Connor McGrath
Woo! It has gotten hot out in the Northeast! I’m back with another recap of ECPW On Fire action!
The show opens with a recap of the ECPW Light Heavyweight Title match between Matt MacIntosh and Kai Katana from the last show two weeks ago. This match ended in a time limit draw and we see the last two minutes or so of the match. This opening is kind of odd because neither guy is on this week’s show. Usually, these “Previously Seen On…” openings tie into something we’ll see this week but not this time!
We are LIVE taped from the Paramus Elks Lodge in Paramus, New Jersey! Let’s go down to ringside for the action!
Dan De Man Vs General Bobby Lee Walker
Former ECPW Light Heavyweight Champ Dan De Man comes out for our first of two matches tonight. Still not sure how I feel about Dan De Man switching his tights from a flashy robe to just a hoodie. Him sulking to the ring in just a hoodie just kind of reminds me of CM Punk during his last few months in WWE. *sniff* *wipes eyes*. PUNK! I digress. Joey G and Ken Reedy bring up the Shazam references on De Man’s hoodie and tights and wax nostalgic about ’70s superhero TV shows. I guess ol’ Joey G had the hots for Linda Carter in the day.
Enough about CM Punk and Wonder Woman, let’s get to the real wrestling. De Man is taking on General Bobby Lee Walker, a lovable hillbilly with a Confederate Flag and moonshine jug on his tight. Ugh. I hate we have to see matches in 2014 where the guy with the Confederate flag on his tights is the babyface and the black guy is the heel. And we can’t even make the “They’re in the South” excuse as this show is taking place a half hour outside of New York City.
General Bobby Lee Walker starts a “Former Champ” chant to insult De Man but that doesn’t seem like a great chant to rile someone up. Only way I see it maybe working to piss someone off is if it’s started by the current champ. Not by some goof. Nevertheless, De Man tells the audience to shut it and show some respect. During this match, my mom walks in and sits down and starts watching some ECPW On Fire action with me. She asks me why the General has a coffee mug on his butt. It’s not a coffee mug, it’s a moonshine jug! Then she talks about how painful it must have been for the General to get tattoos underneath his arm. I’d still rather listen to her commentate on the action than Michael Cole…
Anyway, this match is awkward styles clash that goes on way too long. I think the point of this was to reestablish Dan De Man as a top contender for the Light Heavyweight Title but having him go 10 minutes with a goof like Walker, who isn’t even a light heavyweight doesn’t seem like the best way to do it. Anyway, De Man wins with a Flatliner. C-
ECPW Heavyweight Title Match: “The Re-Enforcer” Andrew Anderson (c) (with Doug DeVito) Vs “The Cuban Crippler” Ricky Reyes
The ECPW superfans in the front row have Ricky Reyes signs written with pen on index paper. Which seems kind of silly but I guess it’d be equally silly to bring a huge sign to the show when there’s 40 people there. Mom: This match seems so unfair! That guy with the long hair is so much bigger than the other guy!
Now she’s sounding kind of like Michael Cole. She then comments that Andrew Anderson looks like my uncle which is kind of true and I’m chuckling thinking about it. I’m surprised it’s taken Reyes this long to get a Heavyweight Title match as he’s undoubtedly one of the best workers in the promotion and he’s also one of the more popular. Guys much less deserving have gotten a shot. This is another styles clash but both guys are smart enough workers to kind of recognize that and sort of adjust their paces. Not bad but not good either. Reyes seems like has the victory in hand but HEEL DISTRACTION takes place when DeVito gets on the apron to hassle the ref and Reyes does the dumbass babyface move of getting up and trying to knock DeVito off the apron. Anderson takes advantage of this and hits a Fireman’s Carry Slam for the win. Meh C I actually bought for a split second that Reyes was going to win the title since the heel(ish) Josef Von Schmidt just won the ECPW On Fire title (well, just won on the TV show. He’s champ for three months in reality) and I didn’t think they’d have two heels holding the big belts. Oh well.
On paper, this show had everything in place to be a solid episode of the show. Two 10 minute plus matches with straight forward finishes but both matches end up being average to slightly below average. Oh well. Not sure if this show will be on next week for the 4th of July Weekend but in either case, I hope everyone enjoys the holiday. Although we all like to celebrate the freedom of being American this week (Or Canadian! Happy Canada Day to my readers up North), remember to never feed your dogs chocolate. Thanks everyone!
