Indy News Update #1 for January 21, 2012
Submit your Indy news and results to: AdamMartin@wrestleview.com
ECWA Pro Wrestling sent this in.
16th ANNUAL ECWA SUPER 8 IS COMING SAT, APRIL 7, 2012 to NEWARK, DELAWARE, FIRST 3 COMPETITORS ANNOUNCED
The East Coast Wrestling Association’s (ECWA) annual Super 8 Tournament is the oldest and most recognized pro wrestling tournament in the United States. The inaugural tournament took place in 1997 and gave many of today’s stars their first big break on the East Coast including Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson, American Dragon), Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries, the Hardy Boyz and many more. Each year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) magazine has recognized and covered the tournament in depth. Many of today’s top independent stars in the United States and abroad grew up reading about the Super 8 in PWI magazine and were inspired by the prospect of one day competing in the Super 8 and fulfilling their dreams of being a professional wrestler! The tournament also inspired pro hopefuls who otherwise might have been considered too small to be a pro as the tournament has highlighted the junior heavyweight style.
In 2011, for the first time ever, the Super 8 Tournament was held outside of Delaware and took place in Voorhees, NJ at the Flyers Skate Zone.
This year, April 7th 2012, the Super 8 comes home to the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club in Newark, DE*, Bell Time 7 PM, which hosted the tournament from 2005-2010. They tournament was held at Saint Matthews Parish Hall in Wilmington, Delaware from 1997-2004!
Last year’s Super 8 (2011) saw Tommaso Ciampa emerge victorious after reaching the finals in 2009 and 2010, when he defeated 2010 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Rookie of the Year, Adam Cole, in a stellar battle. Since then, Ciampa has been on an undefeated streak at Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling. Also, Austin Aries, at a cross roads in his career, returned to the tournament that gave him his first national exposure in 2004. Since then, Aries has gone on to be a full-time performer at TNA IMPACT! Wrestling. Shiima Xion (aka Zema Ion) has gone on to TNA IMPACT! Wrestling following last year’s Super 8.
This year, with the Super 8 Tournament returning home to Delaware, a whole new field of 8 competitors are looking to make a big name for themselves in hopes of future national success, as some so many past Super 8 performers have experienced.
First competitor in the 16th Annual ECWA Super 8 on April 7th is the current reigning ECWA Heavyweight Champion, the “Greek God” Papadon. Papadon earned his spot in the tournament in a match against 2011 winner Tommaso Ciampa. Papadon defeated Ciampa on September 24, 2011 in Newark, Delaware at the 44th Anniversary show where it was the ECWA Title vs. an automatic spot in the Super 8.
Papadon, a 12 year veteran of the sport and the East Coast independent circuit won the ECWA Heavyweight Championship his second night in the company when he defeated crowd favorite, the giant MEGA on March 5th, 2011 in Newark, Delaware and is undefeated in the ECWA! Since that time Papadon has defeated many greater challengers and many which were deemed ECWA Match of the Year candidates in its 2011 Year End Awards on-line poll including title defenses against Tommaso Ciampa,#1 Johnny Silver, Alex Reynolds, “Heart Killer” Chris Wylde, Chase Del Monte, Matt Saigon and more! Papadon was also voted by the fans of the 2011 ECWA as Wrestler of the Year. Papadon also has tournament experience as he participated in the 2011 Jeff Peterson Cup and has won the New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) Master of the Mat twice. He is also a former NYWC Heavyweight Champion and also former NYWC FUSION Champion. While being one of the most hated men in ECWA history, ECWA faithful fans recognize and appreciate the skill he possesses.
Second competitor entered in this year’s field of 8, is the current ECWA Mid-Atlantic Champion, Kekoa the Flyin Hawaiian! Kekoa is a 5 year pro who after much success in the Lehigh Valley area independent wrestling promotions, Kekoa the Flyin Hawaiian debuted for the ECWA March 5th, 2011 and has taken the promotion by storm. Kekoa has consistently been a part of some of the best matches in ECWA in 2011 including bouts against Chris Wylde, Jonathan Gresham, Ricky “the Model” Martinez and two incredible matches with Adam Cole, the second of which was called Match of the Year by many ECWA fans. On Nov 19th, 2011, Kekoa captured his first ECWA championship when he won the ECWA Mid-Atlantic Title from “Heart Killer” Chris Wylde, who had held the championship for nearly a year and had only suffered two losses previously in ECWA to Tommaso Ciampa and “Greek God” Papadon. Kekoa, with all his momentum from an impressive 2011, heads toward the Super 8 Tournament looking to use the prestige of winning the tournament to catapult him to the next level. As a note of trivia, this is the first time in ECWA SUPER 8 history that both the Heavyweight and Mid-Atlantic champions have been entered into the tournament. Will both Papadon & Kekoa make it to the SUPER 8 with both their title reigns still intact?
