Steve Carrier on April 9, 2026
A longtime Chicago-area wrestling venue is done hosting matches after fallout from a recent fan incident forced officials to step in.
Game Changer Wrestling announced that all future events at the Berwyn Eagles Hall in Illinois have been canceled. The building had been home to independent wrestling for decades and hosted many SHIMMER events, making it one of the more historic spots in the area.
The shutdown comes after a chaotic situation weeks ago during a Ruthless Pro Wrestling death match show. A fan got physically involved with Krule after the match, leading to claims that Krule was stabbed. Video later spread online showing several wrestlers attacking the fan inside the venue. The situation reportedly brought attention from local officials, lawyers, and police, which led to the decision to end wrestling events there.
GCW owner Brett Lauderdale confirmed the news and said his company was informed that their upcoming show could no longer take place at the venue.
“We have just been informed by the venue that all events at the Berwyn Eagles Club (including our June 20th event) will have to be cancelled. We will announce a new location for our June 20th event later today.”
He also blamed the earlier incident from another promotion as the reason the venue decided to stop hosting wrestling altogether.
“This was directly caused by an incident (the fake stabbing) that took place at another promotions event which has caused the town, lawyers & police to be involved. It's truly a shame to see the Berwyn Eagles and 20+ years of Chicago wrestling history come to an end like this.”
This decision closes the door on a venue that hosted wrestling for more than two decades, ending a long run of shows that helped shape the Chicago independent scene.
Do you think venues should tighten security after incidents like this, or was shutting down wrestling at this location the only option? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback.
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