 | |
| Acronym | MEWF |
|---|---|
| Founded | August 2, 1991 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Headquarters | Essex, Maryland, U.S. (1991-2004) |
| Founder(s) | Dennis Wippercht Tim Burke |
| Owner(s) | Dennis Wippercht (1991-2002) Tim Burke (1991-2002) Donna M. Burke (2002-2004) |
| Website | MEWF.com |
TheMid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independentprofessional wrestling promotion based inEssex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestlerTim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independent promotions on the East Coast during the 1990s rivaling promotions such asEast Coast Wrestling Association,Jersey All Pro Wrestling andMaryland Championship Wrestling.
Among its roster includedExtreme Championship Wrestling regulars such asRaven,[1]Stevie Richards,The Blue Meanie,[2]Damien Kane,Pit Bull #2, referee "Judge" Jeff Jones,[3] andThe Bad Breed (Ian andAxl Rotten) as well as some of the leading independent wrestlers such asCueball Carmichael,Johnny Gunn,Max Thrasher,Devon Storm,Morgus the Maniac,Boo Bradley,Jimmy Cicero,Hollywood Bob Starr,Ruckus,Dino Casanova,Corporal Punishment,The Bad Crew and Darkside (Glen Osborne andRockin' Rebel).
FormerWorld Wrestling Federation wrestlers such asBarry Horowitz,Road Warrior Hawk,Jim Neidhart,The Honky Tonk Man andThe Headbangers as well asWorld Championship Wrestling veterans"Jumping" Joey Maggs[4] andDisco Inferno also had short stints in the promotion.
Dennis Wippercht, after promoting several wrestling events during 1990, joinedTim Burke in establishing the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation holding its first card inPasadena, Maryland on August 2, 1991; during the event, the Lords of Darkness (Pain andAgony) would defeat Cream Team (Dino Casanova andRip Sawyer) to become the first MEWF Tag Team champions. Three months later, the MEWF held a fundraiser for theNorth Carroll High School inHampstead, Maryland to help purchasecomputer software for its business department. The card included stars such as"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert,A.C. Golden,Morgus the Maniac,Axl Rotten, The Cream Team (Dino Casanova &Rip Sawyer), female wrestlers Rusty "The Fox" Thomas and MEWF Women's ChampionHeidi Lee Morgan, and midget wrestlerHaiti Kid. Max Thrasher wrestledThe Honky Tonk Man in the main event.[5]
During its early years, the promotion featured such wrestlers asJim "The Anvil" Neidhart,Road Warrior Hawk andJake "The Snake" Roberts, however, their cruiserweight division gained a considerable following withThe Lightning Kid andJimmy Jannetty feuding over the Light Heavyweight Championship during early 1993.
On July 8, 1995, the promotion held an event at the National Guard Armory inAnnapolis, Maryland which featured Corporal Punishment, Axl Rotten,Mad Dog O'Malley and the debut ofPat Patterson, Jr. (thekayfabe "son" ofPat Patterson); the card was the first professional wrestling event ever held in Annapolis.[6] Expanding outside the Baltimore-area, the promotion regularly appeared at theSecret Cove, a popular restaurant and bar in southernFairfax County, Virginia.[7]
During the next several years, some of the top lightheavyweight wrestlers appeared in televised matches for the promotion includingMark "the Shark" Shrader,Earl the Pearl,Steve Corino,[8]Danny Doring,[9]Quinn Nash,Adam Flash andJoey Mercury,[10] with whom Christian York feuded withThe Hardy Boyz,[11] as well as participated in the ECWA'sSuper 8 Tournament during the late 1990s.
In 1998, following a dispute with MEWF management and wrestlers over creative control and payment disagreements,[12] Corporal Punishment and Mark Shrader left the promotion taking half of its roster with them to formMaryland Championship Wrestling. After a nearly 5-year rivalry, the two promotions began working together in October 2002 and eventually co-hosted Maryland Championship Wrestling's final event at Michael's Eighth Avenue inGlen Burnie, Maryland on July 16, 2003.[13]
During this interpromotional card, the MCW Championship titles were merged with Mid-Eastern Championship Wrestling most notably theChristian York winning theShane Shamrock Memorial Cup as well as the MCW/MEWF Cruiserweight Championship defeatingJoey Matthews, Reckless Youth,Qenaan Creed,Jay Briscoe andCrash Holly in a six-way elimination match. The event also featuredHeadbanger Thrasher,Gillberg andVan Hammer.[14]
In early 2002, Tim's wife, Donna Burke took over day-to-day running began promoting shows twice a month at Dundalk's North Point Flea Market[15][16] and held a memorial show for Dino Casanova on June 20, 2002.
The following year, Burke promoted a show withRing of Honor inGlen Burnie, Maryland on January 29[17] andWorld Wrestling Entertainment inFair Hill, Maryland on July 31.[18] The promotion was unable to keep the fanbase of Maryland Championship Wrestling, however, and, within several months, the promotion became inactive after its last card atHunter's Sail Barn inRising Sun, Maryland on October 30, 2004; this was the first wrestling event ever held in the building.[19]
