HOME MATCHES BIO GALLERY LINKS CONTACT

News

Scotty Charisma will be one of eight competitors competing in the 14th Annual Super Eight Tournament this Saturday July 10th, 2010 in Newark, Delaware...click here to read the profiles of the competitors and results from the previous tournaments 

 http://www.ecwaprowrestling.com/main/super8.html

FORMER TNA STAR CONSEQUENCES CREED CAPTURES 2010 ECWA SUPER 8 TOURNAMENT, COMPLETE REPORT
By Mike Johnson on 2010-07-11 00:22:54

Jim Kettner's East Coast Wrestling Association held their 14th Annual Super 8 Tournament on Saturday 7/10 in Newark, Delaware at the Boys & Girls Club, drawing 300-400 fans. The Super 8, at one point, received the lion's share of online acclaim and buzz. It was considered the best of the best when in terms of revolutionary, athletic independent wrestling and with good reason. Over time, promotions like Ring of Honor and scores of similar tournaments began to sprout up.

What was once unique was now one of many, many similar products, so Jim Kettner changed gears and moved away from promoting that style and promoting directly to hardcore online fans, a smart move as less and less from that audience showed up for the tournaments. Instead, Kettner refocused on his own local audiences, working to insure that the fans that are his monthly bread and butter are catered to with characters and storylines. While it might not result in hundreds of Internet postings about his product and promotion, it's still a formula that works and gives the audience one hell of a bang for their $17 admission. Onto the report:

The promotion held a "Fan Interaction Night" before the show itself began, with wrestlers signing and taking part in games like trivia, Pictionary and the like. The kids in the crowd were loving the hell out of it.

ECWA champion Mega came to the ring and welcomed everyone to the Super 8, then introduced former competitors in the tournament who were present at the show. Last year's winner, Nick Logan, brought the tournament trophy to the ring. They then introduced this year's field of competition. The promotion then did a ten bell salute in honor of Trent Acid before the show as well. Acid was a former ECWA Tag Team champion and competed in the 2000 Super 8 tournament. They played the national anthem, then aired a video feature to catch everyone up on storylines. At the onset, they aired a "In memory of" graphic for Acid, Jeff Peterson and Steve Bradley.

2010 SUPER 8 ROUND ONE

Scott Wright vs. "Eugene" Nick Dinsmore

Wright is a longtime regular here as a heel and cut a promo saying he was a serious wrestler and that's why he was in the Super 8. He said you wouldn't be seeing any super heroes or wrestlers with facepaint in chains tonight in the tournament, then demanded his opponent be revealed. So, of course, it was Eugene. He was billed under the spelling U-Gene, but I'm using the WWE spelling. Wright's response was hilarious. They locked up and Wright caught Eugene in a side headlock, then shoulder tackled him down. They then went into some comedy spots where Eugene tricked Wright into punching the mat, then rode him like a horse. Eugene played to the crowd, only to be caught with a clothesline. Wright worked over Eugene with punches, then a back elbow for a two count. Wright controlled Eugene and scored several near falls. Eugene made a comeback with a Lou Thesz Press and the People's Elbow. Eugene went for a piledriver but Wright escaped and turned it into a swinging neckbreaker. Eugene came back with a back suplex and set up for Sweet Chin Music, then nailed it, complete with the stomps, for the pin. Mostly comedy for the kids but a nice opener for the audience ECWA is promoting to.

Your winner, Eugene!

