IWC- 2002. In many ways, this was the year IWC really took off as a company. The reality for me as a promoter was that the months that followed September 11, 2001, it was inexpensive to fly in talent from all over the country due to lower airfares. This gave us the opportunity to run a lot more shows, and give local talent the chance to work with many names from all over. Three moments stick out in my mind from that year. The first was March 22, 2002, the very first Super Indy Tournament. A lot of people asked me where the term Super Indy came from with regards to the tournament. To be honest, I was sick of some local talent complaining that I would favor wrestlers that came in from all over the country for the shows. They would call them Super Indies. It annoyed me, so I created the tournament, and the name, based on those complaints. And then something surprising happened. A local won the whole damn thing, as Super Hentai came into his own that evening. The moment etched in my memory was the participants in the tournament hoisting Hentai over their heads in a moment for the ages, as he defied the odds, and won it all. Just a few weeks later, in the same Monroeville venue, history was made as IWC champion CM Punk fought the WWF Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero to a time limit draw. A little bit of background here. Eddie was originally booked for me as a favor to the WWF in order to make sure Eddie was continuing on a good path. But something unexpected happened, as Eddie was brought back to the WWE just ten days earlier, and won the Intercontinental Title from RVD. Eddie wasnt in the best mood the day he flew in, and even requested to switch hotels to a brighter one. I obliged. When he arrived at the show, he apologized for being difficult (I didnt really think he was) and told me he has a special surprise that night. Earlier in the evening, we did a promo in the ring to set up Eddie as a heel for the match with Punk, and he decked me. Hard. Both contacts went flying out of my eyes from the punch, and I was only able to recover one. Eddie felt worse, and told me he REALLY had a surprise for me. An hour later, Eddie declared the match TITLE vs TITLE, IC vs IWC. There is no video of that night, but those in attendance were treated to an unforgettable experience. The third moment was from December 6, 2002. The stage had been set. Super Hentai vs Shirley Doe. It was a crazy feud. And if you havent had a chance to see that match, I urge you to get the DVD. It was incredible. The point in the match where they both went tumbling off of the apron, and onto the hard wood floors at CCAC is something that sticks out to me as a defining moment both for the promotion, and for two great wrestlers giving it their all in front of an appreciative West Mifflin crowd.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 18:54:08 +0000
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