Growing up as a young pro wrestling fan in the 1990s, I was lucky to have experienced a magical time when WCW Nitro and WWE Raw were running hot and heavy. I also discovered another renegade, rough-around-the-edges (in the best possible way) company called ECW.
I somehow came across it on a local station that also aired Memphis’ USWA and late at night on Sunshine Network in South Florida. The atmosphere you could liken to a rowdy rock show or college rager. Beers and blood flowed on the regular. Characters were more grounded and gritty. The show’s biting video packages and overall presentation were accompanied by a killer soundtrack. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was introduced to the likes of Alice & Chains, The Offspring, and Pantera through ECW.
Since ECW produced a more adult-oriented product, it was no surprise that when it ran the War Memorial Auditorium in South Florida I remember you had to be a certain age or be with an adult of 18 and over to attend. Now this could have been what my parents told me, but I do also vaguely recall that being a rule.
Anyway, since I was a younger teen at the time, I was bummed that I couldn’t find anyone to take me when they were in town. So now decades later, I think about how cool it would have been to go to an ECW event, let alone at the world-famous ECW Arena.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when WrestleMania 40 invaded Philadelphia. With it came your usual cornucopia of shows including at the 2300 Arena. Yes, the beloved ECW Arena. This was my chance to be in, as they say in Hamilton, “the room where it happens.” With the schedule jam-packed, the only opportunity I had to experience the venue in its glory was the Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow.
Pulling up to S Swanson Street, you see the big 2300 Arena signage and immediately get goosebumps. Of course, I had to get my photo in front of the building just like Paul Walter Hauser did. He was marking ou as well, and you can’t blame him.
The award-winning actor would headline the show in a bloody street fight against Sami Callihan. More on that later. Walking into the building, you see the time and care the owners put into updating the place while still respecting the ECW history in the past.
It was certainly surreal to see the banners celebrating the legends, past show posters, and the mural in the men’s bathroom in person. While there is no way you can recapture that lightning in the bottle of ECW, I think there were elements throughout the card that gave you the feeling you were transported back in the day.
I can’t believe I just experienced The Sandman entrance in the ECW Arena. Bucket list. #Wrestlecon pic.twitter.com/C68wRkYjK8
— Scott Fishman (@smFISHMAN) April 5, 2024
Nostalgia could be felt seeing the likes of Rob Van Dam, The Full Blooded Italians, Masato Tanaka, Bill Alfonso, ring announcer Stephen DeAngelis and Jim Molineaux. However, the real icing on the extreme cake was the surprise during the Hauser and Callihan final match with an appearance from THE Sandman! Between the lights going out with the sounds of Metallica beginning to play and his iconic entrance, it was one of those moments that reminds you why you became a fan. What a moment in time.
You could say I finished my own story in a sense with another legendary spot off the bucket list. Insert ECW chant. Gone but never forgotten.