"Yours Truly" Alex Reynolds vs. Chris Wylde

Reynolds is a Long Island native who was trained by former ECW champion Mikey Whipwreck. He came out to Italian music with a suede jacket and a white scarf wrapped around his neck, doing a snobby gimmick. Think early Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Wylde is a regular on the Northeast independent scene who's also wrestled for XCW in Germany. Wylde controlled the match early with some hiptosses and armdrags. Wylde used a armdrag takedown and Reynolds rolled out of the ring, where he was hit with a baseball sliding kick to the floor. Back in the ring, Reynolds caught Wylde with a nasty guillotine legdrop, then a dropkick. He cinched in a side headlock but Wylde fought his way out of it, then backdropped Reynolds. Reynolds made a comeback and scored several near falls. He worked over Wylde with an armbar as Wylde fought back. Wylde was finally able to kick Reynolds as he charged and nailed a high cross bodyblock for a two count. He barely nailed a leg lariat for another near fall. Reynolds went for a discus punch but was blocked and hit with an enziguiri for a two count. Wylde charged Reynolds but was caught and powerbombed into the corner. Reynolds covered him for a two count. Wylde ended up on the apron and avoided another guillotine legdrop, then hit a sunset flip bomb from the outside into the ring for the pin. Some missed spots but not a bad athletic match.

Your winner, Chris Wylde!

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chase Del Monte

Both are regulars here. Ciampa is from the New England area, was originally trained at Killer Kowalski's school and has worked in Ohio Valley Wrestling as Thomas Penmanship. Ciampa went to the finals in last year's tournament, losing to Nick Logan. Del Monte does the high power ring entrance, dancing and playing to the crowd while Poison blares. Ciampa tried to bully Del Monte early, but Monte wasn't having it. Del Monte went for a superkick but missed. They went back and forth until Del Monte caught Ciampa with a rana. He went to the floor, where Del Monte nailed a dive over the ropes. They battled on the floor, where Ciampa nailed a suplex. Back in the ring, Ciampa stomped the hell out of Del Monte. Del Monte came back with a leaping hurancanrana off the top rope, then went back to the ropes. Ciampa grabbed his legs and snapped him off the ropes. He locked in a variation of the Walls of Jericho but Del Monte finally made it to the ropes. He dragged Del Monte back to the center and turned it into a Sharpshooter, then worked him over with a series of elbow strikes. Del Monte came back to drive Ciampa off the ropes face first into his knees but Ciampa kicked out. Del Monte set up for the superkick but missed. He set up Ciampa for a Killswitch, then swung him into a neckbreaker. Ciampa kicked out at the last minute. Chase went to the top but Ciampa grabbed him and nailed his finisher, Project Ciampa, a powerbomb where he drops the opponent down over both of Ciampa's knees for the pin. Good match.

Your winner, Tommaso Ciampa!

Kingpin Brian Milonas vs. Austin Creed

Creed is the former TNA star Consequences Creed. Milonas is from the New England area, having trained initially at Killer Kowalski's school and has worked for NECW and other area promotions. He had a Jim Neidhart-esque beard and a burly body. The story here was Creed's finesse vs. Milonas' sheer power. Milonas shoved down Creed and attacked him before the bell, talking a lot of trash while doing so. He picked up Creed for a powerbomb but it was turned into a Frankenstein. Creed peppered him with punches and Milonas powdered to the floor. When he returned, Creed caught him with a drop toehold. Milonas fought back and quickly began to control the match, working over Creed and holding him off-balance with his power. He locked Creed in a bear hug to wear him down. Creed fought his way out but soon was trapped again. They worked the submission hold for quite a while. Creed finally escaped but was caught with a swinging sideslam for a two count. Milonas charged Creed in the corner but Creed caught him with a kick. He came back with a big dropkick and then a big flying forearm. Creed made the big comeback with a series of hot moves, then went to the ropes with a big missile dropkick. He charged Milonas but was caught with a kick to the gut. Milonas worked over Creed, getting several near falls. He went to the middle turnbuckle for a splash but missed. Creed made his way to the ropes and came off with a DDT, scoring the pin. Despite their obvious style differences, I thought they worked a hell of a heel vs. babyface match. Milonas is one hell of a worker.

