when he went over to WCW, Perry would have to ease up his in-ring style to be less high-flying and more brawling-orientated.
Perry Saturn Was Part Of The Flock And The Revolution In WCW
Saturn gained the attention of WCW fans via his participation in The Flock, led by fellow ECW alumnus Raven. As a member of The Flock, Saturn won gold, becoming a one-time WCW World Television Champion after defeating Disco Inferno on a November 1997 episode of Nitro. Perry held onto that title for 35 days before dropping it back to Disco.
Raven's Flock never made it above the midcard in WCW. Tensions between Saturn and Raven ultimately led to the group's downfall. Perry defeated Raven at Fall Brawl 1998, resulting in Raven freeing his Flock and ending the stable for good. Following this breakup, Saturn lost to Chris Jericho at Souled Out 1999, requiring Perry to wear a dress for 90 days. Saturn and Raven later reunited to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles, holding onto the gold for 22 days.
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Before leaving for WWE, Saturn took part in another major faction in WCW, getting together with Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and "The Franchise" Shane Douglas to form The Revolution. They were fed up with usual suspects like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan dominating the main event scene and talented wrestlers being held down as a result. However, as a faction, they remained in the mid-card and continued to feel dissatisfied with their position in the company. In January 2000, Eddie Guerrero joined Malenko, Benoit, and Saturn in jumping ship to the competition.
The Radicalz Leave WCW And Arrive In WWE
The Radicalz shocked wrestling fans when they showed up unannounced in WWE on Raw Is War. The four-man faction was introduced as a babyface group, but after three straight losses to DX on SmackDown, the stable turned heel a week after their debut. Months later, the group's members would go their separate ways to focus on individual goals, but they'd come back together towards the latter part of 2000. In his first year on the roster, Saturn became a two-time Hardcore Champion and held one reign with the European Championship.
One by one, The Radicalz would break up. First, it was Benoit, then Guerrero left the group. Malenko left the faction upon his retirement, officially disbanding the stable in July 2001.
Perry Saturn Falls In Love With A Mop Named 'Moppy'
Perry would be involved in a controversial incident in May 2001 when he legitimately lost his temper and beat up an enhancement talent named Mike Bell during a match on Jakked/Metal. This incident is rumored to be the reason for Saturn to drastically change his persona to a comedic gimmick with a head injury. While this is rumored to be a punishment for Saturn's beatdown on Bell, he would develop a standout gimmick that would later involve a mop. However, former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz has disputed the validity of the rumor of this gimmick being a punishment.
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After repeated blows to the head, Saturn showed signs of brain damage and started acting and speaking strangely. "You're welcome" became Perry's catchphrase. Saturn seemingly fell in love with a mop, dumping his on-screen girlfriend Terri when he was forced to choose between the two. However, tragedy would strike when Moppy was kidnapped and fed into a woodchipper by Raven.
Perry got revenge against the two-time ECW World Champion by defeating him at Unforgiven. Following this victory, Saturn mostly appeared on WWE's secondary shows like Sunday Night Heat and Jakked. He'd make two further pay-per-view appearances at Survival Series 2001 and Royal Rumble 2002, but he was unsuccessful on both occasions. Following another knee injury, Saturn would be released by WWE in November 2002 and never returned.
Saturn's Later Career & Retirement
After leaving WWE, Saturn spent 2003 wrestling for TNA, NJPW, and other promotions. Perry temporarily retired from wrestling in 2004 after he was shot in the neck and shoulder. Saturn had reportedly stopped a rape, but he was shot as a result, which resulted in a lot of physical pain leading to drug addiction and homelessness.
Saturn made his in-ring return in October 2011 and wrestled sporadically in 2012 and 2013. Saturn is currently retired from the ring, leaving behind a legacy that is worth remembering.
