April 20, 2024

Celebrating 25 Years Of The Super 8

John Corrigan April 26, 2021

It’s the longest-running pro wrestling tournament in the U.S.

When the Super 8 began, the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) had already been around for 30 years.

Jim Kettner founded the promotion in August 1967 after being trained by Miguel Feliciano and Joe Alfano, enhancement talent for the WWWF who also worked with his mother at Delaware Hospital. Only 13 years old at the time, Kettner invited kids in the neighborhood to his backyard to imitate Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon and other stars he’d seen at the old Philadelphia Arena. The backyard shows evolved into fundraisers for churches, the Boy Scouts and other local organizations, compelling Kettner to book indoor venues throughout Delaware to draw more people.

Eventually, ECWA was raising $10,000 a year.

“The Super 8 is the only thing I’m recognized for, but it’s not my best work,” Kettner says. “The ECWA did a lot of other good over the years that doesn’t get recognized, like raising money for charities.”

Having established such a prominent presence in the community over the years, ECWA was approached by Tim Qualls, president of local television production company Positive Promotions. Qualls wanted sports programming on Cable Channel 28 and offered Kettner a weekly half hour slot throughout 1997 for free. ECWA would continue to hold its monthly events and Positive Promotions would edit the footage for the broadcast. As part of the arrangement, Qualls requested that a Television Champion be crowned, so Kettner launched a one-night, single-elimination, eight-man tournament comprised of ECWA regulars to determine the face of the TV show.

Thus, the Super 8 was born.

“The Super 8 really wasn’t meant to be a recurring tournament,” Kettner says. “It was just a regular show with a tournament built around it. That’s why we didn’t have T-shirts or medals that first year.”

Three years earlier in Japan, Jushin Thunder Liger organized the Super J-Cup, a one-night tournament featuring junior heavyweights from around the world. The event earned critical acclaim with Dave Meltzer calling it “the most incredible single night of wrestling ever.” An entire generation was inspired by that tournament, particularly its fast-paced style. Although the ECWA roster included larger-than-life characters like Mr. Ooh La La and Boogie Woogie Brown, there were many smaller competitors focused on the steak rather than the sizzle.

“Jim was ahead of his time – he foresaw that the junior heavyweight style was going to become hot,” says Devon Storm, who’d later become Crowbar in WCW. “We were all marks for the Super J-Cup, so we were excited that Jim was going to present something on par with that in the States. Back then, wrestling was about the big guys. We looked forward to there being a show that would emphasize our athleticism and work rate.”

Jim Kettner (left) and Jet Jaguar at the 2000 Super 8.

While Kettner credits his roster for conceiving the “Super 8” name, Lance (Simon) Diamond claims that Kettner coined the phrase. Regardless, the inaugural tournament took place February 22, 1997, inside Saint Matthew’s Parish Hall in Wilmington, DE. Reckless Youth kicked off the show with Kid Flash, who would join WCW by the fall as Billy Kidman. The adrenaline rush lasted throughout the first round, as Ace Darling superkicked Inferno Kid, Diamond Northern Lights suplexed Ravishing Ronny and the beloved Cheetah Master splashed Storm to advance to the semi-finals.

That splash would come back to haunt Master, as he crashed and burned in the finals, getting trapped in a small package by Darling.

“The guy out of the original group that was the best was Ace Darling,” Storm says. “You’ve heard the old cliché that he’s so good, he could have a match with a broomstick? Well, Ace was that guy. I’ve never seen him have a bad match. It’s really a crime that he never got a chance to shine on a big stage.”

One of the reasons that the Super 8 has been so successful, according to Kettner, is that he always booked the tournament with an underlying theme. It wasn’t advertised like the 2019 version, for example, in which all the participants were second and third generation. Kettner’s themes felt organic, emerging as the story unfolded. Diamond’s face turn was the theme of the first tournament: he asked his manager Barry Casino to leave ringside during the first round, so Casino betrayed him and helped Darling in the second round and then Diamond rescued Cheetah Master from a three-on-one assault after losing to Darling in the finals.

“It was my first time as a babyface and it was atrocious,” Diamond laughs.

 
 
 
 
 
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While Diamond may have left the building with a sour taste in his mouth, the wrestling world was hungry for more Super 8. In addition to the local audience savoring the action, fans from around the country ate up the coverage in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. With the WWE, WCW and ECW all running throughout the ‘90s, there wasn’t much room in the magazine for indie coverage. So, when PWI had a full feature on the tournament, it established credibility and raised the profile of its participants.

The relationship began when Kettner and Capt. Lou Albano, managing in ECWA at the time, went to a Pennsylvania Championship Wrestling event. PWI’s Bill Apter and Brandi Mankiewicz were shooting photos for the next issue and quickly befriended Kettner. Considering that the newsroom was roughly an hour away from Saint Matthew’s Parish Hall, they agreed to cover the tournament.

“Mankiewicz came to every show and was part of the ECWA family,” Kettner says. “Even though we thought the Super 8 was a one-time deal, we got such great press and notoriety that I decided to do another. If we didn’t get the same reaction, at least we tried.”

The buzz was so strong that fans drove from several states to witness the second Super 8. While most of the original participants were booked again, Mike Quackenbush and Mark Shrader, a couple of up-and-comers in the tri-state area, were added to the tournament. Kettner, who was also a local promoter for WWE since 1994, used his connections to bring in Scott Taylor (aka Scotty 2 Hotty), just eight days before he’d compete at WrestleMania XIV.


“There was a lot more pomp and circumstance this time around,” Reckless Youth says. “There were so many lights around the ring because of all the press that I remember really sweating, I could barely breathe (laughs). I had the opportunity to work with Scott Taylor, a well-respected name already in the Fed. Getting to dance with him was such a catalyst for my career.”

On the surface, the theme of the tournament was Inferno Kid returning from injury and squeaking into the finals as the sentimental favorite. But in true Kettner fashion, the swerve was in: Diamond ditched his goody two shoes act, mercilessly targeting Kid’s wounded leg until it gave out.

Villains had won the tournament back-to-back, and Storm had lost in the first round again. But all he cared about was getting to live his dream with one of his closest friends. “When we broke in, I was 17 and Inferno Kid was 15,” Storm says. “He was transitioning from being a small-time sheet writer to being a pro wrestler. We lived near each other and spent everyday training. The fact that we were able to show what we had worked on back then on a show like this was amazing.”

The Super 8’s traditions, which are still intact, began in the second year. Before the matches, all eight participants come to the ring in their matching T-shirts to receive their medal, pose for the group photo and stand for the national anthem. It’s decorum before the madness, accentuating the sport of “sports-entertainment.” Kettner doesn’t remember who suggested T-shirts or medals, but he recalls current ECWA owner Joe Zanolle taking the first group photo while working for PWI.

“In the early years, I used to have an afterparty in my apartment,” Kettner says. “We ordered pizza and beer and played the tape of the tournament on the VCR. I tried to create something special for the fans, as well as the boys.”

The second Super 8 garnered even more publicity. PWI dedicated nearly a dozen pages to tournament coverage, unheard of for an indie promotion at the time. Fans and wrestlers alike clamored for another edition, and Kettner couldn’t disappoint. This time, he decided to look outside the Northeast for participants, recruiting Christopher Daniels from the West Coast and Christian York from the South. He also used his WWE connections to bring in the Hardy Boyz less than five months before they’d win their first WWE Tag Team Titles.

According to Kettner, Reckless Youth was scheduled to win the third Super 8, but he got injured and couldn’t compete. So, Steve Bradley was brought in from the WWE developmental system and went the distance, beating Darling, Storm and Daniels to take home the trophy. “Steve Bradley was incredible,” Storm says. “Big, built and in shape, he had an uncanny athletic ability for his size. I trained to get my cardio up just to keep up with Jeff (Hardy) and Steve.”

At this point, the Super 8 began building its reputation as a launching pad to the big leagues. Storm became a regular on WCW by the end of 1999. Diamond joined ECW three months after the third tournament. York followed him to the Land of Extreme the next summer. Kidman was already a two-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion by this point, and although the Hardyz were already signed to WWE, they’d become superstars over the next year.

“Jim was an incredible talent scout who groomed and nurtured a lot of guys who went on to big things,” Storm says. “He saw ways to bring the most out of guys that seemingly had limited ability and potential. He also saw ways to make exceptional talent even better. He never got the credit that he deserved.”

Hottest Ticket in Wrestling

The fourth Super 8 began a streak of universally praised shows, where fans were guaranteed at least one five-star match. Harder strikes, innovative submissions, jaw-dropping dives and breathtaking high spots became the standard ingredients. Because of the event’s prominence, everybody wanted to steal the show.

By 2000, the tournament had transformed from an ECWA showcase to a gathering of the top unsigned wrestlers on the independent scene. Kettner scoured the country, working with other promotions to cherry pick their best performers. It was a no brainer for companies like IPW Hardcore in Florida and Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) in Ohio, who benefitted from the exposure in the magazines.

Kettner’s nephew Jeff Peterson, who competed in the third Super 8 at just 18 years old, had been honing his craft in the Sunshine State. He sent video tape of the local talent to his uncle, and that’s how Scoot Andrews and Jet Jaguar got booked. Chad Collyer and Shark Boy (the first masked Super 8 participant) came in from the Midwest, and Trent Acid was the Northeast’s representative.

Jimi V from the Midwest was also booked, but he suffered a career-ending injury, according to his replacement Vic Capri. “Christopher Daniels recommended me and had me send a tape to Kettner,” Capri says. “I got to wrestle him in the first round – that was the first time we ever faced each other – and he was amazing to work with. Daniels really was hitting his first stride at that time. I say first because he’s found ways to up his game over the years.”

In other first-round action, Jaguar defeated Peterson, but not before suffering a concussion. Darling, who was the host of the tournament, had to fill in. However, he broke the cardinal rule of pro wrestling: always bring your gear. So, he threw on a Super 8 T-shirt, borrowed Capri’s warmup pants and went barefoot to the ring. But the pants were breakaway, and when Darling hit his trademark superkick, he split them. Thankfully, Apter didn’t get a shot of that “Wonderful Willie.”


The finals came down to Andrews and Daniels, who told a compelling story. Both men feeling the effects of their previous two matches, every move they hit took a toll on them. As Daniels soared through the air with his Best Moonsault Ever, it seemed as if Andrews was finished. But when Daniels landed, he grabbed his knee and by the time he made the cover, Andrews had recovered enough to kick out. Ultimately, Daniels picked up the victory with a version of Crossroads, but Andrews impressed Kettner so much that the “Black Nature Boy” became a regular in ECWA.

“I had never worked three matches in one night before and the last 10 minutes of that match I was completely blown up,” Andrews says. “I was just going off adrenaline and Daniels getting me through it. I learned more in that night than I had in my entire time in Florida.”