NO DQ: ECW Mid-Atlantic and Tag Team champions Aden Chambers & Ryan Rush & Julian Starr vs. Matt & Bryan & Nick Logan

The storyline here is that Chambers, Rush and Starr are representing the fictional West Coast Wrestling Alliance, who are heels against the ECWA and have captured the championships. The Logans won a rematch by DQ last time but the belts still returned to the "West Coast", so now there are no disqualifications. The Logans hit the ring with chairs and run the WCWA out of the ring. They did a triple dive out of the ring and then brawled all around ringside. It was a fun brawl. When they finally returned to the ring, the referee rang the bell. The Logans cleaned house early until Chambers laid out Nick Logan, who is an amateur as opposed to a "professional" wrestler. He was set up on the turnbuckles but escaped and powerbombed Chambers through several chairs in the ring. He came off the top rope with a senton but immediately grabbed his neck, went down and didn't get back up. Matt and Bryan worked over Team WCWA and got the pin. They began celebrating but realized something was wrong. The promotion immediately cut the music and they called for EMTS. The promotion called for an intermission as Nick was stretchered out and to an ambulance that was outside the venue. Fans chanted "Logan" as he was taken out. The entire moment was treated like it was deadly serious, but it was entirely a planned angle to continue the storyline. The match was a fun brawl, a little out of character for ECWA but very good. The angle was very well done as well.

ECWA SUPER 8 SEMI-FINALS

Chris Wylde vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa attacked Wylde at the bell and hit a Facewash in the corner. Wylde came back with a series of chops. Ciampa drilled him with a clothesline and Wylde took a 360 bump. Ciampa began to work over Wylde with several submission variations. Wylde came back with a series of suplexes. Ciampa snapped his neck over the ropes and Wylde went to the outside. He slammed Wylde's back over the apron while they were on the outside, then rolled him in for several near falls. Wylde came back with a leg lariat and a sitdown powerbomb for a two count. Wylde went to the top rope and scored with a diving head butt. He sold the brunt of the impact, then covered Ciampa for a two count. Ciampa came back with a Torture Rack into a powerbomb. Ciampa went for his finisher but Wylde escaped and hit Sliced Bread #2 for a two count. Ciampa nailed Project Ciampa and scored the pin. Good, fun athletic match!

Your winner, Tommaso Ciampa!

Eugene vs. Austin Creed

Eugene came out with his hair slicked back. They shook hands at the bell. They locked up and Eugene complained about the break. When they locked up again, Eugene complained about a thumb to the eye. Heel turn? Eugene caught Creed with a top wristlock and pulled Creed's hair to yank him down. He began playing heel screaming that he didn't pull the hair. He then raked Creed's back with his fingernails. Creed came back with a backslide for a one count. They went back and forth with forearm strikes. Creed finally took over, catching Eugene in a hammerlock and forcing him to the mat. He dropped down while holding the move and used his legs for additional leverage. Eugene powered out and pulled him up into a powerbomb position and slammed him. Eugene nailed a superkick and scored a two count. He went for a moonsault but missed. Creed came back with a twisting DDT off the ropes for the pin. Good back and forth match. Eugene worked really, really hard.

Your winner, Austin Creed!

ECWA Summit

The promotion's annual Royal Rumble, insuring that everyone on the roster gets a chance to perform on their top show of the year. Unlike many indy tournaments, this is intricately booked so there are no "dead spots" or moments where stars are standing around with their thumbs up their rear wondering where to go and what to do. Like always, Kettner told a story. Magnum, who was managing the WCWA team earlier, came out and cut a promo saying he doesn't have a contract here but promised he was going to earn his way back in. The second out was Cha Cha Chance, who got a big pop coming out as he was a surprise and has been off serving in the military in recent months. Magnum lowblowed him but Chance came back with the ButtButt in the corner. He tossed Magnum. The third out was Mr. Ooh La La, who had his usual problems getting into the ring. He finally did and attacked Chance. The fourth in was Bazooka Joe. La La was out almost immediately. Fifth was Travis Blake. Sixth was J.J. The Ring Crew Guy. Seventh was Glen Osbourne. Ninth was Simple Simon who does a fun comedy gimmick. Tenth was Courageous Cruz, the ECWA's superhero character. Twelfth was Gus Grand . Lucky #13 was Sean Royal. #14 was Andrew Ryker. #15 was Corey Blaze. #16 was Tim Richards. #17 was Jason Lee. #18 was "Coach" Jim Shorts. #19 was the masked El Mariachi. The final competitor was Jason XXL, a seven footer. At this point, all the eliminations were coming really fast. No one was able to move Jason XXL. The Coach eliminated himself in order to get around dealing with the giant. It came down to Jason, Chance and Mariachi. Chance was dumped over by the Giant. Mariachi ordered Jason to leave the ring and he eliminated himself. It was your typical Summit with all the characters getting a cameo/

Your winner, El Mariachi!

