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We are very sorry to report that Ed Chuman, a longtime NWA promoter in the Mid-West who also designed and created a number of championship belts passed away earlier today. SHIMMER promoter Dave Prazak wrote the following remembrance of Shuman:
I got the very sad news late this afternoon that good friend and longtime Chicago area promoter Ed Chuman had passed away. Ed battled serious health issues for the past year or so, and had been in and out of the hospital. Despite his health setbacks, he had remained active on the wrestling scene as a board member of the National Wrestling Alliance, helping to both promote and co-promote events in the midwest to keep the NWA running in this region.
I first met Ed in about 1997 during his stint as "Dr. Sidney Hack" the chain smoking, alcoholic physician on Carmine DeSpirito's Mid American Wrestling in Milwaukee, and hanging around Ace Steel and Danny Dominion's old Steel Domain school in Chicago. I would steadily run into him at events during the years that followed. Ed always reminded me that I was the one who encouraged him to join the NWA initially, due to my tendency to talk up Dennis Coralluzzo all the time (Dennis gave me my break in wrestling in 1996 as a ring announcer). After joining the organization, Ed quickly became one of the more prominent figures behind the scenes in the NWA.
Ed did so much to help midwest area wrestlers get bookings around the country on shows run by other NWA promoters, and also ran his fair share of events himself here in this region, most notably at the rec center in Streamwood, IL. I'm glad to have been a part of a few of Ed's "SHOOOOOWS!!" the past few years. He opened many doors to Joey Eastman over the years as well, appeared as part of his Totally Tool Wrestling shows, and gave Joey the chance to learn from the promotional end in Streamwood as well.
Ed was always a big supporter of women's wrestling on the independent level. It was Ed who commissioned the NWA Midwest Women's Championship belt which went to Lacey in May of 2004 when she won the "Volcano Girls" tournament, which was co-promoted by Ed and IWA Mid-South. Chuman gave opportunities to wrestlers like Daizee Haze, MsChif, Josie, Mickie Knuckles, Amazing Kong, and Sara Del Rey as part of the NWA Midwest events in Streamwood. He also insisted that he recognize Sara's SHIMMER Championship on his shows at the time, even though we aren't a part of the NWA. He felt that it deserved to be showcased.
Whenever his health and schedule allowed, Ed was in the backstage area at the Eagles Club in Berwyn during SHIMMER tapings, supporting our efforts. He was always there to give me promoting advice along the way, and for that I will always be thankful. Ed was also partners with Reggie Parks and Rico Mann in their championship belt business, and was our connection to Reggie and Rico for getting all three of the SHIMMER belts crafted during 2007 and 2008.
Ed was a great supporter of the independents. Companies like Dysfunction's NWA Insanity/ICW in Milwaukee, the short lived Fight Sports Midwest in Indiana, and even CHIKARA when they made a stop in Streamwood, benefitted from Chuman's assistance.
During the past several months, Ed co-promoted a few NWA affiliated events in Illinois, which gave opportunites to female athletes Nicole Matthews and Tasha Simone against his NWA World Women's/Midwest Women's Champion MsChif. The last time I saw and spoke with Ed was in Princeton, IL the night that Tasha and Chif squared off. Ed was in great spirits, zipping around the venue on his scooter, cracking jokes like always.
Ed Chuman, you will be greatly missed by the entire SHIMMER crew, and the midwest pro wrestling community as a whole. I'll miss seeing you at the SHOOOOWS and heading to The View after ROH events in Chicago Ridge to catch up on the latest with the NWA and hear so many amusing stories. Thank you, Ed, for everything you did to help all of us out over the years, and for being one of the most entertaining personalities I've ever met!
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