AS I SEE IT - 5/05/2003:
On May 10, celebrate a "decade of defiance" at the ECW Arena

by: Bob Magee

Back on June 11, 2002, I first speculated in my AS I SEE IT column that it would be nice to see Philadelphia area independent promotions remember the fact that May 14, 2003 would bring the tenth anniversary of professional wrestling at the ECW Arena.

Eight months later, I again outlined some of my ECW Arena memories here, remembering the strange looking building that became the world's most famous Bingo Hall...the building that truly became the ECW Arena.

From May 14, 1993 to December 23, 2000, ECW created 7 1/2 years of unparalleled magic in one of the most improbable locations ever to hold wrestling on a regular basis.

If someone had told us back in 1993 that this fledging wrestling promotion owned by a center city pawnbroker, would make its home in this improbable place... would be seen nationwide on cable television... would go on PPV from it in 1997... would have wrestling fans around the world chanting "ECW...ECW...ECW", to this very day...no one would have believed them.

But that's exactly what happened.

Since ECW's departure, Combat Zone Wrestling became the most successful of the independent promoters running the ECW Arena since ECW's departure; debuting there in December 2001 with their annual Cage of Death show. The promotion has been running monthly at the Arena since then (with a two month interlude during which XPW ran the venue exclusively).

As the promotion that has inherited the most famous Bingo Hall in the world, along with the renegade spirit it has symbolized to wrestling fans, CZW will celebrate the tenth anniversary of wrestling at the ECW Arena, as it returns on Saturday, May 10th for "Then and Now: Celebrating a Decade of Defiance".

Matches officially announced so far are:

Tickets are available, and may be reserved by calling (856) 742-7061, by emailing beaners_13@yahoo.com or by using the CZW Online Ticket Reservations System at http://www.czwwrestling.com/Tickets/vikinghalltickets.html.

(NOTE: All online or phone orders/reservations for tickets to LIVE CZW events must be paid in full prior to the night of the event for which the ticket was purchased. Payment is accepted in the form of cash or money orders ONLY!)

General admission tickets are also available at these remote ticket locations:

Pennsylvania outlets

New Jersey outlets


Fans will also be traveling down from the Boston area, courtesy of Pro Wrestling Tours. Their trip will leave from the Kappy's Liquor Store parking lot in Medford, MA (10 minutes outside Boston), at 8:00 am on May 10th. The price for the trip is $65.00, which includes tickets to the event and travel to and from Philadelphia.

Boston fans that are interested in attending this trip or have any questions, can check out PW Tours.com or contact James Quinlan at ProWrestlingTours@hotmail.com

May 10th will, no doubt, be an occasion for fans and friends from the old days of the ECW Arena, who've never seen a CZW show, to use this occasion... to run into some old faces and relive old and unique memories that only those who were there live could know...


For all of you that remember those things and more...who haven't been to the old place at Swanson and Ritner for a while, take some time Saturday night and come back for a visit...relive some memories.

Come see those who've inherited this famous building, and make yourself new memories.

Until next time...

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(If you have comments or questions, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)