After I left the WWA New England, Fred Sparta's Brother Mike kept saying that I'd never get another jobin wrestling again. That no other company would consider having me as part of their team. My fave was "we brought you in", funny, I seem to remember Sivano Sousa being the one who actually did that. Mike Sparta was never really the brightone.
So I emailed other groups including Northeast Wrestling, they do shows in N.Y. and CT. I went to one of their shows(which I'll talk about in another topic). and of all the grpups I contacted. The Eastern Wrestling Alliance(when they were based in Maine) was the one who replied, having an interest.
So not knowing the product (and after venturing on a 5 1/2 hour trip to Danbury, CT. to see a show by Northeast Wrestling), I mapquested directions from Rochester to lewiston, Maine. nice as it was, route 202 goes right from Rochester to Lewiston, so take the back way in and save on tolls. I had no idea what it would be like, but if they were anything good or that I could get into, then hey, we shall see, right?
I take the drive up and go thru all these little towns, stopped off at this little gas station/cafe/mini mart type place just outside Hollis, Maine. Cute little place that will be a small reference in this story. about a 2 hour drive up 202 to Lewiston and about 20 minutes (and wrong directions from a gas station attendant that referred to my midwestern accent as 'funny sounding'.). I find the Lewiston Armory.
The armory itself I thought was a cool place to have shows, nice balcony that in a way, could remind one alittle bit of the elk's lodge in Queens where ECW used to run. I wish there was an armory like that in the area I lived in in NH. I found then Owner James St. jean and we had a conversation, handed him a copys of wrestling world that had both articles I wrote(one on Sousa's Group, another on WWA New England), sheets I wrote for, etc. and I told him I'd be doung a review of the show as I check out the product. Little did I know that this show, which was a tv taping for a local station they had a 30 minute show on, would find my spark again.
I actually saw three familiar faces I remembered from Sousa's group, so seeing the familiar faces again was a plus. the product being like old ECW was another, and the fact the heels had interaction with the fans was the third thing that cinched it for me. At intermission James and I came to an agreement that I'd be able to do for them what I did for the other groups, plus, I was able to secure a table at the shows to sell my tapes. So a bonus that the WWA and AWF wouldn't go for, I got here. I was also to be their official tape distributer and was handed some tapes on the spot.
I also secured that my friend dave could be used for something like security, set up, whatever. again as I explained before, this was a gift that kept on giving thanks to Dave starting it with the birthday present of that one ticket. so, I wanted him to keep going on the ride with me. When I got home(Dave and I lived in the same 92 apt complex), I called him and said "Instead of going to Mass. every month like we were doing, how'd you like to go to Maine instead"? He came over and I went thru acouple of the tapes I was given to copy to introduce dave to what we're getting ourselves into.
Next show was the next month, same building. so Dave and I get into this beat to shit Chrysler Lebaron I had for the trip. That gas station/cafe deal? became a regular stop every time I worked an EWA show. That, and getting stopped by some cop on the way back, always pulling me over hoping for a DUI cause I'm the only one on the road coming back to NH, it got so bad I actually started knowing the cops by name,lol. Anyway I get there, I get a table, set it up with acouple chairs, Hand James St. Jean the new issues of the newsletters with review of the show I had seen, and as soon as I get the tapes out..Hewre comes the guys I hadn't met last month(I hadn't said much to any of them cause at the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit, and this time I stuck to the "don't say much, unless spoken to" concept. Always better that way.
Former WWF star S.D. Jones was the name guy and while most may not think much of him, I kinda liked him so it was a bonus for this show. The local guys came up and saw the variety of tapes I had. EWA's and my own. Before fans were let in I sold half the amount of tapes I brought, lol. Guys asking me if I had this, can I get that. I handed out a bunch of copies of my tape list, my email addy and told em I'm here now, so every show I'll have tapes. One of the newsletters I wrote for, became a HUGE hit with the guys. called Betty Paginated by a guy named Dann lennard based out of Australia. it's a wrestling/porno/comic mixed bag of a fanzine that came out whenever the editor wanted to put one out(literally).