The third competitor entered into the Super 8 this year is Bobby Fish!!! Bobby is a 9 year pro who was trained by Tony DeVito & LEGENDARY WWE Hall of Famer and 7-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race!!! Bobby works EVOLVE and other Northeast independent promotions stateside and is a regular in Japan for the NOAH promotion. Bobby has tournament experience as he was a participant in the 2011 Global League Tournament in Japan (NOAH) and was also a finalist in the Jeff Peterson Cup 2011 in Florida (FIP). On Saturday night, January 14, 2012, Bobby wrestled what was billed as the last pro wrestling event at the ECW Arena before renovations as he defeated Sami Callihan via submission for EVOLVE. Bobby is one of the most impressive pure grapplers today, a top athlete and definitely deserves to compete in the SUPER 8!!!
The remaining five remaining competitors in the Super 8 will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
For a history of the Super 8 Tournament visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecwa_super_8
16th Annual ECWA SUPER 8 Tournament Competitor Bios:
The “Greek God” Papadon or The “Greek God” Dimitrios Papadon
Website: facebook.com/GreekGod Papadon
Height/Weight: 6’0″ 231 lbs.
Hails From: Corinthos, Greece
Years Pro: 12
Feuds: Tony Nese, Dan Maff, John Silver, Tommaso Ciampa, Chris Wylde, Azrieal, Alex Reynolds
Trained By: Homicide & Mikey Whipwreck
Style: Hybrid Style w/ Japanese Puroresu influence
(Can wrestle any style. I incorporate everything at all times, traditional American, Strong Style Japanese Puroresu, Mexican Lucha Libre, Technical European, High Flying, & Submissions into my arsenal.)
Finishers: Alpha Omega(shinning wizard), Alpha Omega v 2.0(shinning wizard to the back of the head), In God I Trust(jumping pildriver), H.O.A.(heels of Achilles aka ankle lock), Icarus Wings (reverse rings of Saturn submission), Mt. Olympus Flying Head Butt
Titles Held:
ECWA Heavyweight Champion
NYWC Champion
NYWC Master of the Mat Winner (2 times)
NYWC FUSION Champion
NYWC Interstate Champion
NYWC Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave Heavyweight Champion
NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave Internet Champion
NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave Tag Team champion(w/ Havok as the Solution)
LIWF Television Champion
LIWF Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
JAPW Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
JCW Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
SSCW Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
USAPW/UXW Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
IWA-PA Tag Team Champion (w/ Havok as the Solution)
Feds Worked For:
East Coast Wrestling Association – DE
New York Wrestling Connection – NY
Dragon Gate USA – PA
Full Impact Pro – FL/NY
Ring of Honor – PA
Federated – NY
Jersey All Pro Wrestling – NJ
All Star Wrestling – England
World Xtreme Wrestling – PA(now in FL)
World Xtreme Wrestling C4 – PA
Impact Championship Wrectling – NY
East Coast Lucha libre – NY
WORLD-1 – NJ
Long Island Wrestling Federation – NY
NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave(aka CSWF) – NJ
Jersey Championship Wrestling – NJ
Stars & Stripes Championship Wrestling – NJ
USA Pro Wrestling – NY
Victory Pro Wrestling – NY
IWA – Pennsylvania – PA
IWF – Michigan – MI
Pro Wrestling Unplugged – PA
Summit Promotions – England
Lucha Xtreme Wrestling – NY
Inspirations: Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, William Regal, Fit Finlay, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Sting, Great Muta, Jushin Thunder Liger, Masahiro Chono, Lance Storm, HHH, Dynamite Kid
Aspirations:
-First and foremost, to win the most prestigous tournament in all of wrestling, the 16th Annual 2012 Super 8 tournament.
-To make history and be the very first wrestler to ever walk in ECWA Heavyweight Champion and walk out that night both champion and tournament winner.
-Be the very best I can be.
-Get signed by the WWE & headline Wrestlemania.
-Ultimately, my goal is to make my living through wrestling.
