House of Hardcore a homecoming for Tommy Dreamer
Some are looking forward to House of Hardcore because it looks to be a great night of wrestling.
But for Tommy Dreamer, it’s a chance to come home and see his family.
Dreamer, who was the face, heart, soul and in many aspects, the brains behind the insanely popular Extreme Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, is now running his own company, House of Hardcore. The promotion had its first show last fall in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and even hard-to-please wrestling critics gave it a rousing thumbs up. Now, Dreamer returns to his hometown.
Well, kind of.
“I’ve always said Thomas Laughlin, which is my real name, was born in New York, but Tommy Dreamer was born in Philadelphia,” said Dreamer, who is bringing HOH to Philadelphia on June 22 when it debuts at the National Guard Armory on the Boulevard in the Northeast. “It’s a place that has a lot of pride in their great city. I have a lot of friends in Philly.
“I know how passionate Philadelphia is about its sports teams, and that’s exactly how I view pro wrestling. Philly is known for its honesty. I am a brutally honest person, anyone who knows me will tell you that. And I love Philadelphia because it’s like me.”
Dreamer was one of the most beloved wrestlers in ECW because he was known for going the extra mile to entertain. He’d lose a lot of blood, he’d take spills down bleachers, he’d get thrown off balconies, he’d get hit with multiple chairs, but if the fans had a smile on their face, so did he.
Now, it’s kind of the same thing.
Dreamer, who will have all-time great Terry Funk in his corner, will wrestle fellow ECW alum Lance Storm in the main event. And Dreamer is hitting the gym hard to prepare for the match.
But he’s also excited about the other stars appearing on the show, which includes an appearance by arguably the greatest wrestler of all time, Ric Flair.
“I’m a wrestling fan, and I want to give the people coming a great night out,” he said. “So we have Ric Flair, we have Terry Funk stepping in a wrestling ring one more time, we have The Young Bucks against Brian Kendrick & Paul London, and there will be things that no other tag teams can do in this one, and then you have the Steiner Brothers and there will be fans who want to see them, and then you have young guys like Tony Ness, Sami Callihan and unheralded guys like Pety Williams. And we’ll have surprises because I love surprises.
“We have the same saying that we had in ECW and that’s ‘go out and steal the show.’ If the guy behind you can’t follow you, they shouldn’t be there. I want a kickass show.”
It’s also one that’s safe for all fans.
On top of being a star in the ring, Dreamer has worked behind the scenes in both WWE and TNA. He’s done everything there is in the sport, and now he’s the one running the show. His only concern is having fun.
“In ECW, we were all blood and guts, but that was a different era,” Dreamer said. “Now, it’s just good wrestling. No foul language. I went to my first wrestling show when I was 8. I went with my father and I watched Ric Flair versus Ricky Steamboat and my dad said, ‘that was real.’ That was great wrestling and that’s what we want to do. We just want to put on a fun, three-hour show.”
This also could be the start of something huge. It could be the next big promotion. But that’s not his concern right now. The only thing he’s looking toward is June 22.
“I’m not Vince McMahon,” Dreamer said. “I don’t want a Wrestlemania. I want fans to say ‘I got my money’s worth.’ Maybe someday, I’ll want a Wrestlemania. But I always say, you have to crawl before you can walk, walk before you can run, run before you can fly.”
But for now, the only flying Dreamer has planned is to fly down I-95 to South Philly to keep the routine.
Sure, this ain’t ECW, but it’s still wrestling in Philadelphia, and you have to do things right.
“I love Philadelphia and I’m very excited to be coming home,” Dreamer said. “When I was in ECW, I knew the first names of (the fans) because we were there every month. This is home.
“After the show, I will go out of my way to go to Tony Luke’s (in South Philadelphia) and then drive by the old ECW Arena.
“I’m really excited to do this because I love pro wrestling. Everything I have is because of pro wrestling. I’m married to my old valet from ECW (Beulah McGillicutty) and I have two kids. Wrestling has been very good to me and I love to be around it.”
House of Hardcore’s show begins at 7:30 p.m., with a meet and greet slated to begin at 5 p.m.
For details or ticket information on the show or meet and greet, visit http://www.houseofhardcore.net/
Joe Mason can be reached at jmason@phillyBurbs.com