(Credit: PWBTS.com)
CZW opened the day’s events, with an afternoon show… as its final show at the ECW Arena, preceding the evening EVOLVE show
The show’s theme was “An Excellent Adventure”, with Greg Excellent “in charge of the show”. The afternooncstarted with CZW promoter Maven Bentley and Roger Argitiani, the man’s who’s run the ECW Arena for years. Bentley put over the Arena; then publicly thanked Roger for bringing back (in 2002 after XPW’ failed attempt to run the Arena).
Roger took the mike, thanked his crew. amd put over Michael Pancoasted, “Juicy Hotdogs.” Roger then asked that all the performers on tonight’s show come out to ringside. The locker room came out .
Bentley mentiioned what seemed like an incredibly unnecessary cheap shot by new leaseholder Joanna Pang….that CZW was apparently asked to take the Hardcore Hall of Fame banners down. Roger Artigiani, in one last show of recognition, kept up one…the banner that last year inducted the ECW Arena fans into the Hardcore Hall of Fame. Bentley said banners or not, he wanted Trent Acid, JC Bailey and Chris Cash now “they are all missed and they are watching tonight”. Longtime CZW employee Shawn Kernghan opened a bottle of champagne and sprayed it to honor Cas, Bailey, and Acid.
Excellent started out bys “giving out contracts”, a no-cut contract to himself and one to re-instate Drew Blood. As someone who won “three wishes” at Cage of Death, Excellent then introduced DJ Hyde as a “Genie in a Bottle”… complete with a turban, in a hilarious moment.
Danny Havoc came out to do a toast to the ECW Arena with Homicide, Nick Berk, Adam Flash, Messiah, Nate Webb and The Blue Meanie. Out came (doing a great “resident turd in the punchbowl” routine) Drew Gulak and entourage. They missed a great opportunity here for Gulak, who’s been doing a “Campaign for a Better Combat Zone” routine for months. It would have been perfect for Gulak to somehow take “credit” for CZW leaving the ECW Arena. Instead, CZW went another way, having Gulak ridicule the “debauchery” in the ring. The fan chanted for Nick Gage. Gulak said that “Gage can’t be here, because he robbed a bank” Yikes.
Gulak called out all those in the ring, calling them “relics”. Gulak then told Havoc not to hit him or he’ll be fined again, then followed up with a comment about Havoc’s wife and Havoc attacked him, starting a schmoz that led to…
Tremont made a comeback, beating on Gulak, then an armwringer, and a leaping elbow. Gulak made a comeback, again working over Tremont’s bad ankle, including dropkicking it, then eventually locked in the Dragon sleeper for the win.
Post-match, they announced Havoc will face Tremont on February 4 in Indianapolis, IN (yup, Super Bowl weekend).
Post-match, Kingston said that this will be the last (CZW) show in the Arena. He then said “Eddie Moore was born in New York City, but Eddie Kingston was born because of this building….A lot of times I don’t like the fans and they don’t care for me, but without this place, I’m nothing. When I die, don’t take me to the hospital, take him to the Arena, because this is where he was born.”
They went back and forth. Cole took control and worked over Moore. He teased a big move while rebounding off the ropes and instead stopped and locked in a side chinlock. Moore came back with a sunset flip for a two count. Cole nailed a Fireman’s Carry into an over the knee backbreaker. The crowd started getting on Cole for being boring, He scissored Moore’s head and neck with his legs to try and wear him down.
The crowd seemed to be pulling for heel Cole, as two near finishes that saw Moore escape got hooted at by a segment of ther crowd. Finally, Cole gave Yim the belt and they did the reverse into the belt spot, but Cole stopped dead before she hit him. Moore went to kick Cole, but got out of the way with Yim taking the boot in the face. Finally, after fighting over who was going to belt shot who,. Moore superkicked the belt into Cole’s face for the finish.
Hyde then did a heel promo, ripping on the fans, saying they love Zandig, but that he’s a Tournament of Death winner and Zandig wasn’t…then said the venue belongs to him, “not ECW, not CZW, not Zandig but DJ Hyde.” Zandig got the mike, and in a pretty cutting promo, Zandig said if it was HIS building, it wouldn’t be CZW’s last show here. He then put stink on Hyde, saying that after selling the company to Hyde, CZW loses the building . Zandig said to Hyde “Where are you going next? I don’t want to hear about Japan or Arkansas, but what about the fans here”?
Hyde confronted Zandig, and the fun started with Zandig nailed Hyde with a thumbtack bat. Both brawled into the crowd, including. Zandig playing bowling with chairs with Hyde, dragged Hyde to another part of the building and through Hyde into anothe pile. After continuing to brawl through the crowd, they came back inside with Zandig opening up Hyde..
Eventually, after come back and forth, DJ Hyde plowed Zandig into the first pane of glass, tearing up Zandig’s back with a ugly tear near the beltline. Hyde started to cut Zandig’s head with broken pieces of the glass pane, then blasted Zandig with the barbed wire chair, ran the thumbtack bat over his forehead, then slammed it again into his back. Zandig rettruned the favor, using the thumbtack bats like they were nunchakus on Hyde’s back. He then powerbombed Hyde onto the barbed wire chair. Zandig whipped Hyde into the corner and worked him over, then placed a pane of glass over Hyde. Zandig hit a running knee through the pane of glass to Hyde’s face.
Zandig eventually threw Hyde into two different panes of glass. The finish saw Hyde ducking a Zandig discus clothesline, and rolled him for the pinfall.
Post-match, Hyde was celebrating on the top rope when Zandig blasted Hyde with the barbed wire chair, and threw Hyde a pane of glass on the floor. He then decided he was enjoying himself so much he clothelined referee Brett Lauderdale.
Post-match, Zandig got on the mike, putting over Nick Gage, Wifebeater, Nick Mondo and names from the past. Zandig said “It isn’t about the building, but about the young guys who worked their ass off every time for you people”. Zandig then apologized to his daughter (in the ECW Arena balcony) for “not winning” and said this was probably it, saying he came because it was the Arena’s last night. He thanked JC Bailey, Larry Sweeney (oddly enough no mention of Chris Cash or Trent Acid) . Zandig said to Hyde “You may be the owner but you’ll never be CZW.”
No word on a new Philadelphia venue. Dates were announced for CZW Wired tapings at local sites, and for Tournament of Death (earliest announcement in memory of that). While the website lists the Anniversary show as taking place on February 11, no location is listed.