by Gerry Strauss
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Remember when you first heard the name Low- Ki? Or Red? AJ Styles? All of these guys had the "buzz", that gradual phenomenon where maybe you happen across a mention of someone who performed impressively at a show, then you see another good review, then some internet guy calls them the future of the business, and suddenly they are a staple of seemingly every Indy show.. Sometimes greater things await, sometimes, they fizzle out and become non entities. Every few months, new stars are born, but who can take the ball and run with it? One of the most recent fixtures of talk about great new talent is Rob Eckos. He has already done "10 questions" on this site, but now he goes a step further, and goes for our "Seven Deadly Questions". Read on, and email me at djg4evr@aol.com or gerrystrauss@aol.com, here ya go...
1) You started your career training by training at Camp IWF in West Paterson,
NJ run by Kevin Knight. You went though the entire training program, and,
as most students did at that school, were given the opportunity to perform
on IWF student shows and other outside IWF events. You completed the IWF
primary training program, and graduated in the same "class"
as guys like Josh Daniels and "Debonair" Damian Adams. You were
then , just like most graduates, allowed to remain part of the IWF family,
use the training facility in the continued learning process, and remain
part of the IWF wrestling promotion enabling you to compete on all IWF
shows. One would think this would be a pretty good deal, but earlier in
2002, you suddenly departed, and Adams and Daniels were not far behind.
Tell the story of exactly what happened.
Hmmm, where do I begin really...?...I guess to make a long story short I wanted to make a name for myself on my own, pay my dues, get experience by traveling and getting screwed over in the process, lose money, sleep in my car, you know, the stuff that every indy guy at some point in time has to go through...and where I was I didn't really have the chance to do that, I am definitely a team player but my "coach" wasn't cooperating with what his players needed and that is why some players left...I felt I, not someone else, needed to get my name out there and in the end it surely has paid off a great deal as I couldn't be happier than where I am at...
2) Since that time, you have been a fixture in many wrestling promotions in the tri-state area, as well as Delaware, Ohio, Maine and so on. Has leaving the IWF "nest" been a factor in the jumpstarting of your career? And if so, why was it so much harder to get noticed and booked while you were still there?
Ever since leaving where I was, yes I have definitely been blessed to be able to branch out a great deal in a short amount of time and it is most certainly because of leaving the nest as you put it, and it is for the simple fact that when I was there I wasn't a person, I had no say in anything...Basically unless one went through a whole lot of BS one wasn't allowed to work any where else unless it benefited the nest...
3) Gotta ask every competitor who works in PA about the "Philly Wars". Currently, you are a regular on 3PW shows, which, until recently, ran at Viking Hall. As a solid member of the 3PW locker room, what is your attitude towards the other major promotions in the area such as CZW, Ring Of Honor, or XPW? Would you, or are you even allowed to, work for any of them?
The Philly Wars are indeed the hot bed on the indies right now in the tri-state area and I am lucky to be a part of them...As for my attitude towards the other promotions out there, it's that I have no problem with any of them, some of my friends work for them and there is nothing really bad I can say. Does it suck that XPW took over the arena? Yeah, but everyone has a reason for doing what they do and i'm not gonna sit here and make a big deal out of something so small...
4) The "Rob Eckos" gimmick remains pretty stable through most of your travels, although managerial and clique affiliations are ever-changing (Carlton P. Hightower's stable in the ECWA, Joey Matthew's stable in 3PW, Harvey Goldstein's group in SSCW, etc.)... however, Donnie B and Phoenix Championship Wrestling had something totally different in mind. Tell us your honest thoughts on "Robbie Moxie" and the "Moxie Family", both when you first heard about it and now.
LoL, well i'm not gonna lie, when I first heard about the Moxie thing I didn't understand why someone would want to change something that has been working so well...but honestly after the whole thing happened I gotta admit that the idea was simply genius, I mean it really is funny and I had a lot of fun doing it, plus with good friends of mine in it with me it makes it that much better...
5)What has been your worst experience so far at a show? What has been your best?
That is simple, to me every experience in wrestling is a good one as you always learn something out of everything...
6) As a current lightweight champ in 3 companies, you are obviously well recognized for your ability to put on an entertaining match in lightweight divisions. Being that you tend to shy away from the highspots and risky maneuvers that dominate those kinds of matches, what do you think explains your appeal? What is your opinion of guys who use that kind of style?
Well, I still question just why the hell I am a light weight champ of any organization, like you said it is true that the whole high spot, risky maneuver thing isn't really my style as I am kinda like a 400 pounder trapped in a 180 pounders body, lol...but I guess because of my body weight I fit in with the rest of the light weights... I think that my old school style meshes well with a lot of other styles and it seems to make for really entertaining stuff, hopefully...and as for guys that work that style, I have worked with the best of them and I respect them all for what they put their bodies through and the passion they have for what they do...
7) Finally, you have been in so many locker rooms over the course of 2002. Name the most disturbing thing you have seen behind the scenes.
Ehh, it is really hard to say as there is so many disturbing things in pro wrestling locker rooms, lol...so to me nothing is really disturbing as I am entertained and used to it all...
Previous Columns:
Billy Reil
Matthew Hendrickson
Chris Hamrick
Kevin Matthews
Pete Van Orton
Rockin Rebel
Fluff Dupp
Carmine Sabia
Tommy Fierro
