May 15th 2024 01:59pm

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

Messy Details on the Jeff Jarrett Situation, Could the GFW Letters Be Going Away?, More Backstage News

Messy Details on the Jeff Jarrett Situation, Could the GFW Letters Be Going Away?, More Backstage News

Posted: Sep 5th 2017 By: Marc Middleton

As noted, GFW announced today that Jeff Jarrett is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the company to focus on personal matters. It was noted in the announcement that Jarrett will be available to the company on a consultative basis as needed.

We also noted how the decision on Jarrett taking time off was made just a few hours before GFW posted the announcement on their website, and how Jarrett posted an optimistic early morning tweet that indicated he knew nothing of the leave that was to be announced. PWInsider reports that Anthem’s Ed Nordholm made the decision today and that he personally met with Jarrett in Nashville, Tennessee this afternoon. Jarrett was set to host a NFL Fantasy Draft with members of the GFW staff this evening but that was nixed and the staffers are hosting the draft at the GFW offices instead.

Regarding what led to the leave, the feeling is that unhappiness with Jarrett involving his “erratic behavior” was a driving factor in Nordholm’s decision. It appears they were not unhappy with the company’s creative direction with Jarrett as Chief Creative Officer. The situation had been building for months and the final tipping point was AAA’s TripleMania event in Mexico in late August. Jarrett, who recently put on weight, was not in the best of shape for that event and apparently stumbled down the ring steps right before wrestling in a battle royal for just a few minutes. He also took a while getting to the ring. Jarrett represented GFW in the match, along with Moose and Bobby Lashley, and was reportedly heckling fans and throwing tortillas into the crowd, which actually somewhat fit his gimmick in Mexico but still had people talking.

Jarrett’s condition at TripleMania led to a lot of people wondering if he needed time off. Nordholm witnessed the behavior as he was in attendance for the show. There was also an incident at a GFW TV taping several months back where Jarrett was yelling at Bob Ryder and that incident is said to be the beginning of the problems that led to Nordholm’s decision. One source noted to PWInsider that the situation is “far uglier” than anyone realizes.

Another source noted to PWInsider that Jarrett was “not blameless” but that there was also “blame to be thrown in all directions” of the company. The same source claimed that a lot of things Jarrett had been publicly criticized for were just him towing the company line and following “marching orders” out of loyalty to Anthem after they brought him back into the company, including when he defended Anthem in the beef with The Hardys. There’s been a feeling among some that Jarrett had been trying hard to step in between Nordholm and the wrestling side of the company due to the belief among many that Nordholm didn’t “get” the business. One source pointed to how the company put effort into bringing Alberto El Patron in as a surprise for his debut, only for Nordholm to tweet a photo of Patron before he came out, spoiling the surprise. The source admitted that Jarrett needed a break but noted that Jarrett had been “bending over backward” to try and balance things between Anthem and GFW, adding that Jarrett “desperately wanted his company back and wanted to prove to everyone he was right all along with his vision.”

We noted before that the company was working to determine who would tend to Jarrett’s duties while he’s gone. PWInsider adds that no decision has been made regarding creative changes and the writing team, which Jarrett put together, still includes Scott D’Amore and Dutch Mantel. Jim Cornette is also still with the company as of this evening. There was speculation that “Big” John Gaburick, who still works with the company as a consultant, was retained as a back-up plan in case the Jarrett regime did not work out.

On a related note, a source reported to PWInsider that the GFW – Anthem merger was “nowhere near as completed” as they have touted publicly. Trademarks for Global Force Wrestling and GFW are still under the ownership of the Global Force Wrestling LLC that Jarrett launched in 2014. It’s possible that the GFW letters will disappear from Impact Wrestling if Jarrett doesn’t return to the company for some reason.

