Post by Toom E. Guci on Jun 14, 2011 18:25:42 GMT -8
Got an interesting question for you all that may stump you. What does former IZW Superstar AJ Summers have in common with Disney’s High School Musical 2? That movie is where the yell, “What time is it?” actually originated from, to where the answer was simply, “Summers time!” It sounds weird, but a fan tried yelling after seeing the movie with his daughter &, surprisingly, it caught on week after week after week until Summers left IZW April 22nd, 2008.
By that point, Summers had a wrestling career that started out like most wrestlers in the business….a fan. And Summers was a fan since his childhood, as he reminisces, “My earliest memory of wrestling in general was watching WWF Superstars Saturday mornings with my step dad. I remember seeing the Ultimate Warrior and seeing how colorful his gear was, as well as how the crowd reacted to him. I wanted to be just like him. Another memory I have is my step dad and mom taking me to Madison Square Garden for a house show back in like 91 or 92. I brought my Hulk Hogan wrestling buddy with me and was like a kid in a candy store. And I remember another time my mom and step dad took me to MSG for another house show and I had a blast and wanted to do what they did since day 1.”
And in January, 2005, Summers took to the ring to start his training to be like his childhood idols. At the age of 20 now, Summers made a decision he knew he had to make, “I contemplated training for a while and didn’t want to do the whole ‘what if’ years down the line, so I started and here I am today”
“ I started my training in a lil promotion back in Georgia called AWN which stood for All-Star Wrestling Network, which was run by another military member who is now like a father figure for me and someone who is close to me. My trainer were the 2 most longest guys there, Sam Slaughter and Ash. Ash and I were in a long time feud thru out my career there. I ‘burned’ thru the course and debuted quickly after I started training, I knew the basics, and other people along the way who were really top guys in Georgia took a liking to me and took me under their wings and taught me as well. Once I moved out to Arizona, Navajo Warrior I guess “re-trained” me and taught me A LOT of what I know now in a short amount of time, so usually I tell people Navajo Warrior trained me. But I learn everyday I wrestle, so I guess everyone trains me (laughs). But overall, I give credit to Nav,” adds Summers.
Prior to Summers debut in Impact Zone Wrestling, he wrestled a little under 2 years elsewhere. “I worked AWN where I started, NWA Anarchy, Georgia Championship Wrestling…my first exposure to wrestling on TV, and a bunch of shit hole promotions that quite frankly shouldn’t be promotions, but helped me get to where I am today,” adds Summers.
So the big question is, how did Summers, a southern wrestler, get from New York to competing in Arizona? Believe it or not, Team Elite had something to do with it. And Summers tried every channel he could think of to get in, as he shares, “I heard about IZW because I was on a show with Mike Knox and Derick Neikirk at GCW one night, and told ‘em I was moving out to Arizona. I got the website info, and at the time I met the NY Knockout Nikki T, so she said she would put in a good word for me. I emailed Nav, and he wanted my ‘resume’ and told me where and when to meet up for a try out and meeting. The very next night, I debuted against Disco Machine. Funny story though, I actually was on myspace, back when Myspace was the shiznit, and emailed a bunch of IZW wrestlers like Jay Garland, Adrenalyn, and some others that I can’t remember, but no one would write me back, except for Jay Garland. Turns out, he knew someone that was in the Indy scene where I was at and we both agreed that guy was HORRIBLE! Once I was good in the locker room and in IZW a while, I remember bringing it up to the boys who “fabed” me and we would laugh about it.
And that night was August 15th, 2006. AJ Summers would debut against the Disco Machine in a hard hitting match. How did Summers feel going in? Summers is more then happy to share, “Going into my debut as well as my try out for IZW was nerve wracking. In my heart and mind, I was NOT ready to be In the company cause IZW was the place to be to wrestle in Arizona. When I found out I was going against the co-owner of PWG, I was like ‘are you flipping kidding me?’ I was nervous when I first met Disco and all the boys the day of the show, but Disco really put me over big time in that match and I will forever be thankful that he made me look good when he honestly didn’t have to. When I got to the back after the match and people said I did good, I knew I would be ok and would learn a lot and be welcomed in to the IZW family.”
