Paul Walter Hauser is bringing a distinctly Hollywood flavor to his next professional wrestling appearance, but he is also making clear that he understands the magnitude of the opponent standing across the ring from him.

Hauser is scheduled to challenge former ECW World Champion Steve Corino for the PWF Undisputed Championship at Premier Wrestling Federation’s PWF Shattered Dreams on September 20. The event is set to take place at the Carolina Wrestling Academy in North Carolina, where Hauser will look to add a championship victory to his growing résumé in wrestling.

Before that match arrives, Hauser shared a comedic video featuring several recognizable names from film and entertainment. The premise is simple: Hauser’s actor friends repeatedly ask, “Who is Steve Corino?” The joke is clearly aimed at getting under the skin of Corino, a veteran whose accomplishments stretch across several major eras of the wrestling business.

The video includes appearances from Sam Rockwell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Giovanni Ribisi, Johnny Knoxville, Matthew Lillard, Judd Apatow, and Dave Bautista, the former WWE Champion who performed in WWE as Batista. Each participant joins in the humor at Corino’s expense, giving Hauser an attention-grabbing way to promote a match against one of the most experienced opponents he has faced.

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For all of the celebrity-driven jokes, Hauser did not present himself as someone who is unaware of Corino’s history. In fact, he acknowledged that he knows exactly who Corino is and openly admitted that he may be taking on more than he can handle.

“When the Mercenary comes to North Carolina, he is leaving with the PWF Undisputed Championship. Steve Corino, a wrestling legend, meet the legend in the making. No gory, no glory.”

That statement captures the balance Hauser is trying to strike heading into the championship match. He is using the confidence and bravado expected from a wrestler pursuing a title, while also recognizing that Corino is not merely another celebrity-match opponent. Corino has spent decades building a reputation as a performer, strategist, trainer, and influential wrestling mind.

A Major Test For Hauser

Hauser’s involvement in pro wrestling has often created curiosity because of his established acting career. An award-winning actor, he has been able to draw attention from audiences who may not typically follow independent wrestling. At the same time, his willingness to step into the ring places him in a world where name value alone does not determine the result.

Challenging Corino for the PWF Undisputed Championship is a substantial assignment. Corino’s career includes a reign as ECW World Champion, and he became one of the defining figures associated with ECW’s later years. He has also been a prominent presence in promotions around the world, gaining particular acclaim for his work as “The King of Old School” and for his ability to adapt his character work to different wrestling environments.

Corino’s experience is not confined to his active in-ring career. He currently works in WWE NXT as a coach and producer, putting him in a position to help guide and develop wrestlers working toward larger stages. That background makes the contest with Hauser even more intriguing. Hauser will be facing somebody with not only a veteran wrestler’s instincts, but also the daily perspective of a coach and producer who studies the details of how matches and performers come together.

There is an obvious contrast in the presentation of the bout. Hauser arrives with celebrity allies and a social-media-ready video full of famous faces. Corino arrives with a wrestling pedigree that has been established in rings, locker rooms, and training settings over many years. The PWF Championship match will ultimately come down to what occurs at the Carolina Wrestling Academy, not who can recruit the most recognizable people for a pre-match video.

Hollywood Names Join The Promotion

The list of participants in Hauser’s video gives the promotion a broad range of personalities. Rockwell is a celebrated actor with a long list of acclaimed performances. Mintz-Plasse and Ribisi each bring their own distinctive screen presence to the clip, while Knoxville has a particularly natural connection to the physical risks and irreverent humor that often overlap with professional wrestling.

Lillard and Apatow add to the video’s comedic energy, while Bautista’s involvement is especially notable because he knows Corino’s industry firsthand. Bautista reached the top of WWE as a former WWE Champion before transitioning into an acclaimed acting career. His appearance gives Hauser’s campaign a connection to both Hollywood and wrestling, even if the video’s purpose is to poke fun at Corino rather than offer a serious analysis of the matchup.

Hauser’s approach is a familiar kind of wrestling promotion in a modern package. Wrestlers have always looked for ways to embarrass, provoke, or distract their opponents before a major contest. In this case, Hauser has done so by framing Corino as a figure unknown to his famous friends. It is playful material, but it also provides Corino with a ready-made motivation to prove why his name carries weight in professional wrestling.

As of now, Corino has not responded publicly to Hauser’s video. That leaves the attention on Hauser’s message and on the impending title match. Whether Corino chooses to answer with words before September 20 or lets his in-ring performance do the talking remains to be seen.

Corino’s Legacy Makes The Match Different

Calling Corino a wrestling legend is not simply promotional language from Hauser. Corino’s body of work gives the challenger a credible reason to be concerned about the task in front of him. His ECW World Championship credentials alone separate him from many independent wrestling opponents, and his years of experience have made him a valuable figure in the industry beyond any single championship or promotion.

Corino has long been associated with a calculated, old-school approach to competition. The nickname “The King of Old School” reflects the identity he cultivated throughout his career, one built around confidence, toughness, and a willingness to use every available advantage. For Hauser, that means preparing for a champion who is unlikely to be rattled merely because a group of well-known actors have joined a promotional gag.

It also means Hauser’s own admission that he is “in over his skis” could be important. The comment may be delivered with a degree of self-awareness, but it acknowledges the real gap in experience between a celebrity wrestler pursuing a major independent championship and a former world champion who now helps train WWE NXT talent. Hauser will need to turn the confidence behind his “legend in the making” declaration into an actual strategy when the bell rings.

The phrase “No gory, no glory” adds another element to Hauser’s pre-match message. It signals that he expects the match to be physical and that he is willing to embrace the pain and risk that come with pursuing the PWF Undisputed Championship. That attitude will be tested against a wrestler whose career has been shaped in demanding environments.

What Is At Stake At Shattered Dreams

The PWF Undisputed Championship is the central prize in the September 20 encounter, and the setting gives the event an intimate but potentially intense atmosphere. The Carolina Wrestling Academy will host the show, placing a championship bout between a Hollywood star and a former ECW World Champion in front of an audience likely to understand exactly what Corino represents in wrestling.

For Hauser, a win would be a defining moment in his wrestling journey. Defeating Corino and leaving North Carolina with the championship would validate his bold prediction and give him a signature accomplishment against a respected veteran. It would also demonstrate that the attention generated by his acting connections can be paired with meaningful success inside the ring.

For Corino, the match presents a different kind of challenge. High-profile celebrity involvement can bring new eyes to independent wrestling, but it can also create an opportunity for a champion to remind viewers that professional wrestling has its own standards, history, and hierarchy. Corino has the chance to reinforce all of that while defending the PWF title against a challenger who has made the matchup impossible to ignore.

Hauser’s video has supplied the entertainment, the celebrity cameos, and the pre-match needling. Corino’s response, if it comes, could further raise the temperature. But the essential story is already in place: an actor with growing wrestling ambitions will attempt to take a championship from a former ECW World Champion who remains active behind the scenes in WWE NXT.

On September 20, Hauser will find out whether being a “legend in the making” is enough to overcome a proven wrestling legend. Steve Corino’s name may be the subject of a joke in Hauser’s star-packed clip, but at PWF Shattered Dreams, it will be attached to the champion Hauser must defeat to fulfill his promise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.