Connor McGrath
Greetings and welcome to another recap of the Northeast’s hottest promotion (or at least, A promotion centered in the Northeastern United States), Wrestling On Fire! Hope this recap will be worth the wait so let’s get down right to action!
We begin with Ken Reedy and Ray Ray Marz in the studio. We haven’t seen Ray Ray in a few weeks. He tells Ken that his brain is a bit rattled from the rigors of in ring competition but he’s ready for some rasslin. Reedy hypes the up and coming talent appearing in the company and says we’re going to see some showcase matches…Uh oh. This means we’re going to see some guys straight of wrestling school trying to impress enough to become regulars on Wrestling On Fire. Which seems almost as depressing writing it down as it is watching it.
Brooklyn Joe Vs Joey Adams
For the first time in a few months, we go to an actual Wrestling On Fire taping instead of an ECPW show. Ray Ray calls Ken Reedy “Kenjamin” and hypes that these showcase matches have introduced us to talent (?) like Kai Katana and Buzz Lightsaw”. We can tell Adams is the heel because he pulls away from high fives offered by the ten year olds in the front row. Brooklyn Joe is the face because he’s trying to get the fans to clap along with him like he’s the Pied Piper of Parsippany. Ironically, as I almost write how hard it is to recap a match where both guys have similar names, Ken Reedy talks about how hard it is to call this match since the guys have the same first name. Brooklyn Joe gets caught up arguing over the count with a ref and gets rolled up by Adams who puts his feet on the ropes. Adams rolls out of the ring and accidentally bumps into the ring stairs and Marz gently makes fun of him. Well, this was sloppy but not nearly as bad as I expected and both guys were really enthusiastic to be out there so I’ll be a gentlemen and give it a C
And at some point, during the ad for Wrestling On Fire’s house band, Vampire Banquet. The sound mutes. Which is fine with me during the Vampire Banquet ad but KIND of makes it hard to recap the rest of the show when it doesn’t come back on right away. Well, Reedy and Marz talk about something and throw it to the next match, which is…
Josef Von Schmidt Vs Makua
Since we last saw these two, their roles have been reversed. The gas mask wearing German is now somehow a babyface, albeit a badass one that still sulks all the time (but at least he gives out high fives) and Makua is a heel because he acts indignant all the time and is wearing black tights. Von Schmidt cuts a promo which we aren’t able to hear any of because the sound hasn’t come back on. If this is going to be like this for the rest of the show and we get an Apter’s Alley segment, I’m going to be pissed! Babyface Von Schmidt kind of reminds me of Heidenreich…which I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult. There’s a fan in the front row carrying a “SCHMIDT HAPPENS” sign. This match is a wild brawl that goes all over the arena PAL Building. They’re obviously trying to peg this as an “epic” encounter between two huge monsters with a bunch of double KO spots and big comebacks…which kind of makes me glad I don’t have to hear the commentary. The match somehow ends in a time limit draw and we see (but don’t hear) Ken Reedy trying to reason with Schmidt, who demands five more minutes. Makua jumps Schmidt and throws him out of the ring. Von Schmidt pouts to the back. Even though I wasn’t able to exactly make out what was going on, that match sure seemed to have a silly finish. I know it was supposed to set up future matches between the two but there’s a way to have an inconclusive finish to a match and make both guys look good. Neither guy looked very good. In fact, Von Schmidt just kind of looked like a crybaby…which is not good for a freshly turned babyface. Anyway, the match itself was kind of mediocre. C-
After crowing for the past few weeks about how I’d like to check back in Wrestling On Fire and to quote Michael Cole, what we got tonight was VINTAGE Wrestling On Fire. Green wrestlers? Check. Severe technical difficulties? CHECK. Stupid finishes? Check. Wrestling On Fire, you frustrate me but I’m glad you’re back and I really hope to get to see you live again in a few weeks.
And I WILL get to see you again next week, provided the show isn’t preempted by an infomercial, Culture Crossfire! Remember to keep your feet on the ground and your head in the stars and stay safe in the Culture Crossfire. Most importantly, remember not to feed your dogs chocolate!
