After celebrating its 10th anniversary last month, NECW returns to action on Saturday night, September 11 with one of our most unique events of the year, the 2nd Annual NECW TAG TEAM CLASSIC, taking place at the National Guard Armory, 1000 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA with a 7 PM start time.
Eight tag teams from both in and outside NECW will compete in an elimination tournament with the winners getting a shot later in the night against the NECW Tag Team Champions, Rican Havoc.
Here are brief profiles of the eight teams featured in the tournament:
Last year’s finalists, The Red Devil Fight Team, the monstrous tandem of Mikhail Ivanov and Aleksander Chekov, return to NECW with one thing on their minds – redemption. After falling in the finals of last year’s tournament, the RDFT will be out to decimate the competition and take the NECW Tag Team Championship back home to their native Russia.
The newly reformed duo of NECW Television Champion “The Heat” Kris Pyro and “The Hi-lite” Davey Cash, collectively known as Da Hoodz, were once bitter enemies. Da Hoodz reunited after months of brutal conflict, with their feud climaxing with a TLC match at BIRTHDAY BASH 10. Cash and Pyro now focus their attention on the TAG TEAM CLASSIC, and the NECW Tag Team Championship.
Veteran grappler Ryan “H2O” Waters and his protégé Matt Magnum, call themselves “The Prestige.” Waters, who is no stranger to NECW Tag Team competition, took Magnum under his wing in early 2010 in hopes of giving the rookie “the stroke” he needed to become the next breakout athlete in NECW. With the youth edge of Magnum and the ring experience of Waters, “The Prestige” is without a doubt a dark horse team to win this year’s TAG TEAM CLASSIC.
The G3 Network consisting of “Sensational” Scott Levesque and “Gorgeous” Gino Giovanni, accompanied by Sammi Lane, established in June of this year, changed the landscape of NECW when they formulated a plan to take out Levesque and Lane’s former charge, “Handsome” Johnny Hayes. At Birthday Bash 10, The G3N got their first taste of tag team action, defeating Johnny Hayes in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. Now the G3N will put their tag skills to the test, as they look to become NECW Tag Team Champions.
“The Talent” T.J Richter and 1/2 of his bodyguard tandem, Mr. Munroe, competed in the inaugural tournament last year, but came up short in the first round. This year, Richter and Munroe enter the tournament with more tag match experience, and their not-so-secret weapon – Mr. Mini-roe – at ringside. It’s been over three years since Richter has held a championship in NECW, will he and his bulldozer of a bodyguard finally put straps around their waists?
The bizarre trio known as The Hellfire Symphony are natives of “The Nether Void.” The Great Malaki, Xavier DeFaust and their female counterpart The Great Cheyenne, have established a reputation of mercilessly torturing and destroying their opponents, all to please their fellow inhabitants of the underworld. Will the devil-worshiping duo of Malaki and DeFaust be successful in taking the NECW Tag Team Championship back to “The Nether Void”?
The All Knighters are a Canadian duo making their return to NECW after a 6 year absence. In 2004, Robin Knightwing and Kevin Grace shocked NECW fans everywhere when they defeated Sabotage to become the NECW Tag Team Champions. However, The All Knighters would ultimately be remembered for having the shortest title reign in NECW history, only holding the tag titles for a mere 24 hours. Now in 2010, The All Knighters return to New England Championship Wrestling competition with their eyes on the prize they once briefly held; the NECW Tag Team Championship.
The final team in the 2nd Annual NECW TAG TEAM CLASSIC is one of the most decorated tag teams in NECW history, The Logan Brothers. For almost a decade, Matt and Bryan Logan have collectively established themselves as one of the top tag teams on the east coast, winning almost every tag team title in every independent promotion they’ve competed in. The Logans are former two time NECW Tag Team Champions (Matt, a 3 time champion) and return to NECW after a lengthy absence. For long-time NECW fans, a Logan Brothers return to NECW competition has been long awaited and anticipated.
In addition to the tournament matches, two additional bouts are on tap:
World Women’s Wrestling Champion, Alexxis Neveah puts her title on the line against the third member of The Hellfire Symphony, “The Great Cheyenne. The champion gives away a good deal of size to the challenger, who is “hellbent” on making a big impression here in NECW.
Plus former PWF Heavyweight Champion, Triplelicious sees action, taking on the newest member of Real Natural, Julian Starr, managed by “The Rock God” Brett Adams.
Profiles by Caleb Seltzer