March 27th, 2007.
Sole Survivor II. Earlier in the evening, Simply Beautiful was betrayed by his good friend Brian Bruno in an "I Quit" match against his nemesis "LDK" Lloyd Rees. Nobody even expected SB to compete in the Sole Survivor match. Against all odds, he won.Simply Beautiful was on top of the world.
The highs and lows of Sole Survivor II represent Andrew Rossi's career in a microcosm. He has achieved great success in NAPW, but just as often has come up short. He was a great Pure Honor champion, but could not beat Chris Casino. He won Sole Survivor, but lost virtually every PPV match he had. He defeated The Beast, clean in the center of the ring, but even teamed with Ravager came up short in Tagstravaganza.
"He can't win the big one" is the phrase spoken amongst fans and among his peers. At Sole Survivor, it seemed that Rossi had broken that curse. But it would not be so. His inability to win the big one would continue to haunt him.
Also haunting him is the loss and betrayal of many of his friends. Patrick Bickle and Brian Bruno in particular.
The betrayals and losses when it mattered most were weighing on Simply Beautiful's mind when Jeff Garvin arrived in NAPW. SB scored a huge win over the wrestling veteran in their first meeting, but from that point on Garvin dominated SB. Furthermore, SB felt slighted and frustrated as he was kept out of NAPW title contention. Though he didn't have the wins to merit the shot, Rossi felt that he was being passed over in favor of other stars...
All of these events culminated into a complete change of attitude. Rossi, spurred on by Jeff Garvin, turned his back on the fans. Gone was every aspect of his ability and persona that was flashy and loved by the fans. He removed the high-flying moves and moved to a more mat-based game. He dropped the "Simply Beautiful" moniker.
And he was very, very angry.
At first the attitude change seemed to work for Rossi. He scored some big wins and won a #1 contender's match against his long-time rival Dez Carter. But after Anniversary Assault, Rossi went into a losing streak. He blamed NAPW management.
Finally, NAPW management had it with Rossi's constant slander and wild accusations. It seemed that Rossi was unable to take responsibility for his own career direction and actions. Therefore an ultimatum was issued to Rossi:
Beat Dan Ryan at Black Thursday III.
Or you're out of NAPW.
Andrew Rossi's NAPW career is on the line. Of all the big ones Rossi has been in, none have been bigger.
So the question is: Will Andrew Rossi finally win the big one... or will his NAPW career end five days before Christmas?
Andrew Rossi vs Dan Ryan is just one of the great matches scheduled for BLACK THURSDAY III, this Thursday night in Edmonton. Will it be Andrew Rossi's last NAPW match?
[BACK]