So now here was Summers, his first match into IZW, & he not only had to face Disco Machine, but he had to face the fans of IZW. The fans taunted Summers about his look, as well as his height. Summers shares how he felt about this, “The crowd interaction was great in Arizona. I vividly remember hearing ‘AC Slater’ chants my debut and that was new, as well as the lollipop guild song. I was used to it, but its always welcomed. The fact fans take the time to heckle me bout my height means they see something in me and take the time to put me thru that so I guess to me, if they DON’T heckle me bout my height, then I have a problem.”
Summers came up short in his beginnings of IZW, going on an 8 match losing streak. But that didn’t matter to Summers, as he shares why, “I ‘lost’ a lot in my beginning time in IZW. But in that time I was losing, I was also winning in the fact that the fans took a real liking to me, turned me face, and really got behind me. I’m not sure if anyone remembers but my 2nd match against Mike G, after I lost to him, the fans gave me a standing ovation for some reason. Still not sure why but they did. I was learning so much in my matches in the beginning of my career in IZW that I gained so much from it, I was just glad to be a part of the show and be welcomed by all.”
From there, Summers was placed into a tag team with another IZW newcomer, Bernie the Sound Pirate aka Dread Pirate Bernie. “I’m not really sure how Bernie and I came about, but he had just started out, and I was getting over well with the fans as a good guy. It kinda made sense to put a new guy that was the future of the company with a well over baby face. I’m not sure why, I never really asked, but it was a lot of fun working with him. I wished we did so much more with that teaming, I think we could have done well in the tag team division,” explains Summers.
The two men went into competition with open eyes, eager to learn from each other. And it was in this tag team that Summers got his first taste of an IZW feud in the form of Team P.O.S. And it was that feud that gave Summers his first win on March 27th, 2007. “I’m not one to count wins/loses. It just made sense in the storyline for me to win, so I wasn’t gonna complain. (laughs),” Summers added about his first win.
But after the first win, fans would not see Summers for a short period of time. And this was not by Summers choice, nor IZW’s choice…this was by the choice of the doctors, as Summers shares, “I had a cornea ulcer in my right eye that had me sidelined for a while. I nearly lost all my sight from my right eye and doctors have no idea how I got it. It was a very tough trouble time for me and I was scared. I was fortunate enough to regain my sight, overcome the ulcer, and get back to 100%.”
And on September 25th, 2007, with his eyesight back at 100%, Summers made his return to IZW with another IZW newcomer by the name of Terra-X. The two had a connection regarding the fact that they were both from New York City, so the team of New York’s Finest was born. Summers shares how this all came about, “Terra- X actually debuted during that ‘idol’ thing IZW had. He was a fellow NY guy and they wanted to bring him in. We got to talking and said it would be cool to be a tag team. We told Nav about it and he liked the idea and that’s how we started. I was still a ‘good guy’ just with a more serious attitude, I guess you can say. I liked the idea of us as a team and what ideas we had, just wished we were kept longer. But that’s around the time I found out I was leaving and so didn’t make sense to keep us together longer if I was gonna be leaving in a few months.”
And as a member of New York’s Finest, Summers was given a nickname that he shares, “The New York Giant moniker was actually a joke. Nav gave me that nickname one day in the locker room. He was putting his war paint on and we were all just joking around and he looked at me and said ‘AJ, you should call yourself the NY Giant because your so short. It would be funny.’ And so it stuck. I still use it to this day.”
During their run as New York’s Finest, both X & Summers began a feud against the IZW Tag Team Champions Mucha Lucha. Summers shares what it was like wrestling the Luchadores, “Wrestling Mucha Lucha was A LOT of fun. We had so many ideas and stuff we wanted to do together, and for me was great cause we were all similar in height. I was able to do body slams and other things in the match. We wanted our matches to be really good, and we wanted to make each other look good,.”
But during the run against Mucha Lucha, the Luchadores would drop the belts to Native Blood. Normally that would be the end of the feud if it was about the straps, but that didn’t bother Summers, “That was a business decision on the management level that I never questioned. Native Blood is obviously better and established then Terra X and I was, so no biggie on my part.”
