Jeff Jarrett Takes Indefinite Leave as CCO; Anthem Reportedly Ready to Sell GFW

[It's Damn Real!]

On Jeff Jarrett’s exit from GFW as their Chief Creative Officer:

Jarrett’s exit creates an entire realm of possibilities for GFW, which, up until 2017, was known as TNA Impact Wrestling.

GFW is hemorrhaging funds, and sources close to the situation have confirmed that Anthem is ready to withdraw itself from the wrestling industry and sell GFW. Anthem even needed to gut the Fight Network in order to finance GFW.

Another wrinkle to the story is that Jarrett still owns the name of Global Force Wrestling, so Anthem would be selling Impact Wrestling.

On the current value of GFW:

Anthem has a worthwhile commodity if it decides to sell GFW/Impact primarily due to its tape library.

WWE tops the list of potential suitors, as the tape library is extremely valuable. A number of WWE’s top stars, including AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Bobby Roode, as well as Raw GM Kurt Angle, all produced some incredibly compelling work in TNA. If the company were ever to pursue Ring of Honor’s Jay Lethal, he also has entertaining work from TNA with his Randy Savage-inspired “Black Machismo” character, as well as his Ric Flair impersonation.

On possible sales scenarios:

A key part of any potential deal is the presence of John “Big” Gaburick, who is still a part of the GFW creative team. Gaburick is extremely close with Kevin Dunn, who is WWE’s Executive Vice President of Television Production.

Anthem could also consider selling to Ring of Honor or even open up discussions with former TNA investor and Smashing Pumpkins icon Billy Corgan, but Jarrett’s exit opens the door for WWE to make Anthem an offer it cannot refuse.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/881...ects-on-gfw-possible-sale-hardys-benefit-more

--

So much for a happy marriage.

What, you really thought you could go six months without the threat of sale/bankruptcy or some other company-ending financial outcome?

 

[Hyorinmaru]

How many people even care any more? A story like this pops up every few months and I'm just numb to it.

It sucks that all those people will be out of work for a bit but it's long past time this horse was put out to pasture.

 

[mooseman]

Assuming WWE or ROH were to purchase GFW/IMPACT/TNA which wrestlers are under contract and which wrestlers are under appearance deals like i'm assuming John Morrison/Nitro/Mundo/Impact is? Also would the purchase include relationships with NOAH and AAA as well?

 

[Psykohurricane55]

i think the way the article was written, it's more about the possibilities that opens up with jarrett taking a break. with the title of the article of the main site, they pretty much started a rumour that might or might not be true. Until we get a official announcement from ed northolm about this i don't think that Anthem is ready to sell the company just yet, especially since they are doing really good ratings in Canada.

 

[akathelaw]

All right, at this point it is clear that the "TNA/Impact Wrestling/GFW basic cable broadcasted Universal Studios stunt show" is inching ever closer to its final resting place. I know we've thought this company was dead many times before and yet here we are, with Impact somehow still on TV. The 3 suitors this time around are WWE, ROH, and Corgan.

Corgan is the least likely in my opinion. He already lost one time and got burned. I also think his "Generation X" wrestling promotion concept with him as the Authority Figure failed to set the wrestling world on fire when we got it on Impact last year, so why would it work now? I could be wrong though and maybe Corgan will unleash his vision of wrestling on us and it will be great. Who knows.

WWE buying up Impact's library would be great for WWE Network subscribers. I think wrestling fans may enjoy that outcome, but at the loss of another basic cable wrestling brand to watch. With Raw, Smackdown, NXT and ROH there's plenty to watch out there. Impact going away would be tough, but I think fans would move on pretty quickly and would enjoy checking out old Impacts on demand on the WWE Network.

ROH buying up Impact would probably result in ROH using Impact's TV slots to air ROH weekly. With Cody Rhodes, Lethal, Castle and other great talents I think Impact fans wouldn't be to disappointed by that. Still ROH is a specific style and some fans prefer a more WWE lite type of show. Personally I'm gunning for this outcome because more eyes on ROH is what's best for wrestling.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Plus I'm thinking why would anthem renew their tv deal with pop and promote the fact that they are launching the GFW network if they where thinking about selling. It makes no sense to start all these new thing for the company if they really wanted to sell.

