About EWA
The EWA: A different kind of backyard wrestling
The EWA was founded in 1997 and, since its inception, has created a different kind of backyard wrestling.
“You see a lot of these kids on YouTube, thew throw a mattress on the grass and they screw around, they get hurt. For us, for me, it was always about so much more,” said Joey Pinto, the founder of the EWA. “It’s a very personal thing.”
Read on to learn about the EWA’s two decades of backyard wrestling innovation.
What is backyard wrestling?
Professional wrestling is a time-honored tradition born in the American circus. Strongmen would challenge the crowds coming to witness great feats of strength, greco-Roman bouts, and the gladiators of yesteryear come to life before their very eyes.
Backyard wrestling is a little different.
Backyard wrestlers practice the same craft as professional wrestlers, a hybrid of athletic competition and performance, typically done in front of a live audience. The physical action and technique behind it is based in amateur wrestling, while the stories are scripted and incorporates elements of theater, improv and production.
However, backyard wrestlers typically do not receive formal training at a wrestling school, as is the expectation in the professional wrestling business. Rather, these less sculpted, less disciplined combatants transpose the DIY spirit to wrestling, an art form that, for them, can take place anywhere, not just the traditional wrestling ring. As the name insinuates, backyard wrestling can take place in the backyard to a house, apartment building or any residential or commercial dwelling. Other backyard wrestlers fight in fields, public parks, skate parks, under bridges, in the locker room of high school gyms; some even practice backyard wrestling on trampolines, which is also known as trampoline wrestling.
BACKYARD BATTLES BEGIN
At a young age, Joey “Hollywood” Pinto was a huge wrestling fan, always looking for a fight. Quickly, he evolved from viewer to participant and, as his reputation grew, so did the challengers — encounters progressed from innocent school yard jockeying to knock down, drag out brawls, which could end only in the shame of an, “I quit.”
People started showing up at Joey’s bedroom window to challenge him to fights; spectators became gamblers, betting on winners and losers. Hollywood became the safe bet. An unbeatable force, this street-sides sport morphed into a more organized system. At age 16, Joey met two other fighters who would go on to help him found the EWA: BlockBuster Dave and Big Daddy Kutz. Together they built the first wrestling ring and, while today considered the first chapter of the EWA, was initially known as the Pinto’s Wrestling Federation (PWF).
The first PWF wrestling ring attracted more challengers and more friends to join the team. In the beginning, the matches were real, the wrestling was real and the more physically dominant you were, the more sway you had.
The original group formed their own version of the NWO — a wrestling stable created in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the mid 1990s, made up of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. With strength in numbers they were, like the young Hollywood Pinto, unbeatable. A ladder match took place where Joey jumped off a two-story fire escape into the backyard wrestling ring. This lead to his first PWF championship victory.
After that, names were officially established and as the leader, the most violent and determined to win, Joey, was officially dubbed “Hollywood Pinto,” in honor of the NWO and of his childhood hero Hulk Hogan.
Freshmen year of High school came and word spread quick about the PWF and about the existence of the ring. Then the unthinkable happened. A handful of wrestling crazed seniors showed up to challenge the group. It was real, it was amazing and in the end Hollywood and his group earned the respect of their older adversaries.
The PWF’s backyard wrestlers were in and they were certainly on top.
From PWF to EWA
The next chapter came as the next year started. The original PWF ring was torn down and a new ring was constructed in West Harrison — out of the way, in the woods and unseen. An entrance was made, weapons were collected and hell was about to be unleashed. The number of wrestlers tripled and everyone wanted in. With their ranks solidified and reputation untouchable, the PWF launched Tuesday Night Terror.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, professional wrestling as a whole was at its peek of mainstream popularity. This was the era of the “Monday Nights Wars,” in which the WWF (now WWE) and WCW battled for supremacy. From the largest wrestling organizations in the world to backyards throughout the U.S., awareness and interest grew. Within the first few weeks of breaking in their new ring, Hollywood Pinto and his crew renamed their new wrestling empire the Extreme Wrestling Alliance (EWA). The name was an ode to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the renegade promotion dedicated to a violent brand of professional wrestling through most of the 1990s. This brand of extreme wrestling influenced much of what we now call the original years of the EWA.
