NECW Monster's Brawl Preview

Saturday night, October 28th, NECW returns to live action at the National Guard Armory in Quincy, MA with a 7:00 PM bell time for THE MONSTER'S BRAWL. Quincy has now racked up a string of consecutive sell out houses. While it would be impossible to say for sure why this has taken place, my best guess is that the level of talent and competition in NECW has risen to the point where the people know when they come to see us, they are getting top notch action at a great price with compelling stories being told in the ring.

Next Saturday night will be no exception.

THE MONSTER'S BRAWL is topped by a main event pitting NECW Triple Crown Champion, "The Human Nightmare" Evan Siks and a mystery parter against D.C. Dillinger and "Die Hard" Eddie Edwards, better known as Sabotage, accompanied by "The Mouthpiece of the East" Sean Gorman. Edwards attacked Evan Siks after his battle with Jason Blade last month in Quincy and "The Human Nightmare" sees this as an opportunity to scratch two itches at the same time. There is a lot of conjecture over who Siks' partner will be. I've been sworn to secrecy on the subject, but I can tell you that the opposition will be spooked by the Halloween surprise that "The Human Nightmare" has in store.

In the tag team title match, The Canadian Superstars, along with Brian Cairo, ought to be worried about next Saturday night's grudge match with The Storm Brothers. It's one thing to run roughshod over competing teams. Champions do that, especially underhanded ones like the Canadians. But when you start pushing around management, you've got problems. Technically, the Superstars are an excellent team, and you could make a very strong argument for them being the greatest team in NECW/PWF history. Their title reign is closing in on a year and they have kept some great duos at bay. But at MONSTER'S BRAWL, they have a very different type of disadvantage, as the officials will be leaning toward The Storm Brothers at every turn. And while the Storms may not have seen much ring time in recent years, they are former PWF Tag Team Champions, so they have been to the dance and have the veteran experience to give Busta and Cole a real run for their money.

The battle between "Hurricane" John Walters and Jason Blade will be another high impact, high octane encounter for sure. While it's disappointing to see Walters turn into the ruthless assassin he's shown himself to be against Jason Blade, Walters' frustration level over losing the NECW Heavyweight Championship and being unable to regain it was evident to all behind the scenes. I don't care at all for his attitude, but Walters is a premiere athlete and this attempt to reinvent himself may turn out to be the key to future successes. Jason Blade has proven himself time and again as a blue chip talent and this is a critical feud for him. A victory would keep him in the title picture after his unfortunate loss to Evan Siks last month in part due to Walters' presence via video. A loss propels Walters to the forefront of title contention. Blade is hellbent on revenge for Walters' post match attack at BIRTHDAY BASH 6 that could have resulted in tragedy. All the element are in place for an epic collision and I am sure this one will not disappoint.

TOXIC WALTZ winner, "Straight Edge" Brian Fury takes on "The Exotic" Kristian Frost in a grudge match and this one is hard to call. Both men have been on a collision course of late and they are an interesting match up. Both men are former NECW Tag Team Champions who have flourished in their solo careers. Both of these stars have a huge upside that has yet to be tapped. It is ironic that each man happens to stand in the other's way at this juncture, but that is the nature of competition. Fury has the experience advantage over Frost, and with all else being pretty much equal, that's where my wager would go.

In World Women's Wrestling feature match, it's Tanya Lee, with Sean Gorman in tow, taking on Natalia. It's been great seeing Natalia back in action in both NECW & WWW. This young lady is modest when discussing her talent as a wrestler, but make no mistake about it, she is as good as they come and easy on the eyes to boot. You could say all the same things about Tanya Lee, except Sean Gorman says them and that adds a whole other dimension to this contest. Tanya Lee is coming off a count out victory over Nikki Roxx, and with Gorman in her corner, Natalia will have her hands full in Quincy.

"The Talent" T. J. Richter pulled off a pretty mean feat last month sending "Big Guns" Frankie Arion into retirement. The Undisputed NECW Television Champion is someone who has learned how to get the job done and his success cannot be argued. However, a former nemesis is on his tail and it could spell trouble for "The Talent." The R.I.O.T. (Revolution In Our Time), Kellan Thomas holds a title victory over Richter having traded the PWF Mayhem Jr. Heavyweight Title back and forth this past summer. R.I.O.T. is demanding a title match this Saturday night, to which he is most definitely entitled. However, the scheduled match is a 6 man tag with Richter teaming with Scott Reed and Max Bauer to battle R.I.O.T and The Wild Boys. The Championship Committee is mulling this one over, so you never know what could happen at MONSTER'S BRAWL.

