On January 14th EVOLVE will present the final wrestling event at the former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia. This issue of the WWNLive.com Email Magazine will focus on the history of The Arena, what it has meant to wrestling and what it still means to many of the talents scheduled for January 14th.

"EVOLVE 10: A Tribute To The Arena" will be broadcast on worldwide live iPPV at www.WWNLive.com. You can pre-order it now. You can also make money off this iPPV by joining the WWNLive.com Affiliate Program. There is no risk and anyone can do it. All you need to do is promote your link on your social network sites, blog, website or any other means you have online. This is the perfect time to start promoting to maximize your profit.

January 14th is one of two big live iPPVs at WWNLive.com this month. Dragon Gate USA will present "Open The Golden Gate" on January 27th from Los Angeles.

A word from our sponsor: www.DGUSA.tv now has the Cash Back Weekly Special. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla DVDs have also just been added to the Store. Go to the website for details.

The final show at the building now known as The Asylum Arena will be emotional. If you ever attended a wrestling event in The Arena this is your chance to say goodbye before all the interior walls are destroyed, the hall of fame banners are taken away and the building as you know it forever changes. Now let's look at the historical significance of the most famous independent wrestling venue in the world.

EVOLVE Talent Talks Arena memories & importance of the venue

EVOLVE has the honor of presenting the final wrestling event at The Asylum Arena on January 14th. This means the pressure is on to make sure the building goes out the right way. This is a very personal show for not just the fans, but those competing inside the ring. We have all experienced special moments, made friends and have incredible memories at the corner of Swanson & Ritner. Here's what the building means to some of those in action on January 14th:

"The Arena means so much to me. I can remember when as a 10-year-old kid when I only knew of the WWF at the time my brother brought ECW into my life. It changed the way I looked at wrestling for good. That building would be so crazy and I thought to myself if I'm gonna wrestle it's gonna be in the Viking Hall. Sure enough, fast forward eight years later I'm wrestling for CZW in that very Arena. My favorite moment of The Arena was Cage Of Death 11, Sami Callihan vs. Danny Havoc. These two went crazy and the crowd loved it. It was by far the best death match or hardcore match in that building ever."

"Watching Rob Van Dam wrestle in The Arena is the main reason I wanted to become a wrestler. The Arena atmosphere is so raw and would have me joining in on chants and ovations from my room at home. Being the main event at The Arena was truly unbelievable to me and was my

biggest moment there and still can't believe it sometimes."

"I've done epic battle, I've made history, I've bled, and my best friend has died in that building. From the time I was a kid staying up until 1am to watch ECW, one of my goals was always to wrestle at the historic ECW Arena. I've done that and more, and I'm happy to be part of its history, but it's time to move on. That building will always be apart of my wrestling career....Where the Callihan Death Machine was born."
-Sami Callihan

"As a child growing up a wrestling fan, pre attitude era, I always thought of wrestling as family entertainment, any time it was on my mom would turn it on and to her it might as well be a Saturday morning cartoon. So on a late night (10pm) in 1996 while in the not so watchful eyes of a babysitter I came across something new, something different. It was wrestling, but the characters seamed real, gritty, and sometimes a bit scary, the language was different, the atmosphere was different, not like the flashy, over polished over produced wrestling I was used to. That night I watched Tommy Dreamer and Raven fight all over The ECW Arena and it gave me a strange feeling, one a young boy might have when he stumbles on his first Playboy. I knew I shouldn't be watching this, if my mom knew I was watching this I was dead. But I didn't care I was hooked and I had to have more."

"My favorite ECW Arena memory is Cage of Death 7. It was mine and Cheech's debuts with the company and we were wrestling each other. We went in knowing we needed to prove ourselves and we put on a match that I am very proud of until this day. I feel this match solidified ourselves not only in CZW, but on the indy scene as a whole."

"The Arena is quite simply history to me. I never got the chance to ref at the Spectrum, which was my dream, so The Arena was a great substitute. It was where I learned to be a fan of something other than the WWF/NWA. From a fan at Ultra Clash to making my debut as a ref for ECW it's been a heckuva run there. I have ref'd for legends in the building, and I have ref'd for friends, some that are still with us, some that are unfortunately gone, but not forgotten, that is what will happen to The Arena as we know it after the 14th, it will be gone, but like the Sportatorium, and so many other buildings that have faded into history, it will never ever be forgotten."

"Walking into the building for the first time, I had seen it on TV years before I got into the business and fallen in love with the atmosphere, knowing that I'd be just a brief part of the amazing piece history that is The Arena was huge to me and one of the few goals that I had set when I started in professional wrestling."

