Ed Nordholm, the Executive Vice President of Anthem Sports and Entertainment, appeared on Wrestling Observer Live on Friday to discuss GFW’s new Global Wrestling Network, an ‘over the top’ streaming service similar to the WWE Network.

Acknowledging that Global Force Wrestling’s troubled financial situation, Nordholm said “We’re invested in this company. We’re growing it. We know it’s not going to turn around tomorrow.”

In addition to GFW and TNA content, the plan is to feature content from GFW’s affiliate promotions, like AAA and NOAH. He even said they’d like to get New Japan content on the Global Wrestling Network, if they can persuade them.  “We’ll have a plan, an efficient place for an aggregation of wrestling content that isn’t related to WWE.”

As for how the pricing structure would work, the are planning to have some content available for free, but “most of the product will be in the pay tier. It’s hard to make the business work in the digital world off an ad-based product. There will be stuff available on the free tier, but you’ll have to go to the pay tier for the archives.”

Regarding the possibility of selling the GFW/TNA tape library to WWE, Nordholm says he knows the value of the content they currently own and he’d rather monetize it himself than sell to Vince McMahon.

“I know full well how the WWE Network would monetize the content and what they could pay for the library. It makes no sense for me to sell it for that kind of price. I’d rather keep it, put it up on the app, and monetize it myself.”

Check out the complete Ed Nordholm interview at F4WOnline.com.

This week’s episode of GFW Impact Wrestling averaged just 227,000 viewers, making it the least-watched episode of 2017. The show featured Global Champion Eli Drake retaining against Matt Sydal in the main event and the debut of Taya Valkyrie.

By comparison, Impact averaged 268,000 viewers last week and 320,000 viewers just a month ago. Impact faced stiff competition on Thursday night from the NFL season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England and coverage of Hurricane Irma.

Ironically, GFW has newcomer Ava Storie doing weekly football picks as part of a new #KnockoutsPredictions series. Storie said she was “definitely going with the Patriots,” who lost to the Chiefs 42-27.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEyd-HCXskM

This week’s show ranked #148 on cable for the night after not even cracking the Top 150 last week.

https://youtu.be/zjGa_zYsdBU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JksmRXCR89M

Earlier this week, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog published a report about Global Force Wrestling being in major trouