NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Pro wrestling is often known for its story-driven entertainment combined with hard-hitting and high-flying action in the ring that leads to a crescendo that makes fans feel some sort of emotion. The big companies are each trying to drive to that moment.
Sometimes a unique venue adds to the excitement of a show, especially for smaller independent pro wrestling companies trying to engage an audience for a few hours at a time. On July 14th, Fight Factory Wrestling returns to the beach for The War on the Shore 3.
COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON Pakinomist DIGITAL
Fight Factory Wrestling hosted The War on the Shore 2 in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, last year. (Provided to Pakinomist Digital)
Taking place near Martell’s Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, the event brings 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 expected to be in the matches for the event.
Dave Sturchio, one of the masterminds behind Fight Factory Wrestling with Chris Payne, spoke to Pakinomist Digital about getting started in the sport. He said that he and Payne initially started wrestling in 2012, but as time went on, the two went their separate ways. The two reunited in 2024 to create the “Fight Factory Podcast”. He said Payne had ambitions to do a wrestling show on the beach – akin to World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach.
Sturchio said he called Payne to continue doing a beach show despite some trepidation about getting involved in the creative side of the sport. Sturchio said that when he first approached the venue about the event, there was some hesitation, but when he came back with a plan, the venue agreed.
“As the buzz started to develop and build over preparations for the show, I said to Payne, ‘I don’t know if this is a one-off. I think we’ve got something here,'” Sturchio said. “And Payne and I, we’ve been in the business since 2012, we’re lifelong fans, I’m already an entrepreneur at heart, so how can I take my entrepreneur stuff from the last three or four years of being my own boss, how can I spin this into being a pro wrestling promoter?”
Sturchio said working 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 was “overwhelming.”
Fight Factory Wrestling’s Dave Sturchio on the mic at The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to Pakinomist Digital)
“We thought, this is actually kind of crazy. People are actually looking for some wrestling in the summer. Typically when you go to a VFW or your gyms, independent wrestling kind of takes off, and they don’t run as much in the summer because it’s hot. So, I said, if anything, nobody’s going to run against us, and unfortunately we were put on a Tuesday, and we were, unfortunately for us, ‘Jesus’. There’s no way anybody’s going to show up on a Tuesday.’
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
“It turns out, nobody really does anything on a Tuesday. It was very easy to book the wrestlers in that regard because nobody else had anything going on. … The first year was great. I think the best testimony we got was that we booked Matt Cardona to be one of our featured guests on the first one, and that’s when he tore his pec. So he was out of action, but he still promised us a little bit of time.”
Sturchio said Cardona was blown away and thought he and Payne had been running shows for a while.
“If you want to blow Matt Cardona away, I think we got something. It was off to the races, man,” he added.
Now, Sturchio and Payne are set to stage their third War on the Shore in New Jersey, and the card couldn’t be more interesting.
“This year we really stacked the deck,” he told Pakinomist Digital. “Some pro wrestling shows you go to on the independents, there are those breaks. Matches where you’re like, ‘Oh, they’re giving this guy a chance over here, and they’re going to give this guy a chance over there.’
“This year, I told Payne, look, based on everyone that 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 who are you random, here, but let whoever you are, hey give you a shot. So we’re trying to build stories, and there’s a lot of stories that culminates.”
Sturchio pointed to a number of matches that fans should be eager to see. A specific one is the reformation of The Heavenly Bodies tag team with Justin and Mark Corino.
Pro wrestling fans support Point Pleasant, New Jersey for The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to Pakinomist Digital)
“Those guys are reuniting for the first time in seven years,” he said. “They’re my friends, I made them up. They were my first tag team opponents and I’ve known these guys forever and they’re close to my heart.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Lady Frost must take action against De Lander and Katch. Bishop defends the Fight Factory Premier Championship against Holliday and Vaughn. Janela will take on Jay Lethal for the first time ever and the event will feature a rumble and a tiki totem on a pole which will serve as Fight Factory Wrestling’s “Money in the Bank” type gimmick.
“The card is stacked. I’m very excited about it all. There’s not a break,” Sturchio said. “We’re just going to roll through and I think it’s going to be one of those nights that we remember for a very, very long time.”
