by Al Basler
On last week’s episode of New England Championship Wrestling, we saw the crowning of a new NECW Heavyweight Champion. Meet the new champ, same as the old champ. Sean Burke has reclaimed the title that, and he will be the first to point out, he never lost. And once again, he has Jeremy Prophet to thank for it.
In my last posting, I wrote about how Prophet had blown a chance to become the NECW Heavyweight Champion at Bash 13 in the tag team main event which had the stipulation that if then champion Antonio Thomas lost the fall, he would lose the title to whomever had defeated him. As we know, Prophet instead pinned Slyck Wagner Brown, thus preventing both he and Burke from claiming the NECW’s top singles prize. Burke was understandably angered by this, but Prophet appeased him with the knowledge that Burke would receive another shot at Thomas.
That shot came in the form of the 2 out of 3 falls match, which we saw the highlights of last week. With both Burke and Thomas claiming a fall a piece, bedlam broke out in the deciding third fall. With referee Barbara Mahoney down and out on the outside, Prophet stormed the ring with a chair in hand, looking to make it up to his youth movement buddy Burke. He was thwarted, however, by Wagner Brown. As they brawled back to the locker room, Prophet’s new running buddy Genesis came in from the back door, grabbed the NECW Heavyweight Championship belt and leveled Thomas with it. He then put Burke on top for the cover and got Mahoney back in the ring to make the three count. And just like that, Sean Burke once again stands atop the NECW mountain.
On the surface, this looks like a calculated plan that was carried out to perfection. It’s not something that hasn’t been seen before in professional wrestling. But there’s something odd about this whole situation. For months, we’ve been led to believe that Jeremy Prophet organized this group of disgruntled younger wrestlers who were looking to take the spots they felt the more established stars of NECW were denying them of. And typically, when we see someone who is the leader of such a group, the group tends to work toward the goal of putting the leader at the top of the promotion. Yet, here we have Sean Burke who has been assisted to the position of NECW Heavyweight Champion. So, who is really driving this car?
If it truly is Jeremy Prophet, why hasn’t he leveraged the help of his associates to put the NECW Heavyweight Championship around his own waist? Since the day he set foot in NECW, Prophet said his goal was to be the NECW Heavyweight Champion. So, why when given a chance to accomplish that goal, would he throw it away by pinning Brown and not Thomas? Why give it to Sean Burke? It makes no sense to me. The only man who can answer those questions is Jeremy Prophet himself. Maybe the most important question is this: What happens when Prophet no longer wants to steer the car from the backseat?
Sean Burke, be thankful for the help of your friend Mr. Prophet, but it would serve you well to keep an eye open behind you. You, Prophet, and Genesis ran from the Cove Community Center in Beverly, Massachusetts with the NECW Heavyweight Title like thieves in the night. History has shown, however, that there is no honor among thieves.