Mucha Lucha didn’t bother to go for a return match on the belts. Instead, they continued their rivalry with New York’s Finest. And this idea did not bother Summers, “Again, management decision and Native Blood was in a feud with someone else I think. Management level decision, I just do what I’m told, and wasn’t mad or disgruntled about it, I was more concerned with having good matches with Mucha Lucha and having fun”
As Summers continued his path down the IZW road, he entered into the IZW Halloween Tradition of the Halloween Battle Royal on October 23rd, 2007. But unlike any battle royal, the Halloween Battle Royal brought creativity on top of wrestling skills. Each particpant had to wrestle in costume & most participants were more then happy to do so. History has shown costumes along the lines of Jay & Silent Bob, the Mario Brothers, CC Starr, The Dudley Boyz, Erica D’Erico, & AJ Summers choice of the Ultimate AJ. Summers shares how he came up with the idea, “(laughs) The ‘ultimate AJ’ costume was gear that the person who makes my gear made up for me, without intentions of the Halloween battle royal. I’m glad I didn’t wear it till then though. It goes back to me wanting to be the Ultimate Warrior when I was 5yrs old and I was able to make that dream a reality that night. It was a lot of fun and I didn’t know I was winning till I was in the ring. It was also the only time I got to work with Nate, which was awesome as well.”
And that night, Summers came out the victor in the Halloween Battle Royal, having beat out every member of the IZW roster. “It was awesome getting to do something with everyone on the roster that night. I got to do a lil thing with Nav, Hollywood Yates, Nate, Mike G, Jay Garland, Sergio, Lucha. It was a night in which was all about fun and I was out there having a lot of it,” adds Summers.
Next up on Summers plate was being invited into the first ever IZW Invitational Tournament. December 4th, 2007 would be the first match for Summers as a participant in the tournament. Summers shares his thoughts going in, “I remember talking to Lawrence Tyler in the locker room and the rumor was me in the tournament and at first I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think I was gonna go as far as I did that’s for sure. It was an honor to wrestle the other competitors and learn from them. It was then that I really felt like an important guy in the company and not just some first match filler or someone that was just gonna be used cause a spot was open and needed to be filled.”
And exactly 1 month & a day later, the tournament would end at the Broadway Recreation Center in a Triple Threat Match, as Summers faced Antonio Mestre & Jay Garland. Summers opened up on the match, “Mestre was someone I always wanted to work with, especially cause when he was in Deep South Wrestling on his development contract with WWE, I would see him wrestle on shows for DSW. Now I was actually in a match with him, it was surreal to me. Jay Garland is a tremendous talent as well, so to be in the ring with them both, who are top IZW guys, was truly humbling for me. And I knew the match would be good, and I would learn and have fun, while also proving that I belonged in important matches and showing how I gotten better since my debut. This was my biggest match in my short career”
And after wrestling two men that he looked up to, Summers would come out the victor that night. “First thing that crossed my mind was that I made the 3 quarter leap off the top rope to hit the splash on Jay. While on the top, if you look back on the DVD, you see me climb the top rope, I think about it for a sec, cause in my mind I’m thinking ‘oh shit, I’m WAY further then I thought‘, and I stagger before I actually jump off. It was truly a humbling experience to win the tournament, the crowd was hot that night and place was packed, and I knew things can only go up from there,” adds Summers.
Then on April 22nd, 2008, IZW would come to an end for Summers. Summers felt it was time for him to leave, but not without one more night. Fans dressed up in beachwear while The Sets was decorated like a beach. For quite some time, Summers had wanted streamers thrown before his match, which is a sign of respect, but the fans felt something different was needed for respect. So as Summers entered the ring to face Hawaiian Lion, beach balls showered the ring instead, “My last night at IZW was a heartfelt one that had me emotional and felt loved. The beach ball idea instead of the streamers was awesome. I never had streamers thrown and always wanted that but the beach balls was a nice change to it and definitely something I haven’t forgotten. It was a bitter sweet night my last night there.”
“I requested that Lion be my last opponent, I felt like there was no one on the roster I wanted to have my last match with then him. I wish the match went a little differently every time I watch it but I think the fans enjoyed it and that’s all that really matters,” Summers added.
Summers moved back east, where he continued to work on his craft some more. “I went to NC and debuted and wrestled my whole time in NC for Universal Wrestling Council (UWC) and that was cool. That’s where I met the friends who introduced me to the Hardy Boys, Shannon Moore and my friend Shane Helms. I was also fortunate enough to work for NWA Charlotte but after the show I was on, it shut down (laughs),” shares Summers.
At one point, Summers actually surprised some friends & fans back in Arizona by appearing on an episode of the Hardy Show. Summers shares how that came about, “My buddy Yuk is someone I met at UWC, and after a while of hanging out he invited me to go with him to Matt s house for a taping of the “hardy show” and I was like sure. So I go over and met Matt/Jeff, and I was in shock, they were very cordial and hospital with me. I didn’t know what the hardy show was or even seen it before but I agreed to be on it. It was a lot of fun to do, I wish I was still in NC to be able to do more and hang out with them all still. A lot of good times and stories from hanging with em.”
Summers eventually joined up with another promotion to try & get into their ring, as he shares the outcome, “I went to a few ROH shows and helped with Ring Crew. Supposedly the one time I was finally gonna have a tv job match, my boss didn’t let me get off work. I was so pissed! My other buddy took my spot. I saw the pics and I was super jealous cause that’s all I ever wanted and still want to do, and that’s be a part of ROH. Little known fact, I nearly have EVERY ROH show ever done on DVD. I’m just maybe 50 DVDS away from having all of the ROH shows in its history.”
And since leaving IZW, Summers feels he’s won more then championships, “I haven’t won any titles. I like to pride myself in knowing I never needed a title to win over the fans.”
Summers even tried his hands at another dream job of his & that’s to once again have the moniker of New York’s Finest as a member of the New York City Police Department. Summers shares how that went, “I passed the test but I couldn’t continue with the process unless I was out the military. And I’m not about to leave a good paying job to wait around and see if I get another job, especially back home in NY where everything is crazy expensive.”
And now Summers looks back at his time in IZW with pride in his heart. The many friends he made, the many matches he worked…this Summers would never change. If you ask Summers who his favorite opponent was, the answer is the exact same answer as his toughest opponent, “John Lion was hands down. His suplexes on me were killer, many a’times my back was beyond sore. He brought out the best of me. I felt comfortable in the ring with him and learned a lot.”
“I miss the family feel in the locker room, I miss the Tuesday night shows, I miss hanging around the boys and I miss the fans! Where is Toots??” adds Summers.
So could we see Summers back in an Arizona ring? Maybe even an IZW One Night Stand show? Summers was more then happy to answer that one, “I would make sure I was there, HELL YEA!!!! I really hope they do!”
Summers is more then happy to even share where he is today, “I’m in San Antonio Texas. I wrestle for River City Wrestling, RCW. Just had my debut match last month in a 6 man tag match that included Hernandez from TNA. He is actually the booker, which is cool. I see great things with this company as well as in my own wrestling future. So I hope to continue and grow and move up in my career. Cheap plug, www.rivercitywrestling.net “
And although Summers continues to hone his craft in the ring, he is still a fan, nonetheless. And living in Texas, Summers was able to attend Wrestlemania, as well as Raw the night after. And if you all watched Raw, you could see Summers wearing full on John Cena gear right behind the announce table, but….WHY?!?!? “HAHAHAHA that was for Monday Night Raw. I don’t know what made me do it, but I was just having fun and figured why not. My girl Crystal thought it would be cute to dress up like him so I did, I didn’t know I was gonna be sitting behind the announcers table though for Raw but It was fun, he even nodded at me when he came out which was cool ha-ha. I’m such a mark, just fyi,” explained Summers.
So what does the future hold for one mark named AJ Summers? “Well I hope good things in the wrestling world (laughs). I’m training more, watching more DVDs of other wrestlers, learning from my peers locally and just pressing on. I hope to make it to ROH one day as a main roster person and fulfill that dream. That’s my ultimate goal and I’m currently working towards it,” shares Summers.
