Jersey All Pro Wrestling
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| Acronym | JAPW |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 19, 1997 |
| Style | Professional wrestling |
| Headquarters | New Jersey |
| Founder(s) | Frank Iadeavia |
| Owner(s) | Jeff Shapiro |
| Formerly | NSWA |
Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States.
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank and Angel. They wanted to take the promotion in a different direction than others. "Fat" Frank and Angel took a group of misfit wrestlers who were not used in other promotion for various reasons and booked them in a show on that night under the promotion name.
During 1997, only two shows were run, Northern States Wrestling Alliance a precursor to JAPW, the wrestlers were friends who were not getting booked in other wrestling shows due to the politics in the New Jersey wrestling scene at that time. Also featured wrestlers like A-Train, and Alexander the Great who are better known as D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley respectively. Other wrestlers like Rockin' Rebel and Little Guido who moved on to ECW as well as others became the foundation of the future of JAPW.
During July 1997, "Fat" Frank searched for a venue to house the promotion. While looking for a venue, he met a local businessman by the name of Jeff Shapiro. Shapiro owned a local building called Charity Hall and was also a wrestling fan. Iadevaia and Shapiro agreed to a one-year lease of Charity Hall. On July 25, 1997, JAPW was born. During the early days of JAPW, they featured wrestlers who were established in the New Jersey independent wrestling scene looking for that big break. One of the first of the JAPW originals to take that opportunity and shine was Homicide who made his debut on September 12, 1997. Also during the early days of JAPW, their shows were bloody and violent. Hardcore wrestling during that time was due to the craze of ECW and JAPW was seen as an alternative. Not long after, several ECW stars started making appearances in JAPW due to Iadevaia's friendship with former ECW star Jason. The Pitbulls, 911, The Samoan Gangsta Party, and others made their debut for the promotion during 1997. Due to JAPW increasing popularity, it was considered the hottest ticket in Bayonne at the time, and fans craved blood and violence like their ECW counterparts. On December 5, 1997, JAPW closed out their first year with Night of Barb Wire #1. It saw the Blood Angels defeat Homicide and Don Montoya to win the vacant JAPW Tag Team Championship in what is considered one of the most brutal and bloody matches in JAPW history.
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