I look forward to seeing everyone next Saturday in Quincy!

Other notes:

A lot of people have asked me if Frankie Arion has really retired and if he will ever be back in NECW. Sadly, yes, Frankie really is retired, though I sincerely hope that retirement is like a Terry Funk retirement and not the final act for this great star. "Big Guns", for my money, was the most charismatic performer in NECW history and has a trememdous amount to give to this industry, should he continue to apply himself toward that goal.

This Saturday night we are going to have a special gift for our younger fans. A special Halloween treat bag filled with candy and other goodies will be given to each of our under 12 years old fans, while they last, to thank them for their support of NECW.

For those of you who are into DVD's, the World Women's Wrestling debut DVD, Champion vs. Champion is selling very well and we have been getting lots of compliments on the action, particularly the incredible Nikki Roxx-Ariel main event. The Gateway to Greatness DVD, which features many national and international stars when they appeared in NECW over the first few years of the promotion, is now on sale as well. None of us could believe the reaction the trailer got when we played it live last month, particularly when John Cena came on the screen. The crowd went crazy and had we had the DVD's that night, no doubt we would have sold a lot of them. They are available now online by clicking here, or you can get them next Saturday night and save the shipping and handling charge.

Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame

The good folks at The Wrestling Clothesline have released the names of the inductees to their Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame for 2006. I'm honored to have been one of the voters for this particular Hall of Fame. (I also vote for inductees into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Shenectady, NY.)

The Independent Wrestling Hall of Fame, much like The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, is not a "bricks and mortar" establishment, but an effort to recognize the greats of the past and provide fans, wrestlers and students of the game with some historical perspective.

What I especially like about The Wrestling Clothesline's effort is the recognition of those on the independent scene, who don't get the recognition they deserve. Like it or not, independent promotions are the lifeblood of professional wrestling.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame this year is the late Dennis Coralluzzo. Dennis was a former NWA President and one of the last of the truly unique characters in professional wrestling. I am pleased to say that Dennis was a good and dear friend who left us way too soon. I know he is somewhere smiling and drinking an iced tea over that well deserved honor.

Welcome

After much thought, I have decided to debut this blog containing my thoughts on the doings in New England Championship Wrestling and World Women's Wrestling, as well as other wrestling-related topics.

I have missed column writing quite a bit recently and that is thanks to Jim Ross, whose blogs on his J.R.'s Bar-B-Q site are great reading and highly recommended. I don't claim to be in J.R.'s league as a writer, but nonetheless I look forward to sharing my views with you.

I'm happy to tell you that NECW and WWW are both doing very well. The merger between NECW & PWF has created a great promotion with an excellent roster and a dedicated staff. With everyone pulling in the same direction, NECW has accomplished more in the past 8 months than it has in the past several years.

I have always tried to lead NECW by creating innovative vehicles for the talent to shine. These range from signature events like the annual IRON 8 Championship to the Internet television broadcasts that NECW created that have been imitated by promotions around the world.

One of my proudest creations has been World Women's Wrestling. About a year and a half ago, I ran two all women's shows under the NECW banner. Each was part of a "doubleheader" with the men in the afternoon and the women at night. While some of my own staff hated the prospect of a women's promotion, the response was undeniable. The shows draw fans from as far away as Virginia and Canada. Media response has been amazing. DVD sales have been strong. Triple W is the real deal and this is just the beginning.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with, or relatively new to NECW, I encourage you to check out our latest video release: New England Championship Wrestling's Greatest Matches: GATEWAY TO GREATNESS. This is a collection of matches from the first few years of the promotion featuring stars who went on to national fame, as well as great international talent who sought us out in search of exposure in America. Our company has a rich history and this DVD is a great way to relive it. Order it by clicking here. Or check out the trailer.

Next time I'll run down our next NECW live event, Monster's Brawl, taking place Saturday night, October 28 at the National Guard Armory in Quincy, MA.

Thanks for reading!