Pennsylvania has always been known for their rowdy sports fans. Whether it is their raucous support for their hometown teams or their unflinching hatred for their opponents, the people of Pennsylvania are not afraid to express how they feel. This also applies to their pro wrestling fans.
The WWWF and Bruno Sammartino
Back when pro wrestling was divided into territories back in the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s, the World Wide Wrestling Federation stretched from Washington DC up into Maine and over west to Pennsylvania. Vince McMahon, Sr. ran the majority of his television tapings out of Allentown, Pennsylvania, while running monthly non-televised events out of Philadelphia and Hamburg.
But it was Vince, Sr.’s prized World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino who helped make Pennsylvania famous in the wrestling world. An Italian immigrant, Sammartino and his family settled in Pittsburgh to start anew. Sammartino began wrestling professionally and became the cornerstone for McMahon’s WWWF territory in 1963 when he beat the original “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers to become the second ever WWWF World Heavyweight Champion (the same Championship now held by John Cena.) Sammartino would hold that Championship for over seven straight years, from May 1963 until January 1971. Almost three years later, in December 1973, he would win that Championship once again by defeating Stan “The Man” Stasiak. Sammartino would hold that belt for another three and a half years straight before losing it to WWE Hall of Fame member “Superstar” Billy Graham.
After he lost his second WWWF Championship he was still an integral part of the company. In January 1980, Sammartino battled his legitimate (and televised) student Larry Zbyzsko in a “scientific exhibition” on an episode of Championship Wrestling only for Zbyzsko to violently turn on his mentor, hitting him with a steel chair. This betrayal led to a wild series of house show events that made Zbyzsko, also a legitimate Pittsburgh native, a household name in the wrestling business.
Extreme Championship Wrestling
“E-C-W! E-C-W! E-C-W!”
Those three letters have defined in pro wrestling in Pennsylvania for the past fifteen years.
After the territories dried up and the American wrestling scene became a “two-party system” between the WWF and WCW, small independent organizations became the new scene for wrestlers to cut their teeth or for older wrestlers to prolong their career. In the early ‘90s, Joel Goodhart created Tri-State Wrestling, which evolved into Eastern Championship Wrestling when Goodhart sold out to his partner Tod Gordon. Gordon used the late vastly underrated wrestler “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert as his matchmaker. Gilbert brought a violent, hardcore style to the promotion that worked until a conflict between Gilbert and Gordon led to the dismissal of “Hot Stuff.”
Paul Heyman (the former Paul E. Dangerously from the AWA and WCW) became the company’s head guy. He saw ECW as a counterculture to WWF and WCW, like the grunge movement of its day, and turned wrestling on its head. In participation with the NWA, ECW held a NWA World Title tournament to crown a new Champion. In June 1994 Shane Douglas, a Pittsburgh native, won the NWA Title tournament (and the Championship) only to turn the whole thing on its ear.
Shane Douglas throws down the NWA World Championship:
With Douglas throwing the NWA Title down and declaring himself the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion a new era was born. Paul Heyman had a vision for pro wrestling and used ECW to deliver his plan. He brought “hardcore” violent wrestling to a more mainstream audience. He built cards around violent matches, combined with high-flying and technically based bouts.
So much can, and will, be made of the legacy of Extreme Championship Wrestling in the future, but enjoy this as a quick synopsis on the “house Philadelphia built.”
ECW made its home in Viking Arena on the corner of Swanson and Ritter Streets in south Philadelphia. When they started booking Saturday night shows at the Arena it was primarily used as a bingo hall. Thanks to men and women like Shane Douglas, The Sandman, Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Public Enemy, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, The Dudley Boyz and Francine that Arena became known as the “ECW Arena,” the home of some of the most legitimate wrestling in the country at the time. Not bad for an old warehouse. In fact ECW broadcast Barely Legal, their first live pay-per-view event from the venue in April 1997. Moments after the show ended, a blown transistor caused the building to lose power. That remains the only pro wrestling event to be broadcast live on television from the venue.
Kurt Angle
Pittsburgh native, and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle made an appearance at an ECW television taping in October at the request of Shane Douglas. He provided guest commentary during a match between legit talents named Taz and Little Guido. However he stormed out of the building after a storyline later in the show that saw Raven and his cronies put The Sandman on a homemade wooden cross and carry him out of the arena. Angle, floored by the ridiculousness of the storyline, stormed out of the Arena and threatened to sue Paul Heyman if it ever aired on television. It never aired on TV, Raven was forced to apologize to the live crowd for his actions and Angle swore off pro wrestling.
Two years later Angle was wrestling on WWF pay per view after being convinced by Vince McMahon. By 2006 Angle represented McMahon’s new “WWE-sized” version of the ECW brand and worked with Heyman on television, a man he swore off a decade earlier.
Other independent organizations
That Arena was the heart and soul of Extreme Championship Wrestling until it closed its doors in early 2001. It was not too long after that went other independent wrestling organizations popped up in Philadelphia and made the ECW Arena their home. Xtreme Pro Wrestling, owned by porn director Rob Black, signed an exclusive lease with the Arena in late 2002 and unofficially renamed the building the XPW Arena and prevented other promotions from utilizing it. But XPW went out of business in 2003, and the lease was voided.
The building's name was officially changed from The Viking Arena to New Alhambra Sports & Entertainment Center in 2004, and was later shortened to New Alhambra Arena in 2006 and Alhambra Arena in 2008. Into 2009 it was simply renamed officially to The Arena, which for hardcore professional wrestling fans makes complete sense.
It became the home to many independent organizations in the northeast, ranging from 3PW, Combat Zone Wrestling, Ring of Honor, CHIKARA and Dragon Gate USA.
Each independent organization has used The Arena in its own personal histories. Dragon Gate USA hosted their first event on July 25, 2009, in that very arena. CHIKARA has used The Arena as the home for their Wrestle Factory training facility since March 2005. CZW booked an event the night the crew from The Wrestler was on hand to film the violent battle between Mickey Rourke’s character Randy “The Ram” Robinson and The Necro Butcher.
Pennsylvania is not only host to many past and present wrestling organizations, it is also home to many past and present wrestlers. The state has a fierce wrestling tradition where they cheer who they want and when they want.
Other top wrestling states:
Michigan
Georgia
Florida
North Carolina
California
Tennessee
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