Classic Luke Hadley wrestling video. http://www.lukehadley.com Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted.[1] Although hardcore wrestling is a staple among some wrestling promotions, where they are used at the climaxes of feuds, some promotions (such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling) specialized in hardcore wrestling, with many matches performed in this manner. World Wrestling Federation
In 1980, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. and in 1982 purchased Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father. The elder McMahon had long since established the northeastern territory as one of the most vibrant members of the NWA. He had long since recognized that professional wrestling was more about entertainment than actual sport. Against his father's wishes, McMahon began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the sport. The WWF was not the only promotion to have broken ranks with the NWA; the American Wrestling Association (AWA) had long ago ceased being an official NWA member (although like the WWF, they seldom left their own territory). But in neither instance did the defecting member attempt to undermine the territory system that had been the foundation of the industry for more than half a century. Other promoters were furious when McMahon began syndicating WWF television shows to television stations across the United States, in areas outside of the WWF's traditional northeastern stronghold. McMahon also began selling videotapes of WWF events outside the Northeast through his Coliseum Video distribution company. He effectively broke the unwritten law of regionalism around which the entire industry had been based. To make matters worse, McMahon used the income generated by advertising, television deals, and tape sales to poach talent from rival promoters. Wrestling promoters nationwide were now in direct competition with the WWF. Hulk Hogan, due to his appearance in Rocky III had a national recognition that few other wrestlers could offer, which is what led McMahon to sign him. Roddy Piper was brought in, as well as Jesse Ventura (although Ventura rarely wrestled in the WWF at that point due to the lung disorder that caused his retirement, moving to the commentator booth alongside Gorilla Monsoon). André the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Don Muraco, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat and the Iron Sheik rounded out the roster. Hogan was clearly McMahon's biggest star, but there was debate as to whether the WWF could've achieved national success without him. According to several reports, the elder McMahon warned his son: "Vinny, what are you doing? You'll wind up at the bottom of a river." In spite of such warnings, the younger McMahon had an even bolder ambition: the WWF would tour nationally. However, such a venture required huge capital investment; one that placed the WWF on the verge of financial collapse. The future of not just McMahon's experiment, but also the WWF, the NWA, and the whole industry came down to the success or failure of McMahon's groundbreaking concept, WrestleMania. WrestleMania was a pay-per-view extravaganza (in some areas; most areas of the country saw WrestleMania available on closed-circuit television) that McMahon marketed as being the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. The concept of a wrestling super card was nothing new in North America; the NWA had been running Starrcade a few years prior to WrestleMania, and even the elder McMahon had marketed large Shea Stadium cards viewable in closed-circuit locations. However, McMahon wanted to take the WWF to the mainstream, targeting the public who were not regular wrestling fans. He drew the interest of the mainstream media by inviting celebrities such as Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper to participate in the event. MTV, in particular, featured a great deal of WWF coverage and programming at this time, in what was termed the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Golden Age
The original WrestleMania, held in 1985, was a resounding success. This event is sometimes credited as the debut of what McMahon called "sports entertainment", in contrast to his father's preference of pure wrestling. The WWF did incredible business on the shoulders of McMahon and his all-American babyface hero, Hulk Hogan, for the next several years, creating what some observers dubbed a second golden age for professional wrestling. The introduction of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC in mid-1985 marked the first time that professional wrestling had been broadcast on network television since the 1950s. In 1987, the WWF would also produce what was considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980's wrestling boom altogether, WrestleMania III .[3] However, during the early 1990s, the WWF's fortunes steadily declined as fans were tired of Hulk Hogan's ability to beat anyone and everyone whenever he wanted. New Generation The WWF hit a low point in the wake of allegations of steroid abuse and distribution made against it in 1994; there were also allegations of sexual harassment made by WWF employees. McMahon was eventually exonerated, but it was a public relations nightmare for the WWF. The steroid trial cost the WWF an estimated $5 million at a time when revenues were at an all-time low. To compensate, McMahon cut the pay of both wrestlers and front office personnel – close to 40% in the latter case (and about 50% for top level managers such as Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, who both left). This helped drive many WWF wrestlers to its only major competition, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), between 1993 and 1996. During this period, the WWF promoted itself under the banner of "The New WWF Generation," featuring Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker. In an effort to promote them and other young talent as the new superstars of the ring, the WWF began to play on the age restrictions which former WWF wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (who by now were working for WCW) now faced. This is best seen in the "Billionaire Ted" parodies of early 1996 (a reference to WCW's owner and patron, media mogul Ted Turner) which culminated in a "rasslin'" match during the warm-up to WrestleMania XII. The Attitude Era Steve Austin became the new face of the company, starting with his Austin 3:16 speech, shortly after defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament finals at the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view.[4] The WWF began broadcasting more violence, swearing, and more edgy angles in its attempt to compete with World Championship Wrestling. After Bret Hart left for WCW following the Montreal Screwjob incident,[5] Vince McMahon used the resulting backlash in the creation of his "Mr. McMahon" character, a dictatorial and fierce ruler who favored heels who were "good for business" over "misfit" faces like Austin. This, in turn, led to the Austin vs. McMahon feud, which, along with the formation of D-Generation X, laid the foundation for the Attitude Era. The Attitude Era also featured the established Monday Night Wars, where both WCW and the WWF had Monday night shows that competed against each other in the ratings. Many new faces came into the WWF such as Mankind (known then as Cactus Jack from Extreme Championship Wrestling), Chris Jericho, The Rock (then known as Rocky Maivia), Kane, and the 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.
Business advances On April 29, 1999, the WWF made its return to terrestrial television by launching a special program known as SmackDown! on the fledgling UPN network. The Thursday-night show became a weekly series on August 26, 1999. On the back of the success of the Attitude Era, on October 19, 1999 the WWF's parent company, Titan Sports (by this time renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.) became a publicly traded company, offering 10 million shares priced at $17 each.[6] WWF announced its desire to diversify, including creating a nightclub in Times Square, producing feature films, and book publishing. In 2000 the WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC, announced the creation of the XFL, a new professional football league that debuted in 2001.[7] The league had surprisingly high ratings for the first few weeks, but initial interest waned and its ratings plunged to dismally low levels (one of its games was the lowest-rated primetime show in the history of American television). NBC walked out on the venture after only one season, but McMahon intended to continue alone. However, after being unable to reach a deal with UPN, McMahon shut down the XFL. Acquisition of WCW and ECW WCW was in dire straits with the WWF consistently beating them in the ratings war. It only survived because Ted Turner retained control over it as a result of Turner Broadcasting System's merger with Time Warner. However, after Time Warner merged with AOL, Turner's power was considerably reduced, and the newly merged company decided to get rid of WCW entirely. In March 2001, WWF Entertainment, Inc. acquired World Championship Wrestling, Inc. from AOL Time Warner for a number reported to be around $7 million.[9] With this purchase, WWF was now the largest wrestling promotion in the world, and the only one in North America with mainstream exposure. It remained so until the launch of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2002. The assets of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2001, were purchased by WWE in mid-2003. World Wrestling Entertainment In 2000, the World Wildlife Fund (also WWF), an environmental organization now called the World Wide Fund for Nature, sued the World Wrestling Federation. A British court agreed that Titan Sports had violated a 1994 agreement which had limited the permissible use of the WWF initials overseas, particularly in merchandising.[10] On Sunday May 5, 2002, the company quietly changed all references on its website from "WWF" to "WWE", while switching the URL from WWF.com to WWE.com. The next day, a press release announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE, and the change was publicized later that day during a telecast of Monday Night RAW, which emanated from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. For a short time, WWE used the slogan "Get The 'F' Out".[11] The company had also been ordered by court to stop using the old WWF Attitude logo on any of its properties and to censor all past references to WWF, as they no longer owned the trademark to the initials WWF in 'specified circumstances'.[12] However, despite litigation, WWE is still permitted use of the original WWF logo, which was used from 1984 through 1997, as well as the "New WWF Generation" logo, which was used from 1994 through 1998. Furthermore, the company may still make use of the full "World Wrestling Federation" and "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment" names without consequence. In April 2002, about a month before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, one on RAW, the other on SmackDown! due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline (which involved talent from the absorbed ECW and WCW rosters interacting in WWF storylines). This is known as the WWE Brand Extension. Following the Brand Extension, a yearly Draft Lottery was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups. WWE superstars performing for the Coalition troops at Camp VictoryIn late 2005 WWE RAW returned after a brief 5-year stint on TNN (now Spike TV) to its original home USA Network. In the TNN days, WWE got all advertising revenue during commercial breaks into their own pockets, now on USA Network, USA Network gets all advertising revenue. So, WWE had to invest into other lines of products introducing WWE 24/7, an on-demand subscription-only channel which shows classic wrestling matches from WWE's vast video library (more than 80,000 hours) and WWE produced content other than wrestling. In 2006, due to contracts with NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network, WWE had the chance to revive its classic Saturday night show WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME) on NBC after a 13-year hiatus. WWE had so the chance to promote the company on a national network and not only on cable channels like The CW and USA Network. SNME airs occasionally on NBC as a WWE special series. On May 26, 2006, WWE revived Extreme Championship Wrestling as its third brand. The new ECW program airs Tuesday nights, on the Sci Fi Channel.[13] On September 26, 2007, it was announced that WWE would be expanding its international operations. Alongside the current international offices in London and Toronto, a new international office would be established in Sydney. Wellness Program The WWE Talent Wellness Program is a comprehensive drug, alcohol, and cardiac screening program exclusive to World Wrestling Entertainment, initiated in February 2006, shortly after the sudden death of one of their highest profile talents, 38 year old Eddie Guerrero.[15] The policy tests for recreational drug use and abuse of prescription medication, including anabolic steroids.[15] Under the guidelines of the policy, talent is also tested annually for pre-existing or developing cardiac issues. The drug testing is handled by Aegis Sciences Corporation. The cardiac evaluations are handled by New York Cardiology Associates P.C. The program has recently been defended heavily by WWE and its employees in the wake of several illegal pharmacy busts that link WWE performers to steroid purchases even after the policy was put into place. WWE openly suspended/released 11 performers immediately following release of their names in conjunction with anabolic steroid purchases.[16][17] The program has fallen under intense scrutiny from branches of the media and professionals in the field of doping,[Who?] who claim that not only has WWE overlooked, if not, encouraged steroid use prior to these pharmacy busts, but that the steroid testing itself is blatantly misleading. Under WWE drug testing policy, positive test thresholds for anabolic steroids are more than twice that of all other major sporting outfits including the Olympic committee. WWE is currently under investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their talent wellness policy, after the death of one of their performers, Chris Benoit, possibly being linked to steroid abuse. In August 2007, WWE made the decision to suspend ten professional wrestlers for violating their Wellness Policy after it emerged they were all customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida. According to a statement attributed to WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt, an eleventh wrestler was later added to the suspension list. On the other hand, it has been failed to be mentioned in public outside WWE.com that because of the Wellness Policy, physicians were able to diagnose one of their bigger superstars with a heart ailment that otherwise would've likely gone unnoticed until it was too late. In August 2007, reigning U.S. Champion MVP was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome[20], which if gone undiagnosed can be potentially fatal. The ailment was discovered while MVP was going through a routine Wellness Policy checkup. Hardcore wrestling became acknowledged as a major wrestling style first in Japan with promotions such as FMW and W*ING. It then became successful in America with Extreme Championship Wrestling. The World Wrestling Federation capitalizing on the success and introduced the WWF Hardcore Championship. The WWF soon began to turn the matches into comedy skits, illustrating the ridiculousness they involved. Hardcore is in sound contrast to traditional mat-based wrestling, where solid technical skills are preferred over stuntwork, blood, and sheer shock value. The term garbage wrestling is attributed to Japanese wrestler Giant Baba who used it originally to describe a style of wrestling which required little wrestling athletic ability and often involved no wrestling at all, which is rather common in much of hardcore wrestling. Some in the United States consider it a derogatory term. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon, and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001. The company became known for its loyal fan base as well as its tendency to push the envelope with storylines. The group has showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, ranging from lucha libre to hardcore wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought the rights to ECW and its library after its 2001 closure and revived the promotion in a full-time fashion on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series on Sci Fi Channel in the United States, FOX8 in Australia, SIC Radical in Portugal and Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom. In 2005 and 2006, WWE promoted an ECW-brand event called ECW One Night Stand, and in June 2006, it became a separate brand of WWE programming, along with RAW and SmackDown! Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and Eastern Championship Wrestling Technically, ECW had its origins in 1991 under the banner Tri-State Wrestling Alliance[1]. Joel Goodhart was the owner of Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. In 1992, Goodhart sold his share of the company to his partner, Tod Gordon, who in return renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling. When Eastern Championship Wrestling was founded, it was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). After Tod Gordon had a falling out with head booker Eddie Gilbert, Gordon chose Gilbert's friend and WCW alumnus Paul Heyman to replace him. Eddie exhibited unstable behavior and drug abuse before he was replaced. Heyman's first show with the promotion was NWA Ultra Clash '93 on September 18, 1993 at Viking Hall (which was eventually dubbed The ECW Arena) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ECW contrasted contemporary professional wrestling, which contained many cartoonish gimmicks and was marketed more towards children. ECW, aiming at males between 18 to 35, broke a few taboos such as blading and women getting regularly beaten up by the male wrestlers. Heyman saw ECW as the professional wrestling equivalent to the grunge movement, and focused on taking the company in a new direction as well Withdrawing from the NWA See also: NWA World Heavyweight Championship#The beginning of Extreme Championship Wrestling
In 1994, Jim Crockett's non-compete agreement with Ted Turner, who purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Crockett in 1988, was up and he decided to start promoting with the NWA again. Crockett went to Tod Gordon and asked him to hold a tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the ECW Arena on August 27, 1994. NWA President Dennis Coralluzzo thought that Crockett and Gordon were going to try to monopolize the title[3] (much like Crockett did in the 1980s) and told them they didn't have the NWA board's approval so he took control over the tournament. Gordon was upset at Coralluzzo for his power plays so Gordon and Shane Douglas, who was booked to win the title against 2 Cold Scorpio, planned to have Douglas throw the title down after he won it and break ECW from the NWA. In a now classic post-match speech, Shane Douglas said that he didn't want to be a part of an organization that "died" seven years earlier (presumably when Jim Crockett sold his NWA territories to Turner Broadcasting in 1988). According to the Forever Hardcore DVD, Douglas claimed that he only agreed to throw down the NWA belt[4] after Dennis Coraluzzo[5] buried Douglas on Mike Tenay’s radio show. In accord with this speech, Paul Heyman later stated that "the National Wrestling Alliance was old-school when old-school wasn't hip anymore. We wanted to set our mark, we wanted to breakaway from the pack, we wanted to let the world know that we weren't just some independent promotion."
