House of Hardcore wrestling holds its first shows
of 2016, in Corona, NY and Philadelphia, PA, featuring a pair of main
event matches with Rob Van Dam.
Video courtesy of House of Hardcore, used with permission
Dean Jackson Graphics; image courtesy of House of Hardcore, used with permission
April 2016 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the closing of
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The ground breaking independent
promotion called Philly its home, so what better time for House of
Hardcore to host an event at the venue that ECW made world famous.
Topping the card is a match truly worthy of the ECW legacy
with Rob Van Dam making his HoH Philly debut against Rhino, another ECW
Original. The promotion has been billing this as a match "15 years in
the making" as Dreamer felt these two should have faced off in the ECW
Arena during ECW's original run. The history between the two began in
January of 2000, during a bout for RVD's TV Title, when Van Dam broke
his leg. Rhino subsequently won the TV Title and the two had their final
ECW match at the "Anarchy Rulz 2000" PPV event in October of that year.
Rhino picked up the victory in that match in controversial fashion, so
this Saturday may see the long delayed finale between these two.
Dreamer does not rely heavily on storyline for his House of Hardcore
shows, but this main event is a rare exception. The anniversary of ECW's
closing is the perfect moment to revisit one of its outstanding
storylines. However, given that it has been fifteen years since the last
chapter of this feud, it would have been helpful for the current
fanbase to review the history between these two in HoH's promotional
efforts. A recap on their website or YouTube Channel would have been
sufficient and would have added to the build up for this main event.
Also on the card, the Killer Elite Squad, Lance Hoyt and
Davey Boy Smith Jr., will defend Pro Wrestling NOAH's GHC Tag Team
Championship titles against Colt Cabana's and Chris Hero's fantastically
named team of Big in USA. Given that KES are defending the titles at
"Hoh 12" the night before against Tommy Dreamer and Rhino, the latter
team may be added to this match if they are victorious on Friday night.
Which would mean double duty for Dreamer and Rhino, as they have other
matches on the card.
Additional matches include Sami Callihan returning to House
of Hardcore against Brian Cage. Bull James (formerly NXT's Bull Dempsey)
will take on his former NXT coach Billy Gunn. Tommy Dreamer will take
on Pepper Parks, with Cherry Bomb, who was stalking Dreamer at "House of
Hardcore 10" in Philly last year. And Thea Trinidad faces Jade.
Other announced talent includes Tony Nese, Eddie Kingston,
Alex Reynolds, Ben Ortiz, Team Tremendous and the Double Duprees. SoCal
Val will be the host for the night. Nese, in particular, has had
impressive showings at each of his HoH appearances, often in "match of
the night" contenders. Therefore, he is due for a higher profile match
and, hopefully, "HoH 13" supplies it. Team Tremendous in a straight
two-on-two tag match would also be a welcome sight.
For New York fans, "House of Hardcore 12" will be the night
before, April 15, in Corona, NY. The main event that night will be Chris
Hero vs RVD in his HoH debut. Check the HoH website for more matches
and ticket information.
"House of Hardcore 13" will be held at the 2300 Arena, the
former ECW Arena, on April 16, starting at 7PM, with a meet and greet
event beginning at 5PM. For ticket and other information, go to the House of Hardcore website. Tickets can also be purchased at George's Collectibles in Neshaminy Mall. Fans wanting to spend the day at the venue can check out the Icons of Wrestling & Comic Book Collectorfest that same day from 9AM-3PM.
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