Private | |
Industry |
Professional Wrestling Hardcore wrestling Lucha Libre |
Founded | 2011 |
Defunct | 2014 |
Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Key people
|
Shane Douglas Corky Robinson Danny Shay Shawn Mooney |
Products | Tickets and DVDs |
Parent | 5 Guys Wrestling, Inc. |
Website |
ExtremeRising.com |
Extreme Rising (formerly Extreme Reunion) was an American independent wrestling promotion founded in 2012 by wrestling personalities Shane Douglas & Cody Michael, brothers Steve & Mike O'Neill, & producer Kevin Kleinrock (the "5 guys" of 5 Guys Wrestling, Inc.). The promotion closed on April 22, 2014, after O'Neil cancelled all the shows.
Meant to fill the void of hardcore wrestling left behind by the defunct-Extreme Championship Wrestling, Extreme Rising assembled a roster of ECW alumni, such as Raven, The Sandman, Stevie Richards, Jerry Lynn, The Mongolian Butcher among others. The first show was held on April 28, 2012, at the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which served as a stand-in for the ECW Arena (which was undergoing renovations at the time).
On January 14, 2012, Douglas announced there would be an 'Extreme Reunion' at Philadelphia's National Guard Armory on April 28. In a video that aired during CZW's Excellent Adventure, held at the ECW Arena, Douglas addressed the fans and announced a "second revolution" was about to begin, to keep extreme wrestling alive in Philadelphia. Douglas cited his dissatisfaction with the state of the Professional Wrestling industry as his inspiration to create the new organization. To drum up interest for the inaugural show on April 28, Douglas undertook a guerrilla marketing campaign, which included attending the March 19, 2012 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, with business Partner Steve O'Neill and producer Kevin Consolo. Douglas bought a ticket and gained entry while concealed in a lucha libre mask. Douglas unmasked while in the audience and began an "ECW" chant, but was escorted out of the arena. Consolo had Douglas cut a promo video to hype the upcoming show Extreme Reunion on April 28, 2012. The Extreme Reunion event was panned by both fans and critics. The fans in attendance voiced their annoyance at the event by shouting negative chants at Shane Douglas who had booked himself in the main event. Former ECW Champions Sabu and Justin Credible were removed from the card on the night of Extreme Reunion for medical reasons.