Mariachi began dancing to "Rico Suave" and then thanked everyone in broken English. He then unmasked everyone for giving him a really good chance, unmasking himself as Magnum. He laughed at the fans saying he was back now and introduced Jason XXL as his new protégé. He then challenged ECWA champion Mega to face Jason XXL when they return. Mega, who had been watching the show from a table at ringside all night, made his way to the ring with the title belt. He and Jason had a faceoff, but the entire locker room came out to separate them. Mega asked the crowd who wanted to see him "kick his butt" and they popped.

ECWA SUPER 8 2010 TOURNAMENT FINAL

Austin Creed vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa attacked Creed as he came out of the entranceway but Creed fought him off. The referee rang the bell. They battled back and forth on the outside. Ciampa got the better of Creed. He went to the top rope and moonsaulted off, nailing Creed as he made his way back to his feet. Creed was tossed back in the ring but Ciampa wasn't able to score the pin. He began working over Creed's back with knee strikes. Creed came back with a series of boxing combinations in the corner, punching the body and head as Ciampa went down. Creed picked up Ciampa and drilled him backwards into the corner. He whipped Ciampa into the opposite corner and nailed a dropkick. Creed came back with a series of kicks to the body, then nailed Creed with a Facewash. He drilled Creed with a second.

Creed made a comeback, chopping away at Ciampa, who fired back in kind. They went face to face challenging the other and measuring for harder chops. Ciampa finally got the better of the exchange but was caught with a back elbow. Creed hit a series of armdrags and hiptosses. Ciampa came back with a leg lariat. Ciampa went for the submissions, working over and cranking on Creed's neck. Creed reversed it and began working on Ciampa's neck and arms. Ciampa came back with a modified Texas Cloverleaf.

Ciampa began measuring Creed with stomps and kicks. He began chopping Creed, who began firing himself up and finally nailed a stiff leg lariat. Creed covered Ciampa for a near fall. Creed dropkicked Ciampa into the corner and kipped up. He and Ciampa battled back and forth. They battled in the corner and Ciampa slammed Creed down with a Emerald Frosion type of move for a two count. The crowd popped for the near fall.

They battled again in the corner. Creed punched Ciampa off to the mat and nailed a flying elbowsmash. Ciampa kicked up. He nailed Creed with his knees and went for the Ciampa Project, but Creed escaped. He captured Creed again and nailed another but Creed kept kicking out. Creed made a comeback and pressed and slammed Ciampa into TKO. Creed scored the pinfall.

Your 2010 Super 8 winner, Austin Creed!

ECWA champion Mega came to the ring to present Creed with the trophy. The other competitors and the rest of the ECWA roster surrounded the ring to congratulate and applaud Creed. They picked Creed up on their shoulders. They handed Creed the mic and thanked the fans who came out to this "glorious night" and all of the other competitors. He thanked everyone for allowing him to come into their homes and to let him compete tonight. He told Ciampa that he was taken to the limit by him and would love to do it again down the road. Creed wished everyone a good night and thanked them for coming. A classy way to end the evening.

Notes: ECWA will return to Newark, DE at the Boys and Girls Club on Saturday 8/14...The promotion sold Super 8 T-shirts and DVDs of last year's tournament...In a nice "family friendly moment", they announced the names of fans in attendance who were celebrating birthdays....For more on the promotion, visit www.ecwaprowrestling.com.

 

At just a few minutes after 3am on the morning of May 3rd, Scotty and his wife Kathy welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Isabelle Eileen Wright at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York. She weighed in 8 pounds 4 ounces and along with her big sister Sophia they are looking to form quite the "Diva" tag team some time in the future.

