The Philly Indy Wrestling ALTERNATIVE: Heritage Wrestling Alliance

For those of you indy fans who are searching for a sufficient alternative to the four major indy wrestling promotions that run in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (those being CZW, ROH, 3PW, and XPW [well- come to think of it - they don't exactly count anymore as a Philly fed, considering that they're having some legal troubles right now]), look no more because the Heritage Wrestling Alliance provides a very unqiue combination of spectacular high-flying, solid scientific wrestling, chaotic brawls, and violent hardcore matches, for you sadistic blood-cravers. Its show on Saturday, June 7 at its new Philly venue, the L&J Ballroom (located at 3419 Kensington Avenue), is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing non-CZW, ROH, 3PW, or XPW cards to hit the Philadelphia area in the last several months.

HWA has already announced a special, limited time offer that allows fans who buy tickets to the June 7 show to get in FREE to HWA's Friday, June 27 show in Wilmington, Delaware. The main event of that show in Delaware has been announced as a No-Rope Barbed-Wire Death Match with participants who will be named in the next few weeks. The doors to the June 7 show (whose tickets will each cost $15) will open at 6:30 pm and the show will begin at 8:00 pm. Plus, according to HWA, the show - unlike the negative habits that many other Philly-based promotions (most notably CZW) - will begin promptly at the 8:00 pm belltime and if for any reason the show starts more than 15 minutes late, every single fan in attendance will receive $3.00 back from the promotion!

HWA makes its return in its new Philadelphia home, the L&J Ballroom (3419 Kensington Avenue) on Saturday, June 7th. Doors open at 6:30 with a 8:00 belltime. Tickets are $15. To reserve email [email protected], call (610) 268-0188, or go to Heritagewrestling.com.

Matches lined up:

Former ECW performer and current XPW star (assuming that the promotion is able to overcome its current problems) "Confederate Currency" Chris Hamrick will defend his HWA Tri-State Championship against fellow XPW star, United Kingdom standout, and current XPW/FWA European Champion "The Wonderkid" Jonny Storm. Hamrick was originially scheduled to wrestle Bobby Eaton, but a few weeks ago, an announcement that Eaton wouldn't be able to make it to the show was made and Storm was booked to replace him.

Secondly, a dream match pitting a former XPW superstar against a current XPW superstar will occur as "The Rock Superstar" Kaos - also known as "Handsome" Joey Idol - will take on Altar Boy Luke. Kaos held the XPW Television Title for a total of 18 and a half months and during that time, defended it against a quite impressive list of XPW's stars, from New Jack to Psychosis to Angel to Chris Hamrick to Danny Doring and many others, but never against Altar Boy Luke. Then, on February 28, 2003, Kaos dropped the TV title to Sean Waltman (formerly known as X-Pac) and about a half month later, on March 11, XPWrestling.com made a shocking announcement that he - along with GQ Money and J-Love - had left XPW.

After leaving XPW, Kaos, GQ, and J-Love formed a trio which they dubbed "Hollywood, Inc.," a faction with a celebrity-style theme. Since their departure from XPW, Hollywood, Inc. has appeared in GSCW (now known as APW Los Angeles), USA Pro Wrestling, NWA Wildside, NWA-TNA, and other promotions. This match in HWA will be the first-ever one-on-one match between Kaos and Luke. The two wrestled in a tag team match on Saturday, May 3 when GQ (as "devilish" Lee Handsome) and Kaos (as "Handsome" Joey Idol) - both of whom were accompanied to the ring by V.J. Love (formerly known as Valentina in miscellaneous indy promotions and J-Love in XPW) - teamed up to take on the team of Luke & Smokey Charmichael - collectively nicknamed "Holy Smokes!" during that bout - on an NWA Wildside TV taping in Cornelia, Georgia. That match was eventually won by Holy Smokes when Smokey pinned Kaos, but the war between the two teams hasn't ended yet. Luke and Kaos will have their first singles match at the June 7 HWA show and GQ Money will be accompanied by H.I. member V.J. Love as he makes his in-ring HWA debut against Smokey Charmichael. Believe it or not, GQ and Smokey are actually longtime friends in real-life and have known each other ever since since they both began their careers together in Colorado around the turn of the millenium from 1999 to 2000. Back then, they trained together at least four days a week and in the Central Wrestling Organization, they both were members of the promotion's major faction, which was called "The Family." GQ left the company in 2000 and in early 2001, he joined XPW, which he remained in until the mutual parting between him, Kaos, and V.J. Love and XPW. Smokey teamed up with Malcom XL, better known as indy star Brian XL, as The New Panthers to challenge XPW World Tag Team Champions Mexico's Most Wanted (comprised of lucha libre stars Damien 666 & Halloween) at XPW's East Coast debut show, Hostile Takeover, on August 31, 2002. He also appeared on the next two XPW shows, Fallout and Exit Sandman, in Philly, before disappearing from the promotion. Upon leaving XPW, GQ's first match on the indy circuit was against none other than Smokey. The bout occurred on Friday, April 11 at NWA Rocky Mountain Wrestling's "Project: Revolt" show in Arvada, Colorado and saw Smokey beat G.Q. Then, on May 3, G.Q. teamed with Kaos to take on Luke & Smokey, who were teaming with each other for the first time ever and were wrestling under the tag team name of "Holy Smokes!," an obvious play on their names. The bout eventually ended when Luke and Smokey's team gained the win via pinfall, making Smokey 2-0 against G.Q. since G.Q. left XPW and making Luke 1-0 against Kaos (not just since Kaos left XPW, but in his career because the two haven't wrestled each other once besides that tag team match and therefore their match at the HWA show will be only their second matcha gainst each other ever). A few days after that tag team match, G.Q. and Kaos wrestled an NWA-TNA dark match and then

Also, former-WWE World Tag Team Champion Thrasher of the Headbangers tag team will appear on the show in the form of a singles match against Breaker Morant.

The Well Hung Warriors will defend their HWA Tag Team Championships against The Brothers of Pain.

"Smooth" Tommy Suede will defend his HWA Light Heavyweight Championship against challenger "Sudden Impact" Dylan Kage.

"Supreme" Lee the Great and rising PWF star Chi Chi Cruz will square off one-on-one.


A dream match featuring two of the most innovative, fast-paced, and deathdefying athletes on the entire circuit will occur as Icarus and CZW star Ruckus square off with one another. Icarus uses a style similar somewhat reminiscent to that of the legendary Japanese star Hayabusa, while Ruckus' style is a combination of that of The Great Sasuke, Rob Van Dam

Plus, Middknight has issued an open challenge for the HWA Championship. Who will accept his challenge? One possibility is former-CZW Grand Slam Champion (and the only such performer in that promotion's history) Justice Pain, who recently jumped from CZW to XPW in the midst of the heated "Philly Indy War" between the two promotions. He was recently announced as being booked to appear on the show.

For more information, go to Heritagewrestling.com.