But on Saturday, January 15, pro wrestling fans of Minot will be reintroduced to Bobby Brennan, the Cloud 9 Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.

Cloud 9 Wrestling will return to its home, hosting its first live event since March 14, 2020 due to COVID, the Clarion Hotel, for Cloud 9 Wrestling: New Life 2.

Brennan, whose ring name honors his late grandfather, Bob Brennan, will be Cloud 9 Wrestling Heavyweight Champion for 820 days, going into his four-way gauntlet match on Saturday.

“When I was around 10 my grandpa passed away and he was Bob Brennan,” said Brennan. “He was somewhat a wrestling fan and had an influence on me getting into it so it was a way to keep his legacy going.”

Submitted Photo Minot’s Bobby Brennan stands toe-to-toe with the Canadian Crusher AJ Sanchez. Brennan is the Cloud 9 Wrestling Heavyweight Champion defeating Sanchez for the championship.

His last title defense was nearly two years ago on Marche 14, 2020 against the man he defeated for the title, “the Canadian Crusher” AJ Sanchez. Brennan, undefeated between the ropes for Cloud 9 Wrestling at 9-0, defeated Sanchez for the title on October 18, 2019 at Cloud 9 Wrestling’s the Grudge. The championship win marked the three-year and seven-month anniversary of Brennan’s first wrestling match, which happened on March 18, 2016 in Minot.

“My toughest opponent has been “The Canadian Crusher” AJ Sanchez, a 400-pound wrestler out of Manitoba,” said Brennan. “He was the former Cloud 9 Heavyweight Champion.”

Sanchez is currently not scheduled to be in the match on Saturday, and Brennan could face three different opponents in a gauntlet style match.

“If I can make it through the whole match, I could be wrestling anywhere up to 45 minutes, said Brennan. “Doesn’t sound typically like something I get to do in the ring but it’s nothing I’m opposed to.”

Despite COVID putting a chokehold on Cloud 9 Wrestling matches, Brennan has wrestled several times for different wrestling promotions outside of Cloud 9 Wrestling with his last match happening on October 2, 2021 against Austin Arrow for Below Zero Wrestling.

“I was fortunate enough to have stayed somewhat busy throughout this time, after some restrictions were lifted of course. I have remained healthy during all of it as well and I’m grateful for it,” said Brennan. “I did come up short with Austin so coming off a loss and a three-month layoff. Typically, a lay off for me is a good thing. I get to rest, heal and recharge. Granted, coming back to a gauntlet is a little nerve racking with the in-ring cardio being a question I’ve gotten often. I’m hoping to make it through without any issues but I can’t say it won’t be challenging.”

When asked what drew him to pro wrestling initially, Brennan credits Hulk Hogan and his character in Rocky 3, Thunderlips. Including Hogan, Dynamite Kid, and Randy Savage are listed as early influences by Brennan as are hard-hitting current wrestlers, Walter and Dax Harwood. He added that collegiate wrestlers who fight MMA; including former UFC two division champion Daniel Cormier and Justin Gaethje, are a bigger influence on his in-ring style.

“Pro wrestling is combative and should be treated as such,” said Brennan. “I actually have had training in MMA and was scheduled for a bout myself but due to COVID it has sidelined my fight and I have not got back to rescheduling it at the moment.”

The most recognizable name on Brennan’s wrestling resume to wrestling fans is a match against multi-promotional champion Juventud Guerrera at Canadian Wrestling’s Elite the Juice is Loose Tour. A tour named specifically after Guerrera whose nickname in WWE was “the Juice,” as part of then WWE faction “The Mexicools.”

Not everyone who has influenced Brennan’s life has a name like Thunderlips or Dymamite Kid.

“My parents — Troy and Sheila Kubas — and grandparents — Pat and Don Kubas — are huge influences along with people like my fiance Alicia Busch.  These people all had huge impacts in my life every day,” said Brennan.

Win – lose – or draw on Saturday, Mr. Brennan Kubas will return to his day job as an elementary school Title Aide on Monday, wrestling with math equations and sentence structures, waiting for his next chance to step into the ring – either MMA or pro wrestling.