Shortly afterwards ECW withdrew from the NWA and officially changed its name to Extreme Championship Wrestling. The incident gave ECW huge promotion and cost NWA a lot of credibility.
Popularity After ECW withdrew from the NWA and officially changed its name from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling, it became an underground sensation. The unorthodox style of moves, controversial storylines, and intense blood thirst of ECW made it intensely popular among many wrestling fans in the 18- to 25-year-old demographic. Its intense fanbase, albeit a small constituency, reached near-cultism in the late 1990s and inspired the "hardcore style" in other wrestling promotions, namely WWF and WCW. The group showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, popularizing bloody hardcore wrestling matches and the 3-Way Dance. ECW was always intended to be counter-culture and a grittier alternative to multi-million dollar organizations such as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and WCW. In addition to their hardcore match types, they provided an alternative to North American wrestling with technical wrestling that was common overseas. International stars such as Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko anchored a solid technical wrestling core in ECW. Rey Mysterio, Jr., Psicosis, Konnan and Juventud Guerrera brought a lucha libre style rarely seen in the national wrestling promotions. Wrestlers such as Shane Douglas, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, The Sandman, Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Sabu, Mikey Whipwreck and Tazz were seen as being too dangerous for the multi-million dollar companies and were given a chance in ECW. They also helped launch the new ECW at this time. One of the promotion's marquee feuds was the long-standing feud between Tommy Dreamer and Raven, which involved many ECW wrestlers over a period of two and a half years. Another was between Raven and the Sandman, which included the crucifixion angle, one of the most controversial angles in wrestling history. Shows at the ECW Arena and television syndication
See also: ECW Hardcore TV The bulk of ECW's shows remained at the ECW Arena, a rundown bingo hall secluded under a section of Interstate 95. Seating comprised simple folding chairs and four sets of portable bleachers, and the whole sort of unconventional set up reflected the gritty style of the wrestling itself. Shows were actually broadcast on a Philadelphia local cable sports station (SportsChannel America's local affiliate, Sports Channel Philadelphia) on Tuesday evenings. After Sports Channel Philadelphia went off the air in 1997, the show moved to WPPX-TV 61. It later moved to a former independent broadcast station (WGTW 48) in Philadelphia on either Friday or Saturday night at 1 or 2 a.m. Shows were also aired on the (MSG Network in NYC on Friday nights (Early Saturday morning) at 2 a.m. Due to the obscurity of the stations and ECW itself, as well as the lack of FCC oversight at that late hour, many times expletives and violence were not edited out of these showings, helping to get ECW noticed. In relation to the "Big Two" Paul Heyman believes that after noticing ECW's growing popularity, the "Big Two" (World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation) started adopting their ideas and hiring away their talent. ECW, according to Heyman, was the first victim of the "Monday Night Wars" between WCW Monday Nitro and Monday Night RAW. While the WWF had somewhat of a working relationship with ECW (going as far as allowing cross-promotional angles, and providing financial aid to Heyman for a considerable period of time), WCW refused to even mention ECW by name (with a few notable exceptions; including a passing remark by Raven in late 1996 and Kevin Nash and Scott Hall mentioning it as a viable second option in American wrestling in a slight on their main competition, the World Wrestling Federation), referring to it as "barbed wire city" and "a major independent promotion" that wrestled in bingo halls during a segment directed at Diamond Dallas Page. Vince McMahon claimed that he put Paul Heyman on the WWF's payroll as compensation for the talent (namely Tazz, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Dudley Boyz) leaving ECW for the WWF. On the other hand, Heyman believed that Eric Bischoff never compensated him for ECW bred talent such as Mikey Whipwreck, Raven, The Sandman, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Stevie Richards and Chris Jericho leaving to go to WCW. The crucifixion angle From January 1995 through January 1996, Tommy Dreamer engaged in a bloody war with Raven. However, the feud took ended for a while, and Raven began a new feud with The Sandman after he defeated him and won the ECW Heavyweight Title on January 27, 1996 [6]. Raven "brainwashed" Sandman's son to join his cult-like following and turned him against his father. Raven got at Sandman by having his son deny his relationship with his father and perform Raven's taunt to slowly eat away at his father. This led to many bloody matches, in which Sandman's son interfered to help his father. After the match, the two embraced, but Raven came from behind with a Kendo Stick, and smacked his enemy. Steven Richards and the Blue Meanie came out, got a wooden cross out from under the ring, then tied Sandman down to it, and then lifted it up and "crucified" him.[7] At the time, Kurt Angle was backstage and the offensive angle caused him to leave and threaten a lawsuit if his name appeared on the same episode as the "crucifixion".[7] Raven came out and gave a questionable apology for his actions. To this day, Raven claims that the angle wasn't an insult to Jesus Christ, but an insult to The Sandman, by using religious iconography to convey an artistic standpoint. The footage of the "crucifixion" was never used by ECW and was not publicly seen until it appeared on the WWE DVD The Rise and Fall of ECW. The Mass Transit Incident Another major blow to ECW, which Paul Heymen noted lead to the cancellation of the Barely Legal ppv on the The Rise and Fall of ECW was the Mass Transit Incident. Paul Heyman was looking to expand the company through ppv. However, ECW would experience more criticism after Paul Heyman allowed a teenager-who lied about his age to enter ECW- named Eric Kulas-nicknamed "Mass Transit"- to substitute for an injured Axel Rotten, and tag with D-Von Dudley in a match against The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustapha Saed) at an ECW house show in Revere, Massachusetts [2]. During the match, New Jack bladed Kulas, and then attacked him with more weapons and pinning him[3]. After the match, Kulas continuously bled and New Jack went on microphone and said Kulas could bleed to death as far he's concerned as well[4]. Despite the fact that it was scripted, In Demand saw this incident to be too extreme, and decided to cancel the Barely Legal ppv[5]. The Beulah McGillicutty pregnancy/lesbian angle In 1996, Beulah McGillicutty claimed that she was pregnant and told a shocked Raven that it was Tommy Dreamer's baby, intensifying their feud. Beulah eventually left Raven and aligned herself with Dreamer. However, at the 1996 Hostile City Showdown, Shane Douglas informed Dreamer that Beulah was never pregnant, and also had been cheating on him. When Dreamer demanded to know who with (suspecting Douglas) Douglas pointed to Raven's new valet Kimona Wanalaya, who proceeded to kiss Beulah to the mat. After some hesitation, Dreamer kissed both women, proclaiming "I'll take em both, I'm hardcore!" According to Tommy Dreamer on The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD, the angle was so controversial, that ECW got thrown off of virtually every television station at the time. Tod Gordon sells ECW to Paul Heyman In 1996, Tod Gordon sold ECW to his head booker, Paul Heyman. Afterwards, Gordon remained in ECW as a figure-head commissioner. Years after being the ECW "Commissioner", Gordon left ECW. His absence was explained on-air that he retired from wrestling due to family. However, rumors circulate that Gordon was fired by Heyman after he was suspected as a "locker room mole" for a rival wrestling promotion, helping to lure talent to World Championship Wrestling. Many years later, in an interview, Gordon claims that the "WCW mole" situation was nothing more than a work. Cross-promotion Storyline-wise, Vince McMahon first became "aware" of ECW while at the 1995 King of the Ring event in ECW's home base of Philadelphia. During the match between Mabel and Savio Vega, the crowd suddenly started to angrily chant "ECW ECW ECW" At the September 22, 1996 In Your House: Mind Games event in Philadelphia, ECW stars The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Paul Heyman, and Taz) were in the front row with Sandman even interfering in one match (when he threw beer on Savio Vega during his strap match with Bradshaw). McMahon acknowledged ECW's status as a local, up and coming promotion on the air. On February 24, 1997, ECW "invaded" Monday Night RAW from the Manhattan Center. They advanced a storyline, plugged their first ever pay-per-view and worked three matches in front of the WWF audience while Vince McMahon called the action with both Jerry "The King" Lawler and Paul Heyman. The Manhattan Center in New York was peppered with a large number of ECW fans, who gave the WWF wrestlers "BORING!" chants when they felt it was warranted. Likewise, when the ECW performers arrived, they popped and introduced the WWF Monday night audience to some trademark ECW group chants. ECW's first pay-per-view event After a series of struggles[9], on April 13, 1997, ECW finally broadcast its first pay-per-view wrestling card, Barely Legal, highlighted by Terry Funk winning the ECW World Heavyweight Title From Raven. At the 1997 Wrestlepalooza event, Jerry Lawler, a noted critic of ECW, made a surprise appearance at the ECW Arena. Wrestlepalooza '97 featured Raven's final ECW match before leaving for WCW. In this match, Tommy Dreamer finally beat his long time nemesis Raven. Dreamer's celebration was short-lived, though, as Jerry Lawler, along with Sabu and Rob Van Dam showed up to attack Dreamer. This set up a match between Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lawler at the 1997 Hardcore Heaven PPV on August 17, which was won by Dreamer. ECW continued through 1998 and early 1999 with a string of successful pay-per-views. The Mike Awesome World Title controversy In April 2000, Mike Awesome made a surprise appearance on WCW Monday Nitro -- aiding the New Blood by attacking Kevin Nash -- while still reigning as ECW World Champion. Awesome's friend Lance Storm has said that he had refused to sign a new contract with ECW until Paul Heyman paid him overdue wages.[10] There were rumors that Eric Bischoff wanted to drop the ECW World Championship belt in the trash can on television, as was done with the WWF Women's title by Alundra Blayze. Due to concern over legal issues, WCW refrained from having Awesome appear on their television shows with the ECW belt. Eventually, a compromise was reached which resulted in one of the more bizarre moments in professional wrestling history. Awesome (a WCW employee and ECW champion) appeared on April 13, 2000 at an ECW event in Indianapolis, IN, accompanied by WCW's head of security,[11] where he lost the title to Tazz (a World Wrestling Federation employee).[12] To sum up the uniqueness, a WWF wrestler defeated a WCW wrestler for the ECW World Title. Conflict with XPW In 2000, Xtreme Pro Wrestling owner Rob Black purchased six front row tickets for ECW's annual summer pay-per-view, Heat Wave. The tickets for the show were given to a cadre of XPW talent, as their mission was to make it clear that ECW was on enemy's turf. At the beginning of the main event, the XPW contingent donned shirts emblazoned with the logo of their home company, gaining the attention of security and Tommy Dreamer. Security ejected the XPW group. A brawl in the parking lot then broke out between the XPW ring crew and the ECW locker room, but the XPW wrestlers were not involved. In the parking lot, several of the ECW wrestlers brutalized the XPW ring crew in a street fight until several of the ring crew members were left in pools of their own blood.[13]. Initial reports claimed that Kristi Myst somehow touched Francine and that prompted the incident, but Francine herself has since gone on record as saying that she was never grabbed or in any other way touched by any of the XPW crew, and other eye witnesses support the story that Francine never had a hand laid on her. XPW was not acknowledged on the telecast, and the XPW contingent consisted of The Messiah, Kid Kaos, Supreme, Kristi Myst, Homeless Jimmy and Kris Kloss. Television deal with TNN In August 1999, ECW began to broadcast nationally on TNN (for what was initially a three year contract). Despite no advertising and a low budget, ECW became TNN's highest rated show. ECW on TNN was canceled in October 2000 (with the final episode airing on October 6, 2000) in favor of WWF RAW moving to the network. To this day, Paul Heyman strongly believes that the lack of a national television deal (especially after the TNN ordeal) was the main cause of ECW's demise. Bankruptcy ECW struggled for months after the cancellation, trying to secure a new national TV deal. On December 30, 2000, ECW Hardcore TV aired for the last time and Guilty as Charged 2001 was the last PPV aired on January 7, 2001. Living Dangerously was going to air on March 11, 2001, but because of financial trouble it was canceled before March 11. Despite help from the WWF, Heyman could not get out of financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy on April 4, 2001. Heyman supposedly had never told his wrestlers that the company was on its dying legs and was unable to pay them for well over a month before finally filing for bankruptcy. The company was listed as having assets totaling $1,385,500. Included in that number was $860,000 in accounts receivable owed the company by iN DEMAND Network (PPV), Acclaim (video games), and Original San Francisco Toy Company (action figures). The balance of the assets were the video tape library ($500,000), a 1998 Ford Truck ($19,500) and the remaining inventory of merchandise ($4). The liabilities of the company totaled $8,881,435.17. The bankruptcy filing included hundreds of claims, including production companies, buildings ECW ran in, TV stations ECW was televised on, travel agencies, phone companies, attorney's fees, wrestlers, and other talent. Wrestlers and talent were listed, with amounts owed ranging from $1 for Sabu and Steve Corino to hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars. The highest amounts owed to talents were Rob Van Dam ($150,000), Tommy Dreamer ($125,000), Joey Styles ($50,000), Shane Douglas ($48,000), and Francine ($47,875). Revivals Alliance storyline Main article: The Invasion (professional wrestling)
