About Early ECW Show Promoter Ed Zohn

Ed Zohn used to promote ECW shows outside of the Philadelphia area to help then-Eastern Championship Wrestling (later Extreme Championship Wrestling) grow into new markets. He left soon after the October 28, 1995 ECW Arena "fire incident" according to this post:

Backstage News*: While ECW’s official punishment from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission will be made public in two weeks sources indicate that Ed Zohn, ECW’s promoter of record, will be fined for not having a doctor on the show. Paul Heyman is also going to be told that if another incident happens at the ECW Arena that the promotion will not be allowed to operate in the state. The fallout from the incident has caused tensions between Zohn and ECW, who have supposedly gone their separate ways, so Tod Gordon will have to get a promoters’ license or ECW will have to operate through another local promoters’ license. There were rumors that the Commission was not going to let ECW have more than 700 fans at the ECW Arena going forward but those are not true. While the incident on October 28 angered some fans, November to Remember looks like it will be a sellout. -- https://www.blogofdoom.com/2021/02/15/what-the-world-was-watching-ecw-hardcore-tv-november-7-1995/

Here is a transcript of an interview with him about his wrestling career:

https://weekendsareforwrestling.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/ed-zohn/

From that post:

A lot of people are aware of your ECW background. How did you get involved with them? That was way before Pauly ever showed up right? You were in when it was more Eastern Championship Wrestling?

Well when I started it was Eastern Championship Wrestling. Pauly was already there. A good friend of mine I had been working with we had turned down joining up Dennis Coralluzzo and the NWA, by then with Mark Bodie. We also at that time ECW was cornering the market in particular but at that time we just felt what we were doing was good. Mark had a great mind for the business. Got killed on the Pennsylvania turnpike unfortunately. At that point then it was like I saw what ECW was doing. I thought I can help. I thought I could make a difference in the product. I met with Paul and they gave me the opportunity, hooked me up with a building in Blackstaff Pennsylvania and started running ECW shows outside of Philadelphia. Was the first one to take them out of the Philadelphia area.

This podcast interview with Zohn goes more into his career in pro wrestling:

https://app.playary.com/podcasts/109729/episodes/3193244/ed-zohn

Ed also is credited on IMDB as being involved in the ECW documentary "Barbed Wire City":

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2974664/fullcredits/#cast

In this archived interview with Ed (https://archive.ph/20130105141041/http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/vme/message/33#selection-976.867-1877.52) he is quoted as saying:

Carrie: I'm surprised you're not more jaded and cynical than you are, especially having worked for ECW. What exactly was your position when you worked for them?

Ed: Pretty much the set-up man for all the shows outside of Philly.
Jim
Thorpe, Kensington Square, Harrisburg and some others. I also was behind
the
creation of a program for the shows and I pushed hard for the
involvement of
the Mexican talent. Kensington had a large Mexican population and I
wanted
that talent to help draw there. Hector was the first one to come in
because of
my pushing for the ethnic appeal. Then Eddie, Dean, Chris came from all
of
that. To me, those days were the high point in regards to the product
ECW was
presenting and the booking of a very talented Paul Heyman who was really

getting his first chance to prove himself.

I more of less had a hand in everything. I didn't push too hard for
anything.
Paul was doing a great job with the booking and I just let him run with
it. I
didn't feel I could do better, don't get me wrong. I think I am just as
good
but my ego is the last thing I worry about. It was Tod's money and I was
one
of the few who treated it with respect. I knew we were building
something very
special and just did what I could to help make it happen.

I remember Tod telling me one day that I was viewed as the number 3 man
in
ECW. To be honest with you, I never stopped to think about it. But I can
see
how people would think that. I took care of anything that Tod or Paul
didn't
or couldn't.

Don't get me wrong. There were some good people who handled day to day
things
in the office also. But there were plenty of other areas I had a hand
in.

Even at the ECW arena, I always found things to take care and dealt with
them
and God how I loved sitting up in the nest, on the ledge, watching ECW
come to
fruition. I was there for the first ECW chant. I can remember the looks
on
everyone's face when it was heard for the first time. It was stunning,
an
affirmation of what we felt we were a part of, something truly special
and
historic in the business.