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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.

Supplemental Information

Spotlight in History

1984 Chris Adams became the WCCW Television Champion
2009 Sage became the SWCW Art of War Champion
2011 Jake O'Brien def. Robbie Awesome for the MERC Patriot Champion
2011 The Ring Intruders (Jon Cross & Fuel) became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
2011 Jake O'Brien became the SRPW Patriot Champion
2011 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
2011 Tim Storm def. Michael Faith for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
2022 Pastor Brent & Andrew Fenix def. The Rejecs LM (Elijah Sparks & Dr. Corvus) for the WAH Tag Team Champions
2022 Connor Smith def. Romeo Reese for the WAH Spotlight Champion
2022 Umbra def. Koko for the WAH Living Hope Champion
2022 Dan Webber def. Paul Puertorico for the WAH Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 06-09 to Sat: 06-15

06-09 1959 The Golden Giant became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-09 1966 Johnny Valentine def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
06-09 1980 The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) def. Junkyard Dog & Buck Robley for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
06-09 1989 Jeff Jarrett & Mil Mascaras def. Super Zodiac & Cactus Jack for the WCCW World Tag Team Champion
06-09 2017 The Rising (Matt Durden & Riker) def. Team Dean Machine (Christopher Dean & Jerry Dean) for the BPPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
06-09 2023 Koko became the CPW Heavyweight Champion
06-09 2023 The Regime (Derek James & Logan Knight & Merc & Skylar Slice/Sgt. Slice) def. The Roll Modelz (Malik Mayfield & Olivier Vegos) for the CPW Tag Team Champions
06-09 2023 Mr. Nasty def. Mascara Purpura for the CPW 918 Champion
06-09 2023 Red James def. Mr. Nasty for the CPW 918 Champion
06-10 1979 Bruiser Brody def. Mark Lewin for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-10 1985 Tim Brooks def. Scott Casey for the WCCW Television Champion
06-10 2006 Dexter Hardaway became the AACW Mid-American Light Heavyweight Champion
06-10 2023 MLP became the XDWF New GenX Champion
06-11 1984 Chris Adams became the WCCW Television Champion
06-11 2009 Sage became the SWCW Art of War Champion
06-11 2011 Jake O'Brien def. Robbie Awesome for the MERC Patriot Champion
06-11 2011 The Ring Intruders (Jon Cross & Fuel) became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
06-11 2011 Jake O'Brien became the SRPW Patriot Champion
06-11 2011 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
06-11 2011 Tim Storm def. Michael Faith for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
06-11 2022 Pastor Brent & Andrew Fenix def. The Rejecs LM (Elijah Sparks & Dr. Corvus) for the WAH Tag Team Champions
06-11 2022 Connor Smith def. Romeo Reese for the WAH Spotlight Champion
06-11 2022 Umbra def. Koko for the WAH Living Hope Champion
06-11 2022 Dan Webber def. Paul Puertorico for the WAH Heavyweight Champion
06-12 1982 The Spoiler def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Champion
06-12 2009 El Latino became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
06-12 2021 Brawler Morrison def. Blade [2nd] for the UWO Heavyweight Champion
06-13 1960 Tony Borne def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-13 1969 Chuck Karbo became the TSW North American Champion
06-13 1978 Karl Krupp became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-13 1998 The Bad Boys (Splash Jackson & Bull Schmitt) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
06-13 2008 Brent Albright def. Slam Shady for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
06-13 2008 High Society (Al Farat & Thomas Trump) became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
06-13 2008 Josh Michaels became the ACW Heavyweight Champion
06-13 2009 The Canadian Red Devil became the ComPro Showtime Champion
06-13 2015 Seth Angel & Adrian Dell def. Nemesis (Bobby Starr & Damien Morte) for the ComPro Tag Team Champions
06-13 2015 Killista def. Paul Puertorico for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
06-13 2015 Rolling Thunder def. Michael Duplanti for the NAW Heavyweight Champion
06-13 2015 Paige Turner def. Erica for the IZW Queens Champion
06-13 2015 Michael Wolf def. Jake O'Brien for the ComPro Heavyweight Champion
06-13 2015 Jake O'Brien def. Michael Wolf for the ComPro Heavyweight Champion
06-14 1970 Fritz Von Erich def. Boris Malenko for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
06-14 1982 Fritz Von Erich def. King Kong Bundy for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
06-14 2004 Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) def. Li'l Joe & Al Farat for the ACW Tag Team Champions
06-14 2008 Kenny Campbell became the IZW Impact Division Champion
06-14 2008 Nathan Sensation & Striker def. The New Age Syndicate (Shawn Sanders & Scott Sanders) for the IZW Tag Team Champions
06-14 2008 Anarchy [2nd] def. The Enforcer for the SECW Tri-State Champion
06-14 2008 Dane Griffin def. Mo'Body Gillespie for the 3DW Violent Division Champion
06-14 2009 El Super Colibri became the TAP Adrenaline Champion
06-14 2009 Reckless def. The Canadian Red Devil for the TAP Heavyweight Champion
06-14 2009 Shane Morbid def. Jon Cross for the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion
06-14 2013 Clint Cox became the BPPW Heavyweight Champion
06-14 2014 The Rising (Justin Riker & Abel) def. Psycho Sawyer & Diamond for the SRPW Tag Team Champions
06-14 2014 Omega X (Brett Stopp & X-Static) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the UWE Tag Team Champions
06-15 1982 King Kong Bundy became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
06-15 2003 Tyler Bateman def. Jef Tiger for the ACW Hardcore Champion
06-15 2003 John O'Malley def. Tyler Bateman for the ACW Hardcore Champion
06-15 2008 El Culo Intruso def. Dane Griffin for the 3DW Violent Division Champion
06-15 2018 Sam Stackhouse def. Abyss for the BCW Buzzsaw Champion
06-15 2019 Double D became the WFC Heavyweight Champion
06-15 2019 Prince Mahalli def. Damon Windsor for the WCR Revolutionary Champion

06-11

Magnum T. A. Jun 11th Today!
J. D. Richards Jun 11th Today!
Mathmagician Jun 11th Today!
King Parsons Jun 11th Today!
Baby Blimp Jun 12th
Lady Sensacion Jun 12th
Zac Royal Jun 12th
Stan Pulaski Jun 12th
Steven Dane Jun 12th
D'Licious Jun 12th
Deuce Rodriguez Jun 12th
Rolling Thunder Jun 12th
Dustin Heritage Jun 13th
Bill Ash Jun 13th
Mikey D Jun 13th
John Pfanz Jun 13th
Chandler Hopkins Jun 13th
Geronimo Jun 13th
Neo Genesis Jun 13th
Buzz Sawyer Jun 14th
Jaxon Stone Jun 15th
Trey the Bae Jun 15th
Lilith Grimm Jun 15th
Sean Ryan Jun 15th
Brad Armstrong Jun 15th
Paul Linam Jun 15th
Jef Tiger Jun 16th
Shawn Matthews III Jun 16th
Paul Jones Jun 16th
Brock Landers Jun 16th
Ultimate Warrior Jun 16th
Ted Arcidi Jun 16th
Chuck Hinds Jun 16th
Ray Martinez Jun 17th
Mario Galento Jun 17th
Talos Jun 17th
Rob Justice Jun 17th
Andy Dalton Jun 18th
Bad Boy Jun 18th
Bruiser Brody Jun 18th
Sashimi Deluxe Jun 18th
Johnny Angel Jun 18th
Abe Jacobs Jun 18th
Cam the CODA Jun 18th
Mike Two Jun 19th
Wahoo McDaniel Jun 19th
Canadian Red Devil Jun 19th
Miguel Padilla Jun 19th
Top Dollar Bill Jun 19th
Kodi Ocean Jun 19th
Billy the Kid Jun 19th
Professor Ito Jun 20th
Jon Cross Jun 20th
Koko B. Ware Jun 20th
David Kyzer Jun 20th
Jeff the Ref Jun 21st
Rick Russo Jun 21st
Super Star Jun 21st
Milton Winkelman Jun 21st
Athena Jun 23rd
Juan Sebastian Jun 24th
Gabe Wilder Jun 24th
Don Kent Jun 24th

1984 Chris Adams became the WCCW Television Champion
2009 Sage became the SWCW Art of War Champion
2011 Jake O'Brien def. Robbie Awesome for the MERC Patriot Champion
2011 The Ring Intruders (Jon Cross & Fuel) became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
2011 Jake O'Brien became the SRPW Patriot Champion
2011 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
2011 Tim Storm def. Michael Faith for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
2022 Pastor Brent & Andrew Fenix def. The Rejecs LM (Elijah Sparks & Dr. Corvus) for the WAH Tag Team Champions
2022 Connor Smith def. Romeo Reese for the WAH Spotlight Champion
2022 Umbra def. Koko for the WAH Living Hope Champion
2022 Dan Webber def. Paul Puertorico for the WAH Heavyweight Champion

More Look Back In History

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