Both Andrews and Capri credit the Super 8 with kickstarting their careers. In addition to working ECWA on a monthly basis, Andrews got booked for Midwest Championship Wrestling in Chicago, All Pro Wrestling (APW) in California and several WWE gigs. Capri also received a couple tryouts with WWE, worked for APW, landed a tryout with Pro Wrestling NOAH and was spotlighted in Inside Wrestling.

“It was a breakout moment for me,” Capri says. “I went from working locally to going all over the country.”

2000 also began the Super 8 copycats, as indie promotions tried to replicate ECWA’s success by organizing their own tournaments. Three months after the fourth Super 8, Jersey Championship Wrestling presented the Jersey J-Cup, a 16-man tournament featuring junior heavyweights from around the Northeast. Three months after that, IWA Mid-South held the Sweet Science Sixteen (later named the Ted Petty Invitational), a two-night, 16-man tournament showcasing the top technical wrestlers on the indie scene.



In December, APW launched King of the Indies, which took quite a few pages out of the Super 8’s book. Andrews, Capri and Daniels were all booked for the tournament, with the latter even winning. “I met APW promoter Roland Alexander at a PCW show and the first words out of his mouth were ‘I’m going to beat you at the Super 8 because I’m going to create my own,’” Kettner recalls. “I said, ‘Nice to meet you, too, knock yourself out.’ If you want to be successful in the long run, you can’t let your ego, bitterness or jealousy get in the way.”

Combat Zone Wrestling’s Best of the Best began in 2001, and one year later, CZW launched Tournament of Death, in which each match had a different stipulation, such as “fans bring the weapons” or “panes of glass.” “I felt bad for some of those other tournaments because it was painstakingly obvious what they were trying to do,” Diamond says.

In 2003, NWA Florida hosted the Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup, honoring the former Super 8 competitor who passed away in 2002 after a two-year battle with leukemia. The 16-man, two-night tournament showcased junior heavyweights from around the world. Portions of the proceeds went to local good causes, including St. Petersburg’s All Children’s Hospital and the Tarpon Springs Cops and Kids program.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) introduced the Battle of Los Angeles in 2005, and that multi-night tournament has since become the most talked about on the indie scene. “I’m flattered by all the copycat tournaments,” Kettner says. “My only fear was whether it would water down the Super 8. But that didn’t happen.”

The fifth Super 8 is often considered the pinnacle of the tournament’s history. Kettner brought in American Dragon (Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan) and Spanky (Brian Kendrick) from WWE’s developmental system. He also booked Low Ki, one of the hottest rising talents on the indie scene. And after a two-year absence, Reckless Youth returned to the tournament.

“There were a lot of great matches that year and a lot of great talent we were able to bring together,” Kettner says. “Low Ki was becoming a breakout star and didn’t disappoint. Brian Kendrick brought a lot of fun and a lot of experience. Danielson and Reckless Youth was a classic in its own right. That evening had a special feel still remembered to this day.”

After Andrews’ star-making performance the year before, his fellow Florida guys were chomping at the bit for a spot in the Super 8. Thanks to Peterson’s recommendation to his uncle, Mike Sullivan and Billy Fives were booked. Sullivan lost to Youth in the first round and Fives put over Low Ki in the opener.

“Hat Guy from ECW was sitting in his normal spot in the front row and for no reason he starts yelling ‘Billy Fives sucks,’” Fives recalls. “I leaned into Ki and said ‘Hey man, we’re going old-school. I’m working the crowd on this one.’ Ki just said, ‘Cool, brotha.’ I told him to kick me right in front of Hat Guy cause he’s going to pop for that shit. I honestly believe that’s what led to me working there for the next year and a half.”

Tony Kozina, who lost to Jayson Reign in the first round, has such fond memories of the tournament. The participants were brought in a day early for a luncheon at a local restaurant so everyone could get acquainted. He also got to spend time with former NWA president Dennis Coralluzzo and Russ Haas, both of who passed away later that year. Coming out of the event, he received bookings with WWE, as well as an open invite to return to ECWA.

“I remember an electric crowd, who embraced all of us, even though we were unknowns from different areas of the country,” Kozina says. “The internet was in its infancy stages, so while you could find out some limited information on talent, there wasn’t the daily, minute-by-minute ‘this is who I am’ since there was no social media. I also remember watching the final match between Bryan Danielson and Low Ki, which was absolutely incredible. I just remember thinking, ‘Okay, I need to be wrestling these guys!’”

Indeed, Danielson and Low Ki tore the house down, exchanging blistering chops and precision kicks (without slapping their leg). The psychology of the match was that Danielson needed to ground his ninja-like opponent, but he just couldn’t keep Low Ki down for long. Even when Danielson grapevined the leg, Ki used the other to nearly decapitate the American Dragon. There was no wasted motion and the intensity was at a fever pitch. You believed everything they did and that winning was life or death.

In the end, Low Ki forced Danielson into submission. One year later, almost to the day, these two would compete with Daniels in the main event of Ring of Honor’s first show. “The Super 8 is such a precursor to so many things that have happened,” says Brian Milonas, aka Brawler Milonas in ROH. “That style and those guys were the foundation of Ring of Honor, which, in turn, influenced the style of wrestling you see everywhere today.”

By the time of the sixth Super 8, the wrestling landscape had completely changed.

WCW and ECW had gone out of business. Rising from the ashes were the XWF, owned by SunWest Management Services with Jimmy Hart acting as president, and World Wrestling All-Stars, founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus.

