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Professional wrestling is often known for its storyline-driven entertainment coupled with hard-hitting, high-flying in-ring action that builds to a crescendo that makes fans feel some sort of emotion. Big companies are each trying to get to that moment.
Sometimes a unique venue adds to the excitement of a show, especially for smaller, independent professional wrestling companies trying to attract an audience for a few hours at a time. On July 14, Fight Factory Wrestling returns to the beach for The War on the Shore 3.
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Fight Factory Wrestling hosted The War on the Shore 2 in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey last year. (Provided to PK Press Club Digital)
The event will take place near Martell’s Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, bringing professional wrestling to the beach. Joey Janela, Ben Bishop, Jack Vaughn, Richard Holliday, Steve Maclin, Jay Lethal, Sent 2 Slauter, Lady Frost, Allie Katch, Steph De Lander and others are among those who will participate in matches at the event.
Dave Sturcio, one of the minds behind Fight Factory Wrestling along with Chris Payne, spoke to PK Press Club Digital about his start in the sport. He said he and Payne began wrestling in 2012, but over time the two went their own ways. The two came together in 2024 to create the “Fight Factory Podcast.” He said Payne aspired to do a wrestling show on the beach – similar to World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach.
Sturchio said he called Payne to continue doing a beach show despite some apprehension about getting involved in the creative side of the sport. Sturchio said when he first approached the venue about the event, there was a little hesitation, but when he came back with a plan, the venue agreed.
“As the buzz started to build and build during the preparation for the show, I said to Payne, ‘I don’t know if this is unique. I think we have something here,'” Sturcio said. “And Payne and I, we’ve been in the industry since 2012, we’ve been fans forever, I’m already an entrepreneur at heart, so how can I leverage my entrepreneurial pursuits over the last three or four years of being my own boss, how can I turn that into being a professional wrestling promoter?
Sturchio said teaming up with Payne allowed the stars to align and give each other a chance to build something great. He said the response to the first war on the shore in 2024 had been “overwhelming”.
Battle Factory Wrestling’s Dave Sturchio in The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to PK Press Club Digital)
“We were like, this is actually kind of crazy. People actually love wrestling in the summer. Usually when you go to a VFW or your gyms, independent wrestling takes off and they don’t race as much in the summer because it’s hot. So, I said, no one is going to show up against us and unfortunately for us, we were put up on a Tuesday night and we were like, ‘Jesus Christ, there’s no way.’ show up on a Tuesday.
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“Turns out no one really does anything on a Tuesday. It was very easy to book the wrestlers in that regard because no one else had anything to do. … The first year was great. I think the best testimonial we had was we booked Matt Cardona to be one of our guest stars in the premiere and that’s when he tore his pecs. So he was out of action for a little while but he promised us he would show up anyway.”
Sturchio said Cardona was blown away and thought he and Payne had been running shows for a while.
“If you want to impress Matt Cardona, I think we’ve got something. We’re off to the races, man,” he added.
Now Sturchio and Payne are set to launch their third shore war in New Jersey and the card couldn’t be more interesting.
“This year we really stacked the dice,” he told PK Press Club Digital. “Some pro wrestling shows you go to in the independents, there are these lulls. Matches where you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re giving this guy a chance here and they’re going to give this guy a chance there.’
“This year I told Payne, look, based on everyone we’ve booked so far, for me, and some independent wrestlers don’t want to hear this, we’re trying to build a roster, build a core roster. That means if we’ve used you before and you’ve done a good job, we’ll use you again. Instead of saying, hey, some random guy here, who I don’t know who you are, but let’s give it a try. So we’re trying to build stories and he there are a lot of stories that culminate.”
Sturchio highlighted a number of matches fans should look forward to seeing. One in particular is the reunion of The Heavenly Bodies with Justin and Mark Corino.
Professional wrestling fans are returning to Point Pleasant, New Jersey, for The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to PK Press Club Digital)
“These guys are getting together for the first time in seven years,” he said. “They’re friends of mine, I made them up. They were my first tag team opponents and I’ve known these guys forever and they are near and dear to my heart.”
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Lady Frost will be in action against De Lander and Katch. Bishop defends the Fight Factory Premier Championship against Holliday and Vaughn. Janela will face Jay Lethal for the very first time and the event will feature a growl and a tiki totem on a pole, which will act as a Fight Factory Wrestling “Money in the Bank” type gimmick.
“The card is played. I’m very excited about all of this. There is not a single lull,” Sturcio said. “We’re just going to keep going and I think it’s going to be one of those nights that we’ll remember for a long, long time.”
