Class of 2024

Angel was the quiet and ultra effective snake player that was critical to Dynasty during the 2000s and a major piece of their dominance. He created the blueprint of what a snake player can truly be in the modern game; methodical, aggressive, and reactionary. His ability as a gunfighter is often overlooked, as maybe the best tool in Angel’s arsenal was his ability to go head to head against some of the best gunfighters in history from any bunker on the field.

​

The other half of one of the 90’s most successful one-two punches, Bill Gardner helped lead the All Americans to dozens of event wins during his prime. Never far from his brother Adam, his vision both on and off the field with his brother would catapult the creation of  one of the games industry giants, Smart Parts. Bill pioneered modern paintball manufacturing and corporate structure with one of the biggest companies in the sports history, and redefined both the scale and structures of the industry.

In a sense, Billy Wing is the Ironmen, both as a key member of dozens of event wins, and a critical leadership piece behind the team after his retirement. Leading the wave of positional versatility in the early 2000’s, Billy was an early prototype for the type of player that would become the positionless players we see today. After his retirement, Billy has led research and development at Dye Paintball, becoming a key product designer for one of the industry’s most historic companies. 

​Affectionately known as Ledz, Antony was one of the sports first true trailblazers in the United Kingdom and has become one of the industry's most critical members. After winning events across Europe with the Banzai Bandits, Ledz went on to represent Great Britain in the inaugural Nation's Cup and eventually lead Nexus across the World as a professional player. After retiring, Ledz would form Planet Eclipse with close friends Jack Wood and revolutionize the sport as we knew it.

With the SC Ironmen and later Aftershock, Bryon would win more than a dozen events at the pro level.  Off the field, Bryon had even more impact behind his visionary film, Push, a film that defined an entire generation at the golden era of the game. The movie would be the first to truly capture the aggression and personality of the game and became the blueprint for paintball media for decades. He has since gone on to lead his company Push Paintball. 

Bobby was a true leader and offensive juggernaut across his paintball career. Always known to look out for his teamates and just as a generally good guy, Bobby racked up over a dozen pro wins across his career before his untimely passing in 2022. He will forever burn in paintball as one of the greatest players of the golden age of the sport behind his versatile play style and contrarian approach to strategy on the pro field.

​

If you needed a side of the field shut down, Mike Paxson was your guy. A towering presence of intimidation and some of the most lethal break shooting in sports history, Mike Paxson was a critical leader of the Ironmen during some of their most successful periods. Known for his commanding style and unbreakable zone control, Paxson played alongside fellow inductees Nicky Cuba, Billy Wing during what was one of the greatest runs in pro paintball history on the mid-2000s Ironmen.

Tenacious, high-energy, and in-your-face, Nicky Cuba had an incredible paintball career as one of the best smack talkers the game has ever seen. In 2005 and 2006, he was arguably one of the best players in the World as XSV took down the giant that was San Diego Dynasty. As his career went on he showed true versatility, with the ability to play all over the field with the Ironmen and Infamous. He was an emotional leader of the teams he played on, and his ability to inspire his teammates was always the key signature

A critical piece of the most aggressive units of the 90’s, Steve Rabackoff helped pave the way for a style that would become the dominant pace of the sport with teams like Heat, Image, and Avalanche. As the game was growing on a global scale, Rabackoff would build a reputation as one of the most calculated and aggressive players in the woods. After more than a dozen events wins in the woods, he would win events all over the world as hyperballa and airball emerged  in the NPPL and Millenium.