 

[Starkist]

Things seem to always go do this road with this company. As a fan, I am losing hope with them. This again, makes wrestler want to get away from GFW and go to nXt or ROH. It is said but makes me think of this is all a work to get Jarret on TV for Bound for Glory as a "takeover" storyline that's been done to death. All I can hope besides another sale and more talent leaving a submerged ship now a submarine.

 

[jpickens]

I'll believe it when I see it until then keep watching.

 

[neildittmar]

The only aspect of this that we truly know to be fact so far is the indefinite departure of Jeff Jarrett from the company as CCO. Everything else remains unconfirmed.

Having said that, I'm starting to wonder how many shakeups, changes of the guard, or whatever else one wishes to call them can occur before GFW/Impact/TNA ceases to have a definable identity anymore.

In other words, how long until the principals cut their losses and sell the video library to Vince, with the company ceasing as an ongoing interest? The last couple times this has happened, I've rationalized the answer to be "not long", only for the next suitor to come along with promises to save the company in Cinderella-style fashion.

So for me the real question is, has the former TNA / current GFW completely run out Prince Charming's yet? I guess time will ultimately tell.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Ummmm...

Global Force Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., announced today numerous global and digital expansion initiatives, including:

Plans to launch the Global Wrestling Network, a multi-platform digital service designed to give fans around the world instant 24-hour access to the extensive GFW and IMPACT libraries.
Plans to launch the IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Pluto TV, a 24-hour live feed of content on the leading free over-the-top (OTT) television service in the U.S.
Extension with Pop TV in the U.S. to continue airing its flagship weekly show IMPACT on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Distribution deal with 7Sports, the sport business unit of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, to bring IMPACT back to screens in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via ran FIGHTING.
IMPACT showcases top professional wrestling stars such as GFW Champion Eli Drake, Bobby Lashley, the high-flying X-Division, the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Sienna, Rosemary and Gail Kim, plus talent from international partner promotions such as Johnny Impact, Naomichi Marufuji and El Hijo del Fantasma. The 3,000+ hour library features household industry names such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.

“These digital initiatives and broadcast agreements are a significant step forward for the Global Force Wrestling organization as we continue to expand the brand globally, making it available on more platforms and in more countries,” said Ed Nordholm, president of Global Force Wrestling. “Anthem is committed to broadening Global Force Wrestling’s footprint, as we work alongside international broadcast partners, digital platforms and professional wrestling promotions to bring our passionate fans a high-quality product that not only stands out in today’s media landscape, but continues to thrive into the future.”

Additional details about the launch of the Global Wrestling Network and IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Pluto TV will be revealed in the near future. For more information on Pluto TV, visit www.Pluto.tv.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Anthem and remain the exclusive linear television home of IMPACT in the U.S.,” said David Mandell, COO of Pop. “IMPACT delivers over 100 hours of original programming per year on Pop with some of the best and most passionate fans in television. With our broad distribution across all major cable and satellite providers, as well as almost every new over-the-top bundle, including DirecTV Now, Sony Vue, Fubo TV, Hulu TV and YouTube TV, IMPACT fans have more options than ever to catch their favorite show every week.”

IMPACT will be available as part of the ran FIGHTING BLACK PASS for €3.99 per month at ranFIGHTING.de across Germany, Austria and Switzerland starting on Sept. 8, which includes a simulcast of IMPACT on ran FIGHTING’s 24/7 web channel, plus VOD access to IMPACT episodes and One Night Only specials. The service also gives customers the opportunity to purchase GFW’s premium annual pay-per-view events, including Bound for Glory and Slammiversary.

“The deal with ProSieben marks the second major European broadcaster to license IMPACT, including Spike UK earlier this year,” Nordholm added. “Coupled with the Pop renewal, our digital launches and significant increase in YouTube views, this reflects the increasing excitement and demand for GFW’s content.”

Source: http://impactwrestling.com/global-f...obal-broadcast-digital-expansion-initiatives/

...what does this mean!?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Had Jarrett and the other clown in charge spent time focused on the company, not on stupid lawsuits and Twitter wars with The Hardyz, I might have had some sympathy at this point.

They're going back to "full circle", they started as a weekly PPV company and now they'll try "online" for most of their stuff and a few TV deals out there... considering the problems the WWE had getting The Network off the ground, I can't see any VoD network for GFW being done properly/right and not landing them more in the shit... if we believe what is being said, they don't have the financial backing to cover that.

What I think is that the company will put out more and more "plans" and something sudden will happen... The library to WWE makes sense if a deal can be reached to keep the company open in some form as it means there IS VOD potential there... how WWE monetises that for them is another matter or just buy it and fuck Anthem and the horse they should have never ridden in on.

At this stage, many fans have no more confidence in ANYONE turning TNA/GFW round... it's dead... they had their chance to change and forced Corgan out...

The crazy scenario that might not be so crazy... Hogan could show up and buy it all yet... he's cash rich and hasn't returned to WWE... he could waltz in and buy that company relatively cheaply or the library and have a bargaining chip with Vince going forward.

 

[d_henderson1810]

Karma is a bitch (and I am not referring to Awesome Kong)

The Hardys would be laughing now.

I know how they can get some ready cash. Sell their video library to WWE, and make it enticing by throwing in the rights to the "Broken Universe" into the mix for free as a goodwill gesture. Then GFW can pull up their pants after WWE makes them their bitch, and walk away.

Just save a lot of trouble and sell the company to WWE now. Vince will put the shows and PPVs on the Network, put some of the talent on NXT, and make DVDs of the careers of A.J. Styles, Kurt, Samoa Joe etc.

WCW and ECW were more successful and loved, and yet they fell to Titan Towers. TNA is a dead duck.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I love Reading the non TNA/GFW Fans jump of joy everytime somebody reports that the company is in financial trouble and they might close or sell.

It's entertaining. From what i'm getting as of now, the whole Sports illustrated article was bullshit and the reported and his editor didn't fact check this before putting it on their website. The fact is Anthem just bought the company a couple of months ago. They knew what they we're getting themselves into when they bought it and yes maybe they are losing money right now, that happens to pretty much anybody that buy a company that'S in trouble financially.

When Ted Turner bought Jim crockett's promotion in the late 80's early 90's. The company was losing a ton of money for the first five years of existence at some point they found a way to turn a profit and they we're profitable until turner lost power of his own company.

That'S what's happenning with Global force wrestling right now, they are in a rebuilding stage and i think they are on the right path to turn this thing around now as the product as become better then it was before. They are actually building long term stories now and while being on POP isn't the ideal solution at less they have TV now so they can focus on making this company profitable again which i think they can.

I think that they made a bigger deal out of Jarrett taking a break for personal issues that it needed to be. Jarrett as always been the type of guy that put everything on his shoulders and has to take a break because the pressure is too much. He will take care of whatever he has to take care of in his personal life and will comeback to GFW after.

Sorry to say this to the fans that want to see the company die just because they don'T want to release the broken universe to the hardy's, but the company isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[Rayne]

What revision of history are you using to say that WCW was a profitable enterprise?

 

[sikkbones]

What revision of history are you using to say that WCW was a profitable enterprise?

1996-1998.

The weeks they were winning.

 

[Rayne]

Winning a ratings war doesn't automatically translate to making a profit. Those ratings victories were borne on the back of massive, throughly documented expenditures well beyond profit that were completely unsustainable.

They made a small fortune from 1996-1998. They spent a large fortune to do it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

1996-1998.

The weeks they were winning.

WCW was doing what Crockett Promotions had done years earlier: they were spending vast amounts of money just trying to keep up with the then WWF. While it's true WCW was winning the ratings war at that time, it's not as if they were blowing the WWF out of the water each week with 2 to 1 wins or anything. Coming out #1 in the ratings isn't the end all, be all means of measuring a wrestling company's success as you have to take into consideration the overall bottom line. For instance today, while WWE's ratings aren't what hey used to be, which is something that can be said for just about every show on television given how viewing TV programs has been changing the past several years, WWE is and has been making more money than it ever has in its history.

As for the notion of Anthem getting ready to sell GFW, I'll believe it when I see it. For years, just about the only things being reported on TNA, Impact Wrestling or whatever the hell you choose to call it these days have been stories revolving around how much financial trouble the company's been in, how they're sometimes months late on paying talent, how the company's been living hand to mouth and how they're on the verge of shutting down but yet they're still hanging on. The demise of TNA/Impact/GFW has been the dirt sheet version of the boy who cried wolf since the company left Spike TV in 2014.

 

[sikkbones]

WCW was doing what Crockett Promotions had done years earlier: they were spending vast amounts of money just trying to keep up with the then WWF. While it's true WCW was winning the ratings war at that time, it's not as if they were blowing the WWF out of the water each week with 2 to 1 wins or anything. Coming out #1 in the ratings isn't the end all, be all means of measuring a wrestling company's success as you have to take into consideration the overall bottom line. For instance today, while WWE's ratings aren't what hey used to be, which is something that can be said for just about every show on television given how viewing TV programs has been changing the past several years, WWE is and has been making more money than it ever has in its history.

As for the notion of Anthem getting ready to sell GFW, I'll believe it when I see it. For years, just about the only things being reported on TNA, Impact Wrestling or whatever the hell you choose to call it these days have been stories revolving around how much financial trouble the company's been in, how they're sometimes months late on paying talent, how the company's been living hand to mouth and how they're on the verge of shutting down but yet they're still hanging on. The demise of TNA/Impact/GFW has been the dirt sheet version of the boy who cried wolf since the company left Spike TV in 2014.

Bischoff has said the period between 1995 and 1998 wcw was turning a profit.
I'm pretty sure by that point they were doing better than Vince.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Bischoff has said the period between 1995 and 1998 wcw was turning a profit.
I'm pretty sure by that point they were doing better than Vince.

From 1995 to 1998 and even the early parts of 1999 WCW was turning a profit if you believe Eric bischoff. He's a pretty credible source since he actually saw the Books for WCW back then.

Plus, WWE wasn't on the verge of bankrupcy from 1995 to mid 98 when the whole attitude era finally started to get some steam with austin vs mcmahon.

I don't know how this thread went from talking about jarrett and GFW to discussing about WCW. When i use this exemple in my previous reply, i didn'T think it would become such a big subject.

 

[GhettoV1]

Every September since 2013 there has been news about GFW having money problems and by Bound by Glory they bounce back like last year when at the eleventh hour they received the money needed to have the PPV and the TV tapings the day after.

 

[Rayne]

Now that people are basing their arguments around Eric Bischoff being a reliable and truthful source for WCW financial information, we can pretty much move on from the WCW discussion. I've made my point.

Every September since 2013 there has been news about GFW having money problems and by Bound by Glory they bounce back like last year when at the eleventh hour they received the money needed to have the PPV and the TV tapings the day after.

And the deal gets progressively worse for them each time. In that time, they've gone from Spike, one of the largest cable networks, to Destination America (which may not even still exist), to PopTV, where they aren't getting any domestic television revenue from their deal. Their television audience, and hence how many people watch TNA, has dropped ten-fold in that time.

This is bouncing back, in the sense that if you fell off a building, you would bounce a little bit after hitting the ground face first. This is "bouncing back", in the sense that someone with terminal cancer manages to become lucid enough to croak out a few words before slipping back into unconsciousness. (Basically TNA every January.) TNA's been dying for years, but won't finish dying until they run out of people to pay to prop up the corpse.

 

[GhettoV1]

And every January since 2015 it's a annual relaunch of the company.

 

[New Hot Fed]

So in short it was all bullshit coming from a guy that had zero sources coming from the company.

Nordholm said it was ridiculous cause they bought TNA in september to turn it into a success and they knew it would not happen quickly. I also heard that the owner of Anthem has always been a wrestling fan and buying them was his way in into the business. The guy is a Billionaire and can take a few losses.

 

[johnbragg]

So in short it was all bullshit coming from a guy that had zero sources coming from the company.

Nordholm said it was ridiculous cause they bought TNA in september to turn it into a success and they knew it would not happen quickly. I also heard that the owner of Anthem has always been a wrestling fan and buying them was his way in into the business. The guy is a Billionaire and can take a few losses.

He WAS a billioinaire before his company crashed in the financial crisis. I don't think anyone outside his family knows how much money he still has.