It saw its first show in May 1996 at the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino as Bobby Bradley defeated Tom "Zuma" Howard to become the first EWF Heavyweight Champion.

Several EWF wrestlers from the past have gone on to national fame, including Rico Constantino, Awesome Kong, Louie Spicolli, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, Shelly Martinez and Melina Perez.

Other pro wrestling stars have made appearance at EWF shows including Mando Guerrero, Peter Maivia, Ludvig Borga, The Honky Tonk Man, Tony Atlas and Tom Brandi.

The EWF School of Hard Knocks is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez and is currently located at the American Sports University, 399 North "D" Street in San Bernardino, CA.

The EWF's School of Hard Knocks has sent several wrestlers to prominent promotions across the globe including Melina, Rico Constantino, Frankie Kazarian, Awesome Kong, Rocky Romero, Ricky Reyes, Alex Koslov and Shelly Martinez.

The School of Hard Knocks also has served as the training area for Chris Jericho, Layla, Eve Torres, Rhaka Khan, Lena Yada and others, who looked to brush up on their in-ring skills.

"Honestly, I see this as a way to keep the families engaged and involved," said Principal Funchess, adding, “This is just a great opportunity for Thompson families to come enjoy a positive event here at the school while supporting academic achievement.”[1] In 2016 The Empire Wrestling Federation held an event at the Fox Theatre in San Bernardino to benefit victims of the 2015 San Bernardino Attack.