And with a career going nonstop after wrestling in several states, the last question to AJ Summers is…what time is it? “SUMMERS TIME DUH!!!”
By that point, Summers had a wrestling career that started out like most wrestlers in the business….a fan. And Summers was a fan since his childhood, as he reminisces, “My earliest memory of wrestling in general was watching WWF Superstars Saturday mornings with my step dad. I remember seeing the Ultimate Warrior and seeing how colorful his gear was, as well as how the crowd reacted to him. I wanted to be just like him. Another memory I have is my step dad and mom taking me to Madison Square Garden for a house show back in like 91 or 92. I brought my Hulk Hogan wrestling buddy with me and was like a kid in a candy store. And I remember another time my mom and step dad took me to MSG for another house show and I had a blast and wanted to do what they did since day 1.”
And in January, 2005, Summers took to the ring to start his training to be like his childhood idols. At the age of 20 now, Summers made a decision he knew he had to make, “I contemplated training for a while and didn’t want to do the whole ‘what if’ years down the line, so I started and here I am today”
“ I started my training in a lil promotion back in Georgia called AWN which stood for All-Star Wrestling Network, which was run by another military member who is now like a father figure for me and someone who is close to me. My trainer were the 2 most longest guys there, Sam Slaughter and Ash. Ash and I were in a long time feud thru out my career there. I ‘burned’ thru the course and debuted quickly after I started training, I knew the basics, and other people along the way who were really top guys in Georgia took a liking to me and took me under their wings and taught me as well. Once I moved out to Arizona, Navajo Warrior I guess “re-trained” me and taught me A LOT of what I know now in a short amount of time, so usually I tell people Navajo Warrior trained me. But I learn everyday I wrestle, so I guess everyone trains me (laughs). But overall, I give credit to Nav,” adds Summers.
Prior to Summers debut in Impact Zone Wrestling, he wrestled a little under 2 years elsewhere. “I worked AWN where I started, NWA Anarchy, Georgia Championship Wrestling…my first exposure to wrestling on TV, and a bunch of shit hole promotions that quite frankly shouldn’t be promotions, but helped me get to where I am today,” adds Summers.
So the big question is, how did Summers, a southern wrestler, get from New York to competing in Arizona? Believe it or not, Team Elite had something to do with it. And Summers tried every channel he could think of to get in, as he shares, “I heard about IZW because I was on a show with Mike Knox and Derick Neikirk at GCW one night, and told ‘em I was moving out to Arizona. I got the website info, and at the time I met the NY Knockout Nikki T, so she said she would put in a good word for me. I emailed Nav, and he wanted my ‘resume’ and told me where and when to meet up for a try out and meeting. The very next night, I debuted against Disco Machine. Funny story though, I actually was on myspace, back when Myspace was the shiznit, and emailed a bunch of IZW wrestlers like Jay Garland, Adrenalyn, and some others that I can’t remember, but no one would write me back, except for Jay Garland. Turns out, he knew someone that was in the Indy scene where I was at and we both agreed that guy was HORRIBLE! Once I was good in the locker room and in IZW a while, I remember bringing it up to the boys who “fabed” me and we would laugh about it.
And that night was August 15th, 2006. AJ Summers would debut against the Disco Machine in a hard hitting match. How did Summers feel going in? Summers is more then happy to share, “Going into my debut as well as my try out for IZW was nerve wracking. In my heart and mind, I was NOT ready to be In the company cause IZW was the place to be to wrestle in Arizona. When I found out I was going against the co-owner of PWG, I was like ‘are you flipping kidding me?’ I was nervous when I first met Disco and all the boys the day of the show, but Disco really put me over big time in that match and I will forever be thankful that he made me look good when he honestly didn’t have to. When I got to the back after the match and people said I did good, I knew I would be ok and would learn a lot and be welcomed in to the IZW family.”