A few months after the promotion's 2001 demise, ECW resurfaced as a stable as part of the World Wrestling Federation Invasion storyline. As a participant in the inter-promotional feud between Shane McMahon's WCW and Vince McMahon's WWF, ECW was initially "owned" by Paul Heyman and harbored no loyalty to either promotion. Soon after (on the very same night), it was revealed Stephanie McMahon was ECW's new "owner", and she soon conspired with her brother Shane to oust their father from his leadership position in the World Wrestling Federation. Although WWE used the ECW name, the rights to the company were disputed at the time. With the creation of The Alliance, the inter-promotional feud shifted into an internal power struggle among the McMahon family. The defection of WWF superstars to The Alliance continued the shift as less focus was placed on WCW and ECW performers. The feud lasted six months and concluded with WWF defeating The Alliance at the 2001 Survivor Series. The WWF's victory also marked the end of the Invasion storyline, and WCW and ECW wrestlers were reintegrated into the WWF. Documentaries In the summer of 2003, WWE purchased ECW's assets in bankruptcy court, acquiring the rights to ECW's video library. They used this video library to put together a two-disc DVD entitled The Rise and Fall of ECW. The set was released in November 2004. The main feature of the DVD was a three-hour documentary on the company's history, with the other disc featuring matches from the promotion. The DVD sold well, and is currently ranked as WWE's second highest-selling DVD of all time, behind WrestleMania 21. An unauthorized DVD called Forever Hardcore was produced by former WCW crew member Jeremy Borash in response to The Rise and Fall of ECW. The DVD had stories of wrestlers who were not employed by WWE telling their side of ECW's history. However, due to the WWE owning the ECW video library, there was no video of ECW events. But there was footage of XPW events which featured former ECW wrestlers. Reunion shows The strong sales of The Rise and Fall of ECW prompted both World Wrestling Entertainment and Shane Douglas to run ECW reunion shows in 2005. Douglas's first Hardcore Homecoming show was held before WWE's ECW One Night Stand and subsequently went on tour. Lawsuits Mass Transit Main article: Mass Transit incident (ECW) On November 23, 1996, aspiring wrestler Eric Kulas teamed with D-Von Dudley to wrestle The Gangstas. Substituting for Axl Rotten, Kulas was beaten with various weapons and suffered a deep cut as a result of a blading incident by his opponent New Jack. Kulas sued ECW and New Jack for physical and psychological damage claiming he was unaware the match was going to be a hardcore match. Furthermore, criminal charges were filed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts against New Jack. During the civil trial, it was revealed that Kulas and his father lied that Kulas was 19 years old instead of 17. Also, Kulas had misrepresented his wrestling experience by stating he was trained by retired wrestler Killer Kowalski. In the end, ECW and New Jack were acquitted of the charges, however, ECW suffered long term repercussions. The lawsuit delayed the broadcast of ECW's first pay-per-view after distributors viewed video of the incident. Eric Kulas died on May 12, 2002 at the age of 22 due to complications from gastric bypass surgery. Tod Gordon In December 2005, Eastern Championship Wrestling founder Tod Gordon challenged WWE's ownership of the Eastern Championship Wrestling section of the ECW video library, claiming that the state didn't have the right to sell that section of the video library to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. He also claims that Eastern Championship Wrestling, Inc. was separate from Extreme Championship Wrestling. On May 8, 2006 the case was thrown out and Gordon plans to appeal the decision. Tod Gordon is now one of the owners of Pro Wrestling Unplugged, running out of the New Alhambra Arena. Tradition There were several distinctive fans that were always in the front row at ECW shows. Among them were Sign Guy, Tye Dye Guy, Hat Guy (also known in the Philadelphia area as Straw Hat), Faith No More Guy, and Kato. They gained their respective nicknames because Sign Guy always had different creative signs with him, Hat Guy always wore a straw hat and Hawaiian shirt, Faith No More Guy bore an uncanny resemblance to "Big" Jim Martin, former guitarist for rock band Faith No More and Kato resembled O.J. Simpson house guest Kato Kaelin. Regular patrons of ECW Arena events were given Club ECW status by the promotion and were able to reserve seats ahead of the general public. Many members of Club ECW were present at Shane Douglas's 2005 Hardcore Homecoming shows in Philadelphia, and at ECW One Night Stand. Crowds at ECW events were well known for their rowdiness and distinctive chants that either supported or demeaned what was transpiring in the ring. ECW chants such as "You fucked up!" and "Holy shit!" became infamous during those shows, and are still used by fans in other promotions, as well as other chants (most originating from fans in either Philadelphia or New York City), such as "You both suck!", "You can't wrestle!" and, "Fuck 'em up, [name], fuck 'em up!", to name a few. In ECW, there were virtually no rules. Weapons were abundant, with much blood spilled. There were referees, but their role was normally limited to counting pinfalls and acknowledging submissions, occasionally performing tag team maneuvers with a wrestler during the match, several times becoming the winner of the match themselves though not officially a part of the bout.
ECW was known for making popular several types of matches:
Barbed Wire Match
Flaming Tables Match
Singapore Cane Match
Stairway to Hell Match
Three-Way Dance
Fans Bring Their Own Weapons Matches
Mexican Death Match
Taipei Death Match
ECW was also infamous for regularly holding "Bring Your Own Weapon Nights" at the ECW Arena in the early days of the promotion. Fans were encouraged to bring their own weapons to give to wrestlers, as fighting in the crowd was a staple of ECW matches. A dollar store located next to the ECW Arena often supplied the bulk of the weapons, with fans purchasing them while they waited in line for each show. Memorable weapons included crutches, a large piece of cardboard with the words "Use Me!" handwritten on it but actually concealing a full-sized Stop sign, a two-man kayak, a Leonard Cohen vinyl record, a VCR (with remote), and a Nintendo Entertainment System. An accident actually helped put an end to Bring Your Own Weapon Night when wrestler Cactus Jack, believing the weapon he was holding to be an inexpensive aluminum pan, swung the object full force into The Sandman's head. When he heard the resulting "clang" noise, he realized the object was in fact a cast-iron skillet, and The Sandman's resulting injury put him out of action for two weeks. Also, WWE promoted the ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV with the "ECW Rules Match", with the same rules as a No DQ match or Street Fight but was regularly contested between former ECW wrestlers, most notably Chris Benoit and Yoshihiro Tajiri. The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Philadelphia-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling. It was established in 1999 at CZW's second show, The Staple Gun, with Nick Gage winning a battle royal.[1] The "world" in the title's name refers to the fact that the title has been defended (and changed hands) several times outside of the United States, including in Mexico,[2] England,[2] Ireland,[2] Italy[2] and Japan.[3] However, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has yet to recognize it as an official world championship. Despite the "heavyweight" distinction, there is no true weight limit, as demonstrated by typically lightweight wrestlers Super Dragon[4] and Ruckus.[5] There have been a total of 12 recognized champions who have had a combined 29 official reigns. Wrestler: Times: Date: Location: Notes:
Derek Domino 1 February 13, 1999 Mantua, NJ Recognized as champion at Opening Night.[1][2]
Lobo 1 February 13, 1999 Mantua, NJ Won the title at Opening Night.[2]
Justice Pain 1 June 19, 1999 Mantua, NJ Won the title at Down in Flames.[3]
Lobo 2 October 16, 1999 Mantua, NJ This was a Cage of Death match at Cage of Death.[4]
Wifebeater 1 March 11, 2000 Sewell, NJ Won the title at March Violence.[1][5]
Mad Man Pondo 1 June 10, 2000 Sewell, NJ Won the title at Caged to the End.[1][6]
Wifebeater 2 July 22, 2000 Sewell, NJ Wifebeater was awarded the title at No Rules, No Limits.[7][8]
Nick Gage 1 July 22, 2000 Sewell, NJ This was a "fans bring the weapons" match at No Rules, No Limits.[1][8]
Wifebeater 3 October 7, 2000 Sewell, NJ This was a triple threat no-ropes barbed wire match also involving Mad Man Pondo at Rules Were Made to Be Broken.[1][9]
Nate Hatred 1 November 11, 2000[7][10] Sewell, NJ Won the title at Jersey Rulz.[1][11]
Wifebeater 4 January 21, 2001[1][7][10] Smyrna, DE This was a deathmatch at Delaware Invasion.[1][12]
Lobo 3 February 10, 2001 Sewell, NJ This was a five-way match also involving Lord Everett DeVore, Nate Hatred and Mad Man Pondo at Crushing the Competition.[1][13]
Nick Mondo 1 June 9, 2001[1] Sewell, NJ This was a triple threat deathmatch also involving Wifebeater and Mad Man Pondo at Breakaway Brawl; Lobo was not involved in the match for reasons that are unclear.[10][14][15]
Nick Gage 2 July 28, 2001 Sewell, NJ Won the title at What About Lobo?.[1][16]
Nick Mondo 1(2)† August 18, 2001 Sewell, NJ Some sources claim that Mondo won the title at Tables, Ladders & Violence,[7][10][17] however CZW does not recognize this reign.[1]
Nick Berk 1 October 27, 2001 Sewell, NJ Defeated Nick Mondo at And JUSTICE for All. Why Gage was officially not involved in this match is unclear.[1][18]
Adam Flash 1 December 15, 2001 Philadelphia, PA This was a triple threat falls count anywhere match at Cage of Death 3, also involving Nick Mondo.[1][19]
Nick Mondo 2(3)† May 11, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This was a four-way match at High Stakes for the Iron Man and World titles, also involving World champion Justice Pain and The Messiah; Mondo pinned Flash and Messiah pinned Pain to win their respective titles.[1][20]
Justice Pain 2 June 8, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This was a triple threat match at Best of the Best II, also involving The Messiah; Messiah's World title was also on the line. Adam Flash was the special referee.[1][21]
Adam Flash 2 July 13, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This match, at Deja Vu, was also for Pain's World championship; the match ended in a double pinfall, so Pain retained the World title, but lost the Iron Man title to Flash.[1][22]
The Messiah 1 October 12, 2002 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Beyond the Barrier.[1][23]
Nick Mondo 3(4)† February 8, 2003 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Uncivilized.[1][24]
Vacated July 26, 2003 Dover, DE Vacated due to injury at Tournament of Death 2.[1][25]
Trent Acid 1 September 13, 2003 Philadelphia, PA This was a three-way 20-minute Iron Man tournament final at Redefined, also involving Jimmy Rave and Nick Gage. Acid won in overtime.[1][26]
Jimmy Rave 1 December 13, 2003 Philadelphia, PA This was a 20-minute Iron Man match at Cage of Death 5 - Suspended, which Rave won in overtime.[1][27]
Chris Hero 1 May 1, 2004 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Apocalypse.[1][28]
B-Boy 1 December 11, 2004 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Cage of Death VI.[1][29]
Franky The Mobster 1 February 5, 2005 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Only the Strong: Scarred 4 Life. This match was also for Franky's IWS World Heavyweight Championship.[1][30]
Kevin Steen 1 August 13, 2005 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Deja Vu 3: Wired.[31]
LuFisto 1 August 12, 2006 Philadelphia, PA LuFisto pinned Steen, her own partner, in an "All Out War" barbed wire steel cage elimination match at Trapped.[1][32]
Vacated January 13, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Vacated at New Year, New Opportunities due to a back injury.[33][34]
DJ Hyde 1 February 10, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Defeated Chris Hero and Adam Flash in a triple threat match at H8.[1][35]
Toby Klein 1 May 12, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Restore the Order.[1][36]
DJ Hyde 2 September 8, 2007 Philadelphia, PA This was a dog collar match at Chri$ Ca$h Memorial Show.[37]
Joker 1 November 10, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Night of Infamy.[38]
Brain Damage 1 January 12, 2008 Philadelphia, PA This was a 20-minute Iron Man Homerun Derby deathmatch at New Year's Resolutions, also for Damage's CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship The first act to be signed to Psychopathic was Project Born in 1994. As Violent J said in his book, Behind The Paint, the label used to pick members up, give them rides to the studio, buy them clothes, etc. Their first album "Born Dead" was slated to be an LP but was cut down to an EP. Guest appearances would include ICP & Esham. That album would gain little album sales thus Project Born being released form the label in 1995.
While in 1997 Jumpsteady would introduce his brother-in-law Myzery to ICP. After they had met and gotten along Psychopathic would sign Myzery to a contract. He would release his first album Para La Isla. While Myzery was on tour with Twiztid, Psychopathic would release a tour only album "DP Inc" and it lacked album sales so it was never sold elsewhere. Myzery would work on one more album in a group called Psychopathic Rydas as Twin Gats. Soon after he finished recording that album in early 1999 he would leave Psychopathic.
The third act to be signed were two men by the names of James Spaniolo and Paul Methric. Spaniolo and Methric took on the identities of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, and the group took the new name of Twiztid. Donned "protégés of the Insane Clown Posse", Twiztid soon began sporting some make up of their own. In 1998 they released their first album, Mostasteless, to an ever growing fan base of juggalos. Twiztid would then sign a record deal with Island Records, which ICP were on at the time and helped get Twiztid signed. [4] Mostasteless was pulled from shelves and it seemed that Psychopathic would prove to only be a starting ground.
In 1998, Psychopathic signed a new artist, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, which he was not announced until 1999. Blaze can be heard on Twiztid's debut album Mostasteless in background vocals. In 2000, he released his self-entitled EP Blaze Ya Dead Homie EP. He would stay on the label to present day, even after announcing his retirement in 2003, only to come back in 2004.
With ICP's success in the wrestling rings of WWF, WCW, and ECW, they decided to shift Psychopathic into much more than just a record label. They wanted to make their own wrestling federation, and run it themselves. In 1998, Juggalo Championship Wrestling was born.
[edit] Booming Productions
In 1998, Psychopathic, with the help of Island Records, sprung into the movie business. Island funded ICP, to some extent, money to start a full length movie. The result was Big Money Hustlas. Released by Island, the movie featured artists ICP and Twiztid, as well as friends and family including Alex Abbiss, Myzery, and Rob "Jumpsteady" Bruce. The movie proved to be a successful stepping stone, not for Island, but for Psychopathic.
The year 2000 was big for Psychopathic; a full length movie was released, new artists were being signed, JCW was running well. So to add more flavor to the mix, Psychopathic held it's first Gathering of the Juggalos in 2000. It drew over 7,000 people to Novi, Michigan for the 2 day event.
During this time, Twiztid returned to the label and released 2 albums in the year 2000 (Cryptic Collection and Freek Show). Freek Show debuted #51 on Billboard charts, proving the group could do well on their own. [5] They would go on to continue to stay on the Psychopathic label to present day.
ICP returned to Psychopathic, after officially ending their contract with Island Records. In 2001, the supergroup Dark Lotus debuted. It's original line up consisted of Jamie Madrox, Monoxide Child, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and non-Psychopathic artist Marz. Since then the line up has changed multiple times until it's latest, and final version, consisting of Jamie Madrox, Monoxide Child, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, and Blaze.
New artist Anybody Killa was also announced to be signed that year. While working on his own album, Hatchet Warrior, ABK appeared on many other tracks by his label-mates. He also replaced Marz in the line up for Dark Lotus.
[edit] ICP's Official Return
While Psychopathic hyped ICP's long awaited released of the sixth Joker's Card, a surprise was handed to fans. The legendary godfather of horrorcore, and man who appeared on ICP's first Joker's Card, Esham signed to Psychopathic. He quickly released a greatest hits album, "Acid Rain".
On Nov. 5th, 2002, ICP released their sixth Joker's Card, The Wraith: Shangri-La, and it was on Psychopathic Records. The record debuted at #15 on Billboard charts. [6] Since then ICP has stayed on their own label, deciding that it's better to control themselves than be controlled. They've managed to release one or more albums every year to the present since their release of The Wraith: Hell's Pit.
Brother of Violent J, Jumpsteady had appeared on ICP's Carnival of Carnage. In 2002, Jumpsteady released an EP entitled Chaos Theory. After appearing on Psychopathics from Outer Space 2 in 2003, Jumpsteady started recording his full length album. 2005 marked the year he released Master of the Flying Guillotine. Since then he's stayed quiet, and was announced by Violent J in 2006 that he left the label but still works in behind-the-scene projects. In 2003, newly signed band Zug Izland released their first album Cracked Tiles. They were then pushed to a now defunct sub-label Ax & Smash Records, and released 3:33. In 2004, Psychopathic and ZI separated in mutual agreements.
The summer of 2005 saw the birth of two new supergroups. First being the Soopa Villainz. Consisting of Mr. Diamond (Violent J), Mr. Club (Shaggy 2 Dope), Mr. Spade (Esham), and Mr. Heart (Lavel), the Villainz seemed to be an unstoppable force. They released their first album Furious, their future looked good. The other group, being Blaze and ABK, called themselves Drive-By. They released their debut album, Pony Down (Prelude), in October 2005. Both groups only released one album before being broken up.
The end of 2005/beginning of 2006 was an unfortunate year for Psychopathic. Out of the blue Esham, followed by Lavel, left Psychopathic in October of 2005. This left the Soopa Villainz to be finished. Esham and Lavel had some harsh words towards ICP and their label. Then in February of 2006, ABK left the label as well. He joined in the hate, and even started to diss the people who loved him most, the juggalos. [7]
Psychopathic rose to the occasion, in spite of the events. In January 2006, a new artist was announced to be signed and debuting at that summer's Gathering of the Juggalos, but his identity was kept secret. And after Detroit rapper Proof was shot and killed in a nightclub in Detroit in April, Esham and Psychopathic made up. Esham was not signed again, but remains close friends. [8] 2006 also marked the only album release of Axe Murder Boys on Psychopathic Records. Speculation is split between whether AMB won a recording deal, or just a one CD chance. But either way, they parted with Psychopathic later in 2006.
In June of 2006, Psychopathic Records went through a major change. Alex Abbiss, who was with Psychopathic since the beginning, announced his retirement. He stepped down as President and CEO of Psychopathic, and was replaced by Bill Dail, better known as Billy Bill.[9]
[edit] Present Day
The 2006 Gathering that year revealed the new artist, Boondox. He released his first album The Harvest in 2006. Boondox was placed on every tour any Psychopathic artist was on for 2007. Later in 2007, he released an EP Punkinhed, and announced his next album "Krimson Creek" to be released in 2008.
At the 2007 Gathering, Violent J stated that Psychopathic and Anybody Killa have almost completely worked through all contractual issues and there is a good chance that he will return to Psychopathic Records. [10] Since then, however, no mentions have been named toward ABK or a possible return.
Late in 2007, The R.O.C. was officially signed. [11] With that, Blaze announced that he and The R.O.C. have started a new group "Zodiac M-Print" and their new album "Horrorscope" would be released in 2008. The rumor filled, seemingly fictional group Samhein Witch Killaz proved that they were still around and not just a rumor. They appeared on Blaze's newest album Clockwork Grey, but still have not date for the debut album. Dark Lotus also announced an album to be released on 2008, the title being “The Opaque Brotherhood”. Violent J announced in January that the Red Rocks Amphitheatre would host a new event called "Hatchet Attacks" which will have concerts by the whole psychopathic family, JCW wrestling, and much more.[12]
[edit] Current artists
Insane Clown Posse (ICP)
Twiztid
Blaze Ya Dead Homie
Boondox
Dark Lotus
Samhein Witch Killaz
Zodiac M-Print (Blaze Ya Dead Homie & The R.O.C.)
[edit] Hatchet House
DJ Clay
Motown Rage
The R.O.C.
[edit] Past groups and artists
John Kickchazz
Original member of the 1989-1992 Inner City Posse/Insane Clown Posse
Greez-E
Semi-Original member of the 1992-1993 Insane Clown Posse to replace John Kickchazz
Fink Da Eastside G
Short lived member in 1994-1995. He appeared on Carnival X-Mas and the rare Golden Goldies recording.
Perpetual Hype Engine
Performed instruments on "Let's Go All the Way" for ICP.
Project Born
They were released after Born Dead lacked album sales.
Myzery
Released Para La Isla in 1998. Made some appearances in songs & in Big Money Hustlas, became a member of Psychopathic Rydas, and then was released in 2000.
Vampiro
Signed a contract and recorded 75% of his album before he left, due to loss of hearing in one of his ears by a hit from Mike Awesome on WCW Nitro. Made an appearance on Twiztid's Freek Show album. Original member of Dark Lotus but never recorded any DL songs {excluding the song he appeared on Twiztid's Freek Show.}
Marz
Made a track with ICP, became a member of Dark Lotus and then left due to personal and business issues.
V-Sinizter
Layzie Bone
Zug Izland
Esham
Anybody Killa
Drive-By
L.A.V.E.L.
Soopa Villainz
Broke up after Esham and L.A.V.E.L. left.
Axe Murder Boyz
After completing their contract requests which included one album, a few tours, and appearances, their contract ended and they parted ways with Psychopathic.
Jumpsteady
Left Psychopathic Records as a recording artist "to pursue other venues". He still continues to work with Psychopathic in behind-the-scene activities.
[edit] Video Department
Big Money Hustlas
Insane Clown Posse's debut movie costarring Twiztid and Harland Williams and also featuring Jumpsteady, Myzery, Mick Foley (As Cactus Sac), The Misfits, Mike E. Clark, and several other artist or affiliates of Psychopathic Records.
Psychopathic: The Videos
A DVD release containing every video ever made by past and present Psychopathic artist. Included are two new videos for Raw Deal and Ill Connect. Also featured is the original, uncut version of Chicken Huntin' by ICP. All presented in "super fresh DVD quality."
Big Money Rustlas
The prequel to Big Money Hustlas starring ICP and Twiztid. Many of the same cast members are expected to return from Big Money Hustlas for this prequel.
