Not many promotions in this country captivate my attention anymore. I do follow a lot of promotions via DVD but not many give me any desire to make me go out of my way, spending money on a ticket, gas and tolls.
Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) is one of those companies that I make it a priority to go live and enjoy. And it’s been like that for several years now. They bring a who’s who of professional wrestling and put on some of the best shows anywhere.
The guys behind the machine are Jordan Schneider, Conrad, Michael Law, and AJ Pan, who are four of the coolest guys I’ve ever met in wrestling. And they put a lot of hard work into the product and get a lot out of their investment.
They ran their first show just under four years ago in Brooklyn, NY. The main event was Charlie Haas vs. Shad Gaspard. They also had former Total Nonstop Action (TNA) World Champion Eric Young on the card. And they used a lot of local, solid talents to fill out the rest of that card, like The Midnight Sensations (Sam Shields & Chris Rockwell), Azrieal and Bruno Marciano.
They were creating a buzz and no one even knew what was in store.
I attended their third ever event, their debut in Manhattan at 3 Legged Dog Studios, which is right down the street from The World Trade Center. The location, to me, just seemed like it was a big deal. And there hadn’t been any independent promotions running in New York City, so I figured why not?
They brought in Charlie Haas again, along with his wife Miss Jackie, Jay Lethal, Eric Young, and Jillian Hall as the “names” to draw the crowd. I remember seeing former ROH owner Cary Silkin there, taking in a show and being in awe of what he was watching.
The buzz was getting bigger.
Their popularity was growing, so big they had to leave the intimate 3 Legged Dog Studios. Crowds grew and so did the big name stars that they were booking.
Now, it was like going to an all star game. You saw all the best wrestlers in the business not under contract to WWE or Ring Of Honor (ROH) competing for FWE. Matches you could only see in an FWE ring.
Now they were booking Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, John Hennigan (Morrison), The Young Bucks, Paul London & Brian Kendrick, Carlito, Matt Hardy, Colt Cabana, and loads more. And getting “indy darlings” like Chuck Taylor, Johnny Gargano, Joey Ryan, Candice LeRae, and Orange Cassidy. While mixing it in with lesser known, but damn good wrestlers, such as Bandido Jr, Sam Shields, Wes Draven, Jorge Santi, and Alex Reynolds.
FWE was creating a formula for success. And they’ve been airing their shows on iPPV, which is reaching fans all around the world! Their success is now taking them across the country. And even getting some press in TMZ!
2014 is not even over yet and FWE has 4 shows announced, not to say they don’t have anymore scheduled. On March 11, 2015, FWE flies across the country and runs their first show outside of New York state in sunny Hollywood, CA! And to top it all off, they announced the main event of that show as FWE Champion John Hennigan vs. AJ Styles in a 2/3 Falls Match, first time ever!
Independent promotions aren’t supposed to cross time zones, let alone state lines, right? FWE isn’t any local independent promotion. They are traveling the country and there’s no reason why you can’t be a part of the happening!
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John Gjoni
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