So now here was Summers, his first match into IZW, & he not only had to face Disco Machine, but he had to face the fans of IZW. The fans taunted Summers about his look, as well as his height. Summers shares how he felt about this, “The crowd interaction was great in Arizona. I vividly remember hearing ‘AC Slater’ chants my debut and that was new, as well as the lollipop guild song. I was used to it, but its always welcomed. The fact fans take the time to heckle me bout my height means they see something in me and take the time to put me thru that so I guess to me, if they DON’T heckle me bout my height, then I have a problem.”
Summers came up short in his beginnings of IZW, going on an 8 match losing streak. But that didn’t matter to Summers, as he shares why, “I ‘lost’ a lot in my beginning time in IZW. But in that time I was losing, I was also winning in the fact that the fans took a real liking to me, turned me face, and really got behind me. I’m not sure if anyone remembers but my 2nd match against Mike G, after I lost to him, the fans gave me a standing ovation for some reason. Still not sure why but they did. I was learning so much in my matches in the beginning of my career in IZW that I gained so much from it, I was just glad to be a part of the show and be welcomed by all.”
From there, Summers was placed into a tag team with another IZW newcomer, Bernie the Sound Pirate aka Dread Pirate Bernie. “I’m not really sure how Bernie and I came about, but he had just started out, and I was getting over well with the fans as a good guy. It kinda made sense to put a new guy that was the future of the company with a well over baby face. I’m not sure why, I never really asked, but it was a lot of fun working with him. I wished we did so much more with that teaming, I think we could have done well in the tag team division,” explains Summers.
The two men went into competition with open eyes, eager to learn from each other. And it was in this tag team that Summers got his first taste of an IZW feud in the form of Team P.O.S. And it was that feud that gave Summers his first win on March 27th, 2007. “I’m not one to count wins/loses. It just made sense in the storyline for me to win, so I wasn’t gonna complain. (laughs),” Summers added about his first win.
But after the first win, fans would not see Summers for a short period of time. And this was not by Summers choice, nor IZW’s choice…this was by the choice of the doctors, as Summers shares, “I had a cornea ulcer in my right eye that had me sidelined for a while. I nearly lost all my sight from my right eye and doctors have no idea how I got it. It was a very tough trouble time for me and I was scared. I was fortunate enough to regain my sight, overcome the ulcer, and get back to 100%.”
And on September 25th, 2007, with his eyesight back at 100%, Summers made his return to IZW with another IZW newcomer by the name of Terra-X. The two had a connection regarding the fact that they were both from New York City, so the team of New York’s Finest was born. Summers shares how this all came about, “Terra- X actually debuted during that ‘idol’ thing IZW had. He was a fellow NY guy and they wanted to bring him in. We got to talking and said it would be cool to be a tag team. We told Nav about it and he liked the idea and that’s how we started. I was still a ‘good guy’ just with a more serious attitude, I guess you can say. I liked the idea of us as a team and what ideas we had, just wished we were kept longer. But that’s around the time I found out I was leaving and so didn’t make sense to keep us together longer if I was gonna be leaving in a few months.”
And as a member of New York’s Finest, Summers was given a nickname that he shares, “The New York Giant moniker was actually a joke. Nav gave me that nickname one day in the locker room. He was putting his war paint on and we were all just joking around and he looked at me and said ‘AJ, you should call yourself the NY Giant because your so short. It would be funny.’ And so it stuck. I still use it to this day.”
During their run as New York’s Finest, both X & Summers began a feud against the IZW Tag Team Champions Mucha Lucha. Summers shares what it was like wrestling the Luchadores, “Wrestling Mucha Lucha was A LOT of fun. We had so many ideas and stuff we wanted to do together, and for me was great cause we were all similar in height. I was able to do body slams and other things in the match. We wanted our matches to be really good, and we wanted to make each other look good,.”
But during the run against Mucha Lucha, the Luchadores would drop the belts to Native Blood. Normally that would be the end of the feud if it was about the straps, but that didn’t bother Summers, “That was a business decision on the management level that I never questioned. Native Blood is obviously better and established then Terra X and I was, so no biggie on my part.”