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Kekoa The Flyin Hawaiian
Website: Facebook.com/FlyinH
Twitter.com/KekoaFH
Height/Weight: 5’11” 198lbs
Hails From: Manoa Hawaii
Years Pro: 5
Feuds: Adam Cole, Sebastian Cruz, Bill Daly, Chad Evans, Ricky Martinez
Trained By: Bill Daly, Mongoose, Buzz Bentley
Style: American high flyer with technical background
Finishers: 5-0 Slam (standing firemans carry into back slam)
Titles Held:
Current ECWA Mid Atlantic Champion
AIWF World Tag Team Champion
PXW TV Champion
BWO Tag Team Champion
BWO United States Champion
LWO Heavyweight Champion
LVW Heavyweight Champion
PAW Heavyweight Champion
WXW C4 Ultimate Hybrid Champion
First LWO Liberty Cup Champion
First LVW Heavyweight Tournament Winner
PWI’s “One To Watch” 2011
Feds Worked For:
World Wrestling Entertainment
Ring of Honor
East Coast Wrestling Association
Combat Zone Wrestling
Allied Independent Wrestling Federation
Body slam wrestling Organization
Liberty Wrestling Organization
East Coast Pro Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling C4
Lehigh Valley Wrestling
Pennsylvania All Star Wrestling
Pro Xcitement Wrestling
Inspirations: Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat
Aspirations:
First and foremost, to win the most prestigious tournament in all of wrestling, the 16th Annual 2012 Super 8 Tournament. I would also love to expand my overseas experience, and continue to grow and mold myself into the wrestler I dream of becoming. Ultimately, my goal is to make a living through this sport and be a full time professional wrestler contracted with World Wrestling Entertainment
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Bobby Fish
Website: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=736580498
Height/Weight: 5’11” 217 lbs.
Hails From: Saratoga Springs, NY
Years Pro: 9 years
Fueds: Eddie Edwards, Kyle O’reilly, Astushi Aoki
Trained By: Tony Devito, Harley Race
Style: A blend of American technical and Puroresu style, with Muay Thai and MMA influence.
Finishers: “Sleeps with the Fishes” (jump spinning hook kick), “The Fish Hook” (heel hook submission hold), Moonsault
Titles Held:
NOAH pro wrestling – 2011 Global League Tournament participant
NOAH 2011 award winner
NECW Heavyweight Champion (current)
FIP 2011 Jeff Peterson Cup finalist
CPW Heavyweight Champion (former)
PWU Tag Team Champion (former)
Feds Worked For:
Pro Wrestling NOAH (Japan)
EVOLVE (Northeast USA)
Ring of Honor USA)
New England Championship Wrestling (Northeast USA)
Pro Wrestling All – Stars (England)
Jersey All Pro Wrestling (Northeast USA)
IWA Mid-south (Midwest USA)
Westside Xtreme Wrestling (Germany)
Full Impact Pro (Southern USA)
*Amateur kickboxing record of 2-0. Scheduled to fight on Jan. 28, 2012 at Strikeforce Promotions Muay Thai event in Voorhees, N.J.
Inspirations: The Great Muta (Keiji Mutoh), The Dynamite Kid, Ricky Steamboat
Aspiration: To win the 16th Annual ECWA Super 8 Tournament. To continue to wrestle overseas and gain greater exposure in the United States as well!
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Also, make sure you check out ECWA LIVE! in March 2012. SPRING BATTLE takes place on Sat, March 3, 2012 at the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club in Delaware* and then ECWA returns to the YMCA of Salem County in Carney’s Point, NJ on March 10, 2012!
For all info and tickets to the ECWA and SUPER 8 call 609.220.5598 or email info@ecwaprowrestling.com
WEB PAGE: www.ecwaprowrestling.com
ECWA SUPER 8 WEB PAGE: http://ecwaprowrestling.com/ecwa/about/ecwa-super-8-april-7-de/
FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/groups/124627284251717/#!/groups/124627284251717/
ECWA SUPER 8 FACEBOOK PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/events/274727819258112/
All ECWA events are FAMILY FRIENDLY!
Card subject to change!
*Pending approval of State of Delaware
“ECWA … become a fan all over again!”
Dory Funk sent this in.
!BANG! TV Report – Professional Wrestling Tonight in Ocala Florida with Jerry “The King” Lawler
From Shane Chung, “In less than 24 hours I will be defeating An American Hero, A Cowboy, A Hall of Fame Cowboy, and A King!!! Maybe I will change my name to Prince Shane !!!! hahahahahaha (evil)”
In 8 Man Tag Team Action, Jerry “The King” Lawler will join Dory Funk Jr., Johnny Magnum and Cory “Wild” Weston to face Shane Chung, Blain Rage, Fushicho Masuku and Jayson Falcone.
Jerry “The King” Lawler will also appear as “Special Trouble Shooting Referee” in a 3 Way for the Women’s Championship as Hollywood Heather (Champion) vs Claudia “The Claw” Reiff vs Lubbock Texas’ Barbara Garcia.
3 more matches are scheduled for tonight’s Card, Support Your Troops 73, “Genesis 12” at the !BANG! TV Sound Stage in Ocala, Florida. Show Time is 7:00pm with doors opening at 6:30pm.
For ticket information, Call Now 352-895-4658 or you may purchase tickets at the !BANG! TV Sound Stage from 3:00pm on.
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Imbed File is an Eposodic Webisode of “The Pencil” with Dory Funk Jr.