Bled Dry: The Legacy of the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, a new feature-length documentary about independent wrestling promotions of the late 1980s and early 90s is holding its premiere on Sunday, July 12th at 9:30 a.m. at the Ambler Theater in Ambler. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. Admission is free. Voluntary donations will be accepted for the Cauliflower Alley Club, a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance and support to members of the professional wrestling industry.

Produced by Ryan K Films, the documentary tells the story of the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance through rare archival footage and interviews with the wrestlers, promoters, and personalities who were there. Many consider Tri-State as a precursor to ECW and a key part of how the Philadelphia wrestling scene became known for “its hard-hitting, no-nonsense identity.”

“This has been a passion project from the beginning,” said filmmaker Ryan Kavanagh. “TWA deserves a lot more recognition for what it contributed to the evolution of independent wrestling. And at the same time, what ECW went on to become was something truly special. There’s a clear line of influence there, and a lot of respect for how ECW took that foundation and turned it into something that changed wrestling history. We wanted to honor both parts of that story.”

While Tri-State didn’t hold any matches in Plymouth Meeting (that we could find), ECW held matches at Lulu Shriners and the National Guard Armory in the mid-90s. There was also a match held in 2010 that was titled “TWA Homecoming”, which took place at Colonial Elementary School (we aren’t sure if this is the exact same TWA). Either way, those who attended the matches in the mid-90s will likely be interested in this documentary.

Photo – Posted from Ryan K Films