CCW turning 15 with MVP; plus video interviews with Austin and Billy Gunn and Lance Anoi’a

Coastal Championship Wrestling, South Florida’s longest independent pro wrestling promotion, celebrates its 15th year with a special anniversary show Rage in a Cage on March 16 at the Coral Springs Charter School Gym.

Cool video of CCW through the years.

WWE alum MVP, a South Florida original, will headline the event. Plus, a tribute to the late Blackheart Dave Johnson with the inaugural Dave Johnson Memorial Cup Battle Royal. Johnson, one of CCW’s founding fathers, wrestled the indies throughout Florida and also worked behind the scenes.

In the main event, MVP teams with The G.O.A.T. and Jurassic Juggernaut Vince Steele against American Horror Story (Alex Ocean, Agony, The Jackal).

Co-main event, CCW Champ Thee Technical Alchemist David Mercury with Wiley Gene Beard against Cha Cha Charlie in a steel cage.

Also, former NWA Champ Tokyo Monster Kahagas, MLW’s Ricky Martinez (Maxx Stardom) with Salina de la Renta, El Jefe Santos, King of Flight Will The Thrill Austin, Lindsay Snow, Avery Taylor, Jake St. Patrick, Stryker Ramirez of (Erik) Effron Enterprises, Danny Dubstep, Bugs Moran, CCW Commissioner Eric Rosenauer, Flamboyant Johnny Walker, and more.

Bell time 8 p.m.

CCW is affiliated with the CCW Training Facility, formerly Main Event Training Center. The school, based in Fort Lauderdale, offers pro wrestling training — the basics and traditional to progressive and the lucha libre style — from its staff and guest coaches.

CCW, delivering family friendly shows, is under the direction of former Phi Delta Slam wrestler Dan Evans and ECW and WWE alum Pablo Marquez (Babu).

Tickets are on sale at CCW’s new website CoastalChampionshipWrestling

For more information on the show and the training facility, https://www.facebook.com/ccwevents/

Added interviews from talent about CCW 15

Oh you didn’t know

Billy Gunn is one of the newest members to the WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019). He will be inducted as part of the Attitude Era’s powerful faction D-Generation X at Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania 35 weekend.

Gunn, an 11-time WWE tag team champion, traveled to South Florida recently along with his son, Austin. There he watched his dad team with WWE alum Gangrel against former WWE tag champs The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher) in the main event of Gangrel’s Wrestling Asylum show before 478 fans at The Casino in Dania Beach.

Austin, a new wrestler, battled Lance Anoi’a in a legacy match during that sound event in a very nice venue. Austin is a second generation wrestler and Lance third generation. Lance’s father is Samu of the former WWF tag champs The Headshrinkers, managed by Capt. Lou Albano. They are part of the famous Samoan Anoi’a wrestling family tree.

Billy was part of three championship tag teams in WWE: The Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy Gunn), The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn) and Chuck and Billy (Chuck Palumbo and Billy Gunn).

The Gunns will return to South Florida on Sunday for BluePrint Pro Wrestling at the DS SportsPlex in Deerfield Beach.

Bell time 4:30 p.m.

More shows in March in South Florida

Ronin Pro Wrestling is Saturday at Broward College South Gym in Pembroke Pines.

Bell time 7:30 p.m.

Gangrel’s Wrestling Asylum is Sunday at Gangrel’s Wrestling Asylum in Dania Beach.

Bell time 4 p.m.

Coastal Championship Wrestling is March 8-9 at the Coral Springs Our Town Festival.

Bell time each day is 8 p.m.

Atomic Revolutionary Wrestling is March 23 at Gangrel’s Wrestling Asylum in Dania Beach.

Bell time 7:30 p.m.

Coastal Championship Wrestling is March 23 on Bailey Road in Fort Lauderdale.

Bell time 7:30 p.m.

WWE’s NXT is March 23 at the Havert L. Fenn Center in Fort Pierce.

See the future of Raw and SmackDown Live through WWE’s hottest brand.

General admission $10, gold circle (ringside) $20.

Ticket price includes pre-show, meet-and-greet. First come, first serve.

Bell time is 7:30 p.m.

Click NXTshowInfo.

NXT is 8 p.m. Wednesdays on WWE Network.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/

Twitter: @jimmyv3

YouTube: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProWrestlingSouthFlorida/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWE-WrestleMania-28-Miami-241160769255279/

Jim Varsallone

Miami Herald

305-376-3621

Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He also covers pro wrestling, something he’s done since his college days in the late 1980s. Now in his fifth decade of coverage, he currently follows WWE (Raw, SmackDown and NXT), AEW, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, MLW, WOW, NWA, and the South Florida indies, mainly CCW. He writes MMA, too -- mostly profile stories and video interviews with American Top Team and Sanford MMA fighters in South Florida. As for pro wrestling, he writes feature stories and profile pieces, updates upcoming show schedules in South Florida, photographs the action and interviews talent (audio and video) -- sharing the content here and via social media on his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel). Support my work with a digital subscription