The Spotlight: Sean Waltman

Joe King

Known by several iconic ring names—including The 1-2-3 Kid, Syxx, and X-Pac—Waltman became one of the defining performers of the 1990s wrestling boom. Though never the biggest superstar physically, his athletic style, charisma, and ability to adapt made him one of the most influential wrestlers of his generation.

From shocking upsets in WWF to helping launch the nWo in WCW and becoming a core member of D-Generation X, Sean Waltman’s career left a permanent mark on the wrestling business.

Sean Michael Waltman was born on July 13, 1972, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A lifelong wrestling fan who was inspired by wrestling legends of the 1980s, Waltman trained under Eddie Sharkey, Boris Malenko, Joe Malenko, Masami Soronaka, and Karl Gotch.

Waltman debuted in 1989 and quickly built a reputation on the independent circuit for his speed, martial arts-inspired offense, and high-flying ability—something still relatively uncommon in American wrestling at the time.

He wrestled in several regional promotions under names like The Lightning Kid, The Kamikaze Kid, and Cannonball Kid.

Early Success in Global Wrestling Federation

In the early 1990s, Waltman wrestled for the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. As The Lightning Kid, he became one of the top cruiserweight-style performers in North America, eventually winning the GWF Light Heavyweight Championship. His feuds with wrestlers like Jerry Lynn became legendary among tape traders and helped pioneer the fast-paced style that would later influence modern wrestling. At a time when heavyweight brawling dominated American wrestling, Waltman was showcasing innovative aerial offense. He was ahead of his time.

He appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Top of The Super Juniors Tournament in 1993, facing the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Jushin “Thunder” Liger. 

WWF Breakthrough: The 1-2-3 Kid

Sean Waltman’s career changed forever in 1993.

On an episode of Monday Night Raw, Waltman—then an unknown enhancement talent—faced Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) in what was expected to be a squash match. Instead, in one of the most famous upsets in wrestling history:

The 1-2-3 Kid defeated Razor Ramon. The crowd erupted as the underdog scored a shocking pinfall victory. Overnight, Waltman became a fan favorite. The angle was brilliant because fans genuinely did not expect the result. Waltman’s smaller size made him believable as an underdog. Razor Ramon sold the loss perfectly. The victory earned him the name

“The 1-2-3 Kid”. It remains one of the greatest star-making moments in WWF history. Razor challenged him to a rematch, wagering $2,500, then $5,000 and finally $10,000 of his own money. Kid accepted the challenge, but grabbed the money and ran from the arena during the match. Ted DiBiase taunted Ramon over losing to a nobody and losing his $10,000. This angered Kid, and led to a match in which he upset DiBiase as well. Razor, who turned face shortly before, took Kid under his wing.

Underdog Hero of the New Generation Era

As The 1-2-3 Kid, Waltman became one of WWF’s most exciting young stars. He feuded with Ted DiBiase, IRS, Jeff Jarrett, Hakushi, and had one of greatest matches in Monday Night Raw history against then World Heavyweight Champion, Bret “Hitman” Hart. Waltman would become a two-time tag team champion as The 1-2-3 Kid, winning the WWF Tag Team Titles on two occasions. Once with Bob “Sparkplug” Holly and one time with Marty Jannetty. His matches were often among the most athletic on WWF cards during the mid-1990s.

Friendship with Kliq Members

Behind the scenes, Waltman became part of the infamous wrestling backstage group known as The Kliq. Members included Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, and Sean Waltman. Though younger than the others, Waltman was extremely close with the group and traveled with them regularly. The Kliq became one of wrestling’s most influential backstage alliances ever.

WCW Arrival & The nWo: Syxx

In 1996, Waltman jumped to World Championship Wrestling after leaving the WWF. He debuted as Syxx. The name represented him being the sixth member of the New World Order, while others say it was the sum of 1+2+3. Though smaller than stars like Hogan, Nash, and Hall, Syxx brought plenty of speed and athleticism. He became one of the workhorses of the nWo during WCW’s hottest period with stars of WCW’s cruiserweight division such as Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho. Syxx fit perfectly into the style. He became one of the most entertaining wrestlers on Nitro and feuded with the legendary “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. In 1997, Syxx captured the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. He defeated Dean Malenko for the title and delivered standout performances throughout his reign. Though his WCW run was relatively short, many fans remember Syxx as one of the coolest members of the original nWo lineup.

Return to WWF: X-Pac

In 1998, Waltman returned to WWF under the name: X-Pac. His debut became one of the defining moments of the Monday Night Wars era. As a member of D-Generation X, X-Pac became a central figure in one of wrestling’s most popular factions ever. During his X-Pac run, Waltman won multiple championships including the WWF European Championship, WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, and WWF Tag Team Championship. X-Pac helped give visibility to WWF’s underrated light heavyweight division.

Teaming with Kane

One of the strangest but most beloved pairings of the Attitude Era was X-Pac & Kane. The duo’s chemistry surprised fans. The story centered around Kane slowly learning social interaction and X-Pac becoming Kane’s only real friend. Tori eventually created tension between them. The team became hugely entertaining and surprisingly emotional for WWF television. Together they won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice and were named Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Tag Team of The Year in 1999.

“X-Pac Heat”

By the early 2000s, fans had begun turning against X-Pac. This phenomenon became known as: “X-Pac Heat”. Unlike normal villain heat, this referred to audiences being genuinely tired of seeing a performer. Despite this reaction, Waltman remained a valuable in-ring performer and veteran presence. Chris Jericho stated in his book “A Lion’s Tale” that Sean Waltman was the measuring stick for if you could hang with WWF talent or not. 

Like many wrestlers of his era, the physical and mental toll of the business became severe.

However, Waltman later became respected for openly discussing addiction recovery, mental health, and the wrestling locker room culture.

His honesty helped many fans and fellow wrestlers. He has continued to reunite with several former DX and nWo teammates during nostalgia runs. Though no longer in his physical prime, fans still appreciate his experience and charisma.

WWE Hall of Fame

Sean Waltman has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice and is the only wrestler to be inducted two years in a row. He was inducted as part of D-Generation X in 2019, alongside Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, & Chyna and as part of the nWo in 2020, alongside Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. 

Sean Waltman may never have been the face of a wrestling company, but his impact on professional wrestling is undeniable. He was one of the first successful undersized American stars. Sean Waltman’s career remains one of the most unique and influential journeys in wrestling history.

When will Sean Waltman become a 3-time WWE Hall of Famer? He is already in as X-Pac with D-Generation X and as Syxx with the New World Order. When will he be inducted as 1-2-3 Kid? He is definitely deserving of the induction. For me, it’s a race between either him or Shawn Michaels going in as the first three-time WWE Hall of Famer. Of course Bret Hart is in 3 times, but one of those is for a match.