A good article about CZW

[Sadistic]

Have a read, I liked it. I made one part bold for a lot of you. Hopefully you can understand.

CZW survives fives years

By COREY DAVID LACROIX - SLAM! Wrestling

PHILADELPHIA - Running a prosperous business is never easy. Running a prosperous wrestling promotion is almost insurmountable. With no shortage of financial hurdles, government regulations and rivals plotting against you from the shadows, making it in the squared circle business can be more of a sojourn in survival than success.

Recently, New Jersey based Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) celebrated their fifth anniversary, a significant landmark for a promotion that is standing tall amid the graveyard of fallen professional wrestling would-haves.

"In the wrestling business, it is a huge achievement," reflected John Zandig, owner of CZW, in an exclusive pre-anniversary interview with SLAM! Wrestling in Philadelphia. "Most promotions don't make it past one year. Over five years, we've made a lot of accomplishments; we've done a whole lot more than the average promotion."

For Zandig, the journey for CZW started with a vision of creating a promotion that would push the boundaries of the accepted standard professional wrestling product. It manifested itself into the promotions established doctrine of ultra violent entertainment. As Zandig himself pointed out, pundits were quick to launch comparisons of CZW to another innovative promotion that was shattering conservative concepts of wrestling at that time, called Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).

"I've heard of us referred to as the bastard, step-child of ECW," said Zandig, admitting that he was familiar with ECW, having both attended and watched their shows. "I knew who ECW was, but I didn't really follow it. I would come up with these things and everybody would go 'Paul E (Paul Heyman) already did that.' I was like, Jesus, this guy has done everything. I think me and Paul think alike. I didn't build this because of ECW, I didn't build this to be a step-child of ECW."

The humble beginnings of CZW began in 1998 with Zandig's take charge attitude towards his own career as a wrestler. Only after attending an unnamed wrestling school, did he come to a harsh realization of his own in-ring abilities. "I did some indy stuff, watched the tapes afterwards and said 'Oh my God, I don't know anything.' So I decided to get my own ring, my own building and I'm going to start training myself more."


The New Jersey based facility soon manifested itself into a wrestling school. It was from here that CZW began to present wrestling shows to the public. "The guys coming in, little by little, were overwhelming the talent they had and we did some free shows. The response from the people was they wanted more. I then decided to go from a school to a promotion," Zandig said.

The promotion would remain in its birthplace up until the year 2000, when Zandig was forced to seek out an alternative home base to produce shows. That location would end being nearby Philadelphia.

But any fears of competing against the already entrenched ECW would soon evaporate for Zandig and company as ECW would soon close up shop in early 2001.

"I'll be honest, I think a lot of the ECW fans felt like they got smacked in the face," said Zandig. "They (ECW) went national, they stopped coming to Philly as much as they did, they toned down what they were and I feel a lot of the fans just got disgusted with that. It wasn't intentional, I'm sure Paul was doing what he thought was best for the company."

So, amid the wave of change that was washing through the Philadelphia wrestling scene, did CZW find itself on the receiving end of a mass exodus of ECW refugees?

"When ECW was done, they (ECW fans) were done with wrestling, because they supported them for so long. When they went out of business and left them in the cold, they didn't want to go through supporting another company. Did we get some of them? Yeah, we did get some of them, but not as many as I would have liked to," Zandig said.

But what Zandig did get which has proven crucial to the hardcore following of his promotion by Philly fans, was an invitation to run shows at the famed Viking Hall, otherwise known as the ECW Arena.

It was a move that Zandig was cautious to make.

"When ECW still ran in here, we were offered to run in this building," Zandig recalled. "But I said, 'This is ECW's home, I don't want to do that.' I said when it's time to go to the arena; it's time to go the arena. I'll know when."

Eventually CZW, with a home grown roster, would assume the role of being the new wrestling tenant of the building. It proved to be the right fit as the promotion racked up high attendance numbers for its shows.

But what initially appeared to be a new and lucrative market for CZW would prove to have its own hurdles that would force the promotion to test its resolve in making it in the City of Brotherly Love.

"We came into Philly and everybody and their brother complained and bitched," recalled Zandig. "They called the athletic commission. They came in and said 'John, we don't want this, we don't want that. You can't do this, you can't do this.' They were going to bring in the FBI, they were going bring the SWAT team, they were going to bring in everything because their heads were so filled up with garbage from other promoters who didn't want us to be successful."

