Combat Zone Wrestling
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COM : Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) began as a professional wrestling company run by John Zandig.
In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, started to run events showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling called "ultraviolent". Ladders, tables, thumbtacks, barbed wire, cacti, fluorescent light tubes and fire are common elements of "ultraviolent" wrestling matches in CZW. Over the period of its existence, CZW has developed into an organization involving many styles of wrestling.
The company has had several run-ins with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. CZW holds a deathmatch tournament on an annual basis called the Tournament of Death (see below). CZW's top "homemade" stars include "Sick" Nick Mondo, Nick Gage, Nate Hatred, and Ruckus.
CZW once had a local television program called "Fake You! TV." Smart Mark Video videotapes all CZW live events and Xtreme Entertainment Group has released some CZW DVDs in retail stores.
Roster
- Chris Hero
- Kevin Steen
- Niles Young
- Eric Gargiulo
- Eddie Kingston
- Nick Gage
- Joker
- Adam Flash
- Andy Sumner
- B-Boy
- Chris Bishop
- Chrissy Rivera
- Danny Havoc
- Derek Frazier
- DJ Hyde
- Drew Gulak
- El Generico
- Hallowicked
- Jigsaw
- Justice Pain
- Lionel Knight
- Lobo
- LuFisto
- Luke
- Messiah
- Necro Butcher
- Pandora
- Ravage
- Robby Mireno
- Ruckus
- Sabian
- Super Dragon
Current Champions
| Championship: | Champion(s): | Defeated: | Date Won: | Location: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Heavyweight Championship | Chris Hero | Ruckus | May 13, 2006 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Iron Man Championship | Kevin Steen | Franky the Mobster | August 13, 2005 | Philadelphia, PA |
| World Jr. Heavyweight Championship | Sexxxy Eddy | Niles Young | July 8, 2006 | Philadelphia, PA |
| World Tag Team Championship | Blackout (Eddie Kingston & Joker) | Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli | December 17, 2005 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Ultraviolent Underground Championship | Nick Gage | Necro Butcher | January 14, 2006 | Philadelphia, PA |
CZW's biggest show is the year-end Cage Of Death. It always features the eponymous "Cage Of Death" match, a steel cage with various weapons, dangers, and tons of bloodshed. Electrified cage walls, chainsaws, cacti, tables, light tubes, glass, thumbtacks, baseball bats, and barbed-wire have been used in it.
CZW's yearly Deathmatch tournament helped put CZW on the map and build its reputation as "Ultraviolent". Fire, weed whackers, light tubes, and other weapons have resulted in excessive blood loss for many of the wrestlers who have participated in TOD.
CZW's yearly tournament and supershow that differs from other CZW events in how it emphasizes athleticism more than weapon use. The original Best of The Best was a junior heavyweight tournament, but in 2005 was reformatted as a tournament with no weight limits.External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.