FCW Wrestling sent this in:
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
Heading to Gainesville
Joined by WWE Superstar Vickie Guerrero as part of Florida Championship Wrestling
Gainesville, Fl – February 7, 2010
Charismatic, Quick witted and full of energy are just some of the terms used to describe “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. The wrestling legend is set to make his return to Gainesville as he joins Florida Championship Wrestling this Friday Night at the Martin Luther King Center.
FCW, the official developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment made its debut in Gainesville this past October for a show that has sense been deemed a rousing success. To mark the company’s return, Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and WWE Smackdown Superstar Vickie Guerrero will be on hand to sign autographs for fans prior to the show. “There is such a rich history when you talk about Dusty Rhodes and the state of Florida” recalls the WWE Hall of Famer. “I spent years traveling up and down the roads of the Sunshine State. From Jacksonville to Miami and everywhere in between. When you go back and look at my career, the impact of my time in Florida is simply immeasurable to my success and the city of Gainesville was a part of that road.” Dusty Rhodes first became a household name during the 1970’s and 1980’s competing for the original Florida Championship Wrestling. After traveling to and from different regions of the country, Rhodes moved onto the NWA/WCW where he would capture multiple World Titles before eventually joining Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment (formerly WWF). Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
Younger fans will be familiar with Guerrero who currently serves as the acting General Manager of WWE’s Smackdown Television program every Friday Night on the SyFy Network. Vickie Guerrero’s introduction to the world of WWE came through her late husband, Eddy who captured the imagination of fans across the globe with his highly entertaining in-ring antics. Since then, Vickie has trail blazed her own path within the WWE Universe as one of the most recognizable faces in the company. Known for shouting the words, “Excuse Me!”, Guerrero always manages to illicit a strong response from fans attending the WWE shows.
In addition to Rhodes and Guerrero, University of Florida Graduates turned FCW Superstars-Titus O’Neal and Byron Saxton will be part of the wrestling card that night. O’Neal graduated from UF in 2000 where he served as an integral part of the Gator Football team having played in 44 regular season games. O’Neal was elected UF Student Body Vice President in 2000 and has since been inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame. Since joining Florida Championship Wrestling, he has been seen on WWE’s hybrid reality show–NXT on the SyFy Network. “Gainesville is my second home and always will be. I plan on showing what its like to bring some Gator power into the squared circle” said O’Neal. Byron Saxton graduated from UF in 2003 where he served as a News Anchor/Producer for WRUF AM 850 as well as a Sports Anchor/Producer for WUFT News 5. Following graduation, Saxton went on to become a News/Sports & Traffic Anchor at WJXT Channel 4 in Jacksonville. Since joining Florida Championship Wrestling, he has been seen on World Wrestling Entertainment’s ECW show where he served as a color commentator and most recently Season Four of WWE NXT as an in-ring competitor. “UF set me up for my future. I know it sounds cliche but this town means a lot to me. This is my proverbial bowl game.” said Saxton with a laugh.
Eight big matches are scheduled for FCW’s Gainesville debut which will feature stars from FCW and WWE’s RAW, Smackdown and NXT seasons Two through Four, the FCW Divas and Heavyweight Champion Lucky Cannon. In addition to the numerous stars who will be in attendance, fans will also have an opportunity to get a piece of the action. The first 300 fans in attendance will recieve a free FCW Calendar. Also joining the festivities will be Lewis Stokes from 93.7 K Country as special ring announcer.
For nearly half a century, Florida Championship Wrestling has been the Sunshine State’s primary wrestling promotion providing a home for such wrestling legends as “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, The Brisco Brothers and Gordon Solie. Officially sanctioned and reorganized by the WWE during the summer of 2007, FCW has also become the training ground for future WWE Superstars. According to the promotion’s written objective, it seeks to give fans a glimpse at the potential Superstars of tomorrow while providing exciting ring action that leaves the entire family with smiles on their faces. To date, over fifty men and women have gone on to WWE’s Raw, Smackdown or NXT Television brands. “I love our business and I love the men and women in it. When they move on to the WWE, its like watching them graduate and for me its a special moment to celebrate.” said Keirn. Names that have come from FCW include Smackdown Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, The Nexus, The Corre, Ted DiBiase, The Usos, Tyler Reks, Primo Colon, The Bella Twins, Evan Bourne, Alicia Fox, Trent Berretta, Yoshi-Tatsu and many more. The company holds weekly shows at their home location dubbed the “FCW Arena” in Tampa, FL every Thursday night along with tapings for their weekly television show. Nearly every weekend, the group travels to such cities as Gainesville providing live events for fans who can’t make it to the arena on Thursday nights. “All the superstars of FCW are focused on the singular goal of making it to World Wrestling Entertainment. Fans who see them before that point get to see the future WWE Champions in action.”
FCW’s return to Gainesville will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr Center located at 1028 NE 14th St and Waldo Rd.. Gold Circle Ticket Holders will be admitted to the show beginning at 6pm while General Admission Ticket holders will be admitted at 6:30pm. Both sets of ticket holders will have access to the autograph session featuring “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and WWE Smack down’s Vickie Guerrero. Bell Time for the show is 7:30pm. Tickets start at $10 for kids. Tickets are available at Buddy’s Home Furnishings in Gainesville (352-378-6757 ) and in Ocala (352-237-5554). Tickets are also available atwww.FCWWrestling.com and box office the day of show.
FCW is the only Official Developmental territory of World Wrestling Entertainment.
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