Making the promotion susceptible to opposing forces was its own brand of hardcore wrestling. Premiere events like the annual Cage of Death, along with any other show where tables, light tubes, barb-wire and yes, even a weed-wacker, were utilized, only provided ammunition to those who wanted to see CZW fail.

"What we do is controlled chaos," Zandig said, explaining delivering his product comes with the approval of the athletic commission in Pennsylvania.

"You talk to the athletic commission, you tell them what you're going to do. There's a way of doing things; wrestling is the entertainment business. You need to tell them who's going to be here, who's in charge, they need to know. We do have to give them an idea of what we're going to do."

Of the varied aggressors that CZW faced, the one that stands out the most was the now-defunct California based Xtreme Professional Wrestling (XPW) promotion. Debuting in Philadelphia in the summer of 2002, the group for a brief time was successful in driving Zandig's company out of Viking Hall.

"They came in here and I guess they decided to run us out and be the big shots," said Zandig, telling of how the rival wrestling company blatantly disregarded the proper and safe manner if which to run a show. The end result was a face-to-face meeting with the state athletic commission where new rules were implemented, which severely curtailed the type of hardcore spots that could be presented.

"It was never CZW's fault but in the eyes of a lot of people here in Pennsylvania, they probably think it was our fault," he said.

Only adding to Zandig's list of annoyances committed by XPW, was the promotion's attempt to acquire talent from CZW.

"They tried to get several guys," Zandig said, admitting his rival was successful in recruiting some members of his roster, including one of the promotion's top names, Justice Pain. "One guy doesn't make CZW. It's everybody together that makes CZW."

But persevere CZW did and, with XPW fleeing the market and eventually collapsing, Zandig and his roster would make their triumphant return to Viking Hall in early 2003. But the damage was done.

"In reality, we lost a lot of our fans. We couldn't give them what we wanted to give them. That hurt us," said Zandig.

In no way was CZW about to close up shop in light of the new restraints placed upon it. In typical fashion, Zandig carried on and continued to promote his wrestling product. One particular feature of the promotion that Zandig takes great pride in is the annual Best of Best tournament, featuring the promotion's high-flying, junior heavyweight grapplers.

"It's basically a time for the juniors to showcase their talent. CZW has some of the best juniors in the world as far as I'm concerned," declared Zandig.

One of those junior stand outs that took full advantage of the CZW junior environment is independent wrestling sensation, Sonjay Dutt.

"It's like any profession, you're given an avenue, you're given a forum. Once you're given it, it's up to you to do something with it," said Dutt, making it clear that the promotion provided him the platform to build himself into the breakout talent that he has become. "Before CZW, I really had nothing. I worked indies in Virginia and North Carolina, but it wasn't the exposure that CZW had. But when I was given the forum of CZW, I did everything in my power to run with the ball."

But Sonjay did confide in his frustration over the way the promotion as a whole has been ignored by the wrestling media, which in turn has allowed many other talented workers in the company go unnoticed.

"It's not just the junior heavyweights, I think it's pretty much the whole damn company. We have such a great crew here." he said. "When you have that stigma (hardcore), it's always hard to overcome that. But I think it is up to the individual to overcome that. If you look at me, I did everything in my power to overcome that. I'm an example that it can be done."

Those sentiments were backed up by Zandig, noting that on every CZW card, there is more than an abundance of wrestling matches, devoid of any hardcore antics. "We do those matches every month, but that's not what you hear about," he said.

"You hear about Zandig jumping off a building, or Mondo (Sick Nick Mondo) jumping off a truck, or somebody getting lit on fire. You don't hear about all the great wrestling, the high flying, the technical. I think it's time for people to open their eyes and say 'Hey man, these guys ain't just hardcore, look at what they're doing.' We do it all and more people in the world need to know that," Zandig said.
And that is just what CZW is continuing to do. Lead by its flagship outlet "CZW Fake You TV", broadcasted in several northeastern states, Italy and the new wrestling channel based in the British Isles starting in March, the promotion continues to reach out to the wrestling masses.

But if you think for a second that Zandig is content with his success in survival, think again.

"I want to do four pay per views a year," he said. "Video distribution is coming soon. We're working on our first six DVD releases. We'll be out in the stores nationally. A Combat Zone Wrestling video game; we're negotiating that. We just signed a contract with France, which will be Quebec, France, Belgium and, I think, Switzerland."

