Top Prospect Tournament: ROH

Ask Ray Rowe what the ROH Top Prospect tournament can mean for ones career. I never knew Ray personally but I'm remember booking guys like Chris Cronus, Chris Khan and YES a very young, very green Michael "The Deviant" Hutter (current TNA World Champion EC3) out of Cleveland for shows in central ohio around 05/06. Ray Rowe regularly ran with/worked with those guys. I had used "The Big Daddy of Destruction" J-ROCC as early as 99 and I believe that Jeremy is who first trained Rowe. Of course he worked and trained with the legendary, late, great JT Lightning as well. But before Ray and Samantha moved to Houston he had worked in Northern Ohio/Western PA for nearly 10 years. Fast forward to Houston and being showcased by the office of not only NWA Houston but the prez himself, earning a spot in the Top Prospect Tourny and BAM now Ray Rowe is an ROH regular who's held tag team gold in the company. I'm not saying Kincaid can/will get over to the same extent but if any NWA talent has a chance its "The Gift".

And it's been documented from the day he signed with WWE Developmental, so forget anything about jumping on any bandwagons BUT I can say with the utmost honesty I truly saw something in Michael Hutter, EC3, from our first phone conversation. Anyone here who's promoted a show will tell you no matter how organized you are come show day things can easily get really crazy, really quickly! So it's the first show for my old promotion the PWC or Premier Wrestling Coalition in about 15 months. We had scaled down on local talent, only using about 7/8 guys and the rest were all coming in from Cleveland/PA/Indiana etc. We had Matt Lowery booked, the unfortunate young man who passed away in a CZW ring several years ago, the future EC3, I believe I had NWA Smoky Mountain alum SuperNatural Zac Vincent booked (if not then he was on the next show) IWC standout (we were the first people outside their home promotion to book their crew) Virus, and in the main it was Abyss coming in to do a bit of a comedy match with longtime Ohio Indy worker James Avery(worked regularly for Dory Funk and now operates his own school in Newark Ohio, the former Carlton Kaz the 3rd). Avery was the perfect Jericho type chicken shit heel and after the future EC3's earlier performance we had him second Avery and the heels schemed only to voila! both receive Black Hole Slams to send the fans home happy! Anyway, that day I had a camera crew in as we were taping a special for local TV (it never panned out) and I had a professional photographer in to snap bio pics for the website. So in this one big hall I've got a ring, bleachers, ringside seating and on one end a green screen for promos and the other end a backdrop for photos. Getting talent who aren't considered "home town" or local guys to the building on time can be an issue let alone trying to coordinate check in's with paperwork and going from promos to photos and everything else all while finishing setting the building up/entrance/lighting/PA/sound. Most talent, especially guys driving in a distance don't help or even offer to help with set up/tear down. AND that's not a prima donna thing at all. They shouldn't have to. I'm sure it's expected of them in their home promotions but as a promoter I never got it skewed, I booked you and I'm paying you to perform. That's not limited to just a match however. If we need pretapes and photos and that sort of thing then sometimes you do have to be an ass and take charge BUT it's also something that the talent should know going in. Anyhow, Michael Hutter has maybe a year under his belt at this point. Certainly not a vet but worked enough that he's got the general sense of pecking order and politics and how they go hand in hand in indy wrestling. So he not only shows up EARLY and is ready when I need him where I need him but I also notice that he's helping with set up. I let him know he's needed with me for promos. As always we had some last minute line up changes and I him aware of what he's doing and hopefully where he's going. Cuts an incredible promo for the special, several for our website and a few other odds and ends. I ask him to get in gear and go over to the photographer. Look over and not 20 minutes later he's getting pics taken. Comes back to me to ask what else he can help with!?!? Half of our regulars, who are prominently featured because they're local haven't shown up on time/helped with set up/been ready and been where I asked them to be. I suppose I'm rambling but EC3 impressed us so much that we moved him to Avery's second in the main event which set the two up for bigger things as the top heels in the company. Not long after he would sign his wwe dev deal and it was NO surprise to me. Chris Cronus was AMAZING. He's retired now and never really reached his potential but he looked like a star and was a great worker to boot. Out of Hutter, Cronus and Khan I'd have truly picked Cronus out of the 3 to make it big. Based on looks, in ring ability the guy had it all. But he was kind of an ass. And not the "I'm portraying a character and to be a star I have to project STAR" kind of ass. Couldn't be bothered to step out of the way of the ring crew and the guys working on set up. And now he's gone and I mention his name and you all say who? But the guy who gave a damn and had kindness and heart is the current 2 time TNA World Champion, undefeated in the company and basically the center of the entire promotion. Props to The Deviant, to Michael Hutter, EC3.

I got stories about a young Chad TOO BAD aka Karl The Machine Gun Anderson, one half of former NWA Tag Team Champions The Naturals Andy Douglas, WWE HOFer Jimmy SUPERFLY Snuka, Tracey The THUG Smothers, Indy Stars Drake Younger and Ron Mathis and Jake and Dave Crist, Fantastic Bobby Fulton and Buffet Beau James, and a very young, very green rookie out of Hell Michigan that honestly I didnt think would make it out of the opening match the Former TNA World Champion Chris Sabin!!! I haven't even thought about some of that stuff or those guys in years! But once I get going.... well if you've read this far then you know what I'm saying! Haha