|
|
|
|
Robbie Ellis
He's a huge fan of a certain someone's chocolate chip cookies, "I love my wife's cookies better than anything else I've ever eaten, including the fanciest restaurants all over Europe." Ellis became part of NECW in an angle where he defeated Derik Destiny to earn a contract on January 22nd in Somerville, MA. Ellis wrestled in college "but knew what I was seeing on TV for wrestling was not the same thing. It was so wild and crazy. I had to be part of it." Robbie's favorite memory as a fan involves legendary long time AWA champion Verne Gagne. "In Portland, Maine, my hometown, a few friends and I had our own secret and "free" entry to the Expo building where we saw matches with all the greats. One that I remember particularly vividly was between Verne Gagne and Maine's own Jackie Nichols, who was almost as famous at that time nationally as Gagne and held a number of titles himself. It was a title shot of some kind that night too, but Gagne was the champion, and it was amazing to see the crowd cheer Nichols over Gagne. Nichols pinned Gagne, but as I recall, the match was reversed and given to Gagne on a technicality. I doubt if Portland fans have ever before or since been close to rioting." Billy Graham trained Ellis at the Boston Arena Annex in 1967 with promoter Tony Santos watching from a window above the ring. "I always knew when he was watching because cigar smoke would pour out of the window." He lost his first pro match against Pepe Perez in West Springfield, Mass. although it was supposed to end in a draw. "I was supposed to be the babyface. I appropriately wore white trunks. But the audience was made up largely of Puerto Ricans from Holyoke and they hated me from the second I appeared. When the bell rang, I just started dropkicking like crazy. After two minutes I could barely move. I couldn't talk with Pepe because we couldn't speak each other’s language –literally. I finally just laid down and let him pin me while the ref did a slow 3 count. It was supposed to go 20 minutes, broadway. Well, it wasn't." Ellis shares a few highlights of his career, "Being featured on the Today Show and in Sports Illustrated. It's also great to know that I wrestled Perry Saturn in his first ever match and won. Also wrestled Taz a number of times in the old ICW and won most of those. “Of course, trust me on this, things would end the same today. I've been the lightweight champion of many of the New England independent promotions, as I am now, and was the same for several years during the 80's for ICW." Robbie, like many long time wrestlers yearns for the old days, "I'd love to go back to the old and oh, so much better and tougher days, when the wrestling itself was king. If you were good, it didn't matter how young or old you were, you know what I mean? And I was good. I mean really good. I was, well, yeah , great. I mean really great. I still am." Thoughts On NECW: "The best guys (of ALL ages) here in New England work for NECW. So of course it will continue it's amazing growth. It took Mr. Goldberg a while to know that the real talent is in the experienced and undefeated wrestlers- me for instance, but he knows now. Another reason why NECW is unstoppable." |
|
|
"The Sports Illustrated
Legend and Hollywood Superstar" was born on April 8th, 1943 in Portland, Maine.