Making what CZW has and will achieve is the die-hard roster that Zandig confesses is always striving to set new precedents of in-ring mayhem.

"My guys, I don't have to ask them anything," Zandig said, noting that in some instances, he must restrain some wrestlers from taking unnecessary risks.

"My guys will come to me and say 'John, I want to take a big bump.' There are certain guys who get over certain ways. Some guys will come up and they want to do this big bump, and I'll say you don't need to. But every now and then, you give it to them. The bar is so freakin' high, it's scary sometimes."

To find out more about CZW, visit their website: www.czwwrestling.com.

[Nark Order]

They're still morons.

[Xero]

You want to know WHY no one hears about it? Because the garbage wrestling is what the CZW fans seem to give a shit about. You never hear someone who is a CZW fan explaining to a wrestling fan who has never seen CZW about the 'normal' wrestling. The garbage wrestling overshadows the 'normal' wrestling for hardcore CZW fans and 'normal' fans alike.

You know, it wouldn't be a month on TPWW without a good 'ol CZW bashing thread started by the CZW fan. (Notice how I used 'the' instead of 'a'.)

[KayfabeMan]

Yep, the majority of CZW fans consistently preach about balcony dives, light tubes and table spots - yet never mention the fact that Mike Quackenbush put on a ***** match at the shows. CHIKARA fans know where real wrestling and entertainment is at, and they support it. CZW's fans nearly always praise the negative and overlook the positive.

[PureHatred]

That's because CZW fans are the guys who keep Bum Fights and Faces of Death videos in business.

[redoneja]

The hardcore crap in CZW serves absolutely no purpose. There is ZERO psychology. If it served a purpose in telling the story of the match, then its ok. Otherwise, its pure garbage. Period.

[The One]

Originally Posted by PureHatred That's because CZW fans are the guys who keep Bum Fights and Faces of Death videos in business.

Don't forget "Best of Backyard Wrestling" and "Fighting's Greatest Sports Injuries".

[PureHatred]

Originally Posted by redoneja The hardcore crap in CZW serves absolutely no purpose. There is ZERO psychology. If it served a purpose in telling the story of the match, then its ok. Otherwise, its pure garbage. Period.

The thing is, I'm not a wrestling elitist. Hell, I really like AJ Styles and he's definitely a little spot happy. But at some point when you are breaking out weed wackers and staple guns and soldering irons and hot pokers and plates of glass you are basically overshadowing everything else you put out there for your fans. If CZW wanted people to know them for wrestling, then that's what they'd do. If their fans were interested in wrestling, that's what they would talk about and POP for.

But in both cases, they don't. The company sells gore to people who want to watch gore. 'Wrestling' is just the medium.

Defending that type of company by pointing out the wrestling on the card is like defending pedophilia by pointing outt hat the ancient greeks used to love man-boy love. Sure its true, but it doesn't change the fact that its fucking wrong.

[Jaton]

When it all boils down to it, CZW is just crap.

[Jaton]

It's an insult to what guys like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, etc..busted their asses to build.

[The One]

Nah...CZW is an insult to what Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Kevin Sullivan, and every other hardcore WRESTLING icon built.

[Jaton]

No, it still pisses on the legacy of professional wrestling and hardcore wrestling.

[Nervous Ferret]

I have never heard of CZW

[The One]

I say it pisses more on Hardcore Wrestling then it does on wrestling as a whole. Hell even Hogan marks look at CZW with pitty. It is a disgrace to ECW, to guys who went out there and truly innovated violent wrestling, it is a disservice to anyone who has ever been a wrestling purist. It is a false form of an art form brought on by guys like Flair, Race, and Steamboat, but it is nothing less then shitting on a variation of that form that certain guys put their lives on the line to create.

[Jaton]

Originally Posted by Nervous Ferret I have never heard of CZW

It stands for Combat Zone wrestling. Need I say more?

[Destor]

It defiantly shits on the FMW. And they are the godfathers of garbage wrestling.

[Nervous Ferret]

sounds like the kind of thing somebody named "Sadistic" would like.

[Jaton]

The One: It's like comparing the art direction of South Park to Monet or Van Gogh..yeah, it's the same gist, and can be entertaining at times. But it's just an insult.