This show followed the storylines of the last show I saw, hell of a concept, go from a to b to c to d, something the WWA never did. Call me anal but I like watching storylines progress, and progress right. So another thing the EWA had I liked. plus with the fan interaction, the 11 year old fan in me came out again, getting the chants going, booing the heels, all that stuff. EWA made it all fun again. End of show, sold all my tapes. gave a portion of sales of my own tapes (and 50/50 split on ewa tape sales) to the company for allowing me to have a table. When they saw how much I gave them and told em it was from tape sales. They liked the idea of me having a table alot more, LOL.
Was able to get a show in NH for them with just one phone call. James and I were always emailing or talking on the phonme on certain ideas, tapes I could bring for sale, possible buildings, and he told me about a show they did in Hanover, NH at Dartmouth College. it was a "paid" show so everyone would be paid easily. So that day I put the call in. hour later get a call back from the woman who was now handling events there, and she was estatic that EWA wanted to come back. So she gave me acouple dates to play with, I call James and he's like "How'd you arrange that so fast"? "One call, now what date can you work with".
The college handled all the "promoting" the show, so i didn't have to do shit, just sign my name to the promoter's licence, set my table up and have fun. In the weeks leading up to this there were acouple other shows, so James and I bounced names around for headliners because the college required to headliners if they're gonna pay for the show. I thought Bundy, Snuka, Tito Santana since this was traditional WWF territory. All were booked elsewhere so James called me and says "If you had your choice between The Mountie Rougeu and Steve Keirn, who would you choose"? Tough choice as I know Rougeu would be a great heel to get heat, and I liked Steve Keirn. so I said "both actually". "Ok you got it, in the main event on the show you got for us".
Man I was psyched. seeing that as a main event on a show I arranged really got me excited. So we're a few weeks out on this show and I go to a show they're having at a university in Maine. The late Dave Vicious was turning heel that night, now he was a BIG fucker, so he comes up to me while I'm setting my table up, he and I never really said anything past "Hi how ya doin". he comes uyp to me and says "I know you always sit near the front row, I'm turning heel tonight, so give me and Master sandy a bunch of shit, ok"? I chuckled and said, "You know I don't come up with things in advance, whatever comes first to my head, I'm gonna yell". he laughed and said, "That's what I'm afraid of, feeling your wrath now, this wil be fun".
I gave him and Sandy so much shit, made fun of her um.."lack of chest", flat butt, I went all out and the difference between this company and the others, not only did they yell shit at fans from the ring, they'd come and get in your face, especially me since they "knew" they could. dave being security and having to "seperate" the heels from me he was having a ball. I always gave him part of what I made in tape sales on top of whatever agreement he and James had so it was all win win for him.
The show at Dartmouth ranks as one of my favorites. Just watching how things came about onm this show, how the guys knew I had got the show arranged was nice in they knew it was a guaranteed payday for them, and an extra one as well, so alot went out of their way to just come over and thank me for setting it up. I wasn't looking for a huge ego thing, just the fact the appreciated the effort and I knew it would be an extra pay day if I could get it. Dave couldn't go so I was on my own for an almost 3 hour drive to Hanover.
I get there and finally find where the show's at, Nice place and some of the guys were already there. I set my table up and Owner James St. Jean notices all the tapes I brought. At the time I had quite the collection, much better than I do now (thanks Miss Ex-wifeand an ex-g/f who doesn't belive in taking her bipolar medication). The show itself was very good and the matchup between Rougeau and Steve Kiern still ranks as one of the best matches I've ever seen(one other was a match on Northeast wrestling between Tommy Rogers and Reckless Youth). It was cool being ringside for that and during that match Steve came out and sat in my seat as I was doing the plant thing, harassing Jaques. They didn't know I was the local promoter until after the match when the others told them.
