Double J Announces G.F.W. (Global Force Wrestling)

Kidd Dibiase

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The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling interview with Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett:

How did the deal with New Japan to promote Wrestle Kingdom 9 come about? Was this something that GFW wanted to do or something New Japan wanted to do to get into the North American market?

“Well, a little of both. Back in April of 2014 when I announced the formation of my company and founded Global Force Wrestling, I had already been talking to the partners around the world and piecing things together. New Japan approached me and knew that they wanted to bring their product to the North American audience. It became real obvious real quick that what better way than to pick their biggest event, this is the 24th year, the annual Tokyo Dome show,…to really make a splash on the North American scene with the New Japan product. So we started piecing things together, and quite frankly we couldn’t be happier with where we’re at now: The Bullet Club red hot, Jim Ross getting on board, Matt Striker, all the videos and promotional stuff that we’ve put out, the buzz, the excitement. It all just sort of came together one thing after another and it has shaped up very nicely, and I’m really excited for January 4th.”

Are the plans for GFW in the future to do more shows like Wrestle Kingdom 9 where you present different wrestling from around the world or will you have your own roster and have more of a traditional wrestling program?

“The answer is both. In 2015 we will continue the rollout of Global Force Wrestling. I am talking with several international companies about bringing their product to North America. We are in the process, and there was a press conference December 22nd in South Africa and we have big plans down there in 2015. Then there is the stand-alone company with talent and sponsorship and venue and distribution and everything that goes together; that rollout will continue in 2015 as well.”

Have you seen a lot of guys on the Independent scene that you would like to bring into GFW?

“Absolutely. I’ve said it dating back to February of this year that I believe the professional wrestling business is just on the cusp of a boom period and I think a big component of that is that wrestling is healthy, and wrestling’s healthy because the free-agent market …I don’t like to refer to it as the Indy wrestlers; they may be independent promotions but I like to call them free-agents…is red hot. I’m sitting in my office right now and there’s a white board and there are 64 names on it and 48 of them are guys who have never worked for a major company with worldwide distribution. The Independent scene is red hot in my opinion.”

What do you think about TNA’s new television deal with Destination America?

“Thank the Lord that they got a deal. You know there was a couple of months there that I didn’t know, and certainly anybody else didn’t know, and there were reports online…I don’t think it would’ve been good for the industry whatsoever. Remove the fact that I’m still a minority owner; the wrestling business is my passion and I want everyone to succeed and I think there’s plenty of room. You haveROH in the syndication market and they’re just entering into the pay-per-view world. You have TNAwith Destination America. You have New Japan coming on AXS TV. You have El Rey with Lucha Underground. You have Global Force - we’re going to continue our rollout. With all of that being said, the WWE still probably has 75, 80, 85, 90 percent of the market share. Other promotions need to be healthy.”
 

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http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/552937-jeff-jarrett-talks-gfw-plans-cm-punk-tna

On whether GFW will be a standalone promotion:

“The short answer is yes. I have been working with the team on what wrestling fans are calling a standalone promotion. Multiple conversations with talent, distributors, sponsorships, venues, legal, finance, everything that goes with launching the brand. I don’t want to get too overinflated and say major announcements, but I’ll call them very exciting announcements around WrestleMania and then the weeks to come after that. So in the next 4-6 weeks, the first announcement will be coming.”

On his relationship with CM Punk in TNA:

“He did work with us for a little while, yes. It was in the Asylum days when I was wearing 5, 6, 7 hats every Wednesday night. We had a very business-like, cordial relationship. To say that I missed the boat would be an understatement of the year, but things like that happen. My father started two guys from California that drove cross country and the first time I laid eyes on them was Thanksgiving 1985. Very young and very green, they were called the Blade Runners and within 18 months after they left my father’s promotion they became Sting in WCW and the Ultimate Warrior in the WWF. So promoters miss the boat and there is a long track record of that, but Punk seized his opportunity when he got to WWE. Quite frankly, he goozled that entire promotion and left on his own terms. To this day he’s still one of the hottest box office attractions in professional wrestling, and he’s not even doing it any more.”

On his controversial departure from the WWF in 1999:

“At the end of the day, I showed up to work that night in Cleveland, and [Vince McMahon] had two options, I had two options, and we both took Option A. We agreed on a price, and the rest is history. I have spoken with Vince McMahon several times since that day”.

On whether he will remain an active wrestler:

“No, my full-time days in the ring are over. Not to say I’m not going to put on the tights again, and quite frankly, in the last two weeks I don’t know what it is but I’ve gotten several offers from promoters in Canada, the Carolinas and California, so like I did last year, I’ll probably have a few shows here and there. But my main focus is Global Force Wrestling and launching that brand as a standalone promotion.”

On his role in GFW:

“I like to refer to [my role] as somewhat of a matchmaker. In the old days they called it a booker, but a booker is really a matchmaker and let the fans decide. The talent, it’s not like you want to slap on and say this week you’re the Gobbledy Gooker and next week you’re Skinner. It’s who is Talent A and why are they Talent A, what’s to like or not like about Talent A. You put them against Talent B, who they are and why they are, and they go out there and get it done in the ring. I think that’s a recipe for success in professional wrestling.”

On GFW’s style compared to other promotions:

“It’ll have its own style, but I don’t believe in recreating the wheel. I think Wrestle Kingdom 9 proved it, and Jim Ross said it in some of the videos that we produced on him, wrestling fans don’t over-think it. Give the fans what they want. Great wrestlers, hard-hitting style, championships, winners, losers and larger than life personalities – that’s what we plan on doing. I’ve always had that philosophy, dating back to my early days in the territories and my father’s and grandmother’s promotion. You have good wrestlers, and whether it’s black hats and white hats or however you want to define it, the people have to know and understand that Wrestler A is fighting Wrestler B and why they’re fighting, what are the results on who wins and who loses, and what’s going to happen next. I don’t think you need to overthink that in any stretch of the imagination. I think there are instances, from NXT to Wrestle Kingdom 9 to Triplemania, the successful wrestling shows going on in the world today are, at its core, basic and simplistic.”
 
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