Could Global Force Wrestling Be a Governing Body Instead of a Promotion?

A promotion or an umbrella? Graphics Credit: Global Force Wrestling website

Word leaked that Global Force Wrestling's pay-per-view debut was scheduled to take place January 4, 2015. If that date sounds familiar to wrestling buffs, it's because New Japan Pro Wrestling usually holds its annual Tokyo Dome show, WrestleKingdom. While the upcoming WK is only ninth of its name, the traditional show has been held on that date at the Tokyo Dome since 1992. All of this talk sounds coincidental until you realize NJPW and GFW are partner promotions. Would GFW dare to hold its first show on the same date as its highest-profile partner? Or is this deal a way to bring NJPW to America as a Global Force branded show? Nothing is set in stone yet, but the dates lining up is enough to fuel rampant speculation.

One of the most salient observations, however, came from the Voices of WrestlingTwitter account yesterday after the announcement dropped:

This Jarrett/NJPW story just adds credence to the idea that GFW will never be a true promotion, and more of an umbrella group like NWA.
— Voices of Wrestling (@voiceswrestling) September 29, 2014

The observation is astute if one ponders what Jarrett's business plan has been. He hasn't been trying to sign wrestlers; he's been creating a database of people who aren't currently signed by WWE or TNA. He's been recruiting partner promotions abroad like NJPW, AAA in Mexico, and 11 other promotions in Oceania, Europe, and South Africa (whose partner company, World Wrestling Professionals, has a reach into India, East Asia, and other parts of Africa). He's been pounding the pavement in indie promotions in America, making appearances for companies like Dreamwave Wrestling in Southern Illinois. He is not building a promotion to compete with TNA. He's building a network of territories, ostensibly to compete with WWE worldwide eventually.

No company without major corporate backing can compete with WWE in the United States, but a pastiche of companies with worldwide appeal distributed in America could give the rest of the world the might in order to combat the machine. Jarrett won't gain a foothold in America right away if he does at all, but wrestling is about growth. You could argue TNA never succeeded because the company never grew from the seeds it planted and germinated from the early days. The company could have grown from the Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe feud that buoyed it in the middle of last decade, but then it surrendered the bounty to Kurt Angle and became WWE-lite.

Obviously, Jarrett was a huge part of that company as well, especially during that critical time in 2005. Basically, it is fair to ask if Jarrett is the guy to head up such an ambitious project if a governing body is his endgame. Granted, TNA is still in business and it survives like a cockroach every time rumors of its impending demise start circulating, but how much of that has to do with his business savvy and leadership and how much is dedicated to the coffers of Panda Energy and the patience of Spike TV? Even with such established names like NJPW and AAA in tow, it's hard to have faith in anything headed up by someone who has seemingly failed upward his entire life.

However, this idea seems to be the best one yet in terms of providing a second promotion in America, an alternative to WWE if you will. If you can't compete with WWE singularly, then hit 'em with a variety under one umbrella. Even if Global Force Wrestling doesn't turn out to beat WWE, if it can be profitable and an alternative worth following, then it will be a success. Of course, trusting Jeff Jarrett to do anything successfully is a risky bargain, but no one else is really making a concerted effort at this point.