Mucha Lucha didn’t bother to go for a return match on the belts. Instead, they continued their rivalry with New York’s Finest. And this idea did not bother Summers, “Again, management decision and Native Blood was in a feud with someone else I think. Management level decision, I just do what I’m told, and wasn’t mad or disgruntled about it, I was more concerned with having good matches with Mucha Lucha and having fun”
As Summers continued his path down the IZW road, he entered into the IZW Halloween Tradition of the Halloween Battle Royal on October 23rd, 2007. But unlike any battle royal, the Halloween Battle Royal brought creativity on top of wrestling skills. Each particpant had to wrestle in costume & most participants were more then happy to do so. History has shown costumes along the lines of Jay & Silent Bob, the Mario Brothers, CC Starr, The Dudley Boyz, Erica D’Erico, & AJ Summers choice of the Ultimate AJ. Summers shares how he came up with the idea, “(laughs) The ‘ultimate AJ’ costume was gear that the person who makes my gear made up for me, without intentions of the Halloween battle royal. I’m glad I didn’t wear it till then though. It goes back to me wanting to be the Ultimate Warrior when I was 5yrs old and I was able to make that dream a reality that night. It was a lot of fun and I didn’t know I was winning till I was in the ring. It was also the only time I got to work with Nate, which was awesome as well.”
And that night, Summers came out the victor in the Halloween Battle Royal, having beat out every member of the IZW roster. “It was awesome getting to do something with everyone on the roster that night. I got to do a lil thing with Nav, Hollywood Yates, Nate, Mike G, Jay Garland, Sergio, Lucha. It was a night in which was all about fun and I was out there having a lot of it,” adds Summers.
Next up on Summers plate was being invited into the first ever IZW Invitational Tournament. December 4th, 2007 would be the first match for Summers as a participant in the tournament. Summers shares his thoughts going in, “I remember talking to Lawrence Tyler in the locker room and the rumor was me in the tournament and at first I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think I was gonna go as far as I did that’s for sure. It was an honor to wrestle the other competitors and learn from them. It was then that I really felt like an important guy in the company and not just some first match filler or someone that was just gonna be used cause a spot was open and needed to be filled.”
And exactly 1 month & a day later, the tournament would end at the Broadway Recreation Center in a Triple Threat Match, as Summers faced Antonio Mestre & Jay Garland. Summers opened up on the match, “Mestre was someone I always wanted to work with, especially cause when he was in Deep South Wrestling on his development contract with WWE, I would see him wrestle on shows for DSW. Now I was actually in a match with him, it was surreal to me. Jay Garland is a tremendous talent as well, so to be in the ring with them both, who are top IZW guys, was truly humbling for me. And I knew the match would be good, and I would learn and have fun, while also proving that I belonged in important matches and showing how I gotten better since my debut. This was my biggest match in my short career”
And after wrestling two men that he looked up to, Summers would come out the victor that night. “First thing that crossed my mind was that I made the 3 quarter leap off the top rope to hit the splash on Jay. While on the top, if you look back on the DVD, you see me climb the top rope, I think about it for a sec, cause in my mind I’m thinking ‘oh shit, I’m WAY further then I thought‘, and I stagger before I actually jump off. It was truly a humbling experience to win the tournament, the crowd was hot that night and place was packed, and I knew things can only go up from there,” adds Summers.
Then on April 22nd, 2008, IZW would come to an end for Summers. Summers felt it was time for him to leave, but not without one more night. Fans dressed up in beachwear while The Sets was decorated like a beach. For quite some time, Summers had wanted streamers thrown before his match, which is a sign of respect, but the fans felt something different was needed for respect. So as Summers entered the ring to face Hawaiian Lion, beach balls showered the ring instead, “My last night at IZW was a heartfelt one that had me emotional and felt loved. The beach ball idea instead of the streamers was awesome. I never had streamers thrown and always wanted that but the beach balls was a nice change to it and definitely something I haven’t forgotten. It was a bitter sweet night my last night there.”
“I requested that Lion be my last opponent, I felt like there was no one on the roster I wanted to have my last match with then him. I wish the match went a little differently every time I watch it but I think the fans enjoyed it and that’s all that really matters,” Summers added.