The original EWA roster — today known as the “EWA Originals,” included:
- Orange Marmalade
- Big Daddy Dangerous
- The Real Deal Keith, JR
- Hardcore Tom
- Will the thrill Kingston
- The Golden Nugget
- The Red Rider
- The Red Bull
- Road Tour
- Blockbuster Dave
- Big Daddy Kutz
- Commissioner Bro
- The Real Miss Elizabeth
- Ivy
- Rosalind
- King Bizz
- Dave the shave Chandra
- The hardcore addict Snatch
- Johnny Heartbreaker
- Slasher
- Stone Cold Steve Pinto
- Hollywood Pinto
- Hollywood Pinto
- Snatch
- Block Buster Dave
The first 4 seasons transitioned the old EWA into the new EWA. The opening match of season one said goodbye to Blockbuster Dave and it wasn’t too long after that when Big Daddy Kutz finally got his rematch and this time won the title! As the new roster grew, the EWA became something much more than it had ever been and was relocated to a private location in upstate New York where an even bigger and better ring was created.
New talent like Jim Lyon, The ProPHET, Gregdust, The Dark outsider, The Punisher, Chaos, The French Wonder, Pier, El Gordito, The Cobra and various others ushered the EWA into its new era. The Ewa originals that were left also grew. Road tour became Claudio Cacciatore, Stone Cold Steve became the Punisher, Big Daddy Kutz became Christopher Anthony and Hollywood Pinto stepped it up to eventually reinvent himself.
Upstate uprising (2012 - Present)
The next chapter for the EWA brought it to Pintoville USA, at a new upstate ring. This pushed things to the next level and it all started with the addition of a new character on the scene, The Zeitgeist.
This move also saw the evolution of a classic EWA stable known as the Stunad Squad, which consisted of the French Wonder, Claudio Cacciatore and the Golden Nugget.
From there, Hollywood took on a more out there, prominent founder role on screen and behind the screen produced, wrote and edited almost every single episode. Commentators became a huge part of it, story lines grew, music was chosen wisely and booking was on point. Every year seemed to welcome more talent ranging from gangster crayons, to Frank Freedom, the Black Crayon, Loco Neon, El Maestro, Hateful Intentions & many more.
EWA: Old vs new
A power struggle ensued, pitting the EWA originals and next generation wrestlers against each other. They were all there for the same purpose: They loved doing it.
Elvis Pinto (Joe Pinto, Sr.) took the role as owner and Thotus Cash assumed commissioner duties, while Hollywood Pinto tried keeping things together behind the scenes. As ideas were formed and plot lines grew, characters evolved and seasons of the YouTube show seemed to pass quickly. It was around the end of Season 7 that Hollywood had a vision and set a goal — to reach 100 episodes and have an epic final show. He would call it PintoPalooza.
The rivalry between the Zeitgeist and Hollywood skyrocketed, thus changing the face of the EWA moving forward. New champions were crowned, including:
- Hollywood PInto
- Big Daddy Kutz
- The Punisher Steve Pinto
- Jim Lyon
- Big Daddy Kutz
- Claudio Cacciatore
- Chaos
- Golden Nugget
- The French Wonder
- The Zeitgeist
EWA: The final season
The 9th and final season of the EWA began with Hollywood Pinto winning Battlemania 3. He went on to defend his title one last time against each and every main stream opponent. This has now built up to defending it at “The Condiment Wars” in Times Square New York. It’s Hollywood’s vision taken to a height that he himself could have never imagined.
As the EWA prepares to go out with a bang, Hollywood Pinto prepares to finish his life’s work in the eye of the public, at an event bigger than the EWA itself.