2020 Super 8 Was A Very Good Show
A Very Good Professional Wrestler took home the trophy.
What’s old is new again in the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA).
The DDT, at one time the deadliest move in professional wrestling, carried A Very Good Professional Wrestler to the 2020 Super 8 trophy on Sept. 19.
He certainly lived up to his name, grabbing holds and finding counters to everything his opponents threw at him. In the semifinals, he drew the ire of the 85 some-odd fans in attendance by repeatedly going for headlocks and holding them longer than an Undertaker entrance. He also had a mean streak, clubbing his foes with relentless elbows and scrambling their brains with Widow’s Peaks into the turnbuckle. Eventually, he dropped ECWA Legacy (fka Mid-Atlantic) Champion Eric Martin, Archadia and KTB with DDTs to secure victory at the 24th annual Super 8, stunning the Morganville, NJ crowd.
“Only the very best wrestlers are invited to compete in the Super 8,” A Very Good Professional Wrestler told The Wrestling Estate. “Winning this tournament is my opportunity to never be called ‘underrated’ again.”
Formerly known as Dasher Hatfield – baseball player turned wrassler referred to as the “Old Timey King of Swing” – the technician created a new identity in the wake of his former home promotion CHIKARA ceasing operations following accusations levied against owner Mike Quackenbush as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.
I’ve dedicated my entire wrestling career to Chikara.Once upon a time we created magic,I truly believe that. At this point,I’m embarrassed,I feel let down, my heart is smashed. I’m extremely sorry for those hurt.I still believe wrestling has the power to cure,man I hope I’m right
— A Very Good Professional Wrestler (@VeryGoodProWres) June 24, 2020
Decided to leave the past in the past.
— A Very Good Professional Wrestler (@VeryGoodProWres) July 18, 2020
I’ve changed my name from Dasher Hatfield to A Very Good Professional Wrestler
A 13-year veteran of the squared circle, he was a fixture of CHIKARA ever since stepping foot in the ring as Create A Wrestler, in which the audience would suggest gimmicks for him. His sensibilities perfectly aligned with the colorful, wacky promotion, as he also donned the personas of Ultimo Breakfast and Moscow The Communist Bovine. He’ll go down in the record books as the last CHIKARA Grand Champion.
“A pretty well-versed veteran in the Northeast, he is known and recognized by his very creative character. But he wants the wrestling world to know he is so much more than a character,” said Joe Zanolle, who took over ECWA in December 2019.
The 2020 Super 8 took wrestling back to its carnival roots, offering a variety of characters, styles and action. Synergy owner Colin West went old-school, managing his longtime client Archadia in the fast-paced opener with Vinny Pacifico. Embarking on a retirement tour, Matt Tremont brawled with Chris Rockwell, even encouraging the fans to lift their feet so he could ram the WORLD-1 Wrestling Champion into them. KTB and Devantes collided in a hoss fight, in which KTB forced the rookie powerhouse to submit. It seemed as if KTB was destined to win the whole tournament after surprisingly kicking out of Tremont’s Death Valley Driver before forcing “The Bulldozer” to also give up.
Yet, A Very Good Professional Wrestler (who should change his name to The Best considering his hilarious, edited Foo Fighters’ theme song) emerged victorious in one of the most exciting finals in Super 8 history.
In order to be considered the longest-running independent wrestling promotion in the United States, ECWA has had to change with the times. Because of government-imposed restrictions on indoor gatherings, the 2020 Super 8 switched venues from the Asbury United Methodist Church in New Castle, DE, to the more spacious Jersey Dugout. Fans wore masks, were seated socially distanced and had their temperature taken prior to entry. For the first time in tournament history, people could watch along at home courtesy of IndependentWrestling.tv.
Of course, some things don’t change. ECWA mainstay Mr. Ooh La La remains beloved, as he and Jay D. Luscious defended the ECWA Tag Team Titles against The Marvelous Ones. Chants of “Cheater!” and “Chicken!” haunted the challengers as they broke every rule in the book before Luscious’ cornerman Kyle Kristopher betrayed him, cracking his skull with one of the belts and causing new champions in the process.
That wasn’t the only title to change hands. Sam Shields and Joey Ace tore the house down in the match of the night. The intensity never wavered as Shields suplexed Ace all over the ring and even onto the artificial turf. But the “Champagne Papi” refused to stay down – he tweaked his knee on the turnbuckle, yet nailed Shields with three superkicks and two flying elbow drops to win back the ECWA Heavyweight Championship.
The celebration was interrupted by “Colossal” Mike Law, making his unexpected return to ECWA. Like Terry Funk at Wrestle War 89, Law wanted to be the first to issue a challenge to the new champion. Ace accepted, which has fans anxiously waiting for the match to be signed. Although nobody went through a table, the PCA – which had a stranglehold on ECWA’s richest prize for years – has imploded.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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