Mr. Ooh La La Shocks The World
The legend has finally won the ECWA Heavyweight Championship.
When’s the last time you felt goosebumps while watching pro wrestling?
I got them Saturday night when Mr. Ooh La La achieved his dream, dethroning that dirty scoundrel Joey Ace and becoming the ECWA Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his 30+year career.
Nobody expected the 25th annual Super 8 to kick off with the most anticipated match of the evening, but that glory hound Ace crashed the opening ceremony, kicking out the tournament participants and demanding that Mr. Ooh La La come out right away. Salivating at the chance of a lifetime, perhaps his last chance, the legend hit the ring and the brawl was on. They battled all over The Jersey Dugout, as the capacity crowd (75 some-odd fans) cheered Mr. Ooh La La on.
Back inside the ring, Ace knocked his challenger off his feet with a missile dropkick. In typical “Champagne Papi” fashion, Ace had no respect for his revered opponent, standing on his hair and attempting a pin with only one foot on his chest. When the champion signaled for the top rope, it seemed as if Mr. Ooh La La’s fairytale was about to end. After all, nobody kicks out of Ace’s flying elbow drop.
However, hubris proved to be his undoing. Ace went for a superkick instead, only to be caught and stunnered. Sensing that his compadre was in trouble, Rey Calitri ran out, but so did former ECW referee Jim Molineaux. Before Calitri could save the title for Ace, Molineaux and John Finegan turned back the clock 25 years and double closelined Calitri out of the ring. Another stunner led to the three count, and the crowd erupted.
On the day of the Kentucky Derby, Mr. Ooh La La had achieved the triple crown in ECWA.
As the news broke on social media, the wrestling world rejoiced. Longtime fans, media members, peers still active and since retired all congratulated the colorful veteran. It was a rare moment of universal adoration by such a fickle community. But the icon, a pillar of not just the ECWA but independent wrestling overall, transcends politics, jealousy, greed and ego. Any man or woman who has ever laced up a pair of boots respects the longevity, dedication and resiliency of Mr. Ooh La La.
At the first Super 8, he was a comedy act. Riling up the Delaware audience with his ode to Rick Rude, the not-so svelte Frenchman performed his hilarious striptease, ending with a prat fall thanks to his manager Barry Casino. Over time, the ECWA faithful grew to appreciate Mr. Ooh La La. Sure, he was a natural showman, but he was also a cagey competitor able to overcome insurmountable odds. Nowadays, he reminds fans of their childhoods, flipping through the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and getting a front row seat at Saint Matthew’s Parish Hall.
But to call him a nostalgia act is misleading – there’s still gas left in his 54-year-old tank. After all, he hung with the best wrestler in ECWA and ended his seven-month reign of terror.
Here’s a tip of the beret to the new ECWA Heavyweight Champion, my hero, Mr. Ooh La La.
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