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LOOKING AT THE NEW DOCUMENTARY OMEGA: UNCOMMON PASSION, FEATURING THE FLEDGLING DAYS OF THE MATT AND JEFF HARDY, GREGORY HELMS, JOEY MERCURY & MORE

Online wrestling retailer www.Highspots.com steps into the wrestling documentary with pool with their first entertaining effort "Uncommon Passion", a two DVD set featuring a look back at Carolinas independent promotion OMEGA, which sparked the careers of Matt and Jeff Hardy, Gregory Helms, Steve Corino, Joey Mercury, Christian York, former Mean Street Posse member Joey Abs, and Shannon Moore, among others.  

OMEGA is an interesting subject for an overview subject.  While a number of the names listed above used it as a springboard to greater platforms, for other performers, it was their greatest accomplishments in the business.  Being so geographically removed from the oversaturated hardcore fan-laden Northeast allowed the company to become something of an urban legend as its existence was known, but it was never overhyped online or the subject of message board debates and tape trading frenzies.  While every aspect of Smoky Mountain Wrestling or ECW has been talked to death, this slice of wrestling history has yet to be catalogued and filed for prosperity.  

In production for well over a year, Highspots.com found themselves in the lucky position of being able to add comments from more and more OMEGA alumni as they found themselves in between WWE stints.  Just as they were about to put the documentary to bed, they found themselves adding yet another voice to the unique collection of national names discussing the early portion of their careers in one place.  This allowed for a good meshing of voices and memories on the company and its competitors. 

Formed by future WWE stars Matt and Jeff Hardy in 1997, The Organization Of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) was the Hardy's answer to a local independent promoter in the Carolinas wanting to job them on his events simply because they were taking WWF bookings to do enhancement work.  "We told him to go F*** yourself," comments Matt Hardy.  So, at the same time the wrestling world was ecstatic about the likes of Extreme Championship Wrestling making it to PPV as an alternative force, there was another futuristic style flying just under the radar down in the Carolinas.

"I firmly believe that OMEGA had the formula, such an alternative to even ECW.  I always looked at is as, there was WCW, there was the WWF and there was ECW, which was the alternative...then, there was OMEGA, that was even much more of an alternative.  They talk about how the X-Division is so good now.  It's good, but Matt and Thomas had such a grasp on what they wanted, that if they had a big money backer, there is no reason there wouldn't have been a "Big Four." ~Steve Corino

The Hardys were joined by friend Thomas Simpson, who was the official promoter of record for OMEGA, forming the promotion in March 1997.  As one could imagine given the bevy of names that went on to pave their stardom with death-defying aerial moves and fast-paced highspots, the independent promotion featured a ton of talented stars going all out to do whatever they could to entertain their small audiences. 

"We were the X-Division before anyone had any thought of creating an X-Division." ~ Matt Hardy

As seen by a highlight reel that opens the DVD, fans attending an OMEGA event could count on lots of insane bumps, dives out of the ring, springboard maneuvers and young performers cutting their teeth striving to improve and make a name for themselves, likely for little money, because it was about the heart, not the paycheck.

The DVD's main features a documentary look at the company's run, showcasing a number of the names (introduced by OMEGA ring announcer Ted Hobgood) who made up the nucleus of the promotion including promoter Thomas Simpson, the Hardys, Joey Matthews (Mercury), Cham Pain (Marty Garner, who looks completely different these days), Shannon Moore, Christian York, Otto Schwanz, Steve Corino, and Jason Arnhdt (Joey Abs).  With the exception of Gregory Helms (who was under a WWE deal the entire time the film was in production), each member of the OMEGA fraternity provides comments on their time with the company and its legacy, book ended by video footage and photos of their time and personas from that time period to present.  

"[Matt Hardy] doesn't get enough credit for how smart he is.  There are guys who are workers and guys who are thinkers.  I always consider myself a thinker first and a worker second....Matt's such a great worker, they don't look at him like a thinking, but he's got a hell of a brain." ~Steve Corino

Matt Hardy, long considered the brain trust behind the Hardys tag team during their WWE run, is given his just due as the heart and soul of OMEGA scene, with it noted that he was the one  making all of the decisions, great and small, regarding the company's direction and angles.  He discusses the prelude to the OMEGA promotion, an independent titled the ECWF.  Marty Garner, who wrestled as Cham Pain, went as far as telling a story about one show where Hardy was not just calling spots and putting together his own match, but Garner's as well, marveling at what a mind Hardy had for the mechanics and inner workings of the business' creative side.

