Fleetwood man follows dream and sets up wrestling company

Joshua Howard, 31, was a fan of WWE wrestling and other shows for years and shared his enthusiasm with a cousin, Philip Jepson, for many years.

When Philip, of Coppull near Chorley, tragically died of pancreatitis aged just 30 in 2018, it spurred Joshua to make dreams become reality.

The security worker, of Silvia Way, Fleetwood decided to set up his own company, Championship Wrestling Entertainment LTD (CWE) to bring live wresting shows to Fleetwood and the Fylde coast.

And after learning the essentials of how to stage wrestling shows and run a business, he is ready to launch this year, with wife Ellie,27, handling admin.

On Saturday August 14 they will launch their debut show, Battle at the Beach, at Fleetwood Conservative Club, with four action-packed bouts, including CWE's own UK and world championship battles, and belts to go with them all.

Joshua already has Texas Joe Junior, who was trained by and is the son of the legendary World of sport Icon ‘Texas' Joe Savoldi, on the roster and is in advanced negotiations with a string of other pro wrestlers including Rudi Root, Tyler Hawke and Excentrico Lucha.

He said: "It was a big move for me because I have always been fairly frugal but recent events made me realise how short and fragile life can be.

"I've seen people die young and others have a long life but die with all their savings hidden away and nothing to show for it - you can't take it with you.

"So I decided to go for it, because if I don't follow this dream I'll always regret it.

"Wrestling has been a passion of mine for years, it's just a brilliant spectacle which really gets the audiences on the edges of their seats."

Josh has had help with pals involved in various aspects of the industry and has had to learn fast about accounts, tax, how to bring wrestlers (the talent) onboard, contracts, media publicity, promotional flyers and venue hire.

He said: "There have been a lot of long days after work, going through all the ins and out, but it will definitely be worth it when the show opens this summer."

As well as the live wrestling from the venue from 7pm onwards, there are also plans to live stream the show online.

CWE has its own Facebook page and to follow ongoing progress and ticket information, visit : @cweofficial2021