In case you have forgotten, you have until March 7 to submit your ballot for the VP100 so that this site may once again crown its official wrestler of the year for the year 2025. Our esteemed voters submit ballots of 50 or 100 wrestlers based on their in-ring work, and then some loser with a spreadsheet parses through the data and posts that list on here.

Between now and when that list is posted, the 50th season of Survivor will premiere on CBS. This season will pit contestants from the 25 years the show has aired against each other, from legends of the show’s early days to favorites of the modern era who want to prove themselves as legends of the game.

Favorites like Colby Donaldson and Cirie Fields will be participating, but all-time great Survivor characters will not appear on the season. Parvati Shallow and “Boston” Rob Mariano declined. Rupert Boneham allegedly wasn’t even contacted. Another legendary player from Rupert’s original season also got snubbed: Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton.

Jonny Fairplay was reality TV lightning in a bottle when he first showed up. At a time where many Survivor players wanted to play the game with as much honor and integrity as possible, Fairplay was an agent of chaos. He flipped on alliances. He showed up to tribal council drunk on wine from a reward. Most famously, he orchestrated a lie about his grandmother dying so he could garner sympathy and win a reward.

So why isn’t the show’s most notorious villain on a season celebrating 25 full years of the show? Maybe it’s because of his various feuds with Survivor producer/host Jeff Probst and his family. Perhaps it’s because of other controversies, like when he got his shit wrecked by Danny Bonaduce on live television. Maybe it’s because when he did get a second-chance for Survivor: Micronesia, he quit during the first episode. It could be there weren’t enough spots, and those instead went to the likes of other iconic players like Donaldson, Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Ozzy Lusth.

But I’m here to tell you the truth. Jonny Fairplay is not on Survivor 50 because he was too busy as the reigning, defending Cruiserweight Champion of Boca Raton Championship Wrestling.

Jonny Fairplay is no stranger to professional wrestling. Before his reality television fame, he served as an assistant to Roddy Piper. He did the Ric Flair strut and would cut promos while he was on Survivor. Non-Survivor fans may remember him from his feud with AJ Styles in TNA in the early 2000s. Fairplay has made various appearances on indies both as a manager and occasional worker over the decades. The six matches he worked in 2025 are by-far the most he’s worked over the course of the year. They all made tape.

As Violent People’s expert in Wrestler of the Year voting and all things Survivor, it is my solemn duty to watch these matches. Maybe Jonny Fairplay had a sneaky good year could make him the highest-ranked former Survivor player on this year’s list, beating out the likes of John Morrison.

I have delayed this too long, because I am afraid of what I may find. But here is the 2025 Wrestler of the Year case of Jonny Fairplay, broken down match-by-match.

Match #1: Jonny Fairplay vs. Neil the Heel (BRCW, 3/9/25)

Neil the Heel is Neil Glazier, one of the owners of this esteemed promotion. As his moniker may have given away, he plays a heel role in-ring and has held the cruiserweight championship for almost two years. Special guest referee Frank the Clown notes before the match, that the crowd does not want to see either man win this match. A heel-vs-heel championship match featuring zero actual wrestlers refereed by Frank the Clown is what shitty Florida indies are all about.

Glazier is accompanied by somebody from Deal or No Deal Island, as well as the Island Kings Jaka and Sean Maluta. As you may imagine, both men spend minutes stalling, leaving the ring and walking around to garner heat. Eventually, Neil grabs the mic and offers Jonny a deal. Nobody wants to watch this match anyway, and if he forfeits the match he can join Neil’s stable for money and bigger opportunities (his bodyguard Cezar Bononi is not here as he has his own championship match higher on the card).

Fairplay accepts Neil’s offer, but it’s a ruse. Neil kicks Jonny in the balls, and the Island Kings beat him down until former NXT superstar and current AJPW superstar Oddyssey Jones makes the save. Oddyssey requests BRCW commissioner Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake makes this an official handicap match. Request granted.

Match #2: Jonny Fairplay & Oddyssey vs. Neil the Heel, Sean Maluta & Jaka (BRCW, 3/9/25)

According to Cagematch, this is the late Jaka’s final career match before his death last September. I hope that’s not accurate.

The Island Kings start working over Oddyssey, but he is simply Too Big for their offense. He’s bigger than both of those guys combined, and their strikes are little more than an annoyance to the 400-pound wrestler. The ring itself may be more of a threat to Oddyssey. These ropes aren’t quite as strong as the ones in NXT or AJPW, and they seem to go through some punishment when he runs them.

Shockingly, Fairplay gets tagged in and actually does some wrestling. The Bret Hart of Survivor-castaways-turned-indie-cruiserweight-champions and Oddyssey do a variation on a Hart Attack on Jaka. While Fairplay struts around the ring, Jaka is able to tag Maluta back into the ring to hand out some punishment. This will be the most selling we see from Jonny Fairplay. He even takes some bumps as he receives some double-and-triple teams from his opponents. He is dangerously approaching looking like a wrestler in a wrestling match.

Neil the Heel lives out Sandra Diaz-Twine’s dream by choking out Jonny Fairplay, but Frank the Clown breaks it up after a five-count. After facing off with Frank, Neil and the Island Kings just kind of let Fairplay get back into his corner to tag Oddyssey back in. He cleans up the ring, and puts Neil in a devastating bear hug. Oddyssey allows Fairplay to finish the job, pinning Neil and winning the cruiserweight title.

Jonny cuts a promo about how this title wasn’t gifted to him, unlike that stupid celebrity Travis Scott and the WWE Hardcore Championship. Eventually Oddyssey gets sick of waiting for Fairplay to acknowledge his role in the win, and gives him a bear hug for his troubles. It’s a legitimately pretty funny bit.

