Hello fans! This is C.W. Sunderland, President of Rapid Fire Wrestling, and this is my annual report on the state of RFW today and where we are headed for the next year.
2024 was a great year for RFW and we believe 2025 will be even better. We have made some strategic changes to prepare for what we consider is our new era. We have said farewell to several of our long-tenured roster members and are saying hello to several new ones, we are making changes to our travel schedule, but I will begin with an important leadership change.
Tiger Johnson Retires as RFW Commissioner
Tiger Johnson has served as RFW Commissioner for many years and has guided us through several company transitions, made critical decisions on the direction of our shows, and has kept the peace in this chaotic sport. We have been privileged to have him be part of our team. Commissioner Johnson has decided to retire and hand over the direction of RFW to someone new. We thank him for everything he has done for RFW.
Johnson’s ties to RFW go back as far as the original Masters of Wrestling in the 1990s and he will always be a part of our family. Speaking of RFW family, Johnson’s successor has been found and has close ties to RFW.
Aurora Starkey Named New RFW Commissioner
Aurora Starkey, world-renowned wrestling veteran and multi-time RFW World Champion, is our new RFW Commissioner. As a second-generation wrestler, Starkey has been involved in the wrestling business her whole life and will bring her experience to the Commissioner role.
Starkey had the following to say about her appointment as RFW Commissioner:
“I love Rapid Fire Wrestling and to be able to guide this company into a new era is a privilege and an honor. We have a lot of work to do as a team but I know RFW is going to be more focused than ever at delivering the best wrestling you’ve ever seen.”
-Aurora Starkey
We are thrilled for Aurora Starkey to guide RFW into its new era.
Departures and Welcomes
RFW sees a roster change every calendar year and 2025 is no different. First, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of those who are leaving RFW for other opportunities. Our heartfelt thank you to Cate Stiles, Tornado, Kami King, Malcom, Richter, Mary Jane Elder, John Austin Baker, Delilah, and Travis Samuels for giving their time and talents to us to compete and entertain our fans.
We have several newcomers to RFW this year by way of the Open Wrestling Alliance free agency system. We are excited to introduce Phueng Ahunai, Kenneth Cobb, Eric Waves, and Chucky Arter to RFW!
Phueng Ahunai and Kenneth Cobb previously competed in HAW and have each built an impressive body of work there. We expect they will continue to grow with us. Eric Waves and Chucky Arter have been a tag team on the independent scene for several years and our fans will remember their appearances with RFW in the summer of 2023.
Introducing the RFW Arena and Training Facility
We love visiting our fans around the country and the world and while we will continue to bring our big shows on the road, we are excited to announce that we have built our own arena and training center where we will host our weekly shows and train the next generation of wrestlers.
The RFW Arena is located in Atlanta, GA. Our weekly shows will be of higher quality than ever before because the arena is designed to our specifications.
Behind the scenes, we are running a wrestling school in partnership with the legendary Mike Blood. Blood has been running a wrestling school in Philadelphia for decades and is bringing that school into RFW. Blood and Wildheart Wrestling Club founder Rand Wolfe will run the school together to train future stars for RFW and the larger Open Wrestling Alliance.
2025 Schedule
We have an ambitious 2025 planned with our tried-and-true spring, summer, and fall seasons. As is now tradition, our summer season will be a Rapid Fire Festival where we will take up residency in Miami Beach, FL!
Here is the planned schedule of shows you can look forward to throughout the year.
Spring Season
04/05/2025 – RFW #108
04/12/2025 – RFW #109
04/19/2025 – RFW #110
04/26/2025 – RFW New Era Eruption (Orlando, FL)
05/03/2025 – RFW #111
05/10/2025 – RFW #112
05/17/2025 – RFW #113
05/24/2025 – RFW Spring Shockwave (Nashville, TN)
Rapid Fire Festival
08/09/2025 – Rapid Fire Festival 2025 Week 1
08/16/2025 – Rapid Fire Festival 2025 Week 2
08/23/2025 – Rapid Fire Festival 2025 Week 3
08/30/2025 – Rapid Fire Festival 2025 Week 4
Fall Season
10/18/2025 – RFW #114
10/25/2025 – RFW #115
11/01/2025 – RFW #116
11/08/2025 – RFW #117
11/15/2025 – RFW Big City Brawl (Chicago, IL)
11/22/2025 – RFW #118
11/29/2025 – RFW #119
12/06/2025 – RFW #120
12/13/2025 – RFW #121
12/20/2025 – RFW Final Round 2025 (Greensboro, NC)
In Closing
I am excited for another great year of RFW. We have new leadership, new stars, a new home, a training school, and a schedule ready to be jam packed with action. We’ll see you this April when Rapid Fire Wrestling returns!
Rapid Fire Wrestling 