In November of 2001, the XFW held TV tapings in Florida before running a series of house shows in Indiana, Wisconsin and Texas. Former Super 8 competitors Diamond, Daniels, Fives, Sullivan and Storm all worked the tapings, and only Diamond appeared at the house shows. One month earlier, WWA ran its first tour throughout Australia and then wrapped up the year with events in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Its first event in the U.S. was a pay-per-view in Las Vegas called “The Revolution,” taking place (along with ROH’s debut) one week before the sixth Super 8. While only Storm worked the international events, Daniels, Low Ki and Shark Boy joined him at the PPV.

AJ Styles, arguably the most popular participant in the sixth Super 8, worked for both XWF and WWA. Also in that year’s tournament were Amazing Red, Bobby Roode, Xavier, Matt Stryker, Pepper Parks (the future Blade in AEW), Donovan Morgan from Pro Wrestling NOAH and Jamie Noble, who had been in WCW for a couple years before being sent to WWE’s developmental system following the acquisition. Three months after the Super 8, Noble would debut on WWE TV and quickly win the Cruiserweight Championship.

Kettner remembers Roode spending the night in his recliner. “I told Bobby I wanted to produce the first big man-little man match in Super 8 history,” Kettner says. “He understood exactly what I meant and he and Red had one of the most exciting matches.”

Similar to the year before, the sixth Super 8 featured a slew of great matches with a variety of flavors: lucha libre, puroresu, chain wrestling, you name it. The finals came down to Styles and Morgan, who certainly gave the fans their money’s worth (including Styles hitting a Shooting Star Press to the floor). Reversal after reversal, near fall after near fall, both men even kicked out of each other’s finisher. Finally, “The Phenomenal One” missed a roundhouse and Morgan put him away.

“It’s one thing for you to draw the fans,” Youth says, “but it’s a whole other level when you draw the workers. A lot of the boys attended the Super 8s. I would watch from the curtain. It was just so cool. When we’re in the business for even a little bit of time, we can become very cynical. But the Super 8 had this ability to make even the workers fans again.”

Unpredictability is also why the wrestlers wanted to watch, Kettner adds. “I would announce the names for the first-round matches, but then you’d have to wait and see who won to see who you’d face in the second round. The only people who had the lineup for the evening, up to and including the final matchup, were the wrestlers in it, the ring announcer and the music guy.”

By the time of the seventh tournament, ROH was in full gear, as was Total Nonstop Action (TNA, later known as Impact Wrestling), which had been running weekly pay-per-views in Nashville, TN, since June of 2002. While the Super 8 created the blueprint for ROH, shaping its roster and inspiring its focus on work rate, the tournament also fueled the X-Division, TNA’s answer to WCW’s cruiserweights. Several former Super 8 participants were already competing in TNA, and they’d soon be joined by members of the 2003 class.

Frankie Kazarian joined TNA two months after the tournament. Chris Sabin, who Kazarian beat in the first round, joined TNA just four days after the Super 8. Paul London was already a top name in ROH and would sign with WWE in the summer. Returning to the tournament, Brian Kendrick was already on WWE TV.

Chris Cage was in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) at the time and would later appear on WWE TV as Caylen Croft, one half of The Dude Busters with future AEW star Trent. Cage and his buddy Johnny Jeter, a fellow OVW talent and future Spirit Squad member, were both booked for the Super 8, but Jeter injured his knee beforehand and was replaced. “I perceived that to be in the Super 8, you had to be like Paul London,” Cage says. “But I wasn’t exactly a high flyer. Jim Kettner told me not to worry and after facing Kendrick, the tournament ended up giving me a lot of confidence.”

Although London would take home the trophy, Chance Beckett was the breakout star. A virtual unknown coming into the tournament, the vicious Canadian grappler won the crowd over by the end of the night. From the moment he slapped Sedrick Strong to kick off the first-round match, Beckett put the ECWA faithful on notice, battling through a bloody chin to dismantle Strong and upset Kendrick before passing out in the Mutalock in the finals.



As for London’s first-round opponent, Alex Arion had been to the Super 8 before, cheering on his best friend Steve Bradley in 1999. Thrilled to be invited back four years later, the New England native had a blast hanging out with his fellow competitors. “I offered to drive, but Kettner flew me to the tournament and put me in a hotel,” Arion says. “That was the first time I ever got that treatment on a show. He insisted that everybody taking part in the Super 8 feel special.”

Reflecting on his own experiences as an independent wrestler, Kettner wanted something better for his Super 8 participants. “I went to shows where they’d give you a bounced check and there’d be terrible conditions,” Kettner says. “I swore if I ever created my own show, I’d want to be different and classy. I’m not making the boys drive 20 hours, so I’d get a sponsor for flights to bring them in from around the country.”

While his peers took advantage of the increased bookings that came from being in the Super 8, Arion didn’t. Instead, he and Bradley focused on their own independent promotion in New Hampshire: Wrestling Federation of America. However, the promotion folded after three years. Arion retired in 2016 and has since become a fitness coach and consultant. He and his wife host the Homewrecker Podcast.

As for Bradley, he was indicted on possession of heroin charges in November 2008. One month later, he was found dead in his car. An autopsy was inconclusive, but police ruled out foul play, The Associated Press reported. Bradley was 32 years old.


For the eighth Super 8, Kettner shook things up.

He looked south of the border, and thanks to Rey Mysterio facilitating, brought in Psicosis (wrestling as Nicho) as the first luchador in the tournament. Before the action, fans were able to interact with the participants in a Q&A session. Notable names included Daniels, Austin Aries, Shawn Daivari and Rocky Romero.

