Behind the Mask

Do you believe in the supernatural? Would you believe that an object, a mask for example, could bring forth violence, destruction, and downright disturbing changes?

If you asked me this question a month ago I would have said no. After witnessing the events of NCW Payback on June 17th my answer may have changed. I rushed home and began doing some research into the changes I have witnessed among some of NCW’s favorite wrestlers and ringside help. Mike Volpe, Rob Impact, Jack Krueger, Richard Pacifico, Brandon Webb, and most recently Amanda Herron all share something in common.

Each of them has held in their possession the mask of Cenobite. How and why is this important? By the end of this article you’ll have your answer. Let’s start with Mike Volpe.

It’s no longer a secret that Mike Volpe and Cenobite are one in the same. This shocking truth was revealed during the 2009 NCW season. When he debuted in 2004 Volpe was a normal guy looking to accomplish big things in the wrestling world. Based on my timeline Volpe must have stumbled upon the mask in 2005.

Where he found it is still an unanswered question. What is known is that by the end of 2005 Volpe was gone and Cenobite had taken the spotlight. It seemed as though this mask somehow changed Volpe. Mike Volpe and Cenobite are dramatically different. Volpe’s mannerisms, voice and style in the ring are as different from Cenobite’s as day is to night. When the mask is put on Volpe’s face he embraces a darker more evil side of his psyche.

Was there a darker side hidden within Volpe all along? Is it possible that this mask was the key to unlocking that dark side? If this were the case would it then be possible for the mask to do the same to other people? I believe the answer to that question will become clear as we look at the events that took place from 2007-June 2011.

Rob Impact was riding high during the 2007 NCW season but things changed for him quickly when he was forced to battle Cenobite in an “unsanctioned” match. This was his first encounter with Cenobite but certainly not his last. The two men battled for several months before ending their feud in a chain match in Warwick RI. The war took its toll on Impact as he never seemed to recover fully.

Small changes took place. He left behind his brightly colored wrestling gear in favor of black and red gear. His demeanor in the ring changed as well as he became visibly frustrated. He soon retired from wrestling. In 2008 Cenobite had become enthralled in a violent battle with Richard Pacifico. In December 2008, the two battled in what has become known as the “most violent match in NCW history”, the Boston Massacre Match.

NCW officials refused to be involved in this match due to Cenobite’s violent ways and in a strange twist of fate, Rob Impact made his in ring return as the surprise guest referee. All did not end well for Impact as he saw his throat crushed by a chair shot from Cenobite.

Looking back at the tape from the show, I noticed something odd take place just before the chair shot. Cenobite forced Impact to look into the eyes of the mask. Impact had to be carried from the ring to an awaiting ambulance. NCW officials were positive that this would be the final appearance of Rob Impact.

In late spring of 2009, to the shock of everyone in NCW, Impact returned as “The Knight Angel” BerZerker sporting a mask of his own and an attitude to match that of Cenobite’s. BerZerker, rather than trying to destroy Cenobite, returned to save his friend. He did just as he set out to do and the two formed the now fan favorite team of “Heaven’s Fury.” What happened when Impact looked into the eyes of that mask in late 2008? What did he see?  Only Impact, or shall I say, BerZerker, knows the answer to that question.

Next up is Brandon Webb. This is an interesting situation. In 2008 Cenobite and Brandon Webb, then known as The Kreeper, were involved in hard fought battles culminating in a match that saw Webb having to unmask after losing to Cenobite. This was Webb’s most humiliating moment. Over the next year Webb slowly began to change in the very same way that Rob Impact had in 2007.

In early 2009, NCW saw both Cenobite and Volpe compete on the same shows. I believe Volpe was trying to pull away from his darker side. Unaware that Volpe and Cenobite were the same person, Webb teamed up with Volpe to win the NCW Tag Team championships.  A few months later Volpe passed his half of the tag team title over to Anthony Stone due to a “knee injury”. As it turned out, Volpe was suffering from a mental breakdown. Volpe remained an active part of the NCW roster but Cenobite disappeared.

Rapid changes came about for Webb within months. Brandon Webb was gone and his darker more sinister side had taken over. He now was to be known as “The Devil’s Reject” Brandon Webb. He sported face paint and evil symbols on his wrestling attire. His downward spiral only became worse as time went on. In the summer months of 2009, Webb discovered the truth about Volpe and Cenobite.

In October of 2009 Webb came to the ring with a bag containing a “soul” in it.  The BerZerker knew what was in the bag and immediately went to war with Webb over its contents. At Wrestle Fest 2009, BerZerker battled Webb in a “Soul on a Pole” match. The contents of the bag were revealed during Volpe’s match with all four members of the Schillar Park Posse later that night. BerZerker came to ringside and pulled from the bag, Cenobite’s mask. Webb had the mask in his possession for many months; the results of which were seen immediately.

Webb’s change in “character” was only the beginning. Throughout 2010, Webb made numerous appearances and each time he seemed to have become more deranged; his eyes blackened over, demonic symbols were painted upon his face and wrestling gear. He spouted lines such as “Do you want to dance with the devil?” Is this a play on words as his name is “the Devil’s Reject” or is he referring to something else? Had Brandon Webb himself danced with the devil when he took possession of the mask? Although small changes surfaced after battling Cenobite, the bulk of the change did not occur until Webb was in full possession of the mask. Did the mask do to Webb what it had done to Volpe and Impact?

