BASLER’S BLOG
by Al Basler
False Prophet
Since the day that Jeremy Prophet first stepped into a New England Championship Wrestling ring, he has been stunning crowds with his hybrid of aerial and martial arts offense. Last Friday night, he stunned the crowd on hand in Randolph at Friday Fight Night with his unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the main event of last Friday’s event, Prophet locked up with former NECW Heavyweight Champion, Slyck Wagner Brown, in a return match from their time-limit draw back in February at SNOWBRAWLl. This time, the time limit was increased to 30 minutes. This time, there was more than just professional pride on the line. It was determined that the winner of this match would receive the next chance at NECW Heavyweight Champion, Antonio “The Promise” Thomas.
Both men battled feverishly to prove who was the better wrestler, and to earn that coveted championship opportunity. The action spilled all over the Knights of Columbus, and the referee gave both men a great about of leeway to avoid a double countout. As the match wore on, it was clear how badly both combatants wanted this match. Time after time, both men had moments where it seemed as if they had victory in their grasp. In the end, and in a reversal or roles, Brown had Prophet locked in a submission hold when the bell rang. Once again, the time limit had expired.
Once the official announcement was made, Brown lobbied, like their previous encounter, for five more minutes. This time around, however, Prophet declined. He announced that Brown had proven that he can’t defeat him and that the former champion didn’t deserve five more minutes. The crowd, disappointed with this uncharacteristic behavior from Prophet, voiced their displeasure.
It seems odd on the surface that Prophet would turn down a chance to continue the match and grab a chance to face the NECW Heavyweight Champion. From where I stand, it seems to me that we saw something from Jeremy Prophet that we have yet to see: doubt. Aside from his athleticism, the one thing that had been patently obvious about Prophet is his self-confidence. I call that into question now after Friday night. I believe that Prophet declined to continue the match because he knew Slyck Wagner Brown had him beat and he wasn’t sure he could defeat Brown on this night. So, he gambled that a draw might grant him another chance to earn a title shot on a different night.
This night, however, wasn’t over yet. Brown and Prophet got into a shoving match and NECW referees Chris Bartolo and Barbara Mahoney, along with my broadcast colleague, Kevin Castro, attempted to separate them and restore order. Prophet took the opportunity to sucker punch Brown, who responded by tossing Bartolo aside and striking Castro. Then, Prophet punched Mahoney, a reprehensible act. Prophet wasn’t just showing his true colors, he was pouring them out by the bucket.
At this point, Antonio Thomas, who had been sitting at ringside for the match, intervened. He got between both men and seemed to diffuse the situation. As he turned to talk to Brown, Prophet blindsided the champion and bailed. He talked about how he was the future of wrestling and that the “old timers”, referring to Brown and Thomas needed to step aside. Thomas fired back and challenged Prophet to find a tag team partner to face he and Brown in a match. It’s clear that the fireworks between these sides has just begun.
In the span of about five minutes, Jeremy Prophet erased about 8 months of goodwill he had amassed with the fans of NECW. We knew that Prophet was brash. We knew he felt he belonged at the top of the mountain in NECW. We thought he was on the level as a competitor, and as a man. It’s clear, we were wrong about that last part.