Scotty Charisma returned to the bodybuilding stage on April 17th, 2010 at the OCB Tri-Cities Natural Championships at Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack, New York. Scotty place 3rd out of 8 competitors in the Novice Tall Class. This show marked the 15th time he has competed in a bodybuilding competition but only his first since 2006.

 

A crowd of over 1,000 wrestling fans packed the Suffern High School gym on March 15th to cheer on local favorites and longtime legends...more

Scotty Charisma welcomes the birth of his daughter Sophia Elizabeth Wright into the world at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY, Sunday March 15th, 2009 at 7:27pm…click here to see more photos…


Scotty Charisma wrestles in his hometown on April 12th in front of 1000 people at Suffern High School benefit show....over $5500 raised for charity!!!                   Click here to read article...

Scotty Charisma wins the ECWA World Heavyweight Title for the 2nd Time defeating Aden Chambers March 1, 2008 in Newark, Delaware.

Scotty Charisma wrestled for the WWE again at the Sold-Out Bryce Jordan Center on the campus of Penn State University.... in a Tag Team Match with Xavier against Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Eugene....match aired on WWE-HEAT ...click here to watch

Scotty Charisma and his wife Kathy to be featured in a National Fitness Magazine this Summer...click here for pictures from the photoshoot...

"Scotty Charisma wrestles in front of 1300 people in his hometown and helps raise over $11,000 for local charities...March 9th, 2007"

Click below to read the Rockland Journal News' coverage of the event
 Wednesday, Mar. 7th article
 Saturday, Mar.10th article

Scotty Charisma appears in a segment as the "OPS Guy" with Triple H and Sean Michaels on WWE-RAW...
Watch the segment by clicking on the picture below:

 

 

Scotty Charisma defeats Rob Echos to become the new Pennsylvania Heavyweight Champion in Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, November 11th, 2006

Scotty Charisma wrestles Sylvan in a Dark Match for the WWE-Smackdown Taping at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. 9/13/06...more details to follow....

Scotty Charisma gets married!!!!   Click here to see photos of Scotty and Kathy's July 14, 2006 beautiful wedding....

 

Scotty Charisma wrestled Elijah Burke in front of 17,401 at the sold-out Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 31st, 2006... Click here to see video...

Scotty Charisma wrestles in front of 15,000 people on Monday Night Raw against Umaga on Live National TV July 3rd, 2006... from the sold out Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
 Click here to see photos...

Scotty Charisma wrestles Big Vito from the sold out Soveriegn Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ on the June 16th, 2006 edition of WWE-Smackdown.  Click here for Photos...

Scotty Charisma was a guest on the Wrestletalk Radio Show on 3-19-06....click here to listen...

Scotty Charisma wrestles in front of 1500 people for a benefit show in his hometown....click here to see photos....

Scotty Charisma places 3rd in the Men's Open Division at the NBI Natural Tri-State Bodybuilding Championships in West Nyack, New York....click here to see more photos....

Scotty Charisma wrestled for the WWE in tag team action January 2nd, 2006 at the sold out Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey against the Heartthrobs and January 3rd, 2006 at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania against the Dicks...Matches can be seen on WWE-HEAT and WWE-VELOCITY

To view Velocity, click here.
 To view Heat, click here.

November 2005 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Ranks Scotty Charisma #341 in Its List of Top 500 Wrestlers in the World - CLICK HERE to Read

Scotty Charisma appeared on Monday Night Raw as a cop from the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 11th, 2005

2005 NOVICE DIVISION OVERALL CHAMPION at the March 19th, 2005 NBI Natural Tri-State Bodybuilding Show
 (click here for more photos)

Scotty Charisma involved in major WWE-Smackdown storyline...click here to see what happened

Northeast Independent Wrestler Scotty Charisma has been booked to work for the longest running, most prestigious independent wrestling company in the United States. Jim Kettner, who has owned and operated his own organization for the past 38 years, has booked Charisma to make his ECWA debut on September 18th in Newark, Delaware. Kettner's promotion has served as a training ground for many top WWE superstars such as Christian, Paul London, Charlie Haas, Billy Kidman, and Jaime Noble. The current ECWA roster features future stars such as Mike Kruel, John Walters, and Matt Striker.