Summers moved back east, where he continued to work on his craft some more. “I went to NC and debuted and wrestled my whole time in NC for Universal Wrestling Council (UWC) and that was cool. That’s where I met the friends who introduced me to the Hardy Boys, Shannon Moore and my friend Shane Helms. I was also fortunate enough to work for NWA Charlotte but after the show I was on, it shut down (laughs),” shares Summers.
At one point, Summers actually surprised some friends & fans back in Arizona by appearing on an episode of the Hardy Show. Summers shares how that came about, “My buddy Yuk is someone I met at UWC, and after a while of hanging out he invited me to go with him to Matt s house for a taping of the “hardy show” and I was like sure. So I go over and met Matt/Jeff, and I was in shock, they were very cordial and hospital with me. I didn’t know what the hardy show was or even seen it before but I agreed to be on it. It was a lot of fun to do, I wish I was still in NC to be able to do more and hang out with them all still. A lot of good times and stories from hanging with em.”
Summers eventually joined up with another promotion to try & get into their ring, as he shares the outcome, “I went to a few ROH shows and helped with Ring Crew. Supposedly the one time I was finally gonna have a tv job match, my boss didn’t let me get off work. I was so pissed! My other buddy took my spot. I saw the pics and I was super jealous cause that’s all I ever wanted and still want to do, and that’s be a part of ROH. Little known fact, I nearly have EVERY ROH show ever done on DVD. I’m just maybe 50 DVDS away from having all of the ROH shows in its history.”
And since leaving IZW, Summers feels he’s won more then championships, “I haven’t won any titles. I like to pride myself in knowing I never needed a title to win over the fans.”
Summers even tried his hands at another dream job of his & that’s to once again have the moniker of New York’s Finest as a member of the New York City Police Department. Summers shares how that went, “I passed the test but I couldn’t continue with the process unless I was out the military. And I’m not about to leave a good paying job to wait around and see if I get another job, especially back home in NY where everything is crazy expensive.”
And now Summers looks back at his time in IZW with pride in his heart. The many friends he made, the many matches he worked…this Summers would never change. If you ask Summers who his favorite opponent was, the answer is the exact same answer as his toughest opponent, “John Lion was hands down. His suplexes on me were killer, many a’times my back was beyond sore. He brought out the best of me. I felt comfortable in the ring with him and learned a lot.”
“I miss the family feel in the locker room, I miss the Tuesday night shows, I miss hanging around the boys and I miss the fans! Where is Toots??” adds Summers.
So could we see Summers back in an Arizona ring? Maybe even an IZW One Night Stand show? Summers was more then happy to answer that one, “I would make sure I was there, HELL YEA!!!! I really hope they do!”
Summers is more then happy to even share where he is today, “I’m in San Antonio Texas. I wrestle for River City Wrestling, RCW. Just had my debut match last month in a 6 man tag match that included Hernandez from TNA. He is actually the booker, which is cool. I see great things with this company as well as in my own wrestling future. So I hope to continue and grow and move up in my career. Cheap plug, www.rivercitywrestling.net “
And although Summers continues to hone his craft in the ring, he is still a fan, nonetheless. And living in Texas, Summers was able to attend Wrestlemania, as well as Raw the night after. And if you all watched Raw, you could see Summers wearing full on John Cena gear right behind the announce table, but….WHY?!?!? “HAHAHAHA that was for Monday Night Raw. I don’t know what made me do it, but I was just having fun and figured why not. My girl Crystal thought it would be cute to dress up like him so I did, I didn’t know I was gonna be sitting behind the announcers table though for Raw but It was fun, he even nodded at me when he came out which was cool ha-ha. I’m such a mark, just fyi,” explained Summers.
So what does the future hold for one mark named AJ Summers? “Well I hope good things in the wrestling world (laughs). I’m training more, watching more DVDs of other wrestlers, learning from my peers locally and just pressing on. I hope to make it to ROH one day as a main roster person and fulfill that dream. That’s my ultimate goal and I’m currently working towards it,” shares Summers.
And with a career going nonstop after wrestling in several states, the last question to AJ Summers is…what time is it? “SUMMERS TIME DUH!!!”