Depending on how long you’ve been watching wrestling, you know Matt Cross by a different name. If you got into independent wrestling in the early- to mid-2000s, you probably know him as M-Dogg, or M-Dogg 20. If you watched WWE during the Ruthless Aggression era, you might just know him as “Matt” from Tough Enough, eliminated by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin far too early.

And if you’re a fan of Lucha Underground (and why wouldn’t you be), you know him as Son Of Havoc, a goofy character that captured the imaginations and hearts of the believers in the Temple and became one of the most beloved wrestlers in the company.

The unlikely trio of Son Of Havoc, Ivelisse and Angélico became the inaugural Lucha Underground Trios Champions, but fans know that the team has been unfortunately snakebit by injuries. Ivelisse has suffered serious leg injuries twice during the run of the show, and Angélico missed serious time in season 3 with his own injury.

Season 3 of Lucha Underground is, of course, already in the can, and since the show is on hiatus until late May, a potential season 4 won’t be taped until late in the year. So it comes as a complete downer that we bring you the news Son Of Havoc has suffered a broken leg, which will keep him out of action and unable to take bookings for the foreseeable future.

Doctor to nurse: "You don't see this every day, come look at this guy who just WALKED in here w/ a broken leg" FMLhttps://t.co/oFgCti4Tad pic.twitter.com/MGytlOwXKk — Son Of Havoc (@MDoggMattCross) February 8, 2017

After we learned of Matt’s injury, we reached out to him to get his own story on what happened, and how fans can help him out while he’s on the shelf. Here’s what he had to say:

On January 13th, in Seattle Washington, as part of DEFY Wrestling’s memorable debut event I broke my leg maybe 2 minutes into the opening match. I came down awkwardly on a moonsault, which is a move I’ve done without issue for close to 17 years. The pain was instant. The pain was debilitating. It’s a truly surreal experience knowing that pain in front of hundreds and hundreds of cheering people. I’m not a hero, I’m not a tough guy, but I do know that people work hard for their money. I put another excruciating 8-10 minutes in, and finished the match. As the night wore on, my condition worsened, and walking became a real struggle. Multiple people offered to take me to the hospital … my thought process being, ‘if I can stand on it, and get around, it’s not broken’. Only in retrospect do I realize how foolish that sounds. I had to cancel WrestleCircus in Austin, Texas the next day and one by one, I dropped off my shows week after week waiting for things to improve. Sure, I was in a lot of pain, but nothing ever turned black and blue, there was no swelling, and I didn’t miss a single workout Nearing the one month mark, I decided I better get an x-ray “just to be safe”. As soon as the film hit the screen yesterday it was a painfully obvious break. My heart sunk knowing I’d be away from what I love for some period of time. This happened on my very first show of the year so needless to say, 2017 hasn’t started out great for me. This time last year I was wrestling around Europe for a month, and two years ago (to the day), Ivelisse, Angelico and I won the Lucha Underground Trios Championships I just wanna say thank you to everyone who’s reached out and helped to make me feel like I’m not alone. There’s a certain beauty in the wrestling community coming together to help one of its own. We’re all bonded together through our appreciation of a misunderstood art form and that’s something I’ve always been proud to be a part of. Professional Wrestling is my sole source of income, and it’s unclear at this time how long I’ll be out of her arms. From a financial standpoint, it’s a huge blow as I’ve only worked once this year. My heart is broken, my leg is broken, but my spirit is not. As I look ahead at an uncertain time with no income and unknown, uncovered hospital bills coming, everything is truly appreciated. No one owes me anything (I’ll certainly take hugs), but please take a look at my shirts if you’d like to support www.prowrestlingtees.com/mattcross I shouldn’t admit it, but I’ve almost been brought to tears by people asking to send me help through PayPal (which can be done here: mdogg20bwf@aol.com) If you do any design work, I’d love to see shirt ideas, and if you’re so inclined, you can send me snail mail at: Matt Cross PO Box 470921 Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147 Above all, find a wrestler you like, and cheer them on as loud and passionately as you can. None of us last forever. Thanks guys. I’ll see you soon xoxo www.twitter.com/mdoggmattcross

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We here at With Spandex wish Matt all the best and are hoping he’ll have a speedy recovery. Drop him a line to let him know you’re sending good vibes his way, and pick up one of his shirts if your torso needs a new look. And get your friends to watch Lucha Underground, already. It’s going to be on Netflix, after all.