READ ANDREW LEVINE'S FEATURE ARTICLE ON SCOTTY CHARISMA FROM MAY 8TH, 2004

Scotty Charisma ranked in the Top 250 Wrestlers in the Northeast by the Declaration of Independents

Scotty Charisma Takes 2nd Place at NBI Bodybuilding Show - click for pictures

 Scotty Charisma featured in the Rockland Journal News (click for article)

Check out the Wrestling Clothesline Interview with Scotty Charisma (click here)

Listen to Scotty Charisma on the PowerBomb Internet Radio Show

 

Scotty Charisma is featured in Fighting Fit section of the New England Independent.  
Be sure to check out the website. 

RAMBLINGS FROM THE GRAY GHOST from www.assaultwrestling.com  12/16/02
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MUSINGS ON DARK OFFERINGS AND LA FAMILIAS INSTABILITY.
 Hello again to all of my ACW Freaks.. The GRAY GHOST is back with another column, a little less than a week after another successful event.. DARK OFFERINGS… The nice crowd at CLUB ARKADIA was treated to another solid show, albeit not without some problems due to holiday travel.. Several talents continued to impress more each and every show in the eyes of the GHOST most notably SCOTTY CHARISMA… One of the best “HEEL” personalities in the company, Scotty shook off some major confrontations with SCOTTMAN to wrestle maybe the best match he ever has in ACW…. Against, THE EXCELLENT JOHNNY THUNDAR…

Dec. 13, 2002
NUNZIO A WELCOME ADDITION TO WWE 
by Phil Speer    (From www.wwe.com)

     James Maritato debuted this past Thursday for WWE's Smackdown show. This is an article taken from the WWE's website. We are all truly excited for James, and as many of you know I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. I am proud of you Buddy!

    To many World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars, particularly those who competed in ECW, Nunzio's WWE debut Thursday night on SmackDown! was long overdue. "When ECW went out of business, I was trying hard to get Guido into the company because I think he's a great asset," said Tommy Dreamer, referring to Nunzio by the name he used in ECW, Little Guido. "I think he's a phenomenal cruiserweight, but he can hold his own against any heavyweight. And with his amateur background, I put him up there with the Chris Benoits and the Kurt Angles." Others sing similar praises; they say Nunzio is one of the most versatile and tough-as-nails competitors in sports entertainment.  He's got the resume to back it up.

    Born in Howard Beach, N.Y., Nunzio (real name James Maritato) grew up in Nanuet, N.Y., located in Rockland County, about 30 miles from New York City. (He continues to live in the area with his wife of two years, Doreen.) At Nanuet High School, Nunzio played football, lacrosse and baseball, and competed on the wrestling team. While he admits that he wasn't very good at lacrosse or baseball, he flourished in football and wrestling. His junior year, he started at halfback on a team that was undefeated, untied and not scored upon the entire year. On Nov. 16, the team was elected into the NHS Hall of Fame. In wrestling, he competed at 177 pounds and, his senior year, collected 28 wins against seven losses, which is a school record in that weight class that stands to this day. Due to his success in amateur wrestling, the seed was planted for a future career in sports entertainment.

    Nunzio attended an amateur wrestling camp in Stroudsburg, Pa., during his senior year. There, he met professional wrestler Jerry Fazio, who was one of many athletes who competed as the Executioner; Fazio even wrestled for WWE in the 1980s. "I talked his ear off about (professional) wrestling," Nunzio said. "I was always a big fan." Fazio told Nunzio that, if he was still interested in sports entertainment after he graduated from high school, that Nunzio should contact him. Nunzio did just that, and Fazio sent him to East Coast Pro Wrestling School in Parsippany, N.J. After two years of training there, he went to Japan, and studied under Billy Robinson in shoot-style submission fighting. He spent a total of three and a half years going back and forth to Japan, where he wrestled in the UWFI promotion, competing as James Stone.