For that year’s theme, Kettner wanted to surprise everyone…twice. In the semi-finals, Daniels defeated ECWA Heavyweight Champion Mike Kruel. After the match, Kruel presented Daniels with the belt, declaring him the new champion. If that wasn’t enough, Daniels would go on to beat Aries in the finals, becoming the first two-time Super 8 winner. “Nobody expected it,” Kettner says. “People knew they saw something special that night and that it held its own place in history.”

Another TNA star would win the Super 8 the following year: Petey Williams.

The inventor of the Canadian Destroyer had been on TV for a year and had already won the X-Division Championship by that point. But being in the prestigious tournament was a badge of honor. According to Williams, Kettner let him know early on that he’d be winning and asked for recommendations for who should join him in the tournament.

Williams suggested Alex Shelley (who got booked) and Jimmy Jacobs.

“When you have three matches in one night and you meet the competitors that day, it flies by,” Williams says. “Alex Shelley and I worked before, so I was confident that was going to be a good match. Rory Fox was more fundamental, so we didn’t do anything crazy. By the time I got to Puma, both of our brains were shot. We could have had a better match had we planned a little bit more, but at the same time, I don’t think the fans are invested in good matches in the finals. They just want to see who’s going to win.”

To commemorate the event, Williams’ girlfriend at the time made a shadow box for him to display his Super 8 medal with a picture of him holding the trophy. “It was a really good year for me,” he says. “I remember the PWI 500 evaluation ran from like June of 2004 to June of 2005 and I got 23rd, my highest ranking ever.”

The ninth Super 8 was also a big deal for Rory Fox, the man Williams beat in the first round.

Known for appearing in MTV’s True Life: I’m A Professional Wrestler, Fox had since honed his craft in HWA. He had evolved from his “Rapid Delivery” newspaper boy character and wanted the wrestling world to take notice. The tournament offered him the platform to become a respected name on the indie scene.

Fox sent his resume and a DVD of his best matches to Kettner. After watching Fox and Shark Boy wrestle at a minor league ballpark, the ECWA founder was sold. “Rory, where have you been,” Fox recalls Kettner asking. “It was one of the greatest phone calls of my life.”

Rory Fox still has his Super 8 medal.

Preferring to call it in the ring, Fox credits Williams with adapting to his style of match. Despite the “Paper Boy” chants, the veteran is proud of his outing. But he wasn’t looking forward to the finish. “I didn’t know how to take the Canadian Destroyer,” Fox laughs. “It scared the hell out of me and I didn’t want to take it at all. I pitched his cloverleaf for the finish, but we needed the Canadian Destroyer to start the show off hot. Before the show, Scott D’Amore actually took the move to show me how to do it.”

Over the next several years, the Super 8 continued to feature great matches and elevate indie standouts to major promotions. Wrestlers from all over the world traveled to Delaware to take part, networking with their American peers and sitting under Kettner’s learning tree. The tournament churned out more future stars like Davey Richards, Tommaso Ciampa and Xavier Woods and welcomed established names like Nick Dinsmore (formerly known as Eugene), Shannon Moore, Rob Conway and Charlie Haas.

Another of those established names couldn’t believe his fortune in 2007.

“I called Jerry Lynn to ask if he’d be in it,” Kettner says. “He said ‘I’d love to. Who do you want me to put over?’ I said, ‘Nobody.’ He was shocked. ‘What? I’m old!’ Nobody ever thought he’d win and when he did, it was magical.”

Brian Milonas was equally shocked when Kettner invited him to be in the 14th Super 8. After all, the tournament was built upon the fast-paced, junior heavyweight style, and the future Bouncer tipped the scales well north of 300 pounds. “I laughed and didn’t think he was serious,” Milonas says. “At this point, it’s tough to make history, so I was super honored to be the first heavyweight in the Super 8.”

The 2010 Super 8 was historic for another reason, although nobody knew it at the time. One month after Austin Creed (aka Xavier Woods) defeated Ciampa in the finals, Kettner retired.


Passing the Torch 

After 43 years of promoting, Kettner decided he had enough.

Running an independent wrestling promotion, especially one as successful as the ECWA, takes its toll. Plus, he had been diagnosed with diabetes in the mid-1990s and could feel his energy dwindling. Unlike the Super 8, which was usually booked in his mind by the time the previous year’s ended, this decision came spur of the moment.

“I woke up one morning and while I was shaving, I thought about what I had to do for the day,” Kettner says. “Well, when nobody’s looking, I have to print the tickets at work, I have to call to make sure the ring trucks got my reservation, I have to…and then I said to myself, ‘What in the hell am I doing this for?’ Rather than cut my throat shaving, I made positives out of it.”

In August 2010, Kettner sold the ECWA to Mike Tartaglia.

A lifelong fan, Tartaglia broke into the sport in 1990 under the alias Mike Bruno. He started in Joel Goodhart’s Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, and even competed on the first ECW card before it was Extreme. After TWA folded, Tartaglia left pro wrestling, returning for a few matches in 1995 and 1998. In 2009, he became a promoter, resurrecting the TWA with a reunion show. After taking over for Kettner, Tartaglia merged both promotions under the ECWA banner.

Mike Tartaglia

Kettner hasn’t kept up with the ECWA since leaving the business. He only knows who won the Super 8 in 2011 because he promised Ciampa the victory and was glad Tartaglia kept the promise. As a matter of fact, the Super 8 is the main reason Tartaglia purchased the company.

“I never looked at ECWA as my baby,” Kettner says. “ECWA was what was best for the fans and the workers. Decisions were made based off hoping it would live on.”

