In recent years, the wrestling convention business has seen quite the boom, as promoters now use the events in conjunction with big events, or simply as standalone opportunities for wrestling fans to come out and meet some of the past, present, and future stars of the business. As we've heard and seen through the years, these events can sometimes go very well (such as the Wrestlereunion shows), or go very, very wrong (such as the Cow Palace incident from a few years ago). Right now I'd like to take the time to talk about and praise an event which certainly falls in the former category; The New England Pro Wrestling Fanfest 2 and Hall of Fame Ceremony put on this past Saturday in East Providence, RI. The event was established and put on by promoter Joe Bruen, former ring announcer and current promoter who is held in high regard by all of those on the New England scene. Several years ago Joe decided to establish the New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame to honor not only his peers, but to many of the stars who had gotten their starts in the Northeast. Last year he decided to combine the event with a convention, bringing in guests such as Rick Matrtel, Larry Zbysko, and "Adam Bomb" Bryan Clark for a meet and greet as well as a Q&A session. The event was such a success that Joe gave it a go again this year, albeit on a bit of a larger scale. Returning from the 2010 version were former WWE "Heart Throb" Antonio Thomas, "Johnny Fabulous" John Cena Sr. (father of the WWE superstar), and Martel. Based off his well-earned reputation from last years event, Joe was able to secure a rare appearance by the legendary Chief Jay Strongbow, a rare East Coast appearance by former WWE superstar Armando Estrada, Headshrinker Samu, Ken Doane aka WWE's Kenny Dykstra, and a reunion of Martel with former Strike Force teammate Tito Santana. It also spoke highly of the reputation Joe has earned when he was able to secure famed WWE ring announcer Howard Finkel as both a guest and co-host of the event, but also former WWE Prime Time Wrestling character Jameson to appear. Many of you modern day fans may be wondering "Jameson?", and within reason. Jameson was a minor character in WWE history, a comic foil for Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in the late 80's early 90's and he also acted as manager to The Bushwackers for a time. It was actually due to a question I asked Dave Meltzer regarding his whereabouts on Observer Radio one night which kicked off the search, and ultimately led us to find Jameson after years of being off the radar. Wanting to have several "left field" picks for the convention to appeal to wrestling completists, Joe persisted in his talks with a man who had long been out of the wrestling business, finally convincing him to appear. It was also very telling at the Hall of Fame dinner that night, when Jameson, who had acted in character most of the day, broke character and talked about how flattered and overwhelmed he was that wrestling fans not only remembered him, but cared enough about him to want him there. A man who had left his time in the business behind him was finally given a moment to say thank you, and it's moments like that that reflect on the type of person Joe is. Whether it's one of the legends he brings in, or one of the independent workers he honors at the Hall of Fame, Joe allows everyone an equal chance to have their moment, and for the fans to pay their respects. While some people may have only shown up at the event for a chance to get something signed, or for a picture with one of their favorites, it's the emotion from the workers themselves that truly makes these events memorable. Having been there myself and assisted in the operation that day, I would put Jameson's character-breaking speech, or the emotional induction of Northeasy indy mainstay TJ Richter up against WWE Hall of Fame speeches any day of the week. It was honest emotion from two men who couldn't be more different. One had left wrestling behind him, while the other loves it with all his heart. For two polar opposites, on that night they were equals, as they were simply overjoyed to be honored by a roomful of their peers and their fans. It also wasn't just the fans, but many of the workers themselves in awe of the talent that surrounded them. Chief Jay Strongbow was playing catch-up with old friends and speaking with workers he hadn't ever met before during downtime. John Cena Sr. and Antonio Thomas continued to walk around and chat with people even after the Q&A had ended. Special guests brought in by other promoters, such as Jay Lethal, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, Sunny, and TNA Knockout Rosita Rosita were all big hits with the crowd. Former WWF Champion Bob Backlund made a rare surprise appearance during the Hall of Fame ceremony that brought everyone in the building to their feet, and he was greeted with a standing ovation upon his arrival. As a longtime reader of this site and the newsletter, I've seen stories of promoters stiffing wrestlers on pay, false advertising, and all of the other trouble that can come along with events like this. I myself have been connected to the business for the past twelve years, working for one of the major distributors of officially licensed wrestling merchandise. I've been fortunate enough to be close to the sport I love, and have even been able to work at events and witness backstage operations for ECW, WCW, and the WWF/E. With that said, given the experiences I've had, I can promise you that you have never seen a more professionally run event as we had this past Saturday in East Providence. If you were there this weekend and enjoyed yourself, then thank you. To Joe Bruen, all of the talent involved, and all of the staff who went out of their way to make sure everything went according to plan, they all deserve a round of applause for being so personable and easy to work with. Without going into detail, I can tell you that the amount of compliments Joe received on the event has led him to already begin planning next years event, and there is no doubt in my mind it will be just as successful as this weekend was. Again, to the fans that attended and to the wrestlers who were a part of the weekend, thank you for everything. Here's looking ahead to 2012 and the next time we're all together again. To Joe Bruen, a person I count among my best friends, congratulations on putting on a hell of a show, and thank you for letting me be a part of it. Chris DePetrillo
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