by Brett Schwan
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Long Island Wrestling Federation
by Brett Schwan
In late 1997, a new wrestling promotion made its mark in New York. The
Long Island Wrestling Federation debuted at Martin Luther High School
with a star studded card and a packed gymnasium. Promoted by Bobby Lombardi,
the LIWF would make their mark in the NY area.
The show that night featured many newer stars on the indy scene as well
as veterans such as King Kong Bundy and Demolition Ax.
The LIWF went on to run in numerous other venues, including the VFW Hall
in Centereach (which it called home or several shows). The Centereach
shows allowed the fans on Long Island to see wrestling, which they hadn't
seen in the area for a while. The shows in Centereach saw guys like Spanish
Angel (who went on to ECW as a Baldie), Kid USA, Laithon, and many young
up and coming wrestlers.
One veteran who made his return to the sport, at the VFW Hall, was The
Legendary Ox Baker. Ox was all but unheard from before the LIWF brought
him in and made him part of a major angle. Ox was able to go on local
radio shows to plug the promotion in ways only he could.
As things changed within the LIWF, they moved to a new home in Queens.
In addition to running shows on a regular basis, they opened a wrestling
school. The talent that worked at and came out of that school is a huge
list, which you will see as you read on. All this time, for whatever reason,
the NYS Athletic Commission was a thorn in Bobby's side.
One of the most successful shows the LIWF ran was a benefit show, the
JYD Memorial Show. Appearing on the card were legends like Ox Baker, Nikolai
Volkoff, Tito Santana, Johnny Rodz as well as the debut of two wrestlers
who have gone on to be huge stars in the wrestling business...Low Ki and
Monsta Mack.
After that show, the LIWF started running shows, out of their "Doghouse" wrestling school on a weekly basis. For a $5 (later $6) donation, fans were treated to matches that featured some of the best indy talent around. The list of names that wrestled on these shows (when I attended), as well as those who trained there is phenomenal. Some of the ones I had the pleasure of seeing include: Homicide, Low Ki, Low Life Louie, Da Hit Squad, Laithon, Slugger, Azrieal, Deranged, J-Train, The Solution, Sure Thing John Shane, Grim Reefer, Terra X, The Christopher Street Connection, The Rednecks From Hell, Eddie Guapo, Ghost Shadow, Johnny Bravado, Wrecka, Valentina, Amanda Violet, Damian Dragon, and many more.
Unfortunately, all of this has come to and end. As posted on the doghouse
wrestling webpage:
JANUARY 10th 2003: THE FINAL COURT DATE FOR THE FATE OF THE DOGHOUSE BUILDING
WAS HELD YESTERDAY, WITH UNFORTUNATE RESULTS. WE APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE,
BUT THERES JUST TOO MANY COMPLICATIONS TO RUN HERE IN NY. MR. LOMBARDI
WILL PICK UP AND START OVER IN FLORIDA WITH HIS OWN PROPERTY! NO LANDLORDS
AND COMMISSIONS BS. SO KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED AND WISH HIM LOTS OF
LUCK! ITS MOVING ON BUT NOT GIVING UP. THE IDEA IS TO MAKE IT LIKE A CAMP
AND ARENA ALONG WITH OTHER BUSINESSES HE PLANS ON STARTING. IF YOU ARE
INTERESTED IN THE FLORIDA DEAL CAN EMAIL HIM WITH YOUR NAME AND PHONE
NUMBERS AT: bobbylombardi@aol.com
It's a damn shame that the NYS Athletic Commission had it out for Bobby since day 1. He could do nothing right in their eyes. They went above and beyond to shut him down. Unfortunately, they seem to have succeeded.
Bobby Lombardi, gave so many young potential workers a place to train and hone their skills in the ring. He gave many a place to go to get off the streets. The Doghouse was a breeding ground for some great workers.
Bobby Lombardi was a great guy in a shitty business. Where most other promoters in the area are backstabbing scum, Bobby was not. He never went out to tear down other promotions posters. He never went out of his way to try and get other promotions shows cancelled. Bobby was a class act in a business that is overrun with classless people.
Bobby gave me a hell of a break, allowing me to be the LIWF Commissioner (which came to a crahsing end when I was heart punched by Ox Baker). He also allowed me to host the LIWF Hotline for quite some time.
This column is dedicated to Bobby Lombardi and his LIWF/Doghouse. Bobby, while your promotion has been gone only a short time, it is already sorely missed. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and I thank you for EVERYTHING you have done for me and for the wrestling business in NY.
If anyone would like to share their thoughts, comments, or personal experiences with the LIWF, Doghouse or Bobby, please email them to me at WresClothesline@aol.com and I will post them here.
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Contact Brett Schwan at WresClothesline@aol.com
