The WWE is hosting their biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, in Orlando, Fla. on April 2 this year. This is the first WrestleMania in Florida since 2012 in Miami, and the second time in Orlando. Professional Wrestling has been a staple of Florida since well before then.
Founded in 1949, Championship Wrestling from Florida was founded by a journeyman by the name of “Cowboy” Clarence Luttrell. Headquartered in Tampa, CWF joined up with the National Wrestling Alliance, the governing body of pro wrestling at the time, and gained notoriety for their wrestler’s abilities, while featuring a who’s who of legendary talents.
In 1971, Eddie Graham took over control of the territory, leading to the company’s most successful run in the 1970’s- 1980’s. It was during this time that CWF was home to hall of fame talents such as the late Dusty Rhodes, the late Wahoo McDaniel, Ron Simmons and local Mike Rotunda.
While the company was never as large as other NWA territories such as Mid-South Wrestling in New Orleans and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in Charlotte, N. C., CWF nevertheless was a prominent member of the organization, going so far as having Graham serve as NWA President from 1976-1978.
While the company toured around the state, most of their events were held in the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory, on Howard ave. in Tampa. While the armory also hosted notable events such as speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John F. Kennedy, the main events there were wrestling.
Packing the 83,000 square-foot arena for an opportunity to see Graham take on the villainous Boris Malenko, or to see Rhodes hit his “bionic elbow” on his hapless opponent.
CWF was one of the most popular promotions of its time, but that did not stop it from financial problems. Tragically, Graham committed suicide in 1985, and CWF was absorbed by Jim Crockett Promotions two years later. Smaller “independent” promotions have popped up, but most of them have fallen by the wayside as well.
This changed in 2007 when Tampa Bay born wrestler Steve Keirn organized Florida Championship Wrestling, a twist on the old CWF name. Staying in Tampa, FCW soon became a training center for the WWE, and was the sole training grounds for young WWE talent. Many current WWE roster members were a part of FCW, including current Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose, Former World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, multi-time World Champion Sheamus and Brooksville natives Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt.
This lasted until August, 2012, when WWE folded the FCW brand and repackaged it as WWE NXT, moving them to their Performance Center at Full Sail University, in Winter Park, Fla.
That’s not to say that Professional Wrestling is dead here though. There are two training academies close to Hernando County. WWNLive, an organization of wrestling promotions throughout the country, has a training facility in New Port Richey, while Dory Funk Jr., another Florida wrestling legend, operates a training center of his own in Ocala.
Meanwhile, Evolve Wrestling, one of the larger “independent” promotions in the country, has held multiple events in Tampa and Ybor City.
NXT also hosts events throughout the state, notably in Tampa, Lakeland and Ocala. Professional Wrestling may not be as big in the state of Florida as it was in the past, but its future continues to look bright.