Connor McGrath
Top o the mornin’ to ya, this is your ol’ pal “Irish” Connor McGrath here with another weekly recap of ECPW On Fire’s weekly, syndicated half hour program. It’s been a big news week in the world of ECPW On Fire. Somewhat surprisingly, the company has announced the return of Brian Fury and former TNA Tag Team Champion El Leon Apollo to the company. They were thought to be gone for good after their last match, which was the match that resulted in the ECPW On Fire Unified title being held up. A tournament was had for the vacant title and ended in a match between Josef Von Schmitt and Jumbo Joe Gunns, which ended in a Double DQ. They were supposed to have a rematch (this time, a lumberjack match) to finally declare the real champ in February but then the show was postponed to April 4th due to a blizzard. Then this week, the match was changed to Brian Fury Vs Apollo Vs Josef Von Schmitt in a Triple Threat Cage Match for the vacant title.
You’d think…wait a second, what happened to Jumbo Joe Gunns. Well, you’ll find out at the beginning of this recap!
This week’s show opens with a teary eyed Joey G in the ring, introducing his special guest who’s here to make an exclusive announcement…ECPW World Champ (different title than the ECPW On Fire Unified title…confusingly enough) Jumbo Joe Gunns. Joe talks about his recent shoulder surgery and how he’s been off and on for the past year or so because of it. Gunns makes a “Luckiest Man in Paramus” speech putting over the boys in the back and ECPW owner/founder Gino Caruso and announces his retirement. However, as with most pro wrestling retirement ceremonies, we get interrupted by the man that Gunns beat for the title, “The Re-Enforcer” Andrew Anderson and his manager Doug DeVito. Anderson accuses Gunns of dodging a rematch. Gunns hems and haws. They bring up the fact that Anderson and Gunns were a tag team at one point and Anderson implicitly buries the two of them by talking about how everybody thought they were too old and too fat to make it in the biz and just reminds everybody that these guys are old and fat. Gunns wants to leave with his head held high but eventually, Anderson and DeVito troll Gunns enough to get him to agree to one last match tonight in the main event. Ken Reedy talks on a cellphone at ringside and tells the crowd to shut up and confirms that the ECPW On Fire Board of Directors has agreed to sign the match. Good way to set up the main event and the end of the Gunns/Anderson storyline. B
Apparently, Ken Reedy is now the General Manager of ECPW On Fire. The Brad Maddox of ECPW On Fire, I guess since he can make matches but they have to be confirmed by a higher authority! But does Brad Maddox have a radio show? I don’t think so. Ken Reedy does though! Anyway, Jumbo Joe Gunns Vs Andrew Anderson for the ECPW World Title tonight in Gunns’ final match.
Frankie Flow Vs Mike Donovan
We got a bigger than usual crowd at the Paramus Elks Lodge for tonight’s show and Joey G makes note of it. Ken Reedy gets a laugh out of me by saying “It’s a good sized crowd but certainly not a good looking one.” Heels calling fans ugly is a guaranteed way to tickle my funny bone. Anyway, we haven’t seen Donovan in a while. This match is a lot like a house show opener from 1983. Mostly restholds and playing to the crowd. Donovan sloowwly works over Flow for 80% of the match before Flow hits a quick comeback and wins with a pumphandle slam. This definitely didn’t set the world on fire, was as basic of a match as can be but the crowd seemed to enjoy it. C- Kind of surprised Junior Flow didn’t make an appearance. This was another match to establish that Frankie’s now the #2 babyface in ECPW On Fire.
ECPW On Fire World Title Match: Jumbo Joe Gunns (c) Vs “The Re-Enforcer” Andrew Anderson (with Doug DeVito)
Gunns makes a long entrance, giving everybody in the front row high fives and hugs and yelling out “One more time!” This is another methodical, basic 1983-esque match. I’ve got to say though to their credit that this is better and more energetic than the usual Anderson-Gunns match we’ve seen. These guys may be old and may be fat but they can still work the Paramus Elks Lodge into a frenzy. The announcers blatantly telegraph the fact that Anderson is going to miss a move off the top rope by saying something along the lines of “We don’t see him up there often! Don’t know if he can make it.” I really don’t like announcers pointing out that a guy who usually doesn’t go off the top, isn’t going to make a move off the top unless it’s Ric Flair wrestling and you kind of have to point it out (stupid Flair! That flying headchop only worked like four times out of thousands of matches!). Andersons wins somewhat out of nowhere with a clothesline. What is this? A 1980s Survivor Series match? Alternate joke; who does he think he is? JBL? Anyway, a sad faced Gunns tries to hand his title to his old tag team partner and offers his hand in respect but Anderson slaps Gunns hand away and grabs the title away from him. HA! Awesome heel move. Anyway, this is how you’re supposed to send out a guy who’s leaving the company (wrestling in general?), have him job cleanly and then mildly humiliated (but not so much that he’ll look like a doof if he decides to come back) after the match. C+
The show closes with a long promo from “The Dark Angel” Vincent Valentine. Valentine is there ostensibly to hype a match next week between his protege, Big Bad John and General Bobby Lee Walker (unfortunately, not the same guy as former WCW job guy “Hard Work” Bobby Walker) but is really there to sort of lay out his manifesto as to why he’s there. I’m a big enough dork to point out that Valentine calling his stable of wrestlers “The Dark Carnival” is unoriginal because there was already a latter day WCW stable with that same name. Though I’d say it’s better to jack the name of a forgettable stable like Vampiro and The Insane Clown Posse’s crew than the Four Horsemen or something. Valentine kind of reminds me of a cross between Mark Hamill’s Joker and Sting when he was impersonating Heath Ledger’s Joker in TNA. Except not quite as awesome as that sounds and performed by a college theater major. He even ends the promo by saying “SCENE!” Honestly, it might not read like it but I thought this was an energetic, pretty good introduction promo. He ends the promo by calling out the viewer (YOU! YES YOU! IN THE COMPUTER CHAIR! *welp*) and saying he’s going to take over ECPW. I’ll give this segment a B
Even though both matches were average to slightly below average, I’ll give this show a slight thumbs up this week. It was another focused, clear and concise effort. You can’t do much with a half hour’s time but in the last two shows, they’ve managed to fill that time in a smart manner where every segment serves to push a storyline and/or worker(s) forward. Workrate wise, there has been little to no improvement but the shows have been laid out better. I know it’s St. Patrick’s Day and you’ve got the Luck of the Irish but remember to never ever feed your dogs chocolate.
