Connor McGrath
Happy Autumn, Culture Crossfirers. Wrestling On Fire’s Fall Fair circuit tour has come to an end and now we’re ready to see what will happen with the recently vacated WOF Championship. Or not. Anyway, let’s get to the action.
We’re at an ECPW taping this week and we start with a new talent showcase.
“The Escort” Eric Andretti Vs Tony Vega
Andretti is a pudgy guy wearing a banana hammock with a gigolo gimmick (complete with dollar bills hanging out of his tights), all of this seems somewhat inappropriate for a family friendly independent promotion. He sprays the middle school football team in the front row with water and riles them up. Vega is a recent graduate of the ECPW Training School (IE cannon fodder). Andretti’s gimmick may not be family friendly but it is entertaining. Kind of a low rent, heel Val Venis. Ken Reedy himself questions whether it’s appropriate for the kids in the audience but then decides it’s no worse than the video games they’re playing. Them damned video games. This is actually a pretty back and forth match with Vega nearly winning the match before going into goofy, fired up babyface mode and getting distracted. Andretti finishes him with a Diamond Cutter. After the match, Andretti slaps Vega in the face and gets up in the face of the football team in the front row because he’s the heel. This match was fine if not overly long. Basic sneaky heel vet VS fired up rookie babyface match. I feel like I’ve been writing that assessment a lot lately. C+
Wrestling On Fire Tag Team Titles: Da House Party (c) Vs Adrenaline Express
Finally, the TV debut (as far as I know) of WOF Tag Team Champs, Da House Party. Ken Reedy and Ray Ray Mars call them the new champs, which is sort of inaccurate since they’ve been champs for a good six months now but they’re new to us so I’ll let it slide. Anyway, their gimmick is a hipper Men on a Mission (or a family friendly version of Cryme Time, depending on how you look at it). Adrenaline Express is another team I’ve never seen before. And we know we’re back at another Wrestling On Fire taping because it takes me a good two or three minutes to figure out where the name is since there are no graphics and the audio is noticeably worse. They show that they’re the heels when one of them breaks a kid’s airhorn on the way to the ring. The kid is so enraged that he takes a swing at them and then a bunch of fellow eight year olds with air horns crowd around ringside to give Adrenaline Express a piece of their mind. Where’s security during all of this? Ray Ray Mars says the Express were justified because air horns are annoying as hell and even Ken Reedy can’t muster up too much disagreement. Airhorns are annoying as heck in any circumstances but should be absolutely outlawed in any venue where there are less than 2000 people are there. This also goes for the vuvuzelas that the kids in the ECPW crowd blare. Whatever just happened to kids telling heels that they suck? This is an energetic but sloppy as hell formula tag team match, which culminates with one of Da House Party hitting an Express member with an X-Factor off the top rope, which the Express sells by landing head first. And I’m just glad nobody got paralyzed as the kids play their air horns in jubilation. C I’m glad to finally see Da House Party on the show after them being in the credits for six months. Although I’m not sure if it was worth all of that wait.
Post Note: And as I’m writing this recap, I go onto WOF’s website and see that Da House Party have been stripped of the tag team titles for failing to appear at Wrestling On Fire’s show at the Parsippany PAL last weekend. So their first appearance on the TV show was also probably their last appearance. This company!
Also, Ken Reedy didn’t bring up getting violently beaten last week by Andrew Anderson. WOF Facebook page did mention that this show was pressed weeks ago and that makes a lot of sense. No storylines were advanced (or even referenced). I’m glad that it did showcase people that we hadn’t seen before though. I think the company got in a bit of a rut the past month or so, showing the same half dozen or so faces. Even if we don’t see these people again (looking at you, Da House Party), it’s sometimes good just to break things up every now and then!
That concludes another edition of Connor Is Watching Wrestling On Fire! Until next time, keep clear in the Culture Crossfire and remember not to feed your dogs chocolate.
