Mick Foley returns to the City of Brotherly Love on May 1 for a WWE Payback viewing party at Nick’s in the Northeast on Cottman Avenue. The Hardcore Legend will be signing autographs, posing for photos and most likely cheap popping at any and all opportunities.
The WWE Hall of Famer is just the latest superstar to attend a pay-per-view party at Nick’s, a tradition which began at WrestleMania 31. In Philadelphia, Buffalo Wild Wings and Fox & Hound used to show the events for a cover charge. But once WWE Network launched, and offered WWE PPVs on any streaming device for a ridiculously cheap fee of $9.99 a month, the appeal of going out to bars and restaurants for the big fights has lessened considerably.
Although it’s more cost effective to stay at home, wrestling fans, by nature, thrive on a crowd atmosphere. Watching Daniel Bryan win the championship from the comfort of your couch is nice, but it pales in comparison to pumping your arms along with 70,000 fellow “YES” chanting nutcases.
That’s why 32-year-old Matt Milcarek of Roebling, New Jersey decided to resurrect the PPV party scene. His company, Matymil Events, has brought several pro wrestling stars to Nick’s, and will continue to do so this Sunday with Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy.
John Corrigan: How did Matymil Events come together?
Matt Milcarek: “I used to have a group of friends that I would watch wrestling PPVs with and I always felt like the experience was better to watch it with a group of people as opposed to by myself. Fast forward a few years and I ended up in this awesome Facebook group (Ultimate Wrestling Fanatics). Myself and a couple of the other guys in the group batted around the idea of doing a get together but doing it on a much larger scale. So that’s kind of how it got started.”
JC: What are some of your earliest wrestling memories?
MM: “I have been a wrestling fan since I was 4 years old. I remember watching the old NWA around 87/88 and my first memories were of Arn Anderson. He was my favorite back then because my dad used to mimic the throat slash thing that Arn did. And of course I was a Hulkamanic as well. My first live show was a house show in Philly in 1992, the main event was Hogan vs. Flair so that has always stayed with me. Also storylines that stuck with me from back then were the Flair/Macho Man/Elizabeth angle where Flair kept teasing that he had pictures of Elizabeth. Also I remember the Undertaker/Hogan storyline very well too, because it was such a huge deal when Hogan got beat by him. Taker seemed unstoppable.”
JC: Why Nick’s?
MM: “I am friends with the manager (Matt Rossi). He’s a good guy and basically trusts me enough to let me do what I want as long as I take good care of the place (we have yet to have an issue). He also was interested in tapping into the wrestling crowd. We both agreed that there aren’t many places out there that do events like this, to have a place that not only plays the PPVs but also has a buffet, open bar and brings actual wrestlers in to meet the fans. It’s something different from your average PPV party or your average wrestling autograph session.”
JC: Who have you brought to the PPV events?
MM: “Our first guest was Sandman at WM 31. He was awesome! Very funny, really cool guy. He interacted with everyone and the feedback was great. We have done events with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Mickie James and we had one booked with Lex Luger that unfortunately was the same weekend as this year’s blizzard. We have had a couple of small issues here and there, but for the most part, the feedback has been very positive. The best feedback that I have received so far was from Tommy Dreamer. That guy is the most professional person I’ve ever met. He literally took the time and walked up to every single person in Nicks (115-125 people) and shook everyone’s hand and thanked them before he left. That really went a long way.”
JC: Why have you chosen Mick Foley this time around?
MM: “Everyone loves Mick Foley. Not only is he a wrestling legend and one of the all-time greats, but you will probably never hear a bad word said about him both from wrestlers and the fans. We have people that have met him multiple times that are still coming to the event because that’s how nice he is and how much people like him.”
Nick’s WWE Payback viewing party runs Sunday from 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m.
Mick Foley will be signing from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Autographs: $20 each
Photos: $15 each
Combo: $25 each
Special on BOOKS only: $10 each
Three Faces of Foley Special: $50 each
(3 autographs and one single photo opportunity)
Photos (8 x 10 and 11 x 14) will be available for purchase.
Buffet Pricing per person
Buffet: $19.99
Buffet with beer: $29.99
Kids: $12.99
John Corrigan
Latest posts by John Corrigan (see all)
- Q&A (Bonus): ‘Andre The Giant: Closer To Heaven’ Author Talks Wrestling Fandom - June 10, 2016
- Q&A: ‘Accepted’ Co-Writer Talks Pat Patterson Memoir - June 8, 2016
- Corrigan’s Corner: Andre The Giant Biopic In The Works - May 31, 2016
[…] – Mick Foley at Payback PPV Watch Party (Philadelphia, Pa. – Nick’s in the Northeast – 6:30 p.m. EST – Event/Ticket Info – WrestleDelphia.com Interview) […]