New England Championship Wrestling kicked off 2012 in front of a raucous packed house at the Irish American Club in Malden, MA on Friday night, January 13th with NEW YEAR’S EVOLUTION.
“The Real Deal” Brandon Locke defeated “The Statement” Elia Markopoulos with “Mr. Fabulous” Tony Ulysses
“The Statement” Elia Markopoulos, with the help of Mr. Fabulous, kicked off the evening by infuriating the crowd any way he could. The fans all stood in unison as the former NECW Champion Brandon Locke made his way to the ring to a warm reception from the Malden crowd. Locke sat by containing himself while Elia and Mr. Fabulous spent a good amount of time riling the fans up. Once the match started, Elia showed flashes of brilliance, but in the end “The Real Deal,” was just too much. Locke finished Elia off with “The Lockdown” to the delight of the fans.
Chase Del Monte defeated Taka Suzuki
In what was the third meeting between these two, Del Monte walked to the ring with his old swagger and an abundance of confidence, which immediately had the fans despising him. Taka Suzuki took the fight right to Del Monte, using his speed and intensity. Del Monte, calling on his experience, caught Taka by surprise with a Cradle Piledriver, which was all Chase needed to secure the victory.
Al Basler interviewed “Boston Bad Boy” Jason Rumble
Rumble told the fans of Malden that his goal in 2012 was to win the NECW Heavyweight Championship. Basler informed the crowd that Jason had recently been through some tough times after the death of his father recently. Rumble let the fans know, it’s been tough but he appreciated their support. He was then interrupted by Elia Markopoulos and Rumble’s former manager, Mr. Fabulous Tony Ulysses. Mr. Fabulous tried to convince Jason it was time to come home to the Jewels and let this recent spat go. Rumble got a little angry and Mr. Fabulous interrupted him by noting that he has a lawyer looking into Rumble still being under contract to Mr. Fabulous. Elia interrupted and proceeded to insult Rumble and things became unglued when Elia stated Rumble’s father “would roll over in his grave” if he could see him now. At that point, Rumble snapped and attempted to get his hands on Elia, resulting in officials and referee’s rushing out to break things up. NECW cameras caught up with Rumble right outside the building as he was escorted out and we will have this interview on an upcoming NECW Online Update.
NECW Tag Team Champions The Dynasty, DC Dillinger & Brian Fury, with Sean Gorman defeated Matt Taven & Sean Burke
This match started with Taven and Burke in the ring waiting on the champions. Dillinger and Fury charged through the back doors, jumping Taven and Burke before the start of the match. Burke and Taven surprised the champions by not only taking the fight to them and even taking the fight around the building. Taven and Burke kept the champions off balance by using double team moves. The match came to a surprising end, when Sean Burke charged to the ropes and caught an errant elbow from Taven who was battling with Brian Fury on the apron. A stunned Burke who seemed poised for victory moments earlier, got caught with a big boot from DC Dillinger to end the contest. Dillinger & Fury appeared very lucky to retain the titles in this one.
All Money Iz Legal, K-Murda and K-Pusha defeated Former 2 Time NECW Tag Team Champions Matt & Bryan Logan
All Money Iz Legal made their NECW debut with a giant 1980’s-era boom box and a major win. At the outset of the match, all four men shook hands with each other. This match was fast-paced and high-energy from bell to bell. I n the end, K-Pusha pins Matt Logan, to give All Money Iz Legal quite possibly the biggest win of their career. All four once again shook hands after the match with The Logans showing some obvious frustration. After the match K-Murda and K-Pusha were celebrating with the fans, when, in a shocking turn of events, The Logan Brothers attacked AMIL on the floor. The Logans hit a stuff piledriver on K-Pusha and left him laying. The Logans were seen leaving the building after the show with a person they have not normally been associated with in NECW and will come as a shock when it’s revealed on an upcoming NECW Online Update.
Adrianna defeated World Women’s Wrestling Champion Alexxis Nevaeh via countout
Adrianna secured this match a few days prior, storming into Sheldon Goldberg’s office and signing the open contract ahead of a few other worthy women. Alexxis, never one to back down, accepted the challenge and these two went toe to toe with the fans appreciating the efforts of both. At one point, Adrianna went for a spear and Alexxis moved which caused Adrianna to crash hard to the floor outside the ring. Adrianna let out screams of pain, causing the referee to go to the floor and check on her. He climbed back in and started the count. At 6, Alexxis jumped to the floor to assist Adrianna back in the the ring. As Alexxis helped and the count reached 9, Adrianna surprised Alexxis, pushing her into the ring post and rolling in to pick up a win by count out. Alexxis met with NECW officials after the match and demanded a rematch. Adrianna could be in some serious trouble with Alexxis.
NECW Heavyweight Champion “The Infamous” Bobby Fish defeated “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards
The anticipation was unlike any match in recent NECW. It was an all action contest that featured a tremendous assortment of attacks, counters, and reversals. The advantage went back and forth numerous times, with Edwards’ chops versus Fish’s kicks in a test of wills and the fans on their feet. The end saw Bobby Fish hit his cradle overhead gut buster, then rolling up and nailing his jumping spin kick he calls “Sleeps with The Fishes”, to retain his title. Fans have already pegged this match as one of the greatest title bouts in NECW history. Fish stated to NECW SONIC BOOM host Al Basler that this is just the beginning and he really wants more quality opponents like Edwards and specifically mentioned that he would love to face Edwards again as soon as possible.
NECW returns to live action in Malden, MA on Sunday, March 11.
Photo credit: Flickr user John Jewell