"The ECW Arena holds a lot of history and memories. When I was little watching ECW on tv, it was always a place where I wanted to go and hopfully one day wrestle at, and the fact that I actually debuted in DGUSA and CZW in that very Arena is really something I can always look back on and cherish those moments. Not only is The Arena special, but the fans it hold inside it are like no other.saying that they bring out that 110% in you is a serious understatement. The power these fans pack into you is intense! That is why the fans and The Arena will always hold a special place In my heart."

"Who can forget staying up till 2am hoping that ECW would be on the air? It was on those nights where I saw guys like Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Mikey Whipwreck, and countless others make their name in wrestling, and they did it in the ECW Arena. That's why it was a no brainer for John Silver and myself to get trained by Mikey. Without Mikey making his name at the ECW Arena, John and I probably wouldn't have the opportunity to make ours."

"To me the arena means the very best in independent wrestling. Being from the South, The Arena represents the Mecca of wrestling. To wrestle there in 2009 was amazing, but going back as a much more complete wrestler and at the last show in The Arena will be a huge highlight in my career."

"It is a huge honor for me to finally wrestle at the famous ECW Arena. I was trained by ECW triple crown champion Mikey Whipwreck. The ECW Arena is a place where Mikey had made a lot of history and now its my turn to make some history in the same place as I wrestle in the last ever show at the ECW Arena. I promise this is a show your not going to want to miss."

Gargano/Ricochet need to leave legacy.

Johnny Gargano will defend The Open The Freedom Gate Title against Ricochet in the official main event of EVOLVE 10 on January 14th at The Arena. Although the show will close with a very special (and potentially chaotic) Tribute To The Arena ceremony, Gargano vs. Ricochet will be the last official match inside those historic walls.

The Arena has seen some of the greatest, most memorable title matches in wrestling history. It has been the birthplace of new generations of stars. It is where legends first made their names. Now Gargano and Ricochet are in the spot to close out that legacy with one final unforgettable, star making performance.

"I know all the great names and matches that have taken place in The Arena," Gargano said. "I know people want that one final match where they can just go nuts and enjoy everything that is good about wrestling on January 14th. As the new Open The Freedom Gate Champion I will deliver and defeat Ricochet in the process."

Gargano vs. Ricochet is a fitting match to close out the era of The Arena. They each emerged as today's new stars in 2011 with incredible matches, vast improvement and star caliber charisma. Gargano closed out the year by winning the DGUSA Title. Meanwhile, Ricochet won an unprecedented three titles in Japan and became half of the DGUSA Tag Team Champions with CIMA. The Arena is the place where the new breed always made their reputations. Now Gargano and Ricochet will continue that legacy.

"Honestly," Ricochet said. "I always thought the place was a dump. I'm focused on one thing on January 14th and that's winning the Open The Freedom Gate Title from Johnny Gargano and bringing the belt to Blood Warriors. How's that for making history?"

Gargano and Ricochet exemplify the star making tradition of The Arena. They will produce the final chapter on January 14th and The Open The Freedom Gate Title will be on the line.

As you can see January 14th will mean just as much to the talent in the ring as the fans in the crowd. This will be a night for everyone who cherishes the memory of The Arena.

Some facts....

The Arena has seen countless memories from many different promotions over the years. The very first show was presented by Eastern Championship Wrestling on May 14th, 1993 and the final event in the building as we know it will be EVOLVE on January 14th, 2012 as the second half of a double header with Combat Zone Wrestling. That's 19 years of blood, sweat and good times.

Here's some facts:

-The first ECW show featured Road Warrior Hawk, Don Muraco, Eddie Gilbert, Terry Funk and Chris Candido. The main event of this ECW TV taping was Sal Bellemo & The Super Destroyers going to a no contest against Chris Candido, Johnny Hotbody and Richard Michaels.

-JT Smith taught the first wrestling school in the building, with Francine being a notable graduate.

-Combat Zone Wrestling has promoted the most ever shows in the venue. ECW is 2nd and CHIKARA is 3rd.

-CZW was known for years to run the 2nd Saturday of every month.

-ECW ran the building every month in the mid-90s, but the schedule slowed down when ECW went national and toured more. The Arena was always seen as the homebase.

-Boxing and MMA have also promoted regular events. ESPN2 gave the building "Venue Of The Year" for boxing in 2006.

-Over 25 wrestling companies have held shows including WWE and TNA.

-DGUSA had it's first event in the venue, which won Show Of The Year in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

-Not all the memories in The Arena are good ones. Some of the least memorable shows in the building have been presented by companies like Wicked Hanuman and XPW.