     He wrestled as Damian Stone in independent promotions, which is where Dreamer first met him. Dreamer said that his first meeting with Nunzio is memorable because Nunzio was the victim of a botched 450-degree splash. That night, Nunzio wrestled a competitor who claimed that he knew how to do the 450-splash, but the competitor's knee ended up crashing into Nunzio's face. "Guido had to have complete reconstructive surgery on his face," Dreamer said. "After the match, Guido stood up, his face was pouring blood, but he put his hands on his elbows, and he walked to the back. He put a towel on his face. I said, 'Are you OK, bro?' He said, 'Yeah.' "Guido's tough."

    When UWFI closed in 1996, he started up in Paul Heyman's ECW promotion. He had lost a great deal of weight from his days in the independent promotions -- in part due to having his jaw wired shut for five months after the botched 450 splash. According to Dreamer, Nunzio was nicknamed the "Sicilian Shooter" in ECW because of his shoot-fighting background. As Little Guido, Nunzio was part of a faction called the Full Blooded Italians, or the FBI, and teamed with the massive Sal E. Graziano. "He was having a very, very successful singles career, where he had standout matches against RVD, who was our ECW TV Champion," Dreamer said. "He went on to where he finally won (ECW Tag Team) gold with his partner Tony Mamaluke." He was also briefly ECW Tag Team Champion with Tracy Smothers.

    Nunzio continued to compete in ECW until the organization closed in early 2001. He is believed to be the only competitor to appear on every ECW pay-per-view (he wrestled in non-televised "dark matches" at the first two shows). A few months after ECW closed, WWE purchased WCW, making WWE the only prominent sports-entertainment organization in North America. But the company was in a state of flux -- with the purchase of WCW, the "invasion" storyline, the brand extension, etc.

    That may be why it took nearly two years for WWE officials to sign Nunzio; he finally received a phone call three months ago. "I was very happy," Nunzio said about the call. "I was surfing the indies for two years." Nunzio said he received two tryout matches with WWE -- Sept. 30 before RAW in Houston, and Oct. 1 before the SmackDown! taping in Lafayette, La. But Paul Heyman begs to differ; he says those matches were anything but tryouts. "He was in anyway," Heyman said. "He was sought after.

    Everybody wanted this guy, and the time was right to bring him here." Now that he's here, his peers say, he'll flourish if he's given the chance.

    "Given the ball and the opportunity, he will quickly rise within the ranks of WWE," Dreamer said. "I'm looking forward to watching him on SmackDown!, not just because he's my friend, but because he adds another element." Dreamer said with Nunzio's training and background, he can wrestle in a variety of styles. He knows the Mexican lucha libre style -- he had amazing matches with Tajiri in ECW, for example. He knows shoot style and could potentially have outstanding matches with Kurt Angle, Dreamer said. And he can also work in a more traditional mat-wrestling style. "I think he can achieve success whether it be in singles or in tag," Dreamer said.

    "I'm a big, big fan of Jamie Noble's too, so if Jamie Noble and Guido get together, it's one hell of a scientific wrestling team. They both have their fundamentals. I'm glad I'm not a cruiserweight because I wouldn't want to face Guido. And Billy Kidman better look out.

Oct. 14, 2002                                  LITTLE GUIDO SIGNS 3 YEAR DEAL WITH WWE


    I just want to take this opportunity to personally congratulate James Maritato, aka Little Guido, on signing a 3 year deal with WWE. As many of you may know, James is the person solely responsible for getting me into the wrestling business. I am extremely proud that he will be a part of WWE Smackdown on Thursday nights on UPN 9.
    Over the last year and half, it has been a tough going for James especially since ECW closed and WCW was swallowed up by the WWE. But through perseverance and determination, he never gave up and after 11 years in the business he is finally getting what he always has deserved.
    It was in March of 2001, that James first introduced myself and Paul Fuchs, aka Paul Enormous, to Mr. Gino Caruso of East Coast Professional Wrestling School. Ever since, James has overseen my career, and has always been there for me as a friend and mentor. Nobody has taught me more about being a professional wrestler, both in and out of the ring, then James. I don't know where I would be without him.
    I want to wish James and his lovely wife Doreen, all the best. Good Luck Buddy!

