Eel O’Neal Enters 2022 ECWA Super 8
The longest-running pro wrestling tournament in the United States takes place March 26.
The Wrestling Estate has learned the third name slated for the 26th annual ECWA Super 8.
Eel O’Neal is scheduled for the one-night tournament on March 26 at The Jersey Dugout in Morganville, NJ. Already announced for this year’s Super 8 are Ricky Morton and “Fancy” Ryan Clancy.
The Baltimore native has been building momentum over the past year, competing in Beyond, Camp Leapfrog, New South Pro Wrestling and even GCW. Considered “Brutality’s Basquiat,” Eel O’Neal is one half of an intergender tag team with Jordan Blade, called “The Kings of the District.” The duo became the inaugural Prime Time Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions in January 2020. The Super 8 provides an opportunity for O’Neal to achieve career-defining success on his own.
“I want to be the best technical wrestler in the world by the end of 2022,” Eel O’Neal told The Wrestling Estate. “Winning the most prestigious tournament on the East Coast is a start. ECWA, welcome to your African American Horror Story.”
For a quarter century, the ECWA Super 8 Tournament has become a launching pad for undiscovered, up-and-coming talents to get noticed throughout the industry. Previous winners include former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Low Ki, former ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels, seven-time WWE Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods and many other notable names.
In recent years, the Super 8 has propelled participants into MLW. Richard Holliday won the 2018 tourney and the Von Erichs competed in the Legacy tourney, which featured all second and third-generation wrestler. Even if you don’t take home the trophy, an impressive showing in the tournament can raise your stock. A who’s who of wrestling luminaries have competed in the event, such as Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, the Hardy Boyz, and Sami Callihan.
“In the tumultuous world of professional wrestling and the ever-changing landscape, the Super 8 remains,” says ECWA figurehead Joe Zanolle. “It’s the oldest and longest-running tournament in pro wrestling in the United States, period. Times have changed and there have been tweaks here and there, but at the core the Super 8 has always been about excellence in professional wrestling.
Now it’s about history and tradition. Current talent grew up on the tournament, reading about it in the pages of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, hoping one day to compete in it. The Super 8 didn’t invent the pro wrestling tournament, but it’s safe to say it popularized it and set the standard. The greatest compliment is that other wrestling promotions across the country have hosted and patterned their own tournaments after the Super 8. It’s this impact that is the ultimate legacy of the Super 8 in the wrestling business.”
The Wrestling Estate has been the go-to media source for ECWA Super 8 coverage for the past four years. In addition to live event reports, we’ve broken the news on the participants, as we will this year, too. In 2021, we published a comprehensive history of the tournament, featuring comments and memories from many past participants and ECWA founder Jim Kettner.
The 26th Annual Super 8 takes place Saturday, March 26, at The Jersey Dugout in Morganville, NJ.
For tickets and more information, visit ecwaprowrestling.com.
You can also join the ECWA Pro Wrestling Facebook group for the latest news, match announcements, promos and more.
Check back with The Wrestling Estate for live coverage of the 26th annual ECWA Super 8.
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