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
King Gordy can be seen wearing Psychopathic Records shirt in Bizarre's video "Fat Boy". [13]
The Hatchetman logo was originally created and drawn by Shaggy 2 Dope. Professional wrestler Scott Hall wore various hatchet gear merchandise during his appearances on TNA Impact! in 2007. Random sightings of the Hatchetman can be seen on all three WWE shows as they appear on signs almost every week. Vanilla Ice has befriended many in Psychopathic, and can be seen at various occasions wearing Hatchet Gear. Examples include his cameo appearance in The New Guy, his time on the Surreal Life, and on VH1's "100 Best Songs of the 90's". Classic Luke Hadley wrestling video. http://www.lukehadley.com Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews tradition...all »Classic Luke Hadley wrestling video. http://www.lukehadley.com Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted.[1] Although hardcore wrestling is a staple among some wrestling promotions, where they are used at the climaxes of feuds, some promotions (such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling) specialized in hardcore wrestling, with many matches performed in this manner. World Wrestling Federation
In 1980, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc. and in 1982 purchased Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father. The elder McMahon had long since established the northeastern territory as one of the most vibrant members of the NWA. He had long since recognized that professional wrestling was more about entertainment than actual sport. Against his father's wishes, McMahon began an expansion process that fundamentally changed the sport. The WWF was not the only promotion to have broken ranks with the NWA; the American Wrestling Association (AWA) had long ago ceased being an official NWA member (although like the WWF, they seldom left their own territory). But in neither instance did the defecting member attempt to undermine the territory system that had been the foundation of the industry for more than half a century. Other promoters were furious when McMahon began syndicating WWF television shows to television stations across the United States, in areas outside of the WWF's traditional northeastern stronghold. McMahon also began selling videotapes of WWF events outside the Northeast through his Coliseum Video distribution company. He effectively broke the unwritten law of regionalism around which the entire industry had been based. To make matters worse, McMahon used the income generated by advertising, television deals, and tape sales to poach talent from rival promoters. Wrestling promoters nationwide were now in direct competition with the WWF. Hulk Hogan, due to his appearance in Rocky III had a national recognition that few other wrestlers could offer, which is what led McMahon to sign him. Roddy Piper was brought in, as well as Jesse Ventura (although Ventura rarely wrestled in the WWF at that point due to the lung disorder that caused his retirement, moving to the commentator booth alongside Gorilla Monsoon). André the Giant, Jimmy Snuka, Don Muraco, Paul Orndorff, Greg Valentine, Ricky Steamboat and the Iron Sheik rounded out the roster. Hogan was clearly McMahon's biggest star, but there was debate as to whether the WWF could've achieved national success without him. According to several reports, the elder McMahon warned his son: "Vinny, what are you doing? You'll wind up at the bottom of a river." In spite of such warnings, the younger McMahon had an even bolder ambition: the WWF would tour nationally. However, such a venture required huge capital investment; one that placed the WWF on the verge of financial collapse. The future of not just McMahon's experiment, but also the WWF, the NWA, and the whole industry came down to the success or failure of McMahon's groundbreaking concept, WrestleMania. WrestleMania was a pay-per-view extravaganza (in some areas; most areas of the country saw WrestleMania available on closed-circuit television) that McMahon marketed as being the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. The concept of a wrestling super card was nothing new in North America; the NWA had been running Starrcade a few years prior to WrestleMania, and even the elder McMahon had marketed large Shea Stadium cards viewable in closed-circuit locations. However, McMahon wanted to take the WWF to the mainstream, targeting the public who were not regular wrestling fans. He drew the interest of the mainstream media by inviting celebrities such as Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper to participate in the event. MTV, in particular, featured a great deal of WWF coverage and programming at this time, in what was termed the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Golden Age
The original WrestleMania, held in 1985, was a resounding success. This event is sometimes credited as the debut of what McMahon called "sports entertainment", in contrast to his father's preference of pure wrestling. The WWF did incredible business on the shoulders of McMahon and his all-American babyface hero, Hulk Hogan, for the next several years, creating what some observers dubbed a second golden age for professional wrestling. The introduction of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC in mid-1985 marked the first time that professional wrestling had been broadcast on network television since the 1950s. In 1987, the WWF would also produce what was considered to be the pinnacle of the 1980's wrestling boom altogether, WrestleMania III .[3] However, during the early 1990s, the WWF's fortunes steadily declined as fans were tired of Hulk Hogan's ability to beat anyone and everyone whenever he wanted. New Generation The WWF hit a low point in the wake of allegations of steroid abuse and distribution made against it in 1994; there were also allegations of sexual harassment made by WWF employees. McMahon was eventually exonerated, but it was a public relations nightmare for the WWF. The steroid trial cost the WWF an estimated $5 million at a time when revenues were at an all-time low. To compensate, McMahon cut the pay of both wrestlers and front office personnel – close to 40% in the latter case (and about 50% for top level managers such as Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, who both left). This helped drive many WWF wrestlers to its only major competition, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), between 1993 and 1996. During this period, the WWF promoted itself under the banner of "The New WWF Generation," featuring Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker. In an effort to promote them and other young talent as the new superstars of the ring, the WWF began to play on the age restrictions which former WWF wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage (who by now were working for WCW) now faced. This is best seen in the "Billionaire Ted" parodies of early 1996 (a reference to WCW's owner and patron, media mogul Ted Turner) which culminated in a "rasslin'" match during the warm-up to WrestleMania XII. The Attitude Era Steve Austin became the new face of the company, starting with his Austin 3:16 speech, shortly after defeating Jake Roberts in the tournament finals at the 1996 King of the Ring pay-per-view.[4] The WWF began broadcasting more violence, swearing, and more edgy angles in its attempt to compete with World Championship Wrestling. After Bret Hart left for WCW following the Montreal Screwjob incident,[5] Vince McMahon used the resulting backlash in the creation of his "Mr. McMahon" character, a dictatorial and fierce ruler who favored heels who were "good for business" over "misfit" faces like Austin. This, in turn, led to the Austin vs. McMahon feud, which, along with the formation of D-Generation X, laid the foundation for the Attitude Era. The Attitude Era also featured the established Monday Night Wars, where both WCW and the WWF had Monday night shows that competed against each other in the ratings. Many new faces came into the WWF such as Mankind (known then as Cactus Jack from Extreme Championship Wrestling), Chris Jericho, The Rock (then known as Rocky Maivia), Kane, and the 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.
Business advances On April 29, 1999, the WWF made its return to terrestrial television by launching a special program known as SmackDown! on the fledgling UPN network. The Thursday-night show became a weekly series on August 26, 1999. On the back of the success of the Attitude Era, on October 19, 1999 the WWF's parent company, Titan Sports (by this time renamed World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.) became a publicly traded company, offering 10 million shares priced at $17 each.[6] WWF announced its desire to diversify, including creating a nightclub in Times Square, producing feature films, and book publishing. In 2000 the WWF, in collaboration with television network NBC, announced the creation of the XFL, a new professional football league that debuted in 2001.[7] The league had surprisingly high ratings for the first few weeks, but initial interest waned and its ratings plunged to dismally low levels (one of its games was the lowest-rated primetime show in the history of American television). NBC walked out on the venture after only one season, but McMahon intended to continue alone. However, after being unable to reach a deal with UPN, McMahon shut down the XFL. Acquisition of WCW and ECW WCW was in dire straits with the WWF consistently beating them in the ratings war. It only survived because Ted Turner retained control over it as a result of Turner Broadcasting System's merger with Time Warner. However, after Time Warner merged with AOL, Turner's power was considerably reduced, and the newly merged company decided to get rid of WCW entirely. In March 2001, WWF Entertainment, Inc. acquired World Championship Wrestling, Inc. from AOL Time Warner for a number reported to be around $7 million.[9] With this purchase, WWF was now the largest wrestling promotion in the world, and the only one in North America with mainstream exposure. It remained so until the launch of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2002. The assets of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2001, were purchased by WWE in mid-2003. World Wrestling Entertainment In 2000, the World Wildlife Fund (also WWF), an environmental organization now called the World Wide Fund for Nature, sued the World Wrestling Federation. A British court agreed that Titan Sports had violated a 1994 agreement which had limited the permissible use of the WWF initials overseas, particularly in merchandising.[10] On Sunday May 5, 2002, the company quietly changed all references on its website from "WWF" to "WWE", while switching the URL from WWF.com to WWE.com. The next day, a press release announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE, and the change was publicized later that day during a telecast of Monday Night RAW, which emanated from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. For a short time, WWE used the slogan "Get The 'F' Out".[11] The company had also been ordered by court to stop using the old WWF Attitude logo on any of its properties and to censor all past references to WWF, as they no longer owned the trademark to the initials WWF in 'specified circumstances'.[12] However, despite litigation, WWE is still permitted use of the original WWF logo, which was used from 1984 through 1997, as well as the "New WWF Generation" logo, which was used from 1994 through 1998. Furthermore, the company may still make use of the full "World Wrestling Federation" and "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment" names without consequence. In April 2002, about a month before the name change, WWE decided to create two separate rosters, one on RAW, the other on SmackDown! due to the overabundance of talent left over from the Invasion storyline (which involved talent from the absorbed ECW and WCW rosters interacting in WWF storylines). This is known as the WWE Brand Extension. Following the Brand Extension, a yearly Draft Lottery was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups. WWE superstars performing for the Coalition troops at Camp VictoryIn late 2005 WWE RAW returned after a brief 5-year stint on TNN (now Spike TV) to its original home USA Network. In the TNN days, WWE got all advertising revenue during commercial breaks into their own pockets, now on USA Network, USA Network gets all advertising revenue. So, WWE had to invest into other lines of products introducing WWE 24/7, an on-demand subscription-only channel which shows classic wrestling matches from WWE's vast video library (more than 80,000 hours) and WWE produced content other than wrestling. In 2006, due to contracts with NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network, WWE had the chance to revive its classic Saturday night show WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME) on NBC after a 13-year hiatus. WWE had so the chance to promote the company on a national network and not only on cable channels like The CW and USA Network. SNME airs occasionally on NBC as a WWE special series. On May 26, 2006, WWE revived Extreme Championship Wrestling as its third brand. The new ECW program airs Tuesday nights, on the Sci Fi Channel.[13] On September 26, 2007, it was announced that WWE would be expanding its international operations. Alongside the current international offices in London and Toronto, a new international office would be established in Sydney. Wellness Program The WWE Talent Wellness Program is a comprehensive drug, alcohol, and cardiac screening program exclusive to World Wrestling Entertainment, initiated in February 2006, shortly after the sudden death of one of their highest profile talents, 38 year old Eddie Guerrero.[15] The policy tests for recreational drug use and abuse of prescription medication, including anabolic steroids.[15] Under the guidelines of the policy, talent is also tested annually for pre-existing or developing cardiac issues. The drug testing is handled by Aegis Sciences Corporation. The cardiac evaluations are handled by New York Cardiology Associates P.C. The program has recently been defended heavily by WWE and its employees in the wake of several illegal pharmacy busts that link WWE performers to steroid purchases even after the policy was put into place. WWE openly suspended/released 11 performers immediately following release of their names in conjunction with anabolic steroid purchases.[16][17] The program has fallen under intense scrutiny from branches of the media and professionals in the field of doping,[Who?] who claim that not only has WWE overlooked, if not, encouraged steroid use prior to these pharmacy busts, but that the steroid testing itself is blatantly misleading. Under WWE drug testing policy, positive test thresholds for anabolic steroids are more than twice that of all other major sporting outfits including the Olympic committee. WWE is currently under investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their talent wellness policy, after the death of one of their performers, Chris Benoit, possibly being linked to steroid abuse. In August 2007, WWE made the decision to suspend ten professional wrestlers for violating their Wellness Policy after it emerged they were all customers of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida. According to a statement attributed to WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt, an eleventh wrestler was later added to the suspension list. On the other hand, it has been failed to be mentioned in public outside WWE.com that because of the Wellness Policy, physicians were able to diagnose one of their bigger superstars with a heart ailment that otherwise would've likely gone unnoticed until it was too late. In August 2007, reigning U.S. Champion MVP was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome[20], which if gone undiagnosed can be potentially fatal. The ailment was discovered while MVP was going through a routine Wellness Policy checkup. Hardcore wrestling became acknowledged as a major wrestling style first in Japan with promotions such as FMW and W*ING. It then became successful in America with Extreme Championship Wrestling. The World Wrestling Federation capitalizing on the success and introduced the WWF Hardcore Championship. The WWF soon began to turn the matches into comedy skits, illustrating the ridiculousness they involved. Hardcore is in sound contrast to traditional mat-based wrestling, where solid technical skills are preferred over stuntwork, blood, and sheer shock value. The term garbage wrestling is attributed to Japanese wrestler Giant Baba who used it originally to describe a style of wrestling which required little wrestling athletic ability and often involved no wrestling at all, which is rather common in much of hardcore wrestling. Some in the United States consider it a derogatory term. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon, and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001. The company became known for its loyal fan base as well as its tendency to push the envelope with storylines. The group has showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, ranging from lucha libre to hardcore wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought the rights to ECW and its library after its 2001 closure and revived the promotion in a full-time fashion on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series on Sci Fi Channel in the United States, FOX8 in Australia, SIC Radical in Portugal and Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom. In 2005 and 2006, WWE promoted an ECW-brand event called ECW One Night Stand, and in June 2006, it became a separate brand of WWE programming, along with RAW and SmackDown! Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and Eastern Championship Wrestling Technically, ECW had its origins in 1991 under the banner Tri-State Wrestling Alliance[1]. Joel Goodhart was the owner of Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. In 1992, Goodhart sold his share of the company to his partner, Tod Gordon, who in return renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling. When Eastern Championship Wrestling was founded, it was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). After Tod Gordon had a falling out with head booker Eddie Gilbert, Gordon chose Gilbert's friend and WCW alumnus Paul Heyman to replace him. Eddie exhibited unstable behavior and drug abuse before he was replaced. Heyman's first show with the promotion was NWA Ultra Clash '93 on September 18, 1993 at Viking Hall (which was eventually dubbed The ECW Arena) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ECW contrasted contemporary professional wrestling, which contained many cartoonish gimmicks and was marketed more towards children. ECW, aiming at males between 18 to 35, broke a few taboos such as blading and women getting regularly beaten up by the male wrestlers. Heyman saw ECW as the professional wrestling equivalent to the grunge movement, and focused on taking the company in a new direction as well Withdrawing from the NWA See also: NWA World Heavyweight Championship#The beginning of Extreme Championship Wrestling
In 1994, Jim Crockett's non-compete agreement with Ted Turner, who purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Crockett in 1988, was up and he decided to start promoting with the NWA again. Crockett went to Tod Gordon and asked him to hold a tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the ECW Arena on August 27, 1994. NWA President Dennis Coralluzzo thought that Crockett and Gordon were going to try to monopolize the title[3] (much like Crockett did in the 1980s) and told them they didn't have the NWA board's approval so he took control over the tournament. Gordon was upset at Coralluzzo for his power plays so Gordon and Shane Douglas, who was booked to win the title against 2 Cold Scorpio, planned to have Douglas throw the title down after he won it and break ECW from the NWA. In a now classic post-match speech, Shane Douglas said that he didn't want to be a part of an organization that "died" seven years earlier (presumably when Jim Crockett sold his NWA territories to Turner Broadcasting in 1988). According to the Forever Hardcore DVD, Douglas claimed that he only agreed to throw down the NWA belt[4] after Dennis Coraluzzo[5] buried Douglas on Mike Tenay’s radio show. In accord with this speech, Paul Heyman later stated that "the National Wrestling Alliance was old-school when old-school wasn't hip anymore. We wanted to set our mark, we wanted to breakaway from the pack, we wanted to let the world know that we weren't just some independent promotion."
