It's been just over 2 weeks since NECW's 9th anniversary show, BIRTHDAY BASH 9: RAGE IN A CAGE and the announcement that NECW will premiere a weekly one-hour TV show on Comcast SportsNet New England starting in January 2010.
While the announcement and the huge implications of it dominates the public and not so public discourse on the event, let's not lose sight of the fact that it was one hell of a wrestling event in front of a great crowd.
The NECW roster was at its best, perhaps energized and inspired by the TV announcement. That announcement was kept secret from the roster and crew until a pre-show meeting at 5:30 PM that night.
The main event was a tremendous cage match between NECW Triple Crown Champion, "The Enforcer" Max Bauer and "The Golden Greek" Alex Arion, which saw Bauer retain the title in a thrilling battle with former Triple Crown Champion, D.C. Dillinger as the special guest referee.
Alexxis Nevaeh regained the World Women's Wrestling Championship over "The Portuguese Princess" Ariel in a match that can best be described as a clinic.
"The Heat" Kris Pyro defeated "Superstar" Ryan Matthews to become the new NECW Television Champion in a fantasic opening bout.
All the results can be found at www.necwwrestling.com.
But results only tell a portion of the story of this particular night.
Wrestling, like any other form of sports or entertainment, is a field of dreams and dreamers. Independent wrestling, in particular, is a place populated by those who have a dream to become stars. Some fulfill that dream in front of small crowds in armories and halls of all shapes and sizes and are content and satisfied that they journeyed the road less traveled. Others are intent on following that road to a bigger destination. And while everyone in our business dreams of being a star on TV, not everyone will make it.
The Quincy Armory at 5:30 PM EST on Saturday night, Auguest 8 was a collection of all types of dreams and all types of dreamers. There were some who have wrestled on Monday Night Raw. There were some who have wrestled in Japan, Mexico, Europe, Puerto Rico, Memphis, Louisville, Canada and on and on. There were some who perform at a stellar level, even though they've been told they aren't big enough, tall enough, jacked up enough, etc.
In introducing the video that was shot in the studios of Comcast SportsNet officially announcing our TV deal, I told them all that in 5 minues their lives were about to change. As the video played, I watched the faces change. Expressions that ranged from bug-eyed, jaw-dropped shock to childlike excitement to tears of joy from grown adults appeared before me. When the video ended, all were on their feet cheering.
I am used to people looking down at what New England Championship Wrestling is and does. I'd been told countless times that it was never going to survive, never going to work, never going to be anything other than a little operation than put on shows in front of a few hundred people. I never listened to any of them.
By 5:45 PM on Augsut 8, 2009, the roster, crew and staff of New England Championship Wrestling saw that they now had something everyone in our business hopes for and dreams of - a real chance.
This week's NECW TV, which you can watch by clicking here, shows how the announcement was made to the audience. What the clip doesn't accurately convey is the emotion of the fans. After the announcement was made and at intermission, I was literally mobbed by people who wanted to offer their congratulations. One fan told Joe Matterazzo that it was like they got a TV deal too, and they did.
Since that night, I've received literally hundreds of well-wishes from fans, family, friends and associates. I haven't been able to scratch the surface of responding to them all, but please know that mere vocabulary can't convey the depth of my gratitude.
The shockwaves have yet to settle down since August 8th. Naturally, there's been a boo bird or two, criticizing our announcement and predicting the same doom and gloom for NECW that's been predicted for much of the past 9 years. You'd think they'd get it by now.
The NECW team looks forward to the coming months as we build toward our television debut. I would not miss our next event - the 1st Annual NECW TAG TEAM CLASSIC - which takes place on Saturday night, September 19th. Go to www.NECWwrestling.com for tickets and info. You'll be hearing more as the weeks and months go forward.
Thank you again for your support.
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