Combat Zone Wrestling
 |
| Combat Zone Wrestling logo | |
| Acronym | CZW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Style | Hardcore wrestling American Wrestling |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia |
| Owner(s) | John Zandig |
Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is a professional wrestling company run by John Zandig.
In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain started to run wrestling shows in places like New Jersey and Delaware showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling called "ultraviolent". Ladders, tables, thumbtacks, barbed wire, fluorescent light tubes and fire, are common elements of "ultraviolent" wrestling matches in CZW. The company filled a niche for hardcore wrestling fans that had been left by Extreme Championship Wrestling, and found fame in the infamous ECW Arena with their Cage of Death 3 show in the year 2001, the year ECW folded.
Annual events
Cage of Death
CZW's biggest show is the year-end Cage Of Death. It always features the infamous "Cage Of Death" match, a steel cage with various weapons, objects, and plenty of wrestling violence. Electrified cage walls, cacti, tables, light tubes, glass, thumbtacks, baseball bats, and barbed-wire have been used in it. Matches always include high risk wrestling bumps
Tournament of Death
CZW's yearly death-match tournament features the use of fire, weed whackers, light tubes, and other weapons. T.O.D has resulted in excessive blood loss for many of the wrestlers who have participated in it. One of the biggest moments was Nick Mondo and John Zandig going off of a 2 story roof into 6 tables covered in flourescent light bulbs.[citation needed].
Best of the Best
CZW's yearly tournament that differs from other CZW events in how it emphasizes athleticism more than weapons use. The Best of the Best tournament is, by design, a Junior Heavyweight Tournament. In 2005, however, the tournament was formatted as an open weight tournament. The next year, it returned to its original format.