Hardy was even the one to come up with the name for the promotion, telling a story about how he came up with the name while dozing off while tinkering with name ideas, waking up to see the moon and having it come to him immediately out of nowhere.

"Jeff's a different bird.  You can't put him in a category at all." ~ Jason Arnhdt

While Matt was considered the stronger "worker" of the pair, Jeff Hardy has always been considered the more vibrant of the pair.  For those who may not have seen Jeff's early WWF work, the documentary provides a truly eye-opening voyeuristic look into the ludicrously insane highspots he was pulling off on the independent scene.  In one old sequence, Matt Hardy and Simpson discuss the shock of Jeff hitting an Asai Moonsault to the outside, crashing his shins over the steel barricades and bending them with the force of his body (and the cringing footage is shown), yet still coming back to work the main event, complete with a backdrop out of the ring through a table...all for $60. 

Jeff makes some brief comments on the documentary, mostly staying in his enigma-like character, but for the most part, his story is told through the eyes and memories of others.  His Will O'The Wisp persona is also profiled.

Shannon Moore's inclusion into the company is also covered, noting that he was the youngest member of the troupe as he began training at the age of 13.  Described as Jeff's "little brother" that was inseparable from Hardy, Marty Garner noted how strange it is to see Moore driving around and living in his nice house when Garner can remember Moore at nine years old.  Moore commented that while not all of them have made livings in the business, they all hold common stories and memories as being part of the OMEGA group, sticking together, "through thick and thin."  Strangely enough, there's no comments from Jeff about Moore, which might have added some unique insight, although there's a funny story about Jeff being angry at Matt for roughing Moore up in the ring.

Steve Corino, already established with some of the Northeastern independent groups, crossed paths with the Hardys after moving to North Carolina while seeking to trudge up more bookings and running his own NWA 2000 promotion nearby.  The "rival" promotions set up the perfect  backdrop for an invasion angle and promotional "war", with NWA 2000 hitting the ring and destroying Thomas Simpson with a bat, as recounted by Simpson and Corino featuring footage of the angle. 

The Hardys receiving their WWF contract offers was really the beginning of the end for the promotion, but was also what OMEGA was set out to accomplish as well, with a tearful Simpson remembering everything negative that was said when he decided to back the duo and the fledgling independent group.  Jeff and Matt each give their insight into breaking out from enhancement talent being used as extras into full-fledged contracted talents.

"This can't be over.  I didn't want to believe that," said Garner after he realized that the Hardys were gone for the big time.  While the Hardys would get clearance to return from time to time as long as it didn't become a big deal that would lead to word leaking back to the main office, by the end of 1999, the OMEGA promotion was on its last legs. 

Garner noted that a prime reason was the loss of Matt Hardy, who was the backbone for much of the company as well as its heart and soul, painting him similar to Tommy Dreamer's backstage role in the original ECW.  The documentary is as much some insight into the mindset Matt Hardy has for the overall business as much as anything else.

Other stand out moments of the documentary portion of the film included Matt Hardy's declaration that he once believed Shane (Gregory/Hurricane) Helms and his Serial Thrillaz partner Mike Maverik were stooges who gave away the finishes to the Internet, Christian York and Joey Matthews separately discussing their time teaming together, Simpson wondering what might have been if York hadn't walked away from the business and how other promoters have "missed the boat" on the tandem, York explaining why he left at the age of 27 and why he recently returned to the independent scene, how Marty Garner came up with the Cham Pain name and how everyone hated it, Paul Heyman's reaction to Steve Corino as ECW champion working the OMEGA reunion show while Corino was behind on pay, WWF pulling the Hardys from the reunion to tour England and more.

"We had the best guys around led by the best brain." ~ Thomas Simpson

The DVD closes out with a look at the OMEGA Reunion show and the legacy of the promotion's style and its place in history, featuring 12 members of the roster moving onto major league promotions, something that Matt Hardy commented could probably never ever happen again in this lifetime. A second DVD in the set features additional matches and promos from the OMEGA era with the Hardys, Moore, The Serial Thrillaz and more, providing the perfect supplemental material for the film.

Fans lucky enough to witness the breakout early days the OMEGA talents will likely get the most out of the DVD set, but if you enjoyed "Forever Hardcore", "Heroes of World Class", or any of the WWE-produced documentary looks at different promotions, Undiscovered Passion seems like an easy fit to add to your collection. Whether you're interested in watching the film for your own personal nostalgia or for insight into the paths that led a number of names to Wrestlemania, the "Uncommon Passion" behind OMEGA no longer remains undiscovered.

OMEGA -Undiscovered Passion can be ordered now from www.highspots.com.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

 

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