Sanford Wrestling Sellout: ACW’s ‘Toybox of Turmoil’ packs 250 fans at Wild Dogs Brewing

Three bangs of the bell, chants and laughs rocked the roars and grunts of wrestlers whose open-hand slaps and body slams echoed off Sanford’s iconic red bricks.

Alternative Combat Wrestling’s (ACW) “Toybox of Turmoil” unfolded behind Wild Dogs Brewing on Steele Street, where an 18×18 Highspots wrestling ring, a $10,000 investment, was encircled by folding chairs, vendor tables and smiling faces. From their slightly raised backyards, neighbors set out lawn chairs and watched the spectacle unfold, turning the edge of the lot into an impromptu balcony.

When Zack Bollinger stopped into Matt Sarmiento’s downtown Sanford shop, Rogue Toys, two months ago, it sparked a business connection that brought pro wrestling to the Bee City.

By day, Bollinger works in pharmaceuticals, but by night, he pours his energy into ACW, joined by his wife, April, the promotion’s ring announcer. As a partner and the lead behind Sound Guy Zack Productions, he expanded their storytelling by featuring Sanford businesses in social media promos, including Rogue Toys, Sips and Sequels, and Mine and Yours, NC.

For over three hours, attendees watched eight matches featuring more than a dozen wrestlers, with beers from Wild Dogs and southern cooking from Poppy’s Backyard Grilling.

Chance Frye launched ACW in October 2021 in Moore County and has run monthly shows since April 2022. Even at the Southern Pines National Guard Armory, where summer crowds endured heat without air conditioning, fans kept coming back, a sign they were “doing something right.”

Before the Toybox event, between 80 to 100 tickets were sold. Bollinger’s efforts and local buzz paid off: Sanford sold out with 250 seats filled.

Live wrestling has deep roots in North Carolina, dating back to 1933. Earlier this year, lawmakers even considered Senate Bill 404, known as the “RIC FLAIR Act,” a nod to the state’s flamboyant wrestling legend, with a proposed $500,000 feasibility study for a state professional wrestling museum. While it didn’t pass, it underscored the sport’s endurance.

The Sanford event featured Diego Hill, a standout who recently signed with Major League Wrestling. Known as Divebomb Diego, Hill is a third-generation wrestler from Puerto Rico. “Wrestling has been my whole life, the last 27 years,” Hill shared. Encouraged by a long-lost brother, he trained for five years to carve out his own path. “When I walk in, [people] know I’m a star. I’m worldwide now. Wrestling has changed my whole life,” he added.

He trash-talked his opponent before praising him as one of his best friends. “He’s come a long way. To see him overcome all the odds, I feel like it’s about that time for the world to see who he is.”

Hill faced ACW Heavyweight Champion Trey’Von Ali, also known as The Black Diamond, in a high-stakes title match. Ali discovered his passion for the sport at the early age of four, flipping through channels and finding the WWE, and has been with ACW since its inception. “I get to wrestle my longtime friend, Dive Bomb Diego Hill, [and] I am very proud of him,” he said in a pre-match interview with Sandhills News.

“But tonight he’s stepping into my house,” he said firmly, embracing his Diamond persona. I’m the ACW Heavyweight Champion, and I don’t plan on giving that up anytime soon.”

In 2011, Power Pro Wrestling, run by Jimbo ‘Dick Foley’ Michael Devine and Mark James, was the biggest draw in town. On Saturday night, the crowd erupted when the original Sanford wrestlers made a surprise entrance, returning to the ring to give back to the community that first elevated them.

Originally from Jacksonville, NC, Jenn Krohn had no idea live wrestling was “a thing” until she met her roommate, “Tungsten Redd,” three years ago. “He asked if I could watch his daughter while he went to wrestle,” she recalled. Now, Krohn runs a vendor booth called Creative Corner Crafts, selling handmade goods while Redd battles it out in the ring. “The wrestling community is so supportive,” she said, noting its inclusivity. “Race, gender, trans: no one is excluded because of stupid things. You can be whoever you want to be.”

Mila Johnson, one of three women in the night’s event, told her parents she wanted to go to wrestling school for her Sweet Sixteen. Two years and $500 later, she began wrestling at 18. Now 25, Johnson said, “I get to live my dream now.” Her personality shines through in her unique wardrobe, which showcases her love for Marvel, sporting a Jessica Jones-inspired outfit for the night. “It’s really exciting to be wrestling in Sanford and getting to kick somebody in the face,” she added with a laugh.

Redd, who has been wrestling for four years, called the Sanford debut “a great experience” as he returned to his vendor table with Krohn after his tag team match with Joseph Everhart. When asked about the turnout, he looked out at the crowd and grinned. “It’s beyond expectation,” he said.

“I’ve never been to Sanford, but it reminds me of the suburban parts of Raleigh before it got too big,” shared Travis Weaver following his match against wrestler T.N.T. A native of Roseboro, just outside Fayetteville, he added, “It’s like the city feel without the city stress.”

Throughout the night, athletes balanced kid-friendly antics with intense in-ring action. Frye summed up ACW’s mission: “It’s not about the check; my joy is seeing fans smiling. Let’s give them something to do, enjoy, and get away from everyday life for a few hours.”

ACW returns to Wild Dogs Brewing in Sanford on Friday, Oct. 24.

Sept. 3, 2025

Diara J. Townes

Journalist

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