Global Force Wrestling

Earlier this year, Jeff Jarrett announced the launch of Global Force Wrestling and while there was a buzz around it, there weren't many details about the new promotion. Despite the announcement nearly six months ago, there's still not a lot of information about the actual company. As of now, there's no official roster, no television deal, and no live events scheduled with the exception of a GFW branded broadcast of the New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome show in a few months. So, what exactly is GFW?

Last year, there were several rumors that Jarrett and Toby Keith made an offer to buy TNA, but a deal wasn't reached because Bob Cater wanted Dixie to remain on TV if the company was sold. After Jarrett resigned from TNA a few months later, reports surfaced online that he was going to start another promotion and it was officially announced in April. As mentioned, no roster or TV deal has been announced, but there are working agreements with several international promotions, including AAA and NJPW. That's one of the elements that could give Global Force something unique to promote, the international talent from different promotions, which is similar to how WCW used talent from Mexico and Japan in the late 90s. More specifically, if GFW would provide an American stage for some of the top international performers, the company could generate a fan base to showcase talent that doesn't usually appear in the United States. As I've mentioned in a previous column, the Bullet Club is one of the top stables in New Japan and one of the reasons that the promotion had a resurgence the past few years so if Global Force can book the Bullet Club for events in the United States, it would certainly help the promotion become established as something other than just a PPV broadcast. The other international talent that would be beneficial for GFW is "El Patron" Alberto Del Rio because he's still fresh off of WWE TV and he returned to Mexico as a top star, but he was recently announced to debut for Ring Of Honor so it seems doubtful he would sign to Global Force.

While the possibilities of different talent provide some unique scenarios for the Global Force brand, there's still not an actual company established and in some respects, it seems like Jarrett is looking to use the broadcast of a New Japan show as a "launch" for a company that doesn't exist yet. New Japan sent some of their stars to work Ring Of Honor shows earlier this year and considering that NJPW seems to be expanding into the United States, you have to wonder why didn't they set up their own PPV deal? Was Jarrett necessary to get the Tokyo Dome show on American PPV? The New Japan office and Jarrett are the only ones that know the answer, but it certainly seems like Jarrett is getting the better part of the deal if he can associate his company name with NJPW when the promotion has already gained notoriety in the United States the past few years. If Global Force is going to become an established promotion, you have to wonder if there's really enough of the market for it to be profitable.

The wrestling business has been down in recent years and you have to wonder,  is there a market for another wrestling promotion? WWE has a majority of the wrestling fans watching the product, TNA has about a million viewers watch Impact, ROH has an audience, and Lucha Underground is trying to get a portion of the market, so what audience will Global Force try to market towards? Basically, what can Global Force bring to the table that isn't already used in a different promotion? That's not to say GFW can't be successful, but at this point, they haven't promoted anything different from what fans can already watch for a different promotion.

It will be extremely interesting to see the direction that Global Force goes and if they sign a TV deal because that's what would give them the opportunity to become a national promotion. Considering that TNA struggled to sign a new deal and even Destination America is a smaller channel, cable networks don't seem to eager to sign a wrestling company so it might be a challenge for GFW to get a TV deal. Don't get me wrong, Global Force has a chance to become a national product and there could be a great roster, but there are a lot things that Global Force would have to add to become a legitimate promotion.

CM Punk signed for UFC

For the second week in a row, Colt Cabana's "Art of Wrestling" podcast froze its website because of the amount of people attempting to listening to CM Punk discuss his departure from the WWE. Last week, social media was a buzz as Punk finally spoke about his decision to leave the WWE almost a year ago and during the podcast, there were many revelations about what exactly led to Punk quitting the company. I'm going to discuss a few of the main highlights from the original podcast, but if you haven't listened to it yet, I would recommend it, as it's worth listening to hear it directly from Punk.

One of the main topics for Punk was that he wasn't booked in the main event of Wrestlemania, even when he was the champion and defended the title against Chris Jericho at the event because The Rock returned to the company to wrestle John Cena for the main event. I've mentioned it before and I will say it again, while The Rock is a draw for casual fans and it certainly makes sense for him to appear at Wrestlemania, it doesn't boost the current roster if a returning star automatically gets a top spot at the biggest show of the year. How are the performers that are on the roster supposed to be perceived as major stars if they are booked for a secondary spot on the card? However, The Rock vs. Cena set a pay-per-view record and the argument could be made that more causal fans would pay to see The Rock in the main event than CM Punk, but it should also be considered that the Wrestlemania brand is a selling point, so it depends on the perspective of the situation.

Punk also detailed that he had a staph infection for two months prior to his WWE departure that the WWE medical team didn't provide useful medication for it and it was only after he left that Punk received the necessary medication for it. The WWE has since went into damage control and released a statement that their medical staff has a top priority to ensure the safety of the performers. In all fairness, medicine isn't an easy occupation and unless someone is a doctor, they probably shouldn't criticize the WWE medical staff, at least until they would have an opportunity to explain their side of the situation. Don't get me wrong, Punk could have a valid point, but it's important to consider that there are two sides to it.

Another interesting note that was revealed during Punk's appearances on Cabana's podcast was that Batista vs. Randy Orton was the original main event booked for Wrestlemania, which proves that the WWE didn't have some elaborate plan to push Daniel Bryan as an under dog, but it was the fan reaction that put Bryan in the main event. As I've said before, you can't blame Batista for his return being a flop, but rather the booking where the WWE tried to tell the fans what they should want to see in the main event. Regardless, it's great that Daniel Bryan got the push he deserved and hopefully, he can return soon.

However, Punk wasn't done making headlines, as he appeared during the UFC 181 broadcast and it was announced that he signed with the organization to fight next year. I've watched MMA for years and I was completely shocked to see Punk at the PPV. There were rumors that Punk had discussions with the UFC, but with no MMA experience, I didn't think he would actually sign with the promotion. The announcement of Punk's signing has garnered a mixed reaction, as some fans are thrilled he will enter the octagon, while others disapprove of it because of his lack of MMA experience. It really depends on how you look at it, the UFC is the major league of MMA and for a fighter to be signed, it usually indications they have proven themselves to be one of the better fighters in the sport so Punk getting a contract seems to go against that theory. On the flip side, CM Punk is one of the most popular sports figures of the past decade and it will draw major money if he fights in the UFC. Despite being a sport, the UFC is primarily a business and their profits were down this year after a series of injuries derailed some prime PPV matches so signing CM Punk is a smart business move for the company. There were also a few of the UFC's top draws that have left the promotion, including Brock Lesnar and George St. Pierre so Punk would boost the numbers that have declined after a few of the company's top stars retired. As for Punk's MMA career, he deserves credit for trying to transition to a new career, but it's doubtful that he will achieve the success of Brock Lesnar when he transitioned to MMA after his initial run in the WWE. Despite being a former NCAA national champion, Lesnar struggled with some of the basic striking of MMA and while his UFC run generated a lot of money, he retired after a 5-3 record in the sport. That's not to discredit Lesnar, but rather just an example of a lack of MMA experience effecting a career.

Punk has been training with the Gracie Ju Jitsu gym, but he has no MMA experience and it would be extremely difficult for anyone to start fighting in the UFC without major experience in some aspect of the sport. I don't think CM Punk will be majorly successful in the UFC, but it will be entertaining to see him fight in the promotion.