Match #3: Jonny Fairplay & Harley Cameron vs. Renee Michelle & Tyler Breeze (BRCW, 5/18/25)

Jonny shows up to his match in a neckbrace with a walker. He hands Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake a doctor’s note that says he cannot work in singles action tonight. Brother Bruti, being the intelligent commissioner that he is, sees an easy loophole. If Fairplay can’t work a singles match, he’s still able to work a tag team match, and he’s doing that right now and his tag partner is… Harley Cameron from AEW! Sure!

What happens next is 10 minutes of a handicap match where Harley gets worked over by Renee Michelle and Tyler Breeze. When Fairplay is tagged in, he does the usual stalling before tagging Cameron back in to face another brunt of offense from her opponents. With Harley’s plucky babyface spirit, she’s able to overcome the odds and even set up a win, only for Jonny to tag himself back in and steal the pinfall. The women beat him up after the match.

Match #4: Jonny Fairplay vs. Alan Martinez (BRCW, 8/31/25)

This title defense has another special guest referee: Neil the Heel. Commentary (including TNA’s Matthew Rehwoldt, fka Aiden English) knows Neil won’t be calling this one down the middle, but they don’t know who he will favor. Neil the Heel has been making sure Alan Martinez can’t win the cruiserweight belt for months, but he also hates Jonny Fairplay because everyone hates Jonny Fairplay.

Before the match, Neil the Heel finds brass knuckles on Jonny’s person. He takes them away from the stealing scoundrel, only to put them on and knock Alan Martinez out so Fairplay can get the pin. Two matches in a row where Fairplay doesn’t need to do anything in the match but kneel down to get the win. Beautiful stuff.

Match #5: Jonny Fairplay vs. Alan Martinez vs. Bobby Fish vs. Rey Fury (BRCW, 11/2/25)

This is the toughest situation for Jonny Fairplay yet. As this title match is a four-way match, he can lose his title without even losing the match. Regardless, Fairplay who is wearing a flamingo-patterned Hawaiian shirt and shorts, sits in the crowd for first chunk of the match. He has to conserve his energy for when the match needs him.

Despite their circumstances, Martinez and Rey Fury try to have an actual wrestling match around the withering body of Bobby Fish. It doesn’t go great, but there are some nearfalls that start to alarm Jonny because he’s not even close to the ring to break up the pin attempts. Eventually, he starts targeting Bobby Fish’s legs, grabbing his right leg as Bobby Fish prepares to do a dive (that he was definitely going to do on this Boca Raton Championship Wrestling midcard match) and then chop blocking the left leg. Fish’s mobility is limited for the rest of the match.

Fairplay goes back to the crowd. Fury and Martinez once again attempt to have a real wrestling match, occasionally being interrupted by Fish. Eventually, Martinez hits a suplex on Fish but gives up on his own pinfall attempt so he can slowly climb the ropes to attempt a dive that finishes him off. Fairplay uses this opportunity to come back in with a tiki torch, blast Martinez in the back, and get the pinfall before Rey Fury can get in the ring to break it up.

Match #6: Jonny Fairplay vs. Bull James (BRCW, 12/5/25)

No special guest referees. No four-way or tag match structure. Just a one-on-one match between two goliaths of the sport in Jonny Fairplay and Bull James, a god of former WWE wrestlers who work weird indies in Florida. There is no escape. Jonny Fairplay must wrestle.

Fairplay begins the match with his trademark combination of stalling, taunting and cowering in the ropes. Eventually he realizes he has to fight an extremely large man, and pulls out the ol’ Bart Simpson swinging punches as his strategy.

Bull James (who is at least 65% bigger than you remember him from NXT) keeps him at arm’s length. More stalling, more taunting. Eventually Fairplay gives his first attempt at real wrestling offense in four matches, hitting some Ric Flair chops on an unimpressed James. James declares playtime over and gives him some real chops in the corner. Fairplay leaves the ring again and sells by a familiar-looking bearded man in tye-dye for a second. Yes indeed, Rupert Boneham is there (this show happened at a reality tv convention) and throws him back into the ring.

Fairplay attempts to bribe James with his reality tv money to take a dive. Bull doesn’t buy it and attempts to throw him over the ring, only for Jonny to escape to ringside once more. He suckers Bull to a corner where he splashes white powder in Bull’s face. Jonny Fairplay has been studying Toru Yano tapes. Bull sells as if he’s blinded, but not much of the powder hit him in the eyes.

Back in the ring, Fairplay hits some kicks(!) and a cross-body(!!), but Bull is Too Big. As Jonny lays exhausted in the ring, Bull James hits him with a legdrop ending the match.

Jonny Fairplay has lost his title bout. However, Bull James surprisingly does not meet the weight limits of the Boca Raton cruiserweight division. Fairplay retains by default. He has lost the battle, but won the war. He will live to defend his title again.

Conclusion

After witnessing the 2025 in-ring output of Survivor legend Jonny Fairplay, can I rank him on my ballot in good conscience?

Unfortunately, no. As a respecter of the VP100 voting process, I cannot bring myself to do it, even as a “vanity” #100 pick. I think he does offer value on a silly indie filled with former WWE wrestlers where you get to see Brutus Beefcake and Frank the Clown, because it’s a promotion where the audience pays to see people they watched on TV decades ago. But outside of the rare run-in or comedy spot, he’s not doing much of anything. He’s literally just standing there and getting paid. And honestly, that’s a higher caliber of working than any in-ring poll can award him. I expect nothing less.

Until then, Johnny TV remains the best wrestler who was once on Survivor. That reign will continue until Darby Allin decides his next adventure will be in Fiji, or maybe Jonathan Young from Survivor 42 and 50 will use his connection to Lex Luger to enter the business down the line.