Articles:

Thundar turns on the fans to join Peter Van Orton           (from www.ihpw.com, 4/16/02)

 

Johnny Thundar whom since CWF days has had a long running feud with IHPW Owner Peter Van Orton, finally sold out and joined the evil owner. Thundar & Allura become a part of what Van Orton is calling the Foundation of Pro Wrestling. PVO was called out to bring a man to ring side next month to face Scotty Charisma. Charisma was upset at Van Orton's politics. PVO surprised the entire crowd by turning on PinC at the April 12 show and having Thundar as his main man to face Charisma. This match will be for the United States Championship. If Thundar loses Charisma gets to appoint the first commissioner of IHPW! If Thundar wins, Charisma must join the Foundation!

FIERRO: A LOOK AT IHPW, LITTLE GUIDO, GANGREL, INFERNO, AND MORE  

  
 

by Tommy Fierro

(from www.1wrestling.com 4/14/2002) 3:00:00 PM  

  
     
 

I managed on the International High Powered Wrestling show this past Friday night, ran by Pete Ferriero, in Wayne, NJ. They had a nice turn out and several strong matches. It was a good show. Steve Corino became the new IHPW champion winning a three-way match against champion Ryan Wing and Inferno, with Ken Shamrock as special guest referee. Shamrock was over huge. He'd still make a huge impact in WWF I believe. Corino, Wing, and Inferno put on a really strong match. Sometimes three way matches are hard to do, especially on an indie show when fans aren't familiar with the guys. The fans were into this match big time though. After Corino won the title, he talked trash to Shamrock and Shamrock put him in the ankle lock submission to send the fans home happy. A very good way to end a show.

Little Guido worked the show against Tiger Mulligan. With the WWF getting serious about their light heavyweight division, Guido is someone that comes to mind that the WWF should bring in. He is a very good worker and has a really good look to him. He looked in better shape the other night than I have ever seen him in. On top of all that, he's a great guy. I could see Guido getting over good in the WWF as a light heavy heel. With WWF signing up new talent, Guido is someone they should strongly consider. He's ready to go.

Gangrel was also on the show against Corino. He was so over with the crowd it wasn't funny. I always wondered why WWF didn't do more with him. He was so hot when he was the leader of the Brood. He's been off TV for a while now but you would have never known that by the reaction he got on this show. The gimmick is just so cool. I would love to see him get another shot back in the WWF. If the WWF got behind him and stayed behind him, I could see him becoming a major player. He's way too talented to be working little indie shows.

Danny Doring was on the show and had a strong match against "The Raging Beast" Brian Wenzel. I'm a big supporter of Wenzel. He's only 21 years old and is a strong worker with a really good look. He's gone through more gimmicks in the last year than I have underwear though. He's a very good heavyweight wrestler, something that's hard to find on the indies now a days. Everyone now is a light heavyweight. Wenzel is a legit 230-240 and can work. Doring is really good too. These guys had a strong match. Good stuff here.

Other notes: Tiger Mulligan, who worked against Guido, also looked really good... Inferno and Wing looked real good in their match against Corino. Inferno is ready for the WWF right now in my opinion...Johnny Thundar has the potential to start making a name for himself on the indies. He just needs to be booked in the right matches against the right opponents...I managed, by request, The Metal Maniac against a new kid named Scotty Charisma. People could say whatever they want about Maniac, and I'm sure they have every right to, but he cracks me up. I know he has a lot of heat with a lot of people, but he's classic in my book. I love being around that dude, he simply makes me laugh like none other. Charisma, for a new guy, looked good...Ean Evans was the ring announcer. It was nice to see him back in the mix of things. He was my ring announcer for many years and for Dennis Coralluzzo as well. He's a great guy and the best announcer out there in my opinion. All in all it was a strong indie show.

Feedback: Send me your feedback on today's column to: ispw2@aol.com