Wednesday, February 20, 2008

GENESIS 7 Notes, WWW Notes & IRON 8 DVD

It's been a crazy couple of weeks here between preparation for GENESIS 7 and other work projects that seem to have peaked all at the same time. I'm putting in some pretty crazy hours these days, but have a lot to be thankful for.

GENESIS 7 was simply a super event. All of our athletes worked hard, the matches were all great and we had a packed house of great NECW fans to boot. You can't ask for much more than that.

We debuted a new upgraded entrance way and video projection set up that looked phenomenal. Hats off to Matt and Kyle Storm for their hard work in putting that together. It gives our events a real "big time" atmosphere that the quality of talent deserves.

I used to think that the physical presentation of wrestling was not so important. After all, wrestling was presented with just a ring and a few lights for decades. One of the things that has changed about our world is that people's expectations have changed. Their view of pro wrestling is what they see on TV and while there is no way that an independent company can match the physical presentation of a WWE or TNA, a strong physical production does make a real difference. I'm proud to say that NECW has a physical production that is the best in the region. Our fans deserve the very best event we can give them and attention to "the little things" is a big part of what sets us apart from everyone else in the area.

Back to the GENESIS event itself. I was really thrilled with the matches and so proud of our roster. One of the great stories of the night for me was seeing "Rocket" Fred Curry Jr. and Chase Del Monte capture the tag team titles. I always liked both talents, partcularly Curry who broke in to New England with NECW on our very first event back in 2000. This duo seems to have really clicked and I expect big things from them in the coming year.

D.C. Dillinger and Alex Arion tore it up with Dillinger coming up on the short end thanks to a quick thinking Alex Arion. Dillinger's post match attack on the sister of the Golden Greek was just despicable. I lost my cool over that one, as I have little patience for man on woman violence.

Eddie Edwards and Bobby Fish had another classic with Edwards picking the pocket of Fish with help from Sean Gorman for the win. I don't know about you, but I could watch these guys for hours. It's a feud that I hope never ends, because these two guys are magic together.

Antonio Thomas and Brian Fury had a tremendous match and as I have said before, Thomas is doing the best work of his career in my not so humble opinion.

While I may not agree with his tactics, I am happy that Big Rick Fuller is getting a chance to lead the charge in NECW as Triple Crown Champion. I can't think of a more credible titleholder than Fuller, though Max Bauer is going to give him a major run for his money. With Antonio Thomas in the hunt as well, the Triple Crown title picture has suddenly developed a whole lot of intrigue.

The one thing that struck me about GENESIS 7 more than anything else was watching the fans and how they were so into what was going on. It's nights like this that make me so happy, because it proves that if you present pro wrestling with that old school mentality, it still works and the people still respond.

A very gratifying night indeed.

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World Women's Wrestling makes it's return on Sunday, March 9 for the 2nd anniversary of the promotion.

It will be an interesting afternoon with a pre-show lunch with the stars at 12:30 and the show itself at 3 PM.

There will be a lot of new faces at this event and I am looking very much forward to it.

The luncheon is an unusual opportunity to get up close and personal with the stars. Last year's lunch was a really fun time and you owe it to yourself to be a part of it. Tickets are already moving fast and we have orders from as far away as England!

Make sure you get your tickets early for this one!

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The just-released IRON 8 DVD that we've put out is really something you should go out of your way to get.

It's our most ambitious release yet - a 2 disc set with over an hour's worth of extras.

The IRON 8 Championship is one of those rare things in wrestling - a completely original concept that really showcases the athleticism of its participants. 4 singles matches with the winners facing off in a 4 way, 45 minute iron man match. To win, you have to be able to wrestle for an hour or more. .

As I was doing the commentary for the DVD, I was struck by how really good it was and that the talent in this is so extraordinary. It's a real showpiece for NECW and pro wrestling at its best.

Make sure you pick one up at our TV site.

Monday, February 11, 2008

WWE Smackdown/OVW Thoughts, GENESIS 7 Notes, IRON 8 DVD This Saturday

I can't believe how busy it's been this past month. We have a lot of things going on in NECW and some cool stuff in the works for the warmer months. I'm really excited about GENESIS 7 this Saturday, but more on that later.

The big news stories in wrestling last week were the CW network dropping WWE's Smackdown and WWE ending their relationship with Ohio Valley Wrestling as a developmental territory.

It seemed to me that CW dropping Smackdown was something totally out of left field. While I'm sure Smackdown will end up on another network (My Network TV seems most likely), I don't see NBC giving it a slot (or ABC or CBS for that matter). It may help boost My Network TV, which needs some destination programming, and WWE might be able to leverage a better upside for itself in terms of ad sales revenue.

The dropping of OVW as a developmental territory was no surprise to anyone in the business, as WWE is making a serious investment in the Florida Championhip Wrestling territory and consoldating its developmental programs there. I hope OVW continues on as an independent entity because quality promotions are a real need in today's business.

I am sorry to hear about my old friend Al Snow being released from his contract. He's one of the true good guys in the business. I hope Al continues to stay involved in wrestling.

Saturday night's GENESIS 7: BATTLE OF THE GIANTS is going to be a tremendous card. I am especially looking forward to the main event with Fuller and Bauer. But there is so much here that is going to rock the house - Edwards vs. Fish, Dillinger vs. Arion. Sain and Siks in a Dog Collar Match, New Tag Champions will be crowned, plus the TV Title match with Locke battling Handome Johnny, Ariel vs. Luscious Latasha and more. This one you don't want to miss. GENESIS is a New England tradition! Make sure you get tickets!

Also, we have just finished the IRON 8 DVD from this past year's tournament. This is the best DVD we've ever done. The IRON 8 is a unique event that really showcases the great athletic talent we have here in NECW. There aren't many truly original wrestling concepts, but the IRON 8 is one of them. This 2 disc set has over an hour's worth of extras, including never-before seen interviews will all of the IRON 8 Finalists and myself.

See you in Quincy this Saturday night!