The Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl was an annual
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
event held between 1996 and 1999 as a tribute to wrestler
Eddie Gilbert and featured talent from the
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
,
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
and
Extreme Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...
, as well as local and established
independent wrestlers.
Each year, the event would feature the Gilbert family receiving a
plaque
Plaque may refer to:
Commemorations or awards
* Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc.
* Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I
* Pla ...
from promoter
Dennis Coralluzzo
Dennis A. Coralluzzo Sr. (March 5, 1953 – July 30, 2001) was an American professional wrestling promoter for NWA New Jersey and former president and board member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Birthplace
Dennis Coralluzzo was bor ...
.
In 1998, the show came under some criticism when Coralluzzo was alleged to have used the in-ring plaque presentation to publicly attack
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight ...
, as did the Gilbert family,
provoking a verbal altercation between himself and ECW fans in attendance.
The show was also attended by older veterans who had worked with Gilbert during his career
and appeared both during the show and at a special "tribute dinner" and wrestling convention held during the weekend.
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for m ...
made an appearance at the first convention
and later expressed his regret in not wrestling the first show.
Brian Hildebrand
Brian Curtis Hildebrand (January 21, 1962 – September 8, 1999) was an American professional wrestling manager, wrestler and referee who sometimes went by the name of Mark Curtis. Although trained in brawling, technical, and high-flying wrestli ...
was honored at the banquet two years later.
Although the original shows were promoted by Coralluzzo and NWA New Jersey,
other promotions have held similar events including
IWA Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...
in 1998 and Southeastern Championship Wrestling in 2002. It has been suggested by some in the industry, such as former wrestlers Bob Blackburn and
Buddy Landel
William Fritz Ensor (August 14, 1961 – June 22, 2015) was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel. He was best known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories.
Early lif ...
, that the shows have been used to financially exploit Gilbert's death.
Landel, a regular performer for the NWA shows, initially declined
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling A ...
's offer to appear for IWA Mid South's memorial show for this reason.
Show results
First Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl
February 3, 1996 in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census. (The Armory)
Second Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl
April 12, 1997 in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township within Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a population of 74,553, which reflected an increase of 3,508 (+4.94%) from the 71,045 counted in the 2010 census. (
West High School)
Third Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl
February 28, 1998 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
(
Radisson Hotel
Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park In ...
)
Fourth Annual Eddie Gilbert Memorial Brawl
October 2, 1999 in
Vineland, New Jersey
Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 60,780. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 61,156 ...
(Vineland High School)
See also
*
List of professional wrestling conventions
This is a list of professional wrestling conventions.
History
A professional wrestling fan convention typically features a professional wrestling promotion's talent and alumni autograph signings, interviews, fan activities, memorabilia displays, ...
References
Further reading
*Lister, John. ''Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004''. Adlibbed Ltd., 2005. {{ISBN, 1-4116-5329-7
Professional wrestling memorial shows
1996 in professional wrestling
1997 in professional wrestling
1998 in professional wrestling
1999 in professional wrestling