It was also reported that Alberto El Patron’s status with the company is up in the air as Nordholm was willing to let him go after the Orlando airport incident with Paige in July. Jarrett was hands-on in calming the situation and now that Jarrett is gone, and Patron reportedly has less than a year left on his deal, the planned return at the next set of tapings may be off. We noted before that Jarrett vs. Patron had been discussed for the Bound For Glory pay-per-view in November but that match is probably not happening now.

 

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Upcoming Events

Complete Calendar

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1959 Mike DiBiase def. Dory Funk for the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 2010 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Bobby Star) def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 2010 Jonathan Cross def. Anarchy [2nd] for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 2015 Charlie Haas def. Jerome Daniels for the NWA-TXO Heavyweight Champion
  • 2021 Killbane def. The Canadian Red Devil for the NCWO Oklahoma Champion

Week of Sun 05-12 to Sat: 05-18

  • 05-12 2002 Rocco Valentino became the OCW Oklahoma Television Champion
  • 05-12 2012 The New Era [2nd] (Richie Adams & Goldeneye) def. The Dramatic Athletes (Jake McCoy & X-Cal) for the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 05-12 2012 Venus became the IZW Queens Champion
  • 05-12 2013 The Canadian Red Devil def. Bobby Starr for the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
  • 05-12 2013 Impact, Inc. (Jermaine Johnson & Jordan Jacobs) def. Shawn Sanders & Tyson Jaymes for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 05-12 2018 Garrett Murphy became the NAW Lightweight Champion
  • 05-12 2018 Big Smooth def. Dusty Gold for the NAW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-12 2018 Brayden def. Kareem Sadat for the BCW Independent Hardcore Champion
  • 05-12 2018 Gavin Dixon def. Mikey [2nd] for the BCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-12 2023 Ronnie Morton def. Red James for the RDW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 05-13 1979 Wahoo McDaniel def. The Spoiler for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-13 1984 Magnum T. A. def. Mr. Wrestling II for the MSW North American Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-13 2006 Justin Lee def. Gary Gram for the NWA-U X Division Champion
  • 05-13 2012 Les Mayne became the MSWA Oklahoma Champion
  • 05-13 2016 Terry Montana & Mighty Mouse def. Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) for the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 05-13 2017 Sam Stackhouse def. Drake Gallows for the BCW Buzzsaw Champion
  • 05-13 2017 Garrett Murphy def. Anarchy [2nd] for the NAW Lightweight Champion
  • 05-13 2023 Lunchador def. Dr. Corvus for the WAH Hunger Dojo Champion
  • 05-13 2023 Rush Freeman became the WAH Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-13 2023 The Psychotic Messengers (Tank Bryson & Malachi) def. Dark Forces (San La Muerte & Reese) for the WAH Tag Team Champions
  • 05-14 1975 John Tolos def. Al Madril for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-14 1975 Danny Miller def. Skandor Akbar for the TSW North American Champion
  • 05-14 2004 Butch Dalton def. Jon Davis for the TPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-14 2004 Devon Monroe def. Mitch Carter for the TPW Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-14 2005 John O'Malley became the IZW Hardcore Champion
  • 05-14 2005 Impact Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) became the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-15 1959 Mike DiBiase def. Dory Funk for the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-15 2010 X-Rated (Kevin James Sanchez & Bobby Star) def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-15 2010 Jonathan Cross def. Anarchy [2nd] for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-15 2015 Charlie Haas def. Jerome Daniels for the NWA-TXO Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-15 2021 Killbane def. The Canadian Red Devil for the NCWO Oklahoma Champion
