It is a well-established fact in the wrestling industry that Vince McMahon has a soft spot for the biggest, tallest, and most physically impressive wrestlers. Craving to have them on his show as a display of the carnival nature of his entertainment sphere, one name that the WWE could never get to sign on the dotted line was 911, ECW’s chokeslam extraordinaire.
Getting Into The Business
Real name Al Poling, the man who would become 911 was trained by the legendary Larry Sharpe.
Although perhaps not a name known to modern fans, Sharpe is a legendary behind the scenes figure, responsible for training Raven, Bam Bam Bigelow, Sheamus, Big Show, Chris Candido, D’Lo Brown, The Godfather, Tony Atlas, and King Kong Bundy amongst others.
In his autobiography Tod is God, ECW owner Tod Gordon stated that “his owning a wrestling ring got him in the door.” He was also a friend of Ted Petty, better known to ECW fans as Rocco Rock of Public Enemy.
A 6’7, 300-pound frame too didn’t exactly harm him either!
911: The Gimmick
He debuted on an edition of ECW Hardcore TV airing on January 18th.
He served as the handler of Sabu, who at the time wore a Hannibal Lecter-like mask and was strapped to a gurney to prevent him from embarking on his fetishisation for putting himself and others through tables.
It was not until February 8th that he was named 911, being the number manager Paul E. Dangerously would ring to bring out the man mountain.
Soon enough, 911 caught on and was one of the most popular acts on the roster for one reason: the chokeslam.
He hit it on everyone; Francine, Bill Alfonso, and even Santa Claus! On enhancement talent, he would perform a double chokeslam whilst one of his more impressive feats was lifting the 450-pound Bruiser Mastino (Mantaur) up for the manoeuvre.
His incredibly popular rampage also gave bookers a good out. At Hardcore Heaven 1995, a match pitting Chad Austin and The Broadstreet Bully (Tony Stetson) against Don E. Allen and Dino Sendoff featured a botched backdrop, causing fans to turn on the encounter. Even commentator Joey Styles remarked: “I think it’s save to assume this match will never see the air.” Amidst jeering, 911 arrived to his signature tune “Frankenstein”, chokeslammed all the combatants, and left to leave the fans on a high.
Awards, Adulation, and Accolades
911 had a high profile upon arrival, being a member of Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance stable (distinct from the WCW group in the early 90s), alongside Taz and Sabu.
He was also involved in the 1994 tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight championship. In the first match, he defeated Borne Again (Matt Borne/Doink The Clown) but lost to 2 Cold Scorpio in the semi-finals via count-out.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated readers voted 911 the Rookie of the Year, which Poling later called “the best thing that’s ever happened to me in wrestling…it was such an honour.” He also won the publication’s unofficial award for Coolest Name.
In April 1995, 911 scored the biggest victory of his career when he beat former WCW champion Ron Simmons at Hostile City Showdown.
At Hardcore Heaven, he delivered the chokeslam to Shane Douglas, which kayfabe led to his departure from the company to jump ship to the World Wrestling Federation.
His final match of this run was at January 1996’s House Party where he teamed with Rey Mysterio to defeat The Eliminators. At that same event, partner Mysterio cut his first-ever promo whilst “The Franchise” made his return.
During that encounter, a rivalry was set up with Taz although that never materialised.
According to Scott E. Williams’s Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW, Dangerously reportedly fired 911 over his reckless treatment of ring crew.
The promotion buried 911 on the way out, saying he was too scared to wrestle “The Human Suplex Machine”.
Atlanta Days
By the end of 1996, he found himself in WCW.
On the last Nitro before Christmas, he made his first appearance under the guise of Tombstone, losing to Lex Luger.
During his very brief time in the company, he also underwent the names Sledgehammer and Big Al, losing to big names like The Giant and Chris Benoit.
According to Tom Green, the former 911 was shuffled out after an alleged backstage incident with Alex Wright over refusing to lose.
Later Career
In 1998, 911 made a one-off appearance on a September edition of Hardcore TV. He lost in short order to Spike Dudley, who was in the midst of his “Giant Killer” run, quickly beating superheavyweights like One Man Gang, Mr Hughes, and Mabel.
Pinned after Dudley hit his acid trip finisher, it would be 911’s only decisive loss on broadcast ECW programming.
Sandwiched between his ECW appearance were two Jersey All Pro Wrestling world title reigns. Also in 1998, he won the NWA World Light Heavyweight title but was soon stripped of the prize for being way about the weight limit; you would question why he was given a title shot in the first place. The belt was subsequently awarded to ECW alumni Johnny Hotbody.
Mostly however, he appeared for ECW themed shows. In June 2002, he chokeslammed The Sandman on behalf of Tod Gordon and Sabu for Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling and in 2005, he appeared at ECW Hardcore Homecoming, chokeslamming Danny Doring and Roadkill.
Why Was 911 Never In WWE?
The reasons 911 was never signed up to the WWF remain unknown but we can only speculate.
To say he never wrestled in the WWF is a bit of a misnomer as he wrestled two matches as enhancement talent in 1990, wrestling The Rockers and The Hart Foundation.
Perhaps the most obvious reason he was never on the roster though was his limited in-ring skill. Dangerously was always reticent to have 911 wrestling competitive matches even in spite of 911’s pleas to do so, which contradicts with the Wrestling Observer’s claims he was being built for a feud with Road Warrior Hawk at one point.
The matches did somewhat expose his lack of talent but he would not have been the worst the WWF would have signed. That said, why would WWF want 911 when they already had a stacked roster by his post-WCW run, including other more successful big men like The Undertaker, Kane, and Vader?
Although his gimmick worked with a loyalist ECW crowd, there are too questions as to how well it could have worked in the more orderly, more commercial WWF.
Another thing of note is that by 1997 when Poling had departed from WCW, he was already 40 years old.
The closest he ever came to the WWE after his ECW career was at 1995’s In Your House: Season’s Beatings when the Philadelphia crowd broke out into 911 chants after a chokeslam.
Personal Life
Today, Al Poling has his own construction business in New Jersey, A & T Builders. According to their Facebook page, they can build anything; “whether it’s a new house, pole barn, shed, or any kind of room addition.”
His LinkedIn page notes he has been a part of the business since 1977.
He also has 911’s Body Slam Wrestling School which trains wrestlers with a starting fee of $300 and costing $150 a month.
He has eight children, with son Vinny also in the wrestling business.
Legacy
Whatculture wrote of 911: “[He] has become one of those cult-like phenomenons that ECW is well-remembered for producing.”
Indeed, 911 had great popularity during his run although he was never a titleholder, a great worker, or wrestled many matches at all.
911’s story is that of a star whose downsides were hidden behind his upsides in an illustration of the creative genius of Paul E. Dangerously.
Today, perhaps his greatest impact was being the man to popularise the chokeslam in the western world.
One of the staples of early ECW as it transitioned from Eastern to Extreme, Dangerously has said of 911: “He was one of the popular and iconic stars of the early days of ECW. No history of ECW can truly be written without including a chapter on 911.”
GRIFFIN KAYE.
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