This is the first of what will hopefully become a regular thing. I used to write a column for ecwperth.com but, unfortunately, time constraints saw me give up that role to Slick Rick. Just want to start out by thanking Jado for starting the Stormtroopers website. Let’s hope with the support of you fans, this site can become something truly great. It’s off to a great start and I know Jado is always thinking about ways to improve it.

I’ve been trying to write this column since Evil Intentions. Every time I sit down to write it, I struggle to think of what I want to say. What I really would like to write about is the Evil Intentions match with Damien Kross.

It was obvious, right from the start that Damien was going to be a great wrestler. His first match in Explosive Coastal Wrestling was against F.N. Carnage at Evolution 2002. It was a great performance. He showed that night that he could really go when he was in fast company.

And then nothing seemed to happen for a while He continued to have consistently good matches. His opponents were diverse. Kross fought Anda Nothica, Brad West and Brock Freeman and had solid matches with each of them.

It was after his match with Freeman that I think ECW started to take notice of him. I have no doubt that they had Damien pointed in my direction before I even knew it. He won a great 4 way at Re-Awakening against Mikey, Psychofett and Mixer. It was blatantly obvious that big things were planned for him.

His attack on me at TMHBM was a surprise to many. It was a great springboard for Damien. His wrestling was always solid but he just seemed to lack that ability to really infuriate the crowd.

I felt like we really had something going after the attack in January. And then I received the news. Damien was quitting ECW. I couldn’t really understand it at first. He had finally started to make inroads into cracking the main event and he wanted to quit. ECW told me that he still wanted to go ahead with the match. I always thought we would have great chemistry in the ring together and wanted to just have one match with him. So I agreed to the match at Evil Intentions.

We had a really short feud in the end. He attacked me (TMHBM), I attacked him (The Uprising) and then we had a match. I would have loved to have had a two or three match series against Damien. I thought it would be a great way to test myself. Our styles were a pretty good contrast for each other. He loved to ground his opponents and I love to try and keep the pace moving in my matches.

In the end, I think we turned out a match that we can both be proud of. The crowd was into it from start to finish and I would like to think that what we were doing in that ring played some part in that. The ECW fans (Stormtroopers in particular) are so loud and vocal, that it is sometimes hard to judge exactly how you are faring during your match.

The way Damien performed that night came as no surprise to me. And it should have come to no surprise to the other wrestlers and the ECW fans. Go back and watch his matches from past events. Damien Kross was a performer. The little things that he did made his matches entertaining to watch. He had an understated charisma. He did the little things that are expected of good wrestlers.

Damien had no idea that the other wrestlers were joining him in the ring after the match. I wanted to invite them to the ring no matter what the result. Because, win, lose or draw, I respected him. He was a great competitor who always gave his all no matter where he was on the card and who he was wrestling. The emotion you all saw in that ring after that match was genuine. Very few people in ECW were as well liked as Damien and noone wanted to see him go.

For us wrestlers to hear and see the reaction that you fans gave Damien was amazing. He deserved the reaction that he got. The Kross chant. The standing ovation. If you were there or if you see the Evil Intentions video, look at Damien’s face. That will tell the story. He was overwhelmed with emotion.

I think Damien will always be remembered fondly by the ECW fans. I know that he will be by the ECW staff and wrestlers. And I’m sure he will never forget the way the fans responded to him at the end of that night. I don’t think there could have been a more fitting way for a competitor like Damien Kross to go out.