I really wanted to meet Kiern as I've been a fan since he was in the Fabulous Ones and they were in the AWA. so I met him and I told him of an AWA memory I had of them w/Baron Von Rashke vs LOD & Ellering. He smiled and we started talking AWA, Florida Championship Wrestling(which a tape of that left my table via a sale and landed with him via someone who came out during intermission and got it from me). I was so proud of how the show turned out and the effort by everyone. Totally fun show and was another reason I was glad to be living my dream.
The bad part of that show? Wasn't the show. It was 5 miles out of Rochester in Barrington my transmission went out. On a dark back road, freakin 10 degrees out had to walk about a mile to a house and thought I was gonna get shot by the guy who owned the house. Had to have the car towed and the cost of having it fixed would've been more than I paid for the car (Only paid 100 bucks for the car). So the money I made from the Hanover show went to get an 87 black mustang 2 door turbo.Which for some of the kinks that came with it (always spat out tapes with rap songs but always played Black sabbath, metallica and Godsmack just fine, lol). Was an awesome car.
When the EWA started running Portand, Maine once a month. I thought it was a cool deal. they to me really built up a loyal following both in Lewiston and Portland. and having the angles go from point A to point B and so on was something I really enjoyed. As with every group some talent leaves and others came in and when the tag team of The Damned came in..(eventually managed by Dr. Everette Payne as part of the Hardcore Institute. My belief in great tag teams still existed came true.
Matt and Vinny could really work, they knew how to play to the crowd, and do what tag team wrestling is. They were real awesome. Alexander Worthington III was a great heel, Josh Shea did some stuff as a heel that cracked me up to no end. And you really got that sense of an old school territory feel with them. They were able to up the violence level when they ran a show in Mass. where there's no boxing and wrestling commission..and it was one of those shows that Axl Rotten became very known for..no-showing. Running a town like Lawerence, Mass. and then Waterville, Maine the next night. I got to experience the same feeling that alot of indy wrestlers experience. going from one town to another, getting lost, given wrong directions, lol. same with WWA but EWA to me was making a great mark.
Then the company was sold and some changes started to happen. good or bad, what I personally thought I put to the side because in the end it's the people who buy the tickets that counted most. Chris venom was brought in and I to this day think he's an awesome talent, especially as a heel. alex arion was another, he had to me that Rick Martel look and put these two in a match together and it's an awesome sight to watch.
What alot of talent liked about me, besides the tapes I brought to sell and the writing I did, was when I during the show was the "plant". and when a lul in the crowd came, I'd say something, anything, to get em going again. One night in Portland Chris Venom was facing, I think it was Adam Hastey, I forget who but a lull came in the crowd as Chris was climbing the turnbuckles. and cause I always say the first thing that comes to my mind, I yelled(I was seated right where he was climbing). "I hope you fall, I hope you fall on your fucking face..". Chris, trying not to laugh, yells to me to shut up..which got the fans booing again and Hastey(?) runs up and in an unscripted moment, dropkicks Venom and Chris, fell, right on his face. which popped the crowd. Chris got up, kicked the bottom rope, yelled at me and the fans that it wasn't funny..and the crowd got back into it big time. Little things like that...helps guys in the ring alot because fan reaction is important. Another time, Rick Fuller came into Portland asd he was going to be a regular on the shows..For some reason I started a "Fuller's gonna kill you, Fuller's gonna kill you" chant..and every Portland show he appeared on that became the chant at the beginning of every match he had. I did it once and after that fans carried it every show, I didn't have to do it anymore. It got over..and was even used in a promo when the announcer told one of Fuller's opponents, "You hear them fans...they're telling you...Fuller's gonna kill you". Little things, can make a big difference.
