Tampa’s Championship Wrestling from Florida is relaunched and ‘reloaded’
It was once among the nation’s best promotions, starring Dusty Rhodes, Buddy Colt, Eddie Graham and The Great Malenko.
Tampa’s Championship Wrestling from Florida is relaunched and ‘reloaded’
It was once among the nation’s best promotions, starring Dusty Rhodes, Buddy Colt, Eddie Graham and The Great Malenko.
Wolfe Taylor punishes Jake St. Patrick at a Championship Wrestling from Florida Reloaded show in July. [ Courtesy of Eye Reyes Photography ]
By Paul Guzzo
Published 2 hours ago
TAMPA — Fidel Sierra and Ricky Santana wrestled for Championship Wrestling from Florida, which was nationally renowned before it shuttered in the 1980s.
Now they are part of reviving the promotion that once helped launch the careers of wrestlers like Dusty Rhodes and Gerald and Jack Brisco.
Well, they are part of reloading it.
Palmetto’s Jeff Weaver has established the Championship Wrestling from Florida Reloaded promotion.
Its next show is at 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Lake Wimauma Convention Center. Tickets are $10 at the door.
The event will feature a mix of those who performed for the original promotion, current established stars and up-and-comers looking for their shot at the big time.
Sierra will be a ringside manager as part of the show. Santana will make an appearance, too. Both also work backstage as mentors.
“For me, I’m like a coach behind the scenes,” said Santana. “I’m like that former football player who returns to his alma mater as coach.”
RELATED: Facebook group and Tampa event connect fans with Florida wrestling legends
The promotion’s inaugural event in July had the same mix, with former CWF bad guy Kevin Sullivan making an appearance and mentoring young talent.
Weaver said he chose to add “Reloaded” to the promotion’s name for two reasons.
WWE owns the rights to most of CWF’s classic footage and the name Florida Championship Wrestling, which was once the WWE’s farm league promotion.
“I just wanted to avoid any legal issues because CWF and FCW could be similar,” Weaver said. More importantly, “we’re not the original guys. We’re the new guys in Florida. We’re the reload. We’re bringing it back, continuing the tradition, but also introducing new stars.”