Jack Krueger was always the more violent member of the Schillar Park Posse. The Posse caused chaos in NCW from 2009-2010. The majority of the 2009 season was spent attacking Volpe, who was suffering from his mental issues. At Wrestle Fest 2009, Volpe battled the Posse in a four-on-one match. As mentioned earlier, Volpe regained the mask of Cenobite and a hybrid version of Volpe/Cenobite was born. In 2010 the Posse decided to make a statement and continued their assault on Cenobite and BerZerker. During one of their encounters, Cam Denile took the mask off of Cenobite and handed it over to Krueger who taunted Cenobite with it.  The posse, but more importantly Jack Krueger, kept control of the mask and ultimately Cenobite’s power for much of the 2010 season.

By the end of the 2010 NCW season, things were not looking good for the Posse.  Jack Krueger was beginning to lose his mind and his ability to control his temper was at an all-time low. He was more violent than ever before and he seemed to be completely focused on keeping the mask in his possession. I recall seeing Krueger look into the eyes of the mask on numerous occasions while taunting Cenobite.  The 2011 NCW season is seeing the most dramatic change in Krueger.

The Posse is no longer united and Krueger is now hell bent on destroying Cam Denile, his former partner. On his chest he has painted “FATE”. What does this mean? What happened to Krueger while in possession of the mask? As with Volpe, Impact, and Webb, only Krueger knows the answers to those questions?  I fear that this is only the beginning of Krueger’s downward spiral.

In 2008, Richard Pacifico and Cenobite battled over the NCW New England Title. The battles became more violent and more intense as time went on. Everything came to a head at Wrestle Fest 2008 in the Boston Massacre Match. In the end Pacifico retained the title but at what cost?

The 2009 and 2010 seasons of NCW saw Pacifico becoming more violent and visibly frustrated. It was in fact during his feud with Tim Kilgore in 2010 that Pacifico’s darker side became clear. At NCW No Fear in October 2010, we saw Kilgore smash Pacifico in the head with a Kendo Stick. The rage that came from Pacifico was downright scary.

In the final months of the 2010 NCW season I noticed Pacifico becoming less friendly with the NCW fans. They too seemed to notice a change in Pacifico and their disgust in him began to outweigh their adoration. What was happening in the mind of Pacifico? It turns out Pacifico was planning to do something no one saw coming, especially Cenobite.

During the off season, Cenobite went missing. At the start of the 2011 season, BerZerker claimed that he would find out who attacked his friend. When questioned, Pacifico had no direct answer but seemed overly willing to help in the search for the attacker. Pacifico looked different at the start of the 2011 season. His hair and facial hair had grown quite unkempt. Dark circles now surrounded his eyes. At Spring Slam, Pacifico stepped into the ring with Brandon Webb when BerZerker failed to show up.

After a fit of rage at ringside, due to a loss, Pacifico charged to the locker room demanding answers from Webb. Webb’s response was simply this, “You know I had nothing to do with it”. A look of fear and confusion washed over the face of Pacifico.

June 2011 saw the annual event known as NCW Payback and the name couldn’t have been any more suitable. BerZerker had a match with Brandon Webb. During the match, BerZerker became enraged and attempted to break Webb’s neck with a folding chair. Just as BerZerker was about to take Webb out for good, Amanda Herron, the NCW camera girl, slid a note into the ring. BerZerker read the note and stormed out of the ring and back to the locker room.

Later that night, he returned to the ring and demanded answers from Amanda Herron. Before she could respond, Pacifico and Brandon Scovill stormed the ring. Pacifico held in his hands the mask of Cenobite. Scovill attacked BerZerker with a viscous backbreaker.

Pacifico claimed that the mask was all that was left of Cenobite. Without warning Pacifico attacked Amanda, dragging her into the ring. He unleashed a viscous verbal assault on her. Just as all seemed hopeless for BerZerker and Amanda, Cenobite’s music hit and he entered the building wearing an even more demented and evil looking mask. The fans in attendance erupted as Cenobite unleashed an attacked on Pacifico and Scovill, but the two were able to escape.

As I sat at ringside watching this take place, I noticed something else happening. I watched Amanda slowly make her way to the old mask which lay in the middle of the ring. My gut was telling me that something troubling was about to happen. She picked the mask up and looked into its eyes. A look of fear, then calmness, washed over her face.

This reporter believes that it was at this moment that Amanda, like Mike Volpe, Rob Impact, Brandon Webb, Jack Krueger, and Richard Pacifico, embraced her darker side. The look on her face told me that she saw something. What she saw, I don’t know. She is now the manager of Heaven’s Fury and is known simply as Valkyrie.

So many questions remain unanswered. Where did the mask come from? Who created it and for what purpose? What did each of these men and women see when they looked into the eyes of the mask? Is this all a part of a bigger plan? Is it possible that an inanimate object could cause all this chaos?

What about the new mask, does it have more power than the old? As the events of 2011 unfold I believe many of the questions could be answered.  The common element amongst them all is the mask. A hand made leather mask has been the focal point in every feud. So, I ask you once again, do you believe in the supernatural?  I do.

Fred Armistice is a freelance reporter for Northeast Championship Wrestling. To reach Fred, please e-mail thencwonline@gmail.com

Tags: Amanda Herron, Brandon Webb, Cenobite, Heaven's Fury, Jack Krueger, Mike Volpe, Pacifico, Rob Impact, The BerZerker, The Kreeper, The Mask, Valkyrie