[The One]

Point well taken. But in the same breath, no one involved with South Park has ever uttered the words "South Part" and "Art" in the same breath...or at least if they did I blocked it out of my memory.

[PureHatred]

For the record, when its at its best, South Park is one of the best written and most clever satirical shows on TV.

The entire debate over steroids in sports was never handled better than in that episode where Cartman pretended to be retarded to compete in the Special Olympics.

[Nervous Ferret]

yeah LOL

[Jaton]

Originally Posted by PureHatred For the record, when its at its best, South Park is one of the best written and most clever satirical shows on TV. The entire debate over steroids in sports was never handled better than in that episode where Cartman pretended to be retarded to compete in the Special Olympics.

I don't dislike South Park. I'm saying if they referred to it as art, especially compared to the guys I mentioned.

[PureHatred]

Art is just a weird comparison, I guess. Because its so subjective. I'm not going to get way off track here. This would actually be something for Discussion. But I just think that there is so much stuff in the dada movement and in various post modern non representational styles that aren't necessarily technically "beautiful" that judging art on its face value is sort of crass....the subject matter and context should always be accounted for.

Also, CZW = is gay.

[The One]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to PureHatred again.

[Jaton]

Originally Posted by PureHatred Art is just a weird comparison, I guess. Because its so subjective. I'm not going to get way off track here. This would actually be something for Discussion. But I just think that there is so much stuff in the dada movement and in various post modern non representational styles that aren't necessarily technically "beautiful" that judging art on its face value is sort of crass....the subject matter and context should always be accounted for. Also, CZW = is gay.

.


In that same sense, you can say wrestling is subjective. There are those of us who were raised on it, and appreciate it without light bulbs and c4, and there are those of us who got into it within the last few years and the things we've grown to love don't impress them.

[The One]

Owwwwwwww! Can I just say I think a bit of my soul dies every time I realise that there are some people who would rather watch a Cena/Batista match then a Flair/Race match?

[Jaton]

Yes, because I completely agree with you.

But for what it's worth, I believe Batista puts more into it than Cena. That's just my opinion, though.

[James Steele]

I think the problem is that people have forgotten what wrestling was like with good psychology. Other than Angle,Guerrero,Benoit,Jericho ( ), HBK,Flair, and HHH there is little to none great psychology so they have gotten used to people resorting to the "extremes" to get people into their matches. People love drama, but people (whether they admit it or not) like random violence and gore, however, when all you have is the latter the people will become numb to it and you have to raise the level of violence and the cycle continues until Darwinism comes into play and one of the sons of bitches dies in the ring from an electric powered staple gun in the chest.

[Destor]

Originally Posted by The One Owwwwwwww! Can I just say I think a bit of my soul dies every time I realise that there are some people who would rather watch a Cena/Batista match then a Flair/Race match?

Surely no one is that tasteless.

[The One]

Destor...you would be suprised...you would be suprised.

[The One]

Back in High School I remember hearing some kids talk about how they liked The Giant more then the Hart becuase Giant was big and his matches wern't, and I quote, "Long and boring"

[Destor]

You know, I named my dog after Race.

[redoneja]

nothing to be ashamed of

[PureHatred]

I call my penis The Dr of Styles

[redoneja]

I call mine "little red". You know, I have red hair....

[Nervous Ferret]

Basically

Nervous Ferret=God

[loopydate]

'Least you don't call it "Booger Red."

[Mr. JL]

Since I am open minded, I bit torrented a bunch of CZW shows to search for these so called great spectacles of professional wrestling that "existed" in CZW. I only found a rare few good matches and the CZW crowd was silent. Most of the matches without violent weapons just included Sonjay Dutt and a hundred other skinny guys like him flipping around the ring, showing no emotion or gimmick.

[Joey Slugs]

CZW, just like it's fans, should be wiped off the face of the earth. I don't care if it's been around 5 years or 2 weeks, it will always be a piece of shit federation. People can defend it til they are blue in the face, but the fact still remains: (I'll even bold it for you)

Glorified backyard federations are a complete slap in the face to anyone who has ever busted their ass to make wrestling what it is today.

Did guys like Hogan, Andre, Flair, Rhodes, & Race need broken glass and spots off of buildings to get over?

Didn't think so.

[Corkscrewed]

I could write my opinions... but everyone basically summed it up.

Even if they have actual wrestling, none of their fans care. They're known for trash BYW style crap, and it's a disgrace to wrestling.