Empire Wrestling Federation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Acronym | EWF |
| Established | 1996 |
| Location | Southern California |
| Founder(s) | Bill Anderson and Jesse Lizarraga |
| Owner(s) | Jesse Lizarraga |
The Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) is an independent wrestling promotion based in San Bernardino, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Lizarraga. The EWF is also tied to Lizarraga's wrestling school, The School Of Hard Knocks.
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[edit] History
EWF was founded in 1996 by Bill Anderson and Lizarraga. it saw its first show in May of 1996 at the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino as Bobby Bradley defeated Tom "Zuma" Howard to become the first EWF Heavyweight Champion. In 1999 Bill Anderson left the EWF and formed his own promotion and wrestling school, the International Wrestling Council in Riverside, California. In June of 1996 a tribute to "Superstar" Billy Graham was held.
Several EWF wrestlers from the past have gone on to national fame, including Rico Constantino, Louie Spicolli, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels and Melina Perez. In 1997 Chris Jericho and Lee Marshall of WCW mentioned EWF on WCW broadcasts and Marshall attended a show in Hemet, California. Other pro wrestling stars have made appearance at EWF shows including Mando Guerrero, Peter Maivia, Ludvig Borga, The Honky Tonk Man, Tony Atlas and Tom Brandi. Many EWF wrestlers appear as jobbers on WWE broadcasts, and at the 1999 Royal Rumble the orderlies sent to aprehend Kane were performed by the EWF roster, including then owners Bill Anderson and Jesse Lizarraga.
[edit] Current champions
| Championship: | Current champion(s): | Date Won: | Won From: | Location: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EWF Heavyweight Championship | Joey Harder | January 5, 2007 | Bino Gambino | Covina, California |
| EWF American Championship | Human Tornado | February 9, 2007 | Dan Kobrick | Covina, California |
| EWF Tag Team Championship | The Iron Express (Joey Harder and Hook Bomberry) |
September 8, 2006 | La Ola Del Mal (Black Metal and Extreme Loco) |
Covina, California |
| EWF Cruiserweight Championship | Ryan Taylor | June 8, 2006 | Joey Harder | Covina, California |
[edit] References
- 1998 "Secrets of Pro Wrestling" Discovery Channel documentary that toured EWF facilities
- Newspaper article on EWF
- EWF newspaper article 2
- Nacho Libre presented by EWF and Krikorian Theatres
- EWF Newspaper article 3
- EWF & Walmart unite
- EWF at HollywoodReporter.com