Other problems started to arise as my divorce became final..and between that and the crazy latino woman with bipolar who rarely took her meds I was dating were causing problems...the guy who was filming the EWA shows decided he wanted to cause problems with me selling the tapes. That was the agreement and he went as far as to set up his own table and make a big sign that said 'the REAL EWA tape dealer". which got taken down by current owners..this guy Dave F. decided he was going to be an internet rambo and make all sorts of threats to me in emails and stuff because I had the agreement to sell the tapes..he was gonna do this and that. and me being from Chicago...you make a threat you'd better back it up within 30 seconds or you get popped, that was how it was in the neighborhood I grew up in, so I'm like, ok..we'll see what happens saturday night in Portland, motherfucker..He had made threats of smashing my car window out with a tire iron..I had sent all these little threats via email to the current owners (at that time) of the EWA and said "It's going down when I get there..and this ain't no bullshit wrestling angle..I'm walking in with a baseball bat..and then we'll see what he wants to do. I'm only 5-11 1/2 and 170 lbs but I took two courses of self defense so I know how to fight. Not saying I'm a real bad ass, I'm just not going to be a push over.
My friend Dave on that day was like "you really gonna walk in carrying your bat". everyone knew I had a baseball bat right in the back seat of my car. So I just said "you'll see". if i could've been able to bring all my stuff on the motorcycle I owned I would've but couldn't. anyway..black leather jacket. black bandana, jeans and my boots I show up at the Stevens Center in Portland, first thing I do is grab the baseball bat and walked in.One of the at the time owners knew I was dead on serious and knew if it fucked up my being in EWA I could go somewhere else in wrestling..so he knew I wasn't bullshitting.
I walked in and Dave F. saw me carrying the bat. I was going straight toward him and he freaked...so much for all the tough talk hiding behind a monitor. he starts running away and other wrestlers actually stopped me. I told em all I'll get arrested for beating his ass, pay the bail and come back here and beat his ass again. I went thru the process of finding out how much bail would be if I did get arrested and had the bail money already in my wallet...It did get simmered down..eventually...but...they wouldn't put me and him in the same room together.. they knew I wasn't gonna back down and everyone knew Dave F. was selling a woof ticket that he when push came to shove..wasn't gonna back up.
Most everyone on the EWA staff knew I had the agreement...so the agreement stayed, I negociated with Dave F. and he was told that if he did shit like that again he'd be gone...in their own way the owners sided with me and even though Dave F. was allowed to have his own little table...the owners did little things to ensure people came to my table..like one night Chris Hamricxk appeared to do autographs, he was working for ECW at the time..so they decided to put Hamrick right..next..to my table, lol. so everyone that came to meet Chris..came by my table..Chris even loked at my tapes wondering how I had current ECW tv shows when ECW wasn't even aring in that area...always nice to have a tape trading partner somewhere, lol.he wound up buying a tape from me and I always thought that was a cool thing.
But with them problems..a change in direction EWA was going(more of a copy of RAW abd Smackdown)..and my own internal problems with exwife and miss bipolar who..I'd dump..take back..dump..take back..(hey..sleeping with a hot latino woman was good, the price for that though.. not so good, lol)..I started gettng burned out..so i did the right thing...I gave my notice of me leaving EWA...and did it the right way..I had made commitments to be there for a certain amount of shows...fulfilled them and was told I could come back whenever I felt back up to it again. So I Left...and walked away from the business the way I came in...handshakes and my word...while I may not have been an in ring worker..or a working charactor on the show...for me going out the way i was able to be brought in..to me was a big deal and one I wanted to do..so I've always been happy that I've been able to do that in that way.
A few months later I was gonna get back in. The EWA was sold yet again(they're now running shows in Maryland. I was gonna go with NECW owned by Sheldon Goldberg. But I realized my heart wasn't as into it as it was before so I decided since I know I'm so old school and most indys are just copying WWE now. I decided to just stay out..better that way. For 7 1/2 years I was able to live my dream. That's alot more than some people get to do so for all of it. I'm happy I was able to do it. I proved critics like Tommy Fierro wrong..and I achieved alot. So why tarnish something by doing something that my heart is nolonger really into. I'll leave what I did alone and be happy I was able to do what many sit at home on their computers, wish they could do.
