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The Eastern Wrestling Alliance (EWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion currently based in Massachusetts and founded in 1998 by James St. Jean and Bob Staples. The EWA has been a prominent professional wrestling company in the New England area since the early 2000s beginning most notably in 2001 with the kick off of their long run of monthly shows in Portland, Maine.
1997–2000
The Eastern Wrestling Alliance was created in 1997 by physical therapist James St. Jean, who served as owner and president, and Bob Staples, who served as vice president, both legit and as a character. After running two shows in May 1997 in which Tony Rumble served as booker, St. Jean offered the position to Tony Atlas.
Atlas served as booker for about a year, during which time the EWA began filming a weekly TV show, seen throughout central Maine. These live shows, unless they were at a county fair or college, were generally poorly promoted and lost money. In early 1999, Joshua Shea was brought on board to help Staples with some administrative duties and contribute booking ideas.
With Atlas' connections in the industry, he was able to bring experienced indy talent from all over the northeast, going as far west as Ohio and as far south as Virginia. He also was able to bring in many former WWF stars that otherwise may not have performed at shows as small as the EWA was putting on.
In 1999 MTV used the EWA as one of the primary focuses for their documentary-style show True Life: I'm A Professional Wrestler. This one-hour broadcast followed Tony Atlas in his post-WWF career as an independent wrestler and booker for the EWA. During the filming of the documentary the EWA owner–promoter James St. Jean and Tony Atlas had a falling-out, leading to the EWA show scheduled to be run during the filming of the MTV documentary to be canceled by James St. Jean, only to then see Tony Atlas fight his hardest to make the show go on. The documentary did not paint James St. Jean in the best light but it did bring national attention to the EWA itself, increasing awareness for their product for the years to come as it was aired on MTV repeatedly over the next couple of years.
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The fallout of the MTV fiasco had Atlas leaving the company while Shea and Dan Mason, a color commentator, took over booking for a period of time. Staples, who suffered a heart attack shortly after the MTV show was filmed, also stepped away from the business. St. Jean stopped producing a TV show a few months after Atlas was dismissed. Upon Mason leaving the company for professional opportunities outside wrestling, wrestlers Scott King and Steve Rand took over booking duties.
In early 2000, James St. Jean sold the promotion to equal shareholders Rand, King and Shea.
2000 - 2003
When the new owners took over the EWA they switched their primary market place to the Portland, ME. area and expanded their road schedule to include shows in New Hampshire and with help of business partner and co-promoter Jeremy Barron in Massachusetts as well. Steve Rand and Scott King booked the shows while the third owner operated in a promoter capacity hanging fliers and such until late 2001, when he left the company. Rand and King then offered that share to Brian Mailhot.
With Steve Rand and Scott King booking the shows business went up for the company. They went from running shows with typical attendance averaging around 100 or so to running shows with attendances reaching 400+ in their primary venue the Steven's Avenue Armory in Portland, ME. This was also in part due to the quality of wrestler that Rand and King brought in to the EWA including many notable independent wrestling names such as John Walters, Antonio Thomas, Romeo Roselli, Brian Black, Adam Booker, Dr. Heresy, Chi Chi Cruz(Luis Rubet), Kid Krazy and former WCW starRick Fuller; all of which went on to work for the WWE and/or TNA in various capacities.
These shows were filmed for local public access TV for the greater Portland area. The EWA was also featured in another documentary filmed by two college students in 2002 titled "Don't Stop Believing". The documentary followed Frankie Armadillo and Adam Booker primarily as they lived locally. Dr. Heresy, Brian Black, Steve Ramsey, Alexander Worthington III and others from the EWA were also featured. This documentary did not receive any sort of syndication but was sold by the EWA at their live events.
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In early 2003 as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Centers and The Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 the EWA lost their primary venue in the armory in Portland, ME. as the army determined it would not rent out its armories anymore. This led to a venue change to The Strive Center in South Portland, ME. Not too long after the venue change owner/promoter/booker Steve Rand decided to move across the country leading to the sale of the EWA to their business partner Jeremy Barron.
2003 - Present
With the sale of the EWA to their Massachusetts promoter and business partner the EWA re-located its primary market to Massachusetts, most notably in Southbridge and Ludlow, MA. It was not long before fellow independent wrestler Scott Despres got involved and became equal partner as promoter and booker for the EWA. Typical attendance did drop to the more average area of 150+ for the Massachusetts shows though as the Maine fan base that had been built up over the prior 3–4 years largely did not make the 2-3 hour commute for shows in the new EWA market place. The EWA now runs just in Massachusetts, usually in Orange, MA, and as of late 2008, the village of Three Rivers in Palmer, MA. EWA also works in tandem with their newer sister promotion Front Row Wrestling based in New Hampshire. The two companies allow title defenses on each others shows and on occasion run joint promoted shows.
On June 11, 2008, the EWA was one of several New England independent promotions which participated in a special benefit show for Brandon Cusick, a 5-year-old child diagnosed with leukemia, at the Bank Street Armory in Fall River, Massachusetts.
EWA is currently having monthly shows at the Springfield Turnverein in Feeding Hills, MA and Christ Community Center in Chicopee, MA.
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Watch the MTV "TRUE LIFE" "I'm A Pro Wrestler" episode from 1999 featuring EWA here
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