ECCW - Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling

Mike's Blog - 06/29/09 - TLC 4 In Less Than 6

Well, that was certainly unexpected.

I never thought that we would've gone into this past Friday night in Surrey with one championship on the line in TLC 4-WAY, only for a *different* one to be up for grabs just a few hours later, but that's exactly what happened. I've had a number of questions regarding what happened - and rightfully so - and I figure this is as good a place as any to explain.

I completely understood why Memphis wanted a match with MR2. The recent attacks, MR2 calling him a coward, costing Memphis the tag team title, and most importantly, stealing the NWA/ECCW Championship belt - all this means Memphis wants a piece of his brother, but I disagreed at this Saturday being the time or place. I knew the NWA Board of Directors would have my head if the main event of one of the biggest shows of the year was changed just eight days beforehand. But Memphis' suggestion rang true - the only thing better than one big title match is *two* big title matches, and Scotty Mac's NWA Canadian heavyweight title being up for grabs in TLC 4-WAY suits me just fine!

With Memphis out of TLC 4-WAY in lieu of defending his NWA/ECCW Championship against MR2 - and MR2, remember that Memphis is *still* the NWA/ECCW Champion despite you having his belt right now, and until you pin Memphis or make him submit, that's not going to change! - we needed a fourth competitor in TLC 4-WAY, and I can't think of anybody better than El Phantasmo, who not only just won the 2009 Pacific Cup tournament, but has a lot of experience in TLC matches, having participated in every one of them!

You know what the nice thing is? The Natural saved me the trouble of having to listen to Scotty Mac complain to me for months about putting his title on the line when he expected to get a chance to become a double champion once again. Scotty Mac may have not been too happy with what happened, but Natural has legal right to speak for Chill Town, and if he shook my hand on a deal, that's good enough for me and good enough for the NWA - even though the price for it was extremely high, in my opinion.

That's right, the piledriver is once again a legal maneuver in ECCW. And nearly a year after instituting the rule, I've heard the majority of wrestlers and fans in and out of ECCW questioning my initial ruling as NWA Pacific Northwest representative. A number have gone as far as comparing it to "Cowboy" Bill Watts outlawing top-rope maneuvers in 1992 as far as boneheaded rulings go. However, I fully stand by the ruling and believe it's helped make ECCW a safer place to wrestle. My primary concern is to the wellbeing of everybody competing in an ECCW ring, and let the record show that the number of severe head and neck injuries in ECCW dropped like a rock once I outlawed the piledriver. My own neck notwithstanding, of course. Also let the record show that just because the piledriver is again legal in the context of a match, this does *not* give everybody in ECCW carte blanche to run wild. I will still be watching for blatant disregard of the rules and abuse of anybody in an ECCW ring. What was done can be undone.

As NWA Pacific Northwest representative, I hate seeing anybody get injured in the ring, but especially a major titleholder like Artemis Spencer, whose dislocated knee and chipped femur bone has now cost him the NWA Canadian junior heavyweight championship. I was in the ring when Spencer handed over the championship belt to me, and I could see the pain in his eyes doing so. Say what you will about Spencer's attitude over the past year, but he is a competitor, and simply handing over his title had to be extremely hard for him. That being said, I believe he made the right move for the long term - as much as I and the rest of ECCW's fanbase would have loved to see him compete this Saturday night against Billy Suede, I don't want to see it at the expense of his long-term health. Spencer will have time to heal and come back, and when he does, a shot at the title he never lost in the ring will assuredly be waiting for him.

However, one can't grieve forever, and while that takes place, we do not have an NWA Canadian junior heavyweight champion. We will take care of that problem this Saturday night, in a four-man gauntlet match! I have chosen four of the top junior heavyweights in ECCW - 2009 Pacific Cup runner-up Azeem The Dream, Egos & Icons member Jamie Diaz, former NWA Pacific Northwest junior heavyweight champion Harv Sihra, and the last man to hold the Canadian junior title, "Brilliant" Billy Suede. Two men will be drawn to start the match, and after one is defeated, another will take his place, until only one man remains - and that one man will be crowned the new NWA Canadian junior heavyweight champion! Good luck to all four men, and may the best man win!

I wish I could just say that Spencer's knee was the only injury, but it's not. Wrestling in ECCW means the inevitable bangups, especially in the fast-paced junior heavyweight division. While competing against the newest WWE developmental signing, "Ravenous" Randy Myers, Gurv Sihra suffered a separated shoulder last week that took him out of action in Surrey, but he should make a full recovery within a month or so. However, Kyle O'Reilly will be out of action for an indefinite period, due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which was made worse by Azeem The Dream in the Pacific Cup tournament. I wish both Gurv and Kyle the best of luck in recovery and hope to see both of them and Artemis Spencer back in an ECCW ring as soon as they're healthy.

In addition to an NWA/ECCW tag team title defense by Pop Culture against two teams in a triple threat match - Egos & Icons members Nick Price & Tony Baroni, and the new team of Ray Brooks & MANTHER, known as.. well, The Cat & The Fiddle.. I've also signed an additional contest for TLC 4-WAY, which will pit Rick The Weapon X against the leader of the Church of the Divine Prophecy, The Divine Prophet!

We're just a few days away, everybody - TLC 4-WAY is upon us, and with what happened in Surrey, the powder keg just had an even bigger fuse attached to it! It's going to explode this Saturday, and I can't wait! I'll see you in Vancouver!

Mike Sweetser
NWA Pacific Northwest Representative