  • 05-16 1963 Bull Curry became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 05-16 1981 Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Morton def. Akbar Army (Jerry Brown & Ron McFarlane) for the TSW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-16 2009 Impact, Inc. (Johnny Z & Bernie D) became the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-16 2015 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. Team Bull (Aaron Neil & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-16 2015 Clint Cassidy def. Mr. Nasty for the UWE United States Champion
  • 05-16 2015 Brett Stopp def. Fuel for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-16 2015 Anarchy [2nd] def. Brett Stopp for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-17 1965 Bull Curry def. Karl Kox for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 05-17 1986 Bruiser Brody def. Rick Rude for the WCCW Television Champion
  • 05-17 1987 The Lightning Express (Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner) def. Rick Steiner & Sting for the UWF Tag Team Champions
  • 05-17 1996 The Bad Boyz (Krull Danzig & Brett Knight) def. The Texas Outlaws (Bobby Burns & Dan Wilder) for the WWEmp Tag Team Champions
  • 05-17 2008 El Super Colibri def. Tim Rockwell for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
  • 05-17 2008 Michael York def. Brett Taylor for the SECW Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-17 2008 Michael York became the SECW Eastern Oklahoma Title Champion
  • 05-17 2008 Michael York became the SECW Eastern Oklahoma Champion
  • 05-17 2009 Kevin Morgan became the AWFUL Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-17 2014 The Sexy Camachos (Angel Camacho & Roberto Camacho & Vinnie Camacho) def. Team Bull (The Bronze Bull & Bobby Starr) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-18 1970 Boris Malenko def. Mil Mascaras for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-18 1973 Jose Lothario def. Blackjack Mulligan for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-18 1984 Gino Hernandez def. Jimmy Garvin for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-18 2007 Lonnie Valdez & Epic became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-18 2013 The P.I.N.K. Nation (Ray Martinez & Tommy Toops) def. Bobby Burns & Sam Stackhouse (substituting for Psycho Sawyer) for the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 05-18 2013 B-Arthur became the SRPW Womens Champion
  • 05-18 2013 Anarchy [2nd] def. The Mercenary for the UWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 05-18 2014 Striker def. Robert Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
  • 05-18 2019 Skylar Slice def. Erica for the MSWA Ladies Champion
05-15
  • Erwin IV May 15th Today!
  • Andrew Bridge May 15th Today!
  • Oscar Amazing May 15th Today!
  • Koko May 15th Today!
  • Kevin Von Erich May 15th Today!
  • Joe Cuedo May 15th Today!
  • Buddy Roberts May 16th
  • Ryan Martin May 16th
  • Buddy Knox May 16th
  • Alan Jefferson May 16th
  • Ryker James May 16th
  • Dan Maestro May 17th
  • J. B. Pain May 17th
  • Billy Red Lyons May 17th
  • Mike Pappas May 17th
  • Kyle Hawk May 17th
  • Wage May 17th
  • Akuma Jones May 18th
  • Kristopher Haiden May 18th
  • Jimmy Snuka May 18th
  • Gajo May 18th
  • Luna Nightshade May 18th
  • J. R. Wind May 18th
  • Matt Riviera May 18th
  • Andre the Giant May 19th
  • Dick Slater May 19th
  • Will Chambers May 19th
  • Mongol May 19th
  • Bateman May 19th
  • Buzz Markley May 19th
  • Dale Veasey May 20th
  • Chuey Martinez May 21st
  • Ivan Kalmikoff May 21st
  • Babyface D'Amanti May 23rd
  • Santana Jackson May 23rd
  • Donna Christanello May 23rd
  • Slash May 23rd
  • Lucas May 24th
  • Shane Rawls May 24th
  • Ricky Romero May 24th
  • Gemini [2nd] May 24th
  • Guy Atticus May 25th
  • Dominique Lereaux May 25th
  • Quarky Storm May 25th
  • Michael York May 25th
  • Dark Journey May 25th
  • Reggie Lincoln May 26th
  • Tank Bryson May 26th
  • Michael Duplanti May 26th
  • Justin Adams May 26th
  • Crucifer May 27th
  • Kelly Kiniski May 27th
  • Kamala May 28th
  • Edge Stone May 28th
  • Maria Star May 28th
  • Dean Lambert May 28th
  • Jim Thorpe May 28th

More Look Back In History

Card Results

1