Connor McGrath
This week’s show once again, emanates from a show put on by Wrestling On Fire’s new sister promotion, East Coast Pro Wrestling but unlike the past few weeks, we’ll see at least one familiar face this afternoon. Let’s get right to action.
“El Leon” Apolo Vs Mike Donovan
They’re billing this as Apolo’s first appearance in East Coast Pro Wrestling. Apolo is probably Wrestling On Fire’s “biggest” star and if there’s a name that’s synonymous with this promotion (if anybody has heard anything about it, let alone enough to associate names with it!) besides the Savoldi Family, it’s probably Apolo. Longtime TNA Fans (Culture Crossfire’s Bryan Staebell, uh…) will remember him as a former TNA Tag Team Champion during the promotions early years and as the guy who nearly killed Scott Steiner by kicking him in the throat.
Apolo and Donovan stall and trade poses. Donovan tries to cheap shot Apolo but Apolo no sells it and pummels Donovan. Donovan stalls some more. Apolo forces him back into the ring and beats him down. Apolo nails Donovan with a bunch of chops and Ken Reedy has the gall to say that they “echo throughout the arenas”. Sure, if an American Legion Hall that fits 200 people constitutes an arena. 75% of Apolo’s offense in this match is knife edge chops. He must have been in a Ric Flair mood that day. Donovan gets some token offense in after a kick in the balls before Apolo starts no selling again and hits him with some more chops. Apolo hits him with a bulldog, a superkick (not to the throat, fortunately), and finishes him with a Rock Bottom. This was more or less an extended squash to establish that Apolo is, once again, the #1 Babyface in Wrestling On Fire. This match served its purpose but won’t win any awards. Apolo’s offense was sloppy as hell but he did seem to be slightly more happy to be out there than usual so take the good with the bad. C+
I’ve made my feelings about Apolo known in previous editions of this column. I’m somewhat ambivalent. Yeah, he’s got “name value” as well as a decent physical presence and having him on the roster really caters to the large Hispanic population in Wrestling On Fire’s New Jersey home base (and the four Puerto Rican guys that live in Maine). But it always seemed blatant that he was mailing it in (heck, it seemed that way in TNA!) and his workrate and charisma is fairly mediocre. I get why he’s the #1 babyface in the company and I can’t say if I booked, given the roster that Wrestling On Fire’s had, that I wouldn’t put him on top too but man, he always has the excitement of someone waiting in a busy line at the DMV. Does the Savoldi Family have incriminating photos of the Great Apollo that force him to come back to Wrestling On Fire once or twice a year?
After a few weeks back, The Apter Chat is back! And this week, Bill Apter has as his guest, Four Time All Japan Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, Former AWA World Heavyweight Champion, and star of No Holds Barred, Stan Hansen! This interview takes place at the Legends of the Ring Convention in New Jersey. In the background, we can see Blue Meanie and Shelly Martinez talking with fans. Stan Hansen and Apter wax poetic about Hansen’s hey day in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Hansen puts over the levels of his opponent. Hansen and Apter then talk about the feud with Bruno Sammartino that made Hansen a star and Sammartino getting “induced” (Hansen’s words) into the WWE Hall of Fame. During this discussion, HOWARD FINKEL walks by in the background in his ’80s tux. The interview closes with Hansen dismissing his chances of making the WWE Hall of Fame and Apter trying to boost his confidence. Even if this interview didn’t really contain any new information, Hansen came across a really likable, genuinely humble guy, who went out of his way to put over the guys who put him over. Though I was a little disappointed there was no references to only being in the business to feed his fat wife and nine stupid kids.
ECPW World Heavyweight Title Match: “Jumbo” Joe Gunns(c) Vs Andrew Anderson
Apolo is at ringside, scouting the competition. Gunns sends Anderson out of the ring but Anderson uses ’80s heel tactics (shielding himself with his valet while his manager sneak attacks Gunns) to take an offensive advantage. Anderson and Gunns wrestle an ’80s NWA style main event. More Flair-Rhodes than Flair-Steamboat, unfortunately! Gunns fires back with a comeback and hits a super blex that causes a ceiling tile to fall out. Speaking of ’80s NWA, Gunns hits the flip, flop, and fly. Anderson tries to hit Gunns with the belt but Apolo waddles down to ringside and they have a tug of war with it, this allows Gunns to roll Anderson up for the ring. This was another match that did exactly what it set out to do and nothing more. C+ After the match, Anderson challenges Apolo. Before, Apolo and Anderson even make physical contact, the ECPW locker room empties to hold them back. Seems a bit preemptive. ECPW Commisioner Gino Caruso books a title unification match for September 21st at the Parsippany PAL between Andrew Anderson and “Wrestling On Fire Champion” Apolo.
Wait, wait, what!? What are they unifying? Brian Fury is still the Wrestling On Fire Champion (according to the ads for their shows next month and their website) and Anderson just lost a match for the ECPW World Heavyweight title match. I was about to commend Wrestling On Fire for finally deciding on a big feud to focus on but they completely lost it on the small details with this one. They might have just blatantly telegraphed that Apolo is going over Brian Fury at the show at the Farmington Fair. Which is whatever. If Fury is never going to be on this show anyway then it’s not that huge of a deal for him to drop the title.
Anyway, nutty NWA On Fire booking aside, this show was a moderate improvement over the past few weeks and I’m curious to see what happens in upcoming weeks as Wrestling On Fire/ECPW run more shows in the Fall and Winter.
Until next week, keep clear in the Culture Crossfire and remember not to eat the bones.
