Championship Wrestling from Florida

This article is about the independent promotion from 1961-1987. For its current form as a WWE developmental territory, see Florida Championship Wrestling.

Championship Wrestling from Florida

Acronym	CWF
Founded	1949
Headquarters	Tampa, Florida
Founder(s)	"Cowboy" Clarence P. Luttrell
Owner(s)	Eddie Graham Hiro Matsuda Duke Keomuka

Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as Florida Championship Wrestling. When Mike Graham tried a return to promoting, the rights to the name had been acquired by an outside party, forcing him to use another name, Florida Championship Wrestling.

History

Founding

The original owner and promoter was "Cowboy" Clarence P. Luttrell, a former journeyman heel wrestler who once fought a widely publicized boxing match, resulting from a wrestling angle, with a forty-something Jack Dempsey. It was worked but Cowboy took a severe beating. Cowboy opened the office in 1949, and Eddie Graham bought into the promotion in 1961 and took over completely in 1971, some say forcing Cowboy out.

The office was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance during the entire CWF era, Eddie Graham serving two terms as NWA president, and loosely aligned before that, with other 'world' champions sometimes defending their titles.

Notable stars/alumni

The promotion thrived with stars such as NWA champions Lou Thesz and Gene Kiniski, Graham, Don Curtis, Sam Steamboat, the Great Malenko (Larry Simon), Johnny Valentine, Hiro Matsuda, Bob Orton Sr. and later Jr., Joe Scarpa (later Chief Jay Strongbow), Wahoo McDaniel, the Funks (Terry and Dory, Jr.), the Briscos (Jack and Jerry), Buddy Colt (Ron Read), Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, Mike Graham (Eddie's son), Kevin Sullivan - whose cult-like Army of Darkness got tremendous heat from the fans - and, in the words of the promotion's legendary commentator and a star in his own right Gordon Solie, 'a host of others'.

Life after Eddie Graham's suicide

When Eddie Graham committed suicide on Super Bowl Sunday in January 1985, due to a combination of personal and business reverses, responsibility for the office went to Hiro Matsuda and Duke Keomuka, both of whom bought in the 1960s. The other remaining owners were Mike Graham, Eddie's brother Skip Gossett, Dusty Rhodes and Buddy Colt. The promotion continued losing money and merged with Jim Crockett Promotions in February 1987.^[1] Most of the stars had gone to Jim Crockett Promotions or the WWF by that point.

Television programs and tape library

CWF filmed and later taped its weekly TV wrestling show at the famed Sportatorium at 106 N. Albany in Tampa, FL - really a small television studio with seating for a live audience of about 100 people (1/40th of the seating capacity of its Dallas counterpart), with the wrestling office and gym in the same building. Arena footage was always also used, and full arena show broadcasts began in the early '80s. CWF Spin-off shows were Championship Wrestling Superstars, Global Wrestling, North Florida Championship Wrestling, United States Class Wrestling, American Championship Wrestling and Southern Professional Wrestling.

On March 2, 2006, it was announced that the CWF library was purchased by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for the DVD on Dusty Rhodes.

Gordon Solie is featured at the end of WWE's FCW TV Show as a tribute to CWF and himself.

Revivals

Howard Brody started NWA Florida in 1990 and he booked for it until 2002.

In 2003, Kevin Rhodes started Championship Wrestling from Florida as a member of the NWA. He occasionally has some legends of the 1980s wrestling appear in his promotion.

In 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), revived the promotion as a developmental territory under the name, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).^[2]

Former FCW and CWF stars

• Abdullah the Butcher
• Bad News Allen
• Brad Armstrong
• Steve Armstrong
• The Barbarian
• Ron Bass
• Black Bart
• Brian Blair
• Jack Brisco
• Dennis Knight
• Ox Baker
• Gerry Brisco
• Bruiser Brody
• Bad Leroy Brown
• The Mighty Yankees 1&2 (Bob Cook & Jerry Gray)
• Ray Candy
• Chris Champion
• Cuban Assassin
• Buddy Colt
• Bob Cook
• Bobby Duncum
• Fallen Angel
• Mr. Florida
• Robert Fuller
• Dandy Jack (manager)
• Dory Funk, Jr.
• Ed Gantner
• Jimmy Garvin
• Jerry Gray
• Eddie Graham
• Mike Graham
• Superstar Billy Graham
• Chavo Guerrero
• Hector Guerrero
• "Playboy" Gary Hart (manager)
• Rip Hawk
• Billy Jack Haynes
• Hercules Hernandez
• Oliver Humperdink
• Ricky Hunter (The Gladiator)
• Steve Keirn
• Teijho Khan
• Ivan Koloff
• Jos le Duc
• Pepe le Duc
• Mark Lewin
• Lex Luger
• Hiro Matsuda
• Wahoo McDaniel
• Bugsy McGraw
• Butch Miller
• Blackjack Mulligan
• Don Muraco
• Kendo Nagasaki (Kazuo Sakurada)
• Al Perez
• Jeff Portz
• The Psycho
• Harley Race
• Dustin Rhodes
• Dusty Rhodes
• Gentleman Jim Holiday
• Mike Fever
• Jake Roberts
• Bob Roop
• Sean Royal
• Rick Rude
• Mr. Saito
• Buzz Sawyer
• Ron Simmons
• Dick Slater
• Alexei Smirnoff
• Tracy Smothers
• Chief Jay Strongbow
• The Super Destroyer
• Pak Song
• Kevin Sullivan
• Abudadein (manager)
• Luna Vachon
• Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
• David Von Erich
• Baron von Raschke
• Pez Whatley
• The White Ninja (Keiji Mutoh)
• "Cowboy" Bill Watts
• Luke Williams
• Barry Windham
• Kendall Windham
• Mr. Wrestling II
• Jay Youngblood
• Mark Youngblood

Active Championships

• NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship
• NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship
• NWA Florida X Division Championship
• NWA Florida Women's Championship
• NWA Florida Junior Heavyweight Championship
• NWA Florida Tag Team Championship

Defunct Championships

• NWA Florida Television Championship
• NWA Florida Bahamian Championship
• NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship
• NWA Florida United States Tag Team Championship
• NWA Florida Southern Tag Team Championship
• NWA Florida Global Tag Team Championship

Notes

1. ^ N.W.A. Championship Wrestling from Florida
2. ^ "Florida Championship Wrestling unveils new arena in Tampa, Fla.". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2008-07-07. http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/7596266. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 

External links

• C.W.F.L. official site
• CWF Archives
• Florida Title Histories