PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

LOOKING AT THE SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS THAT WAS THE TWA REUNION EVENT IN PHILLY

"Oh, hai Mark." – Johnny, The Room

I love pro wrestling.

It was great to see so many folks Saturday when I went to the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance reunion show at the 2300 Arena, and I really loved seeing all those TWA peeps reunited with their friends from that locker room.  You could tell there were a lot of people who worked for that promotion who were truly happy to see each other.

That said, the show was like watching Tommy Wiseau’s The Room for the first time—when you watch it but didn’t know what you were walking into.

By the end, my brain was melted. I was questioning my every life choice that led me to Saturday night. I just sat there for much of the night wondering: Who was this show for? Who was supposed to be entertained? What were these stories? Why were they happening?

I felt embarrassed for the talents. At least everyone got paid, I justified to myself*, but this was a rough, long night to slog through.

*As far as I know!

I should have known what we were in for when Joel Goodhart's mic didn't work—and then when it did, he said, in front of Tod Gordon, that he wanted fans to chant TWA, not ECW. There was no such thing as TWA chants when Joel ran, and for him to open his own show worried about ECW chants while running that building told me what this was all about: sad jealousy that others accomplished what he couldn’t. Well, no one made him shut down in 1990, and no one made him lose $188K except Joel (his own number in his own book that was released at the show, how ironic)—and no one made him come back to certainly add more money lost - but hey, he got to disrespect Tod Gordon?

As strange as that scene was, the longer the show went, the stranger it became..

This is just off the top of my head without looking back at my live coverage, in random order:

I watched Pitbull Gary Wolf team with the man who broke his neck and then tried to re-injure him when he still had a halo in his head, Shane Douglas, in a five minute match, because Shane "has no friends" so he called an an enemy.

I watched Angel of the Baldies and Little Guido form an alliance to beat Super Crazy, because, well, we are running angles on a self-contained show with no next chapter - selling out to a Canadian manager no one ever saw before or will see since.

I watched a six man tag where the guest referee didn't even make the count because well, he couldn't do it.  Why was he booked to be in that position?

I watched a wrestler who hasn't performed in decades do a dive onto a pile of lumberjacks, most of whom missed him - while most of the Arena missed the spot because they were watching what was happening inside the ring.

I watched Doug Gilbert challenge Shane Douglas to a fight on the next show, when there is no next show.

I watched incorrect promotions be referenced on the mic because apparently no one gave the great Bob Artese proper information to convey.

I watched a series of doors erected atop of chairs in the ring for a near fall, with the referee and ring crew removing them, only for the wrestlers to then assemble another set of doors and chairs for another spot.

Then, on what should have been the emotional apex of the evening, I watched Johnny Hotbody be celebrated with a banner in the 2300 Arena and, in his speech, tell everyone what a sh**y thing ECW was. He literally said “F*** ECW,” when the reality is the vast majority of anyone past 1990 outside of Philly wouldn't have known he existed unless they thumbed through old wrestling magazines or tapes - had it not been for his short ECW run. After all, it was ECW that put their top title on him, not TWA!  Instead, he took a moment that should have been classy and nice—not just for himself, but for everyone else honored, including the sons of the late Larry Winters—and turned it into a heel promo that upset fans (who chanted ECW in response: I would love to have known what Joel Goodhart was thinking in that moment!)—and for what? 

I don’t know what Hotbody was thinking, but if that was what he wanted his legacy moment to be, he should have said nothing and let everyone else just enjoy a nice moment for themselves. He owes all the other honorees an apology, but even that is too late—because the moment is lost forever.  He discovered the building everyone was assembled in and was being honored, and made the night about anger and bitterness instead of just enjoying the moment.  It made me sad for Hotbody and sad for everyone else.

A completely sad state of affairs.

There was a lot of sad Saturday night.

I kept looking at Joel Goodhart, sitting in his wheelchair with his sequined tuxedo jacket in the corner of the building, wondering if he was really happy watching all the money that was vacuumed out of his bank account so he had the chance to have 200 or so fans (and Lord knows how many paid) potentially buy his book and see him again. If Joel wanted to be seen, he could have just done a book signing or whatever.  This was a needless effort and I still don't know what the point of this show was.

Add in the surely five-figure payment Ric Flair received to sign for, what, 30 fans (possibly?) during the convention, and you have to wonder whether someone should have stepped in and prevented the fool from being parted with his money.

With a few exceptions—the #1 being a truly massive outpouring of love that Tony Stetson received from the Philly fans and #2 being the talents (especially the ECWA and Belle to Belle talents) who really tried to make the most out of the awful booking soup they were handed—Saturday night was a sad state of affairs.  It made me not like pro wrestling and think of the ground that covers after 30+ years of going to live shows regularly and 21+ years of this being my job.

I left the show really upset for the talents, especially the TWA Originals, many of whom were doing something in the wrestling space for the first time in forever, and all of whom deserved a chance to enjoy themselves on a show where they should have been treated like returning dignitaries. This was not that show. I appreciate all who I saw and all who I interviewed in the months leading up to this, and to all of them, I am sorry that the show was what it turned out to be.  They deserved better, especially since I firsthand saw how happy they all were in that locker room to be together again.

I think what really pisses me off the most is that one of the most purely classy, good people in this stupid world of pro wrestling we inhabit—John Finegan—retired Saturday night. For all the money pissed away, no one thought to get the man a plaque? No one thought perhaps John should have been the first referee with a banner in the 2300 Arena? Talk about asleep at the wheel and loss of an earned moment for someone who truly deserved it.  John deserved so much more, and F*** anyone and everyone who thought otherwise - because I learned after the show there were some pushing for him to get a plaque or a banner and it was shot down so it wouldn't overshadow the TWA banner.  TWA never ran the building and they got a banner, but Finegan, who worked numerous matches a night when he DID actually work in there for year after year, doesn't?  Yeah, that checks.

I sincerely don’t know what the point of the show was Saturday, but I am thankful for everyone I saw—especially the TWA Originals I met for the first time—but I wish they and the fans had gotten what they deserved. They didn’t.

When I saw Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, it made me really wonder why this guy spent so much of his own money to make something truly awful—but at least it’s become this cult “you have to see this stupidity” phenomenon that Wiseau has made a name off of, and he’s cultivated his own little cult thing.

Saturday night made me really question what the hell I did with my day, what I’ve done with my life, and wonder if perhaps someone should have canceled this show a long time ago to save Joel Goodhart's wallet from Joel Goodhart.

I get Joel wanted his taste of fame again, but if he needed to piss his money away to get satisfaction over closing up shop in 1990 and show the world that he's jealous no one talks about him/TWA in the same breath as ECW—while putting talents in matches that had few chances to succeed—well, that's his own fault.

Joel.

Not the wrestlers.

Not anyone else.

Joel.

It appeared the entire point of this show was for Joel Goodhart to feel good in front of a small crown and recontentualize his own importance in the annals of pro wrestling history. 

Mission accomplished?

No one should take away what the TWA was - a proof of concept that was extremely fun in its time that led to ECW actually taking that concept to the next level - but the reality is Joel lost $188,000 and then likely lost more money to parade himself in front of the fans one more time this past Saturday...and for what?  

One and Done is done. 

Good.

Joel should have just booked the Oregon Diner a few blocks away and invited everyone for a meal. It would have been classier, better, and far less expensive - with no lingering aftertaste.

“Sometimes, dead is better.” – Jud Crandall, Pet Sematary

 

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet