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Erik Watts released from GCW; Interview set for May 24

Posted: May 23rd 2006 By: mikeiles

The turmoil at Great Championship Wrestling (formerly Georgia Championship Wrestling) continued last week with the departure of booker Erik Watts, the sudden firings of two other GCW employees and the termination of the GCW television show.

According to the owners of GCW, Bill Hewes and Jerry Oates, these actions were taken for sound business reasons. Hewes indicated that the ugly rumors, alleging that GCW management uses Machiavellian tactics to deal with personnel that have fallen out of favor, flow from the constant negativity expressed towards the company by a few disgruntled former employees.

But sources close to the situation describe a trail of broken promises, deceit, and dishonesty on the part of GCW management that has left buckets of bad blood in its wake.

Sources indicated that Watts has been relieved of his duties both as booker and wrestler prior to the GCW show on May 13. Watts had worked for GCW since the company?s inception two years ago, including a long and somewhat controversial run as the company?s top babyface. Sources indicate there were problems between Watts and the owners of GCW concerning the booking of talent for GCW?s second anniversary show on May 27. No name talent was officially announced until last Saturday night (Elix Skipper and Disco Inferno are now confirmed). Contrast that scenario with the first anniversary show, which had a six week buildup to Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard.

By the time Watts took over as booker in March of this year, attendance was down to around 150 per week.

The management of GCW painted quite a different picture of the recent changes. Jerry Oates acknowledged that Watts was no longer with the company, but denied that the decision had anything to do with the booking of the anniversary show. Oates portrayed Watts? departure as a situation of needing to freshen up the talent due to running weekly shows. Oates said that this year?s anniversary show was never planned to be as big a deal as last year?s show.

Hewes described Watts as a talented individual and said he hoped they might do business again in the future. Hewes said that they wanted to go in a different direction with the ring announcer position. Hewes stated that GCW was now close to breaking even. Hewes stated that GCW was in it for the long haul and hoped to produce ?a decade of wrestling? in the city of Columbus. Hewes said the reduction in talent expenses was an unintended byproduct of the company?s plan to develop young wrestlers. Hewes pointed to the signing of Damien Steele to a WWE development contract as an example of their success. Hewes stated that GCW was planning to time their next major show with the anniversary of the change from Georgia Championship Wrestling to Great Championship Wrestling.

Watts shared his side of the GCW story with me in a phone conversation earlier this week. Watts did not want to be quoted for this story but has agreed to tell all in his first interview since leaving TNA on Wrestling Informer Weekly (May 24 at 8pm), including publicly discussing, for the first time ever, his rumored suicide attempt.

Credit: Gerweck.net