This is actually my second go around with this theme. I had originally done an ECW themed pair back in 2015 (check them out here) but had been wanting to revisit this idea for years. I finally decided to make it happen, but this time around, I wanted to do the photos at a specific spot, so I decided to take a trip back to where the revolution all started: The ECW Arena in South Philadelphia (formerly known as Viking Hall, The New Alhambra, and today known as the 2300 Arena).
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a wrestling promotion that existed from 1992 to 2001. Founded by Tod Gordon and later run by Paul Heyman, ECW originally started as Eastern Championship Wrestling and was under the banner of the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) before breaking off from them after the infamous moment where then ECW champion "The Franchise" Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World title after having just won a tournament to become the new champion and declared himself the first ever ECW World Heavyweight Champion, ushering in a new era for the company as it went from "Eastern" to "Extreme", and the rest is history.
Having grown up in Philly, I was a massive ECW fan back then and used to go to shows with my best friend every month. I've seen a lot of classic matches and moments, seen the debuts of wrestlers who went on to become legends, and met a lot of cool fans over the years.
Coming back here to take these photos brought back a lot of fun memories. All the times I've waited in line for hours to go into that smoke filled arena which had no air conditioning at the time was totally worth it, because we got treated to some of the best wrestling on the planet. In my opinion, ECW was blowing away anything that WWF/WWE and WCW were doing at the time.
It's been a while since I've been here and inside the building (haven't been in since it became the 2300 Arena) but I have seen photos and the interior is a lot nicer than it was back then and also, they've expanded the building since then. I may need to come down here for an event again in the future.
ECW changed professional wrestling in ways that are still being felt to this very day. When certain talents from back then (including Paul Heyman himself) make appearances at certain events, fans still break out into "ECW" chants. The company was truly lightning in a bottle.
So there you have it, my newest homage to Extreme Championship Wrestling!
Although these are not currently in the store section, you can send a message through the contact form on the website if you are interested in your own pair or any other wrestling theme that you would like to see brought to life!
Thanks for stopping by! E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB!
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