redoneja
05-01-2006, 04:19 PM
IT'S OFFICIAL: WWE IS BRINGING EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING HOME TO PHILADELPHIA
by Mike Johnson (Mike@PWInsider.com) @ 12:52:00 PM on 5/1/2006
The official website for the former ECW Arena, the New Alahambra in Philadelphia is now listing "WWE Presents ECW" for their upcoming events on Saturday 6/24. A scheduled Pro Wrestling Unplugged event for that evening has been moved to the night before, Friday 6/23.
During ECW's legendary run, the former Bingo Hall was the base of operations for ECW during its rise into a cult phenomenon in 1993, hosting major ECW events every few weeks. It was also the site of the company's first PPV, Barely Legal, in April 1997.
With the reputation of having the best ECW shows, the Arena was a throwback to the legendary old "smoky arenas" where the in-ring action was so intimate that you could end up with the ECW stars landing in your lap, diving over (or past you) into the third row onto their opponents, or even decimating your entire section of seating during bloody brawl. The venue quickly evolved into a special destination point for hardcore fans to converge from all over the globe for major events. Many of the fan chants and antics that have become synonymous with ECW over time were born in the venue, which was considered at the time to have the greatest of any ECW venue for atmosphere.
The last official Extreme Championship Wrestling event held in the building was December 23, 2000, headlined by then-ECW World champion Steve Corino defeating Justin Credible and the Sandman in a Three-Way Dance that saw fans throw dozens of chairs into the ring. The undercard featured Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri defeating the FBI in a best of Three Falls bout, Jerry Lynn defeating Spike Dudley, CW Anderson defeating Super Crazy, EZ Money defeating Nova (now known as Simon Dean), and a six man tag featuring EZ Money & Julio Dinero & Chris Hamrick defeating Tommy Dreamer & Christian York & Joey Matthews (now known as MNM's Joey Mercury). Other stars who appeared included the final ECW World Tag Team champions Danny Doring and Roadkill, Da Baldies, Rhino, The Blue Meanie, Chilly Willy, Bilvis Wesley, Balls Mahoney, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, and Cyrus.
Since ECW shut down operations, the venue has become a haven for independent wrestling promoters. Hardcore Homecoming has run several successful events in the venue, shattering it's all time gate record last June for their debut event. Other companies past and present that have run the venue since ECW closed it's doors include Combat Zone Wrestling, JAPW, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, XPW, CHIKARA, IWA Mid-South, Ring of Honor, MLW, MECW, Women's Extreme Wrestling, among many others. TNA is slated to make their debut in the Arena on Friday 6/9, with a show titled "Hardcore War" that will be headlined by AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels for the X-Division championship. Tickets for that event have moved quickly, with a sellout expected by the end of this week.
by Mike Johnson (Mike@PWInsider.com) @ 12:52:00 PM on 5/1/2006
The official website for the former ECW Arena, the New Alahambra in Philadelphia is now listing "WWE Presents ECW" for their upcoming events on Saturday 6/24. A scheduled Pro Wrestling Unplugged event for that evening has been moved to the night before, Friday 6/23.
During ECW's legendary run, the former Bingo Hall was the base of operations for ECW during its rise into a cult phenomenon in 1993, hosting major ECW events every few weeks. It was also the site of the company's first PPV, Barely Legal, in April 1997.
With the reputation of having the best ECW shows, the Arena was a throwback to the legendary old "smoky arenas" where the in-ring action was so intimate that you could end up with the ECW stars landing in your lap, diving over (or past you) into the third row onto their opponents, or even decimating your entire section of seating during bloody brawl. The venue quickly evolved into a special destination point for hardcore fans to converge from all over the globe for major events. Many of the fan chants and antics that have become synonymous with ECW over time were born in the venue, which was considered at the time to have the greatest of any ECW venue for atmosphere.
The last official Extreme Championship Wrestling event held in the building was December 23, 2000, headlined by then-ECW World champion Steve Corino defeating Justin Credible and the Sandman in a Three-Way Dance that saw fans throw dozens of chairs into the ring. The undercard featured Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri defeating the FBI in a best of Three Falls bout, Jerry Lynn defeating Spike Dudley, CW Anderson defeating Super Crazy, EZ Money defeating Nova (now known as Simon Dean), and a six man tag featuring EZ Money & Julio Dinero & Chris Hamrick defeating Tommy Dreamer & Christian York & Joey Matthews (now known as MNM's Joey Mercury). Other stars who appeared included the final ECW World Tag Team champions Danny Doring and Roadkill, Da Baldies, Rhino, The Blue Meanie, Chilly Willy, Bilvis Wesley, Balls Mahoney, Joey Styles, Joel Gertner, and Cyrus.
Since ECW shut down operations, the venue has become a haven for independent wrestling promoters. Hardcore Homecoming has run several successful events in the venue, shattering it's all time gate record last June for their debut event. Other companies past and present that have run the venue since ECW closed it's doors include Combat Zone Wrestling, JAPW, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, XPW, CHIKARA, IWA Mid-South, Ring of Honor, MLW, MECW, Women's Extreme Wrestling, among many others. TNA is slated to make their debut in the Arena on Friday 6/9, with a show titled "Hardcore War" that will be headlined by AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels for the X-Division championship. Tickets for that event have moved quickly, with a sellout expected by the end of this week.