Shortly afterwards ECW withdrew from the NWA and officially changed its name to Extreme Championship Wrestling. The incident gave ECW huge promotion and cost NWA a lot of credibility.
Popularity After ECW withdrew from the NWA and officially changed its name from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling, it became an underground sensation. The unorthodox style of moves, controversial storylines, and intense blood thirst of ECW made it intensely popular among many wrestling fans in the 18- to 25-year-old demographic. Its intense fanbase, albeit a small constituency, reached near-cultism in the late 1990s and inspired the "hardcore style" in other wrestling promotions, namely WWF and WCW. The group showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, popularizing bloody hardcore wrestling matches and the 3-Way Dance. ECW was always intended to be counter-culture and a grittier alternative to multi-million dollar organizations such as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and WCW. In addition to their hardcore match types, they provided an alternative to North American wrestling with technical wrestling that was common overseas. International stars such as Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko anchored a solid technical wrestling core in ECW. Rey Mysterio, Jr., Psicosis, Konnan and Juventud Guerrera brought a lucha libre style rarely seen in the national wrestling promotions. Wrestlers such as Shane Douglas, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, The Sandman, Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Sabu, Mikey Whipwreck and Tazz were seen as being too dangerous for the multi-million dollar companies and were given a chance in ECW. They also helped launch the new ECW at this time. One of the promotion's marquee feuds was the long-standing feud between Tommy Dreamer and Raven, which involved many ECW wrestlers over a period of two and a half years. Another was between Raven and the Sandman, which included the crucifixion angle, one of the most controversial angles in wrestling history. Shows at the ECW Arena and television syndication
See also: ECW Hardcore TV The bulk of ECW's shows remained at the ECW Arena, a rundown bingo hall secluded under a section of Interstate 95. Seating comprised simple folding chairs and four sets of portable bleachers, and the whole sort of unconventional set up reflected the gritty style of the wrestling itself. Shows were actually broadcast on a Philadelphia local cable sports station (SportsChannel America's local affiliate, Sports Channel Philadelphia) on Tuesday evenings. After Sports Channel Philadelphia went off the air in 1997, the show moved to WPPX-TV 61. It later moved to a former independent broadcast station (WGTW 48) in Philadelphia on either Friday or Saturday night at 1 or 2 a.m. Shows were also aired on the (MSG Network in NYC on Friday nights (Early Saturday morning) at 2 a.m. Due to the obscurity of the stations and ECW itself, as well as the lack of FCC oversight at that late hour, many times expletives and violence were not edited out of these showings, helping to get ECW noticed. In relation to the "Big Two" Paul Heyman believes that after noticing ECW's growing popularity, the "Big Two" (World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation) started adopting their ideas and hiring away their talent. ECW, according to Heyman, was the first victim of the "Monday Night Wars" between WCW Monday Nitro and Monday Night RAW. While the WWF had somewhat of a working relationship with ECW (going as far as allowing cross-promotional angles, and providing financial aid to Heyman for a considerable period of time), WCW refused to even mention ECW by name (with a few notable exceptions; including a passing remark by Raven in late 1996 and Kevin Nash and Scott Hall mentioning it as a viable second option in American wrestling in a slight on their main competition, the World Wrestling Federation), referring to it as "barbed wire city" and "a major independent promotion" that wrestled in bingo halls during a segment directed at Diamond Dallas Page. Vince McMahon claimed that he put Paul Heyman on the WWF's payroll as compensation for the talent (namely Tazz, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Dudley Boyz) leaving ECW for the WWF. On the other hand, Heyman believed that Eric Bischoff never compensated him for ECW bred talent such as Mikey Whipwreck, Raven, The Sandman, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn, Stevie Richards and Chris Jericho leaving to go to WCW. The crucifixion angle From January 1995 through January 1996, Tommy Dreamer engaged in a bloody war with Raven. However, the feud took ended for a while, and Raven began a new feud with The Sandman after he defeated him and won the ECW Heavyweight Title on January 27, 1996 [6]. Raven "brainwashed" Sandman's son to join his cult-like following and turned him against his father. Raven got at Sandman by having his son deny his relationship with his father and perform Raven's taunt to slowly eat away at his father. This led to many bloody matches, in which Sandman's son interfered to help his father. After the match, the two embraced, but Raven came from behind with a Kendo Stick, and smacked his enemy. Steven Richards and the Blue Meanie came out, got a wooden cross out from under the ring, then tied Sandman down to it, and then lifted it up and "crucified" him.[7] At the time, Kurt Angle was backstage and the offensive angle caused him to leave and threaten a lawsuit if his name appeared on the same episode as the "crucifixion".[7] Raven came out and gave a questionable apology for his actions. To this day, Raven claims that the angle wasn't an insult to Jesus Christ, but an insult to The Sandman, by using religious iconography to convey an artistic standpoint. The footage of the "crucifixion" was never used by ECW and was not publicly seen until it appeared on the WWE DVD The Rise and Fall of ECW. The Mass Transit Incident Another major blow to ECW, which Paul Heymen noted lead to the cancellation of the Barely Legal ppv on the The Rise and Fall of ECW was the Mass Transit Incident. Paul Heyman was looking to expand the company through ppv. However, ECW would experience more criticism after Paul Heyman allowed a teenager-who lied about his age to enter ECW- named Eric Kulas-nicknamed "Mass Transit"- to substitute for an injured Axel Rotten, and tag with D-Von Dudley in a match against The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustapha Saed) at an ECW house show in Revere, Massachusetts [2]. During the match, New Jack bladed Kulas, and then attacked him with more weapons and pinning him[3]. After the match, Kulas continuously bled and New Jack went on microphone and said Kulas could bleed to death as far he's concerned as well[4]. Despite the fact that it was scripted, In Demand saw this incident to be too extreme, and decided to cancel the Barely Legal ppv[5]. The Beulah McGillicutty pregnancy/lesbian angle In 1996, Beulah McGillicutty claimed that she was pregnant and told a shocked Raven that it was Tommy Dreamer's baby, intensifying their feud. Beulah eventually left Raven and aligned herself with Dreamer. However, at the 1996 Hostile City Showdown, Shane Douglas informed Dreamer that Beulah was never pregnant, and also had been cheating on him. When Dreamer demanded to know who with (suspecting Douglas) Douglas pointed to Raven's new valet Kimona Wanalaya, who proceeded to kiss Beulah to the mat. After some hesitation, Dreamer kissed both women, proclaiming "I'll take em both, I'm hardcore!" According to Tommy Dreamer on The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD, the angle was so controversial, that ECW got thrown off of virtually every television station at the time. Tod Gordon sells ECW to Paul Heyman In 1996, Tod Gordon sold ECW to his head booker, Paul Heyman. Afterwards, Gordon remained in ECW as a figure-head commissioner. Years after being the ECW "Commissioner", Gordon left ECW. His absence was explained on-air that he retired from wrestling due to family. However, rumors circulate that Gordon was fired by Heyman after he was suspected as a "locker room mole" for a rival wrestling promotion, helping to lure talent to World Championship Wrestling. Many years later, in an interview, Gordon claims that the "WCW mole" situation was nothing more than a work. Cross-promotion Storyline-wise, Vince McMahon first became "aware" of ECW while at the 1995 King of the Ring event in ECW's home base of Philadelphia. During the match between Mabel and Savio Vega, the crowd suddenly started to angrily chant "ECW ECW ECW" At the September 22, 1996 In Your House: Mind Games event in Philadelphia, ECW stars The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Paul Heyman, and Taz) were in the front row with Sandman even interfering in one match (when he threw beer on Savio Vega during his strap match with Bradshaw). McMahon acknowledged ECW's status as a local, up and coming promotion on the air. On February 24, 1997, ECW "invaded" Monday Night RAW from the Manhattan Center. They advanced a storyline, plugged their first ever pay-per-view and worked three matches in front of the WWF audience while Vince McMahon called the action with both Jerry "The King" Lawler and Paul Heyman. The Manhattan Center in New York was peppered with a large number of ECW fans, who gave the WWF wrestlers "BORING!" chants when they felt it was warranted. Likewise, when the ECW performers arrived, they popped and introduced the WWF Monday night audience to some trademark ECW group chants. ECW's first pay-per-view event After a series of struggles[9], on April 13, 1997, ECW finally broadcast its first pay-per-view wrestling card, Barely Legal, highlighted by Terry Funk winning the ECW World Heavyweight Title From Raven. At the 1997 Wrestlepalooza event, Jerry Lawler, a noted critic of ECW, made a surprise appearance at the ECW Arena. Wrestlepalooza '97 featured Raven's final ECW match before leaving for WCW. In this match, Tommy Dreamer finally beat his long time nemesis Raven. Dreamer's celebration was short-lived, though, as Jerry Lawler, along with Sabu and Rob Van Dam showed up to attack Dreamer. This set up a match between Tommy Dreamer and Jerry Lawler at the 1997 Hardcore Heaven PPV on August 17, which was won by Dreamer. ECW continued through 1998 and early 1999 with a string of successful pay-per-views. The Mike Awesome World Title controversy In April 2000, Mike Awesome made a surprise appearance on WCW Monday Nitro -- aiding the New Blood by attacking Kevin Nash -- while still reigning as ECW World Champion. Awesome's friend Lance Storm has said that he had refused to sign a new contract with ECW until Paul Heyman paid him overdue wages.[10] There were rumors that Eric Bischoff wanted to drop the ECW World Championship belt in the trash can on television, as was done with the WWF Women's title by Alundra Blayze. Due to concern over legal issues, WCW refrained from having Awesome appear on their television shows with the ECW belt. Eventually, a compromise was reached which resulted in one of the more bizarre moments in professional wrestling history. Awesome (a WCW employee and ECW champion) appeared on April 13, 2000 at an ECW event in Indianapolis, IN, accompanied by WCW's head of security,[11] where he lost the title to Tazz (a World Wrestling Federation employee).[12] To sum up the uniqueness, a WWF wrestler defeated a WCW wrestler for the ECW World Title. Conflict with XPW In 2000, Xtreme Pro Wrestling owner Rob Black purchased six front row tickets for ECW's annual summer pay-per-view, Heat Wave. The tickets for the show were given to a cadre of XPW talent, as their mission was to make it clear that ECW was on enemy's turf. At the beginning of the main event, the XPW contingent donned shirts emblazoned with the logo of their home company, gaining the attention of security and Tommy Dreamer. Security ejected the XPW group. A brawl in the parking lot then broke out between the XPW ring crew and the ECW locker room, but the XPW wrestlers were not involved. In the parking lot, several of the ECW wrestlers brutalized the XPW ring crew in a street fight until several of the ring crew members were left in pools of their own blood.[13]. Initial reports claimed that Kristi Myst somehow touched Francine and that prompted the incident, but Francine herself has since gone on record as saying that she was never grabbed or in any other way touched by any of the XPW crew, and other eye witnesses support the story that Francine never had a hand laid on her. XPW was not acknowledged on the telecast, and the XPW contingent consisted of The Messiah, Kid Kaos, Supreme, Kristi Myst, Homeless Jimmy and Kris Kloss. Television deal with TNN In August 1999, ECW began to broadcast nationally on TNN (for what was initially a three year contract). Despite no advertising and a low budget, ECW became TNN's highest rated show. ECW on TNN was canceled in October 2000 (with the final episode airing on October 6, 2000) in favor of WWF RAW moving to the network. To this day, Paul Heyman strongly believes that the lack of a national television deal (especially after the TNN ordeal) was the main cause of ECW's demise. Bankruptcy ECW struggled for months after the cancellation, trying to secure a new national TV deal. On December 30, 2000, ECW Hardcore TV aired for the last time and Guilty as Charged 2001 was the last PPV aired on January 7, 2001. Living Dangerously was going to air on March 11, 2001, but because of financial trouble it was canceled before March 11. Despite help from the WWF, Heyman could not get out of financial trouble and filed for bankruptcy on April 4, 2001. Heyman supposedly had never told his wrestlers that the company was on its dying legs and was unable to pay them for well over a month before finally filing for bankruptcy. The company was listed as having assets totaling $1,385,500. Included in that number was $860,000 in accounts receivable owed the company by iN DEMAND Network (PPV), Acclaim (video games), and Original San Francisco Toy Company (action figures). The balance of the assets were the video tape library ($500,000), a 1998 Ford Truck ($19,500) and the remaining inventory of merchandise ($4). The liabilities of the company totaled $8,881,435.17. The bankruptcy filing included hundreds of claims, including production companies, buildings ECW ran in, TV stations ECW was televised on, travel agencies, phone companies, attorney's fees, wrestlers, and other talent. Wrestlers and talent were listed, with amounts owed ranging from $1 for Sabu and Steve Corino to hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars. The highest amounts owed to talents were Rob Van Dam ($150,000), Tommy Dreamer ($125,000), Joey Styles ($50,000), Shane Douglas ($48,000), and Francine ($47,875). Revivals Alliance storyline Main article: The Invasion (professional wrestling)
A few months after the promotion's 2001 demise, ECW resurfaced as a stable as part of the World Wrestling Federation Invasion storyline. As a participant in the inter-promotional feud between Shane McMahon's WCW and Vince McMahon's WWF, ECW was initially "owned" by Paul Heyman and harbored no loyalty to either promotion. Soon after (on the very same night), it was revealed Stephanie McMahon was ECW's new "owner", and she soon conspired with her brother Shane to oust their father from his leadership position in the World Wrestling Federation. Although WWE used the ECW name, the rights to the company were disputed at the time. With the creation of The Alliance, the inter-promotional feud shifted into an internal power struggle among the McMahon family. The defection of WWF superstars to The Alliance continued the shift as less focus was placed on WCW and ECW performers. The feud lasted six months and concluded with WWF defeating The Alliance at the 2001 Survivor Series. The WWF's victory also marked the end of the Invasion storyline, and WCW and ECW wrestlers were reintegrated into the WWF. Documentaries In the summer of 2003, WWE purchased ECW's assets in bankruptcy court, acquiring the rights to ECW's video library. They used this video library to put together a two-disc DVD entitled The Rise and Fall of ECW. The set was released in November 2004. The main feature of the DVD was a three-hour documentary on the company's history, with the other disc featuring matches from the promotion. The DVD sold well, and is currently ranked as WWE's second highest-selling DVD of all time, behind WrestleMania 21. An unauthorized DVD called Forever Hardcore was produced by former WCW crew member Jeremy Borash in response to The Rise and Fall of ECW. The DVD had stories of wrestlers who were not employed by WWE telling their side of ECW's history. However, due to the WWE owning the ECW video library, there was no video of ECW events. But there was footage of XPW events which featured former ECW wrestlers. Reunion shows The strong sales of The Rise and Fall of ECW prompted both World Wrestling Entertainment and Shane Douglas to run ECW reunion shows in 2005. Douglas's first Hardcore Homecoming show was held before WWE's ECW One Night Stand and subsequently went on tour. Lawsuits Mass Transit Main article: Mass Transit incident (ECW) On November 23, 1996, aspiring wrestler Eric Kulas teamed with D-Von Dudley to wrestle The Gangstas. Substituting for Axl Rotten, Kulas was beaten with various weapons and suffered a deep cut as a result of a blading incident by his opponent New Jack. Kulas sued ECW and New Jack for physical and psychological damage claiming he was unaware the match was going to be a hardcore match. Furthermore, criminal charges were filed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts against New Jack. During the civil trial, it was revealed that Kulas and his father lied that Kulas was 19 years old instead of 17. Also, Kulas had misrepresented his wrestling experience by stating he was trained by retired wrestler Killer Kowalski. In the end, ECW and New Jack were acquitted of the charges, however, ECW suffered long term repercussions. The lawsuit delayed the broadcast of ECW's first pay-per-view after distributors viewed video of the incident. Eric Kulas died on May 12, 2002 at the age of 22 due to complications from gastric bypass surgery. Tod Gordon In December 2005, Eastern Championship Wrestling founder Tod Gordon challenged WWE's ownership of the Eastern Championship Wrestling section of the ECW video library, claiming that the state didn't have the right to sell that section of the video library to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. He also claims that Eastern Championship Wrestling, Inc. was separate from Extreme Championship Wrestling. On May 8, 2006 the case was thrown out and Gordon plans to appeal the decision. Tod Gordon is now one of the owners of Pro Wrestling Unplugged, running out of the New Alhambra Arena. Tradition There were several distinctive fans that were always in the front row at ECW shows. Among them were Sign Guy, Tye Dye Guy, Hat Guy (also known in the Philadelphia area as Straw Hat), Faith No More Guy, and Kato. They gained their respective nicknames because Sign Guy always had different creative signs with him, Hat Guy always wore a straw hat and Hawaiian shirt, Faith No More Guy bore an uncanny resemblance to "Big" Jim Martin, former guitarist for rock band Faith No More and Kato resembled O.J. Simpson house guest Kato Kaelin. Regular patrons of ECW Arena events were given Club ECW status by the promotion and were able to reserve seats ahead of the general public. Many members of Club ECW were present at Shane Douglas's 2005 Hardcore Homecoming shows in Philadelphia, and at ECW One Night Stand. Crowds at ECW events were well known for their rowdiness and distinctive chants that either supported or demeaned what was transpiring in the ring. ECW chants such as "You fucked up!" and "Holy shit!" became infamous during those shows, and are still used by fans in other promotions, as well as other chants (most originating from fans in either Philadelphia or New York City), such as "You both suck!", "You can't wrestle!" and, "Fuck 'em up, [name], fuck 'em up!", to name a few. In ECW, there were virtually no rules. Weapons were abundant, with much blood spilled. There were referees, but their role was normally limited to counting pinfalls and acknowledging submissions, occasionally performing tag team maneuvers with a wrestler during the match, several times becoming the winner of the match themselves though not officially a part of the bout.
ECW was known for making popular several types of matches:
Barbed Wire Match
Flaming Tables Match
Singapore Cane Match
Stairway to Hell Match
Three-Way Dance
Fans Bring Their Own Weapons Matches
Mexican Death Match
Taipei Death Match
ECW was also infamous for regularly holding "Bring Your Own Weapon Nights" at the ECW Arena in the early days of the promotion. Fans were encouraged to bring their own weapons to give to wrestlers, as fighting in the crowd was a staple of ECW matches. A dollar store located next to the ECW Arena often supplied the bulk of the weapons, with fans purchasing them while they waited in line for each show. Memorable weapons included crutches, a large piece of cardboard with the words "Use Me!" handwritten on it but actually concealing a full-sized Stop sign, a two-man kayak, a Leonard Cohen vinyl record, a VCR (with remote), and a Nintendo Entertainment System. An accident actually helped put an end to Bring Your Own Weapon Night when wrestler Cactus Jack, believing the weapon he was holding to be an inexpensive aluminum pan, swung the object full force into The Sandman's head. When he heard the resulting "clang" noise, he realized the object was in fact a cast-iron skillet, and The Sandman's resulting injury put him out of action for two weeks. Also, WWE promoted the ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV with the "ECW Rules Match", with the same rules as a No DQ match or Street Fight but was regularly contested between former ECW wrestlers, most notably Chris Benoit and Yoshihiro Tajiri. The CZW World Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in the Philadelphia-based promotion Combat Zone Wrestling. It was established in 1999 at CZW's second show, The Staple Gun, with Nick Gage winning a battle royal.[1] The "world" in the title's name refers to the fact that the title has been defended (and changed hands) several times outside of the United States, including in Mexico,[2] England,[2] Ireland,[2] Italy[2] and Japan.[3] However, Pro Wrestling Illustrated has yet to recognize it as an official world championship. Despite the "heavyweight" distinction, there is no true weight limit, as demonstrated by typically lightweight wrestlers Super Dragon[4] and Ruckus.[5] There have been a total of 12 recognized champions who have had a combined 29 official reigns. Wrestler: Times: Date: Location: Notes:
Derek Domino 1 February 13, 1999 Mantua, NJ Recognized as champion at Opening Night.[1][2]
Lobo 1 February 13, 1999 Mantua, NJ Won the title at Opening Night.[2]
Justice Pain 1 June 19, 1999 Mantua, NJ Won the title at Down in Flames.[3]
Lobo 2 October 16, 1999 Mantua, NJ This was a Cage of Death match at Cage of Death.[4]
Wifebeater 1 March 11, 2000 Sewell, NJ Won the title at March Violence.[1][5]
Mad Man Pondo 1 June 10, 2000 Sewell, NJ Won the title at Caged to the End.[1][6]
Wifebeater 2 July 22, 2000 Sewell, NJ Wifebeater was awarded the title at No Rules, No Limits.[7][8]
Nick Gage 1 July 22, 2000 Sewell, NJ This was a "fans bring the weapons" match at No Rules, No Limits.[1][8]
Wifebeater 3 October 7, 2000 Sewell, NJ This was a triple threat no-ropes barbed wire match also involving Mad Man Pondo at Rules Were Made to Be Broken.[1][9]
Nate Hatred 1 November 11, 2000[7][10] Sewell, NJ Won the title at Jersey Rulz.[1][11]
Wifebeater 4 January 21, 2001[1][7][10] Smyrna, DE This was a deathmatch at Delaware Invasion.[1][12]
Lobo 3 February 10, 2001 Sewell, NJ This was a five-way match also involving Lord Everett DeVore, Nate Hatred and Mad Man Pondo at Crushing the Competition.[1][13]
Nick Mondo 1 June 9, 2001[1] Sewell, NJ This was a triple threat deathmatch also involving Wifebeater and Mad Man Pondo at Breakaway Brawl; Lobo was not involved in the match for reasons that are unclear.[10][14][15]
Nick Gage 2 July 28, 2001 Sewell, NJ Won the title at What About Lobo?.[1][16]
Nick Mondo 1(2)† August 18, 2001 Sewell, NJ Some sources claim that Mondo won the title at Tables, Ladders & Violence,[7][10][17] however CZW does not recognize this reign.[1]
Nick Berk 1 October 27, 2001 Sewell, NJ Defeated Nick Mondo at And JUSTICE for All. Why Gage was officially not involved in this match is unclear.[1][18]
Adam Flash 1 December 15, 2001 Philadelphia, PA This was a triple threat falls count anywhere match at Cage of Death 3, also involving Nick Mondo.[1][19]
Nick Mondo 2(3)† May 11, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This was a four-way match at High Stakes for the Iron Man and World titles, also involving World champion Justice Pain and The Messiah; Mondo pinned Flash and Messiah pinned Pain to win their respective titles.[1][20]
Justice Pain 2 June 8, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This was a triple threat match at Best of the Best II, also involving The Messiah; Messiah's World title was also on the line. Adam Flash was the special referee.[1][21]
Adam Flash 2 July 13, 2002 Philadelphia, PA This match, at Deja Vu, was also for Pain's World championship; the match ended in a double pinfall, so Pain retained the World title, but lost the Iron Man title to Flash.[1][22]
The Messiah 1 October 12, 2002 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Beyond the Barrier.[1][23]
Nick Mondo 3(4)† February 8, 2003 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Uncivilized.[1][24]
Vacated July 26, 2003 Dover, DE Vacated due to injury at Tournament of Death 2.[1][25]
Trent Acid 1 September 13, 2003 Philadelphia, PA This was a three-way 20-minute Iron Man tournament final at Redefined, also involving Jimmy Rave and Nick Gage. Acid won in overtime.[1][26]
Jimmy Rave 1 December 13, 2003 Philadelphia, PA This was a 20-minute Iron Man match at Cage of Death 5 - Suspended, which Rave won in overtime.[1][27]
Chris Hero 1 May 1, 2004 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Apocalypse.[1][28]
B-Boy 1 December 11, 2004 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Cage of Death VI.[1][29]
Franky The Mobster 1 February 5, 2005 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Only the Strong: Scarred 4 Life. This match was also for Franky's IWS World Heavyweight Championship.[1][30]
Kevin Steen 1 August 13, 2005 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Deja Vu 3: Wired.[31]
LuFisto 1 August 12, 2006 Philadelphia, PA LuFisto pinned Steen, her own partner, in an "All Out War" barbed wire steel cage elimination match at Trapped.[1][32]
Vacated January 13, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Vacated at New Year, New Opportunities due to a back injury.[33][34]
DJ Hyde 1 February 10, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Defeated Chris Hero and Adam Flash in a triple threat match at H8.[1][35]
Toby Klein 1 May 12, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Restore the Order.[1][36]
DJ Hyde 2 September 8, 2007 Philadelphia, PA This was a dog collar match at Chri$ Ca$h Memorial Show.[37]
Joker 1 November 10, 2007 Philadelphia, PA Won the title at Night of Infamy.[38]
Brain Damage 1 January 12, 2008 Philadelphia, PA This was a 20-minute Iron Man Homerun Derby deathmatch at New Year's Resolutions, also for Damage's CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship The first act to be signed to Psychopathic was Project Born in 1994. As Violent J said in his book, Behind The Paint, the label used to pick members up, give them rides to the studio, buy them clothes, etc. Their first album "Born Dead" was slated to be an LP but was cut down to an EP. Guest appearances would include ICP & Esham. That album would gain little album sales thus Project Born being released form the label in 1995.
While in 1997 Jumpsteady would introduce his brother-in-law Myzery to ICP. After they had met and gotten along Psychopathic would sign Myzery to a contract. He would release his first album Para La Isla. While Myzery was on tour with Twiztid, Psychopathic would release a tour only album "DP Inc" and it lacked album sales so it was never sold elsewhere. Myzery would work on one more album in a group called Psychopathic Rydas as Twin Gats. Soon after he finished recording that album in early 1999 he would leave Psychopathic.
The third act to be signed were two men by the names of James Spaniolo and Paul Methric. Spaniolo and Methric took on the identities of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, and the group took the new name of Twiztid. Donned "protégés of the Insane Clown Posse", Twiztid soon began sporting some make up of their own. In 1998 they released their first album, Mostasteless, to an ever growing fan base of juggalos. Twiztid would then sign a record deal with Island Records, which ICP were on at the time and helped get Twiztid signed. [4] Mostasteless was pulled from shelves and it seemed that Psychopathic would prove to only be a starting ground.
In 1998, Psychopathic signed a new artist, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, which he was not announced until 1999. Blaze can be heard on Twiztid's debut album Mostasteless in background vocals. In 2000, he released his self-entitled EP Blaze Ya Dead Homie EP. He would stay on the label to present day, even after announcing his retirement in 2003, only to come back in 2004.
With ICP's success in the wrestling rings of WWF, WCW, and ECW, they decided to shift Psychopathic into much more than just a record label. They wanted to make their own wrestling federation, and run it themselves. In 1998, Juggalo Championship Wrestling was born.
[edit] Booming Productions
In 1998, Psychopathic, with the help of Island Records, sprung into the movie business. Island funded ICP, to some extent, money to start a full length movie. The result was Big Money Hustlas. Released by Island, the movie featured artists ICP and Twiztid, as well as friends and family including Alex Abbiss, Myzery, and Rob "Jumpsteady" Bruce. The movie proved to be a successful stepping stone, not for Island, but for Psychopathic.
The year 2000 was big for Psychopathic; a full length movie was released, new artists were being signed, JCW was running well. So to add more flavor to the mix, Psychopathic held it's first Gathering of the Juggalos in 2000. It drew over 7,000 people to Novi, Michigan for the 2 day event.
During this time, Twiztid returned to the label and released 2 albums in the year 2000 (Cryptic Collection and Freek Show). Freek Show debuted #51 on Billboard charts, proving the group could do well on their own. [5] They would go on to continue to stay on the Psychopathic label to present day.
ICP returned to Psychopathic, after officially ending their contract with Island Records. In 2001, the supergroup Dark Lotus debuted. It's original line up consisted of Jamie Madrox, Monoxide Child, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and non-Psychopathic artist Marz. Since then the line up has changed multiple times until it's latest, and final version, consisting of Jamie Madrox, Monoxide Child, Violent J, Shaggy 2 Dope, and Blaze.
New artist Anybody Killa was also announced to be signed that year. While working on his own album, Hatchet Warrior, ABK appeared on many other tracks by his label-mates. He also replaced Marz in the line up for Dark Lotus.
[edit] ICP's Official Return
While Psychopathic hyped ICP's long awaited released of the sixth Joker's Card, a surprise was handed to fans. The legendary godfather of horrorcore, and man who appeared on ICP's first Joker's Card, Esham signed to Psychopathic. He quickly released a greatest hits album, "Acid Rain".
On Nov. 5th, 2002, ICP released their sixth Joker's Card, The Wraith: Shangri-La, and it was on Psychopathic Records. The record debuted at #15 on Billboard charts. [6] Since then ICP has stayed on their own label, deciding that it's better to control themselves than be controlled. They've managed to release one or more albums every year to the present since their release of The Wraith: Hell's Pit.
Brother of Violent J, Jumpsteady had appeared on ICP's Carnival of Carnage. In 2002, Jumpsteady released an EP entitled Chaos Theory. After appearing on Psychopathics from Outer Space 2 in 2003, Jumpsteady started recording his full length album. 2005 marked the year he released Master of the Flying Guillotine. Since then he's stayed quiet, and was announced by Violent J in 2006 that he left the label but still works in behind-the-scene projects. In 2003, newly signed band Zug Izland released their first album Cracked Tiles. They were then pushed to a now defunct sub-label Ax & Smash Records, and released 3:33. In 2004, Psychopathic and ZI separated in mutual agreements.
The summer of 2005 saw the birth of two new supergroups. First being the Soopa Villainz. Consisting of Mr. Diamond (Violent J), Mr. Club (Shaggy 2 Dope), Mr. Spade (Esham), and Mr. Heart (Lavel), the Villainz seemed to be an unstoppable force. They released their first album Furious, their future looked good. The other group, being Blaze and ABK, called themselves Drive-By. They released their debut album, Pony Down (Prelude), in October 2005. Both groups only released one album before being broken up.
The end of 2005/beginning of 2006 was an unfortunate year for Psychopathic. Out of the blue Esham, followed by Lavel, left Psychopathic in October of 2005. This left the Soopa Villainz to be finished. Esham and Lavel had some harsh words towards ICP and their label. Then in February of 2006, ABK left the label as well. He joined in the hate, and even started to diss the people who loved him most, the juggalos. [7]
Psychopathic rose to the occasion, in spite of the events. In January 2006, a new artist was announced to be signed and debuting at that summer's Gathering of the Juggalos, but his identity was kept secret. And after Detroit rapper Proof was shot and killed in a nightclub in Detroit in April, Esham and Psychopathic made up. Esham was not signed again, but remains close friends. [8] 2006 also marked the only album release of Axe Murder Boys on Psychopathic Records. Speculation is split between whether AMB won a recording deal, or just a one CD chance. But either way, they parted with Psychopathic later in 2006.
In June of 2006, Psychopathic Records went through a major change. Alex Abbiss, who was with Psychopathic since the beginning, announced his retirement. He stepped down as President and CEO of Psychopathic, and was replaced by Bill Dail, better known as Billy Bill.[9]
[edit] Present Day
The 2006 Gathering that year revealed the new artist, Boondox. He released his first album The Harvest in 2006. Boondox was placed on every tour any Psychopathic artist was on for 2007. Later in 2007, he released an EP Punkinhed, and announced his next album "Krimson Creek" to be released in 2008.
At the 2007 Gathering, Violent J stated that Psychopathic and Anybody Killa have almost completely worked through all contractual issues and there is a good chance that he will return to Psychopathic Records. [10] Since then, however, no mentions have been named toward ABK or a possible return.
Late in 2007, The R.O.C. was officially signed. [11] With that, Blaze announced that he and The R.O.C. have started a new group "Zodiac M-Print" and their new album "Horrorscope" would be released in 2008. The rumor filled, seemingly fictional group Samhein Witch Killaz proved that they were still around and not just a rumor. They appeared on Blaze's newest album Clockwork Grey, but still have not date for the debut album. Dark Lotus also announced an album to be released on 2008, the title being “The Opaque Brotherhood”. Violent J announced in January that the Red Rocks Amphitheatre would host a new event called "Hatchet Attacks" which will have concerts by the whole psychopathic family, JCW wrestling, and much more.[12]
[edit] Current artists
Insane Clown Posse (ICP)
Twiztid
Blaze Ya Dead Homie
Boondox
Dark Lotus
Samhein Witch Killaz
Zodiac M-Print (Blaze Ya Dead Homie & The R.O.C.)
[edit] Hatchet House
DJ Clay
Motown Rage
The R.O.C.
[edit] Past groups and artists
John Kickchazz
Original member of the 1989-1992 Inner City Posse/Insane Clown Posse
Greez-E
Semi-Original member of the 1992-1993 Insane Clown Posse to replace John Kickchazz
Fink Da Eastside G
Short lived member in 1994-1995. He appeared on Carnival X-Mas and the rare Golden Goldies recording.
Perpetual Hype Engine
Performed instruments on "Let's Go All the Way" for ICP.
Project Born
They were released after Born Dead lacked album sales.
Myzery
Released Para La Isla in 1998. Made some appearances in songs & in Big Money Hustlas, became a member of Psychopathic Rydas, and then was released in 2000.
Vampiro
Signed a contract and recorded 75% of his album before he left, due to loss of hearing in one of his ears by a hit from Mike Awesome on WCW Nitro. Made an appearance on Twiztid's Freek Show album. Original member of Dark Lotus but never recorded any DL songs {excluding the song he appeared on Twiztid's Freek Show.}
Marz
Made a track with ICP, became a member of Dark Lotus and then left due to personal and business issues.
V-Sinizter
Layzie Bone
Zug Izland
Esham
Anybody Killa
Drive-By
L.A.V.E.L.
Soopa Villainz
Broke up after Esham and L.A.V.E.L. left.
Axe Murder Boyz
After completing their contract requests which included one album, a few tours, and appearances, their contract ended and they parted ways with Psychopathic.
Jumpsteady
Left Psychopathic Records as a recording artist "to pursue other venues". He still continues to work with Psychopathic in behind-the-scene activities.
[edit] Video Department
Big Money Hustlas
Insane Clown Posse's debut movie costarring Twiztid and Harland Williams and also featuring Jumpsteady, Myzery, Mick Foley (As Cactus Sac), The Misfits, Mike E. Clark, and several other artist or affiliates of Psychopathic Records.
Psychopathic: The Videos
A DVD release containing every video ever made by past and present Psychopathic artist. Included are two new videos for Raw Deal and Ill Connect. Also featured is the original, uncut version of Chicken Huntin' by ICP. All presented in "super fresh DVD quality."
Big Money Rustlas
The prequel to Big Money Hustlas starring ICP and Twiztid. Many of the same cast members are expected to return from Big Money Hustlas for this prequel.
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
King Gordy can be seen wearing Psychopathic Records shirt in Bizarre's video "Fat Boy". [13]
The Hatchetman logo was originally created and drawn by Shaggy 2 Dope. Professional wrestler Scott Hall wore various hatchet gear merchandise during his appearances on TNA Impact! in 2007. Random sightings of the Hatchetman can be seen on all three WWE shows as they appear on signs almost every week. Vanilla Ice has befriended many in Psychopathic, and can be seen at various occasions wearing Hatchet Gear. Examples include his cameo appearance in The New Guy, his time on the Surreal Life, and on VH1's "100 Best Songs of the 90's". «
Download is starting. Save file to your computer. If the download does not start automatically, right-click this link and choose "Save As". How to get videos onto the iPod or PSP.
