Update on Chicago venue no longer hosting wrestling after false stabbing rumors
There is an update regarding the future of the Berwyn Eagles Club, a longtime independent wrestling venue in the Chicago area.
The club informed wrestling promoters that it would no longer host wrestling events following a March 28 Ruthless Pro Wrestling show where video circulated online showing a fan being attacked by wrestlers and other attendees. Rumors later spread online claiming a stabbing had occurred.
Earlier this month, police confirmed no stabbing occurred during the incident.
The venue is owned by the Fraternal Order of Eagles and operated by Chuck Marose Sr. and his wife.
A GoFundMe page launched by supporters, not the venue owners themselves, stated that the club had lost its license and was no longer allowed to host wrestling shows.
On Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Berwyn’s city attorney and chief of police said the venue’s entertainment license had not been revoked as a result of the March 28 incident. The report added that the club normally pays for one officer during wrestling events, and that officials recommended increasing that number to four after the brawl. However, the report did not state that the venue was prohibited from hosting future wrestling events.
On April 17, Conrad Thompson shared correspondence with Berwyn city officials stating that the venue does not require city approval to run wrestling events unless they are held on public property.
The final scheduled wrestling event at the venue is tonight’s AAW Pro Wrestling “Crush & Destroy.”
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.