The "Heat" heat's up
by Alan Smithee on 2001-08-09

In a recent column by B. Brian Burke, he suggested that ECCW needs to review it's relationship with the NWA, and it has stirred a hornet's nest. The accurate assessment of the attempt by ECCW to live up to it's self-proclaimed reputation as "Canada's biggest indy promotion", has led to a very dangerous situation. This in itself is really not the most accurate description as there is a company in the Maritimes called Real Action Wrestling that clearly runs more often and therefore should be considered the “biggest”. Or maybe the Jacques Rougeau shows in Quebec drawing well more than ECCW so maybe they should be called the “biggest”. Maybe ECCW should call themselves “Canada’s heaviest locker room”. It is amazing how fast the thin-skinned in ECCW have scurried about trying to identify and blame the messenger rather than look at themselves in a mirror and ask, how can I make my role in this promotion better.

The content of Burke’s column cannot possibly be the problem. The problem is the egos of some people in ECCW.

Listen up, ECCW, your OWN Champion, Dr. Luther, (who got a strong boost in the story and is clearly one of the best talents in ECCW I might add), himself posted a response that supported the supposition the NWA connection is a LOST CAUSE and that the only other NWA promoter in Canada, a known critic of Republic and Luther, is "the biggest joke in wrestling and everybody knows it." EVERYBODY!

The publicity stunts in Winnipeg involving Ernie Todd's competitor, Top Rope, were covered in newspapers across Canada and on the Canoe/Slam!Wrestling site. They got more coverage than any other promotion in Canada in the last month. Why? Because they are doing things that are news worthy, not just sitting on there fat asses trying to figure out who would have this kind of information on them like they were the kids from Scooby Doo. A ton of fans and wrestlers and even writers like myself, from all over Canada, go there every single day. It’s called “research” and it is something that I do as a writer before just spouting off. Recent stories also involved Gorgeous Michelle Starr and Buffy. ECCW fans and wrestlers go to Slam!Wrestling every single day. Not just guys like Tidwell, Manson and known writers.

News about Ernie Todd's failing promotion are available on his site, and news of him losing his NWA North American Champion to Don Callis/Cyrus was all over the net, including 1wrestling.com, the Top Rope site, and elsewhere. People read this stuff every single day. So do guys at ECCW. The contents of the story were not "inside information". They were public knowledge, and probably read by more than one ECCW wrestler.

The fact that the crowds for Sabu and Corino were disappointing is not a big secret. The fact fans hated the 7 match jobber tournament was also not a secret. Fans all over have posted and written about their distain for such bookings. What is a secret, and is apparently causing a lot of finger pointing from instead of at ECCW, is who is stating the obvious, like that is some sort of problem. Apparently, the truth is something that certain people still don’t want to come

to terms with and feel it necessary to throw around schoolyard, bully type threats. With the kinds of threats being made, because someone speaks the truth, that in my mind is reason enough to stay anonymous from the kind of goons that would accuse and assault the innocent, let alone the "guilty". Makes sense to me.

One anonymous idiot claimed that they had it on good authority the column was actually being written by Notorious T.I.D. but T.I.D. has denied it. This same idiot claimed Manson was printing "bald-faced lies". For that matter, ECCW wrestler Bubba said in a posting that the story did not reflect the "true facts". Bubba is considered a good guy. Luther is considered a good guy. Both complained that ECCW, which is trying hard, was criticized. I respect them for publicly sticking up for the promotion. Yet no one has said what was not factual. Once again it is called research boys, look it up.

Let’s take a look at some more facts. The latest ECCW houses were disappointing. NWA Champ Corino and Sabu did not draw as well as hoped for. The Surrey show was overcrowded with jobbers and fans that bought $20 seats had all sorts of concerns that were posted on the ECCW Message Board. YOUR CHAMPION, DR. LUTHER, confirmed the NWA and the influential Ernie Todd are a joke and useless, to the point he dismissed a run for NWA President.

I'm told yet another ECCW wrestler on that show heard about the column, the whole thing word for word, and said it was accurate and true. So...

So stop looking at Tidwell, Manson, Goldstein, or anyone else to blame. I have been informed that some idiots are trying to drive a wedge, or provoke an assault, between the ECCW office and Goldstein, since he knows Ernie Todd and knows how to string together sentences.

Well guess what? He's not the only one who can write. Many of us can write, and read the boards, and the other promotions sites, and Canoe. And he wasn't at the Surrey show. But I was, and so were others. He is not BBB. So start to worry about yourselves and how to earn the fans respect and money at the box office.

Stop guessing, you'll never get it...