Taking a hold: Local group plans a wrestling bonanza tomorrow in Dedham
By Geoff Mosher / Daily News Staff
Friday, October 7, 2005
DEDHAM -- Get ready to rumble.
The Northeast Championship Wrestling organization, run by cousins Mike Giusti and John Howard, will stage an all-ages wrestling bonanza tomorrow at the Dedham VFW Hall on Eastern Avenue. Admission is $8.
When the bell rings at 7:30 p.m., spectators will be treated to a montage of body slams, falling bombs and sleeper holds accompanied by the thumping pulse of rock 'n' roll and a barrage of verbal jousts.
"It's culture. Not many other places in the world will you see this type of entertainment," said Giusti, 23, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth who is pursuing a degree in professional writing.
Giusti's company has been hosting pro wrestling throwdowns in the Bay State and Rhode Island for eight years. The spectacles often blur the boundaries between sports, entertainment and psychodrama.
While NCW events may not have the polish and pyrotechnics of WWE, they are likely to be more interactive and fun, said Giusti, a Seekonk native who wrestles under the stage name "The Ladies Man."
"I don't think it's over the top. It's more wacky and zany," he said.
Lifelong wrestling fans, Giusti and Howard, 22, began by emulating the moves of professionals they watched on television and video. In 1997, the two teens and their friends began filming amateur wrestling matches on Giusti's grandmother's video camera.
As the group grew in size, its members began attending local independent wrestling shows, the first in Pawtucket, R.I., in 1998.
Having grown accustomed to the stagecraft of World Wrestling Entertainment, Giusti said he was "shocked" by how interactive the indie shows were. At one event, a wrestler sat next to him in the audience while trying to elude an opponent.
Hanging around shows, Giusti got to know other wrestlers and began training with them in Pawtucket. It was through these training sessions that Northeast Championship Wrestling formed, Giusti said.
In 2001, the group began holding shows
at the American Legion Hall in Natick, developing characters and storylines
for its wrestlers and a following among fans. From there, they moved
onto the VFW Hall in Bristol, R.I. [continue]
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A NCW wrestler celebrates victory. NCW is planning to body slam Dedham tomorrow night at 7 at the VFW Hall. |
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