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Professional wrestling is often known for its story-driven entertainment along with hard-hitting, high-flying action in the ring that leads to a crescendo that makes fans feel some kind of emotion. Every major company is 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 draw an audience for a few hours at a time. On July 14, Fight Factory Wrestling will return 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 Pak Gazette Digital)
The event will take place near Martell’s Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, and will bring 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 taking part in the event’s matches.
Dave Sturchio, one of the minds behind Fight Factory Wrestling with Chris Payne, spoke to Pak Gazette Digital about getting into the sport. He said he and Payne initially started fighting in 2012, but as time went on, the two went their own ways. The two got back together in 2024 to do the “Fight Factory Podcast.” He said Payne had aspirations of doing a beach wrestling show, similar to World Championship Wrestling’s Bash at the Beach.
Sturchio said he called on Payne to move forward with the idea of 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 bit of hesitation, but when he came back with a plan, the venue agreed.
“As rumors started to develop and grow about the show being prepared, I told Payne, ‘I don’t know if this is unique. I think we have something here,'” Sturchio said. “And Payne and I have been in the industry since 2012, we’re lifelong fans, I’m already an entrepreneur at heart, so how can I leverage my business knowledge over the last three or four years as my own boss? How can I turn this into a professional wrestling promoter?”
Sturchio said working as a team with Payne allowed the stars to align and give each other the opportunity to build something great. He said the response to the first Coastal War in 2024 was “overwhelming.”
Battle Factory Wrestling’s Dave Sturchio on the microphone at The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to Pak Gazette Digital)
“We were like, this is actually kind of crazy. People are really looking forward to some wrestling in the summer. Usually when you go to a VFW or your gyms, independent wrestling takes off and they don’t run as much in the summer because it’s hot. So, I said, if anything, no one’s going to compete against us and unfortunately for us, they put us on a Tuesday night and we were like, ‘Jesus Christ, there’s no way anyone’s going to compete.’ “Show up on a Tuesday.”
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“It turns out that no one is doing anything on a Tuesday. It was very easy to book the wrestlers in that sense because no one else had anything to do… 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 in the first one and that’s when he tore his pec. So he was out of action for a while, but he promised us he would still show up.”
Sturchio said Cardona was impressed and thought he and Payne had been putting on shows for a while.
“If you’re going to blow Matt Cardona’s mind, I think we’re on to something. Off to the races, man,” he added.
Now, Sturchio and Payne are ready to present their third War on the Shore in New Jersey and the card couldn’t be more interesting.
“This year, we really went all out,” he told Pak Gazette Digital. “On some pro wrestling shows you go to on the independents, there are those lull moments. Matches where you think, ‘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 signed 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. I mean, if we used you before and you’ve done a good job, we’ll use you again. Instead of saying, hey, some random guy over here, I don’t know who you are, but we’re going to give you a chance. So we’re trying to build stories and there’s a lot of stories that are coming to fruition.”
Sturchio pointed out a number of games that fans should be eager to see. One specifically is the reform of The Heavenly Bodies team with Justin and Mark Corino.
Pro wrestling fans are rooting for Point Pleasant, New Jersey for The War on the Shore 2. (Provided to Pak Gazette Digital)
“Those guys are getting together for the first time in seven years,” he said. “They are friends of mine, I came up with them. They were my first team opponents and I have known them forever and they are dear and close 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 first time and the event will feature a match and a tiki totem on a pole, which will act as Fight Factory Wrestling’s “Money in the Bank” type gimmick.
“The letter is full. I’m very excited about all of this. There is no pause,” Sturchio said. “We’re just going to move forward and I think it’s going to be one of those nights that we remember for a long, long time.”