The transfer of daily operations was arranged by Joe Zanolle. Booking for TWA at the time, Zanolle was very familiar with ECWA, regularly attending shows and even serving as a photographer. He remained in Tartaglia’s inner circle for the next decade. “We kept Kettner’s original crew – they all left us,” Zanolle told The Wrestling Estate in 2020. “They were pissed at how they were being used and didn’t think we knew what we were doing.”

In retrospect, the first Super 8 post-Kettner may be the most star-studded. Ciampa, Aries, Adam Cole, Sami Callihan, Rich Swann and Shiima Xion (aka DJZ and currently Joaquin Wilde in NXT) all participated. As did Shockwave the Robot. WWE Hall of Famer Sunny was the special guest hostess of the event, which was the first Super 8 to be held in New Jersey.

The last name in the tournament was Bobby Shields. Almost a decade into his career, the Pennsylvania native was hungry for a breakout performance. Around the same time, he had gone to Taz’ finishing camp, did a tryout for TNA and embarked on a tour of the United Kingdom. “I was facing Aries, the biggest name in the tournament that year, so I needed to make an impact,” Shields says. “It was awesome to be in such a pool of talent and to see where everyone ended up.”

The Super 8 returned to Delaware for the next three years, with hundreds packing the Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club. The new pillars of the ECWA, such as Papadon, Kekoa, Azrieal and Chris Wylde, all had time to shine. The tournament also remained a springboard, with Bobby Fish, Tony Nese and Steven Walters (Cash Wheeler in AEW) all landing contracts with major companies.


Even for wrestlers who had already tasted national exposure, such as Mike Mondo, Matt Cross and Thomas Santell (aka Antonio Thomas), being in the Super 8 was on their bucket list.

Eight years after debuting on Raw as one half of The Heart Throbs, Santell landed a spot in the 2013 tournament after connecting with Zanolle. A student of previous winner Steve Bradley, the Massachusetts had the pedigree, as well as the chip on his shoulder, to take home the trophy. He only made it to the semi-finals, but he certainly left a lasting impression.

“The Super 8 showed people that I was, and am, one of the best unsigned talents in wrestling,” Santell says. “I really liked my match with Rhett Titus. What a worker: smooth, light, the timing, the pacing, so underrated. I didn’t have much time to prepare after my match with Rhett, so I stayed warmed up and moving and felt good for my match with Papadon. Our match was different from the one I had with Rhett, which is what I try to do with each unique opponent.”

That tournament was also the most emotional in Super 8 history.

Since the day he walked into Johnny Rodz’ wrestling school, picked up an issue of PWI and discovered the Super 8, Damian Dragon vowed he’d participate someday. It took 18 and a half years, but the disturbed one finally got his chance in 2013. With his bump card almost full, Dragon had already determined that would be his last year in the sport. But when he was announced for the tournament, he decided to move up his retirement match from December to April.

“At almost 40 years old, I trained as hard as I could, but my body was pretty beat up,” Dragon says. “Even riding in cars was hurting me. I was a train wreck going in and even worse coming out.”

During his first-round match with Wylde, Dragon hurt his right wrist. He advanced, but had to heavily tape up his hand. Things didn’t get any easier in the semi-finals with Mike Mondo – Dragon’s right leg began to feel weird after an extremely physical match. By the time he met Papadon in the finals, his body ached and his mind was all over the place.

“I put Papadon in my submission that’s a combo of the Texas Cloverleaf and Figure Four, and as I went to sit, my hamstring popped and I couldn’t hold him,” Dragon says. “I tried to superkick him, but my right leg is my base leg and I could barely stand on it. I felt so bad that we didn’t deliver what we knew we could, but watching it back, it really just added to the emotion and rocky drama of the situation.”

After Dragon emerged victorious, the ring was filled with his fellow competitors, his wife and children and even Big Vito, who helped train him nearly 20 years earlier. “Everything came full circle,” says Dragon, who has since become an actor, artist and karate instructor.


Downward Spiral

During the mid-2010s, the Super 8 lost its luster.

The market was oversaturated, especially in the Northeast. Whereas the tournament used to be the one time of the year you’d see dream matches between guys from all over the country, now promotions were running “super indie” cards every month. “Kettner had so much success with the Super 8 that other promoters wanted to cash in on it,” Williams says. “He doesn’t get the credit he deserves because everybody started doing their own tournament in different regions.”

Thanks to the internet, the print industry had collapsed, with nearly every wrestling magazine (including WWE Magazine) being discontinued. Even PWI was reduced to just six issues per year. Instead of waiting for Super 8 coverage to hit newsstands or your mailbox, fans could go online the night of the tournament and see results in real-time. And with the rise of social media, wrestlers no longer relied upon the magazine’s coverage of the tournament for national exposure.

“I don’t know that the Super 8 holds the same weight it once did,” Milonas says. “That’s not because of the talent level or the guys promoting it, it’s just a product of the wrestling landscape changing from 20 years ago.”

Although PWI couldn’t impact a career as in years past, it was still valued for nostalgia’s sake. For example, Jason Kincaid credits PWI’s Super 8 coverage with introducing him to his favorite indie wrestlers. He hoped the same would happen for a new generation when winning the 19th tournament got his name in the magazine for the first time. “When I got back to West Virginia, I celebrated by taking the trophy to the gravesite of my maternal grandparents, who were the biggest supporters of my wrestling dream,” Kincaid says.

The 20th Super 8 was promoted as the all-star edition consisting of previous participants. South Carolina’s John Skyler was thrilled to be invited back after competing in the 2014 tournament while enduring a case of food poisoning. He wrestled three times that night, beating Walters and Kao Storm before losing to Cross. In addition to being sick as a dog, he had another issue while facing Walters. “He gave me a hurricanrana, which popped my ear drum,” Skyler says. “You can see me holding my nose and blowing to try to get the hearing back. After he gave me another move, it just magically came back.”


In the 2016 Super 8, Skyler wrestled three matches again, beating Scotty 2 Hotty and Kincaid before coming up short in the finals against the massive Napalm Bomb. Just like last time, he took a hellacious beating. “Napalm Bomb did a swanton off the top rope and his elbow cracked me in the eye,” Skyler says. “I couldn’t see anything out of my right eye – he split my upper eyelid completely open. But I live for that stuff, it makes you look tough and adds some semblance of reality to the match.”

Despite the diminished fanfare, Leon St. Giovanni, known as LSG, still considered the 21st Super 8 to be a tremendous opportunity. It was his first high-profile tournament and a rare chance to shine away from his Coast 2 Coast teammate Shaheem Ali. “People outside of our New Jersey bubble were going to see this, so it was a big deal,” LSG says.

Nearly every competitor that year was on the cusp of stardom. Lio Rush signed with WWE four months later. Joe Gacy entered as CZW World Heavyweight Champion and would be in EVOLVE a year later. Anthony Bennett was fresh off the Cruiserweight Classic and LSG was already in ROH. Yet, “Hybrid” Sean Carr went the distance that year, defeating Brandon Scott, Gacy and Rush. “I still look at the trophy every day in my house knowing that if it all ended tomorrow and I couldn’t ever wrestle again, that’s the one thing I’m most proud of,” Carr says.

Although LSG was eliminated by Zombie King in the first round, he’s grateful to have been around guys like Rush and Gacy before they were scooped up by WWE. He also got a cool photo with the late Lyle C. Williams, beloved wrestling photographer. “There was a time when the Super 8 wasn’t seen as special as it had been, but you can’t deny its legacy,” LSG says. “It’s always exciting to be part of that group before people get signed or booked around the world.”

As ECWA’s attendance began dwindling, Tartaglia sought out alternatives to reignite business. In 2014, he launched his own spinoff – the Super 8 ChickFight. Tessa Blanchard won the inaugural tournament, and over the next five years, the biggest names on the indie scene participated: Deonna Purrazzo, Britt Baker, Maria Manic, Santana Garrett, even Scarlett Bordeaux competed while working for Impact Wrestling.

Tartaglia also attempted to move ECWA out of its new home of Woodbury Heights, NJ, and into Atlantic City. Holding a couple events at The Showboat and bringing in former WWE stars like Tito Santana, Tony Atlas and The Boogeyman, the hope was to establish a new fan base in a less crowded market. That didn’t pan out.

“I never liked us going to Atlantic City,” Zanolle said. “The Showboat allowed another promotion to put up fliers when this was supposed to be our new home. Then we had to cancel The Boogeyman because a third party affiliated with the hotel pulled out of paying for the show the week of. Mike told guys the situation and asked if they could take a pay cut. Some said yes, some said no. Those who said no, he still used and paid them.”


A South Jersey businessman, Tartaglia dabbled in various industries over the past 20 years. In November of 2018, he opened Fruiggie Juice And Bowls in Sewell, NJ. As a result, he was working well over 12 hours a day, only taking off on select holidays. Squeezing in time for his family, there simply weren’t enough hours in the day to juggle the responsibilities that come with running ECWA, which was then drawing 50 people at most to the monthly events at the Asbury United Methodist Church in New Castle, DE.

Tartaglia’s breaking point came at the 2019 Super 8, which consisted of all second- and third-generation wrestlers. He brought in talent from all over the country, such as Brian Pillman Jr., Wes Brisco and Marshall and Ross Von Erich. He expected the bleachers of South Philadelphia High School to be packed as many of these young studs rarely, if ever, came to the area.

However, only 125 people showed up. “I thought the idea was good,” Zanolle said. “I guess people didn’t care about stars’ kids.”

Tartaglia and Joel Goodhart, who Zanolle says financially contributed to the event, took a bath. Instead of the sweetheart deal that ECWA had with the Asbury United Methodist Church, South Philly High School charged by the hour for renting out the building. That’s on top of paying for the travel expenses of all the participants, including flying in the Von Erichs from Hawaii.

Zanolle wanted to add another big name, but couldn’t afford to bring in Kevin Von Erich as well, and Chavo Guerrero Jr. declined because the next day was Easter. “I would have rather had it in a packed house in Delaware,” Zanolle said. “Joel’s argument was he wouldn’t make enough to pay the boys if we could only fit 200 people. Well, we didn’t get that many, anyway.”

Two months later, Tartaglia cancelled the next event and suspended operations for the summer. “There is no money in independent wrestling,” Tartaglia told The Wrestling Estate. “Most people involved do it because they love it. As long as I don’t lose money, it’s okay.”

ECWA resumed in September and by December, Zanolle took over the company with help from WORLD-1 Wrestling owner Ryan Kavanaugh. In June 2020, ECWA acquired WORLD-1. “If anybody thought I was going to let ECWA die, you’re crazy,” Zanolle said. “I’ve been there 20 years, almost half my life. My kids grew up at the shows. We’re going to try different things. I want to keep the quality and legacy alive.”

Just like Kettner, Tartaglia has completely left pro wrestling. “It’s a testament to him that he also passed ECWA on to see it perpetuated,” Kettner says.

Rising from the Ashes

While the rest of the world went topsy turvy in 2020, ECWA got back on track.

The company invested in digitally transferring its archives, making every Super 8 (except for 1998) available on IWTV. In addition, its website was completely revamped with an updated roster, easy-to-navigate shop and plenty of fresh content that celebrates the promotion’s rich history. The company also expanded its social media presence and is now active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Super 8 took place in September at The Jersey Dugout in Morganville, NJ. As the first ECWA event coming out of lockdown, attendance was limited with 85 some-odd fans masked and seated six feet apart with their temperature taken at the door. For those unwilling or unable to attend, the event was streamed live on IWTV.

For the first time in years, the tournament felt relevant again. Twitter buzzed throughout the night, from the frenzied opener between Archadia and Vinny Pacifico to Matt Tremont’s brawl with Chris Rockwell to the hoss fight between KTB and Devantes. The rest of the show was praised, as well, with Joey Ace winning the ECWA Heavyweight Championship, Mike Law’s shocking return and fans remembering how much they love Mr. Ooh La La.

“In an ever-fickle business, forever infatuated with the flavor of the month, it’s important to celebrate what few things have stood the test of time,” Cross says. “The ECWA Super 8 is one of those rare examples of something with history, substance and staying power.”

While ECWA was experiencing reinvention and rediscovery, so was A Very Good Professional Wrestler.

Formerly known as Dasher Hatfield – baseball player turned wrassler referred to as the “Old Timey King of Swing” – the technician created a new identity in the wake of his former home promotion CHIKARA ceasing operations following accusations levied against owner Mike Quackenbush as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.

“I had been a crowd pleaser for years, but I wanted to just go out and wrestle instead of worrying about putting smiles on people’s faces,” A Very Good Professional Wrestler says. “Super 8 was a huge platform and my first big opportunity to do that.”

He certainly lived up to his name, grabbing holds and finding counters to everything his opponents threw at him. In the semifinals, he drew the ire of the crowd by repeatedly going for headlocks and holding them longer than an Undertaker entrance. He also had a mean streak, clubbing his foes with relentless elbows and scrambling their brains with Widow’s Peaks into the turnbuckle. Eventually, he dropped Eric Martin, Archadia and KTB with DDTs to secure the unexpected victory.

“For 15 years, I’ve grinded,” he says. “The people who had my back were my wife and my kids and they were watching at home on IWTV. I wanted to take that moment all to myself, so I told all the participants to leave the ring. I told the audience to leave, too, but they wouldn’t. I just wanted to sit in the ring with this giant trophy and soak it all in. Super 8 was my chance to show I could not only survive, but also thrive outside the CHIKARA bubble.”


Unfortunately, A Very Good Professional Wrestler didn’t get the same perks as his predecessors. PWI didn’t cover the tournament and he didn’t receive extra bookings because of the pandemic. His career had already been affected earlier in the year when he was scheduled for a WWE tryout, but when he and 49 other hopefuls showed up at the Performance Center, they were all sent home because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Regardless, A Very Good Professional Wrestler marches on, looking to make history at the 25th Super 8 by becoming the first back-to-back winner. “I thought the Super 8 lost its luster from the early 2000s, but when I won it, the people who reached out and said they were watching was a who’s who of the wrestling world,” he says.

Clearly, MLW CEO Court Bauer is paying attention.

After winning the 2018 Super 8, Richard Holliday made his MLW debut at the inaugural Battle Riot. Six months later, he aligned with MJF and has been a fixture of the promotion ever since. The next year, three weeks after competing in the 23rd Super 8, Sports Illustrated broke the news that the Von Erichs had signed with MLW.

“The Super 8 is like looking into a crystal ball,” Skyler says. “You’re looking at the future of the sport.”

If that’s the case, then Kettner is wrestling’s soothsayer. The tournament has produced 17 world champions for major promotions, with most of those competing during his tenure. Furthermore, more than 30 of the participants have gone on to land contracts with those companies.

“Jim is the smartest and best promoter I’ve ever worked for,” Milonas says. “His attention to detail is unmatched. I’m a better performer today because of the time I spent working for Jim. And the funny thing is he’s a humble guy who’s content to sitting in the background.”

Perhaps that humility is why Kettner is one of the biggest unsung heroes in the industry. “He could have been an incredible asset to a larger company,” Storm adds.

Super 8 Class of 1997 Top row: Ravishing Ronny, Ace Darling, Devon Storm, Inferno Kid, Cheetah Master Bottom row: Reckless Youth, Lance Diamond, Billy Kidman

Even when reflecting on his creation and its influence on pro wrestling, Kettner is quick to credit the performers, especially those who lost in the first round. After all, they set the tone by opening the show and putting their opponents over in grand fashion. He also credits the professionalism and generosity of the ECWA roster for stepping aside once a year to allow these outside talents the spotlight.

“I made the wheel go round, but it was special for people on both sides of the guardrail,” Kettner says. “I was blessed to have talent come through and connections with WWE, other promoters, the wrestling magazines, and most importantly, the fans.”

When it comes to the legacy of the Super 8, the original class share the same sentiment:

Often imitated, never duplicated.

“I hope when someone sees the Super 8 name, they know it’s different than any other tournament out there,” says inaugural winner Ace Darling. “I hope it still holds up to the standard that we set 25 years ago. ECWA was the most fun I’ve ever had in wrestling and it will always hold a special place in my heart.”

 

The 25th Annual Super 8 takes place Saturday, May 1, at The Jersey Dugout in Morganville, NJ. For tickets and more information, visit ecwaprowrestling.com. You can also watch live on IWTV.

About Author

John Corrigan

Editor-in-chief John Corrigan has covered pro wrestling for nearly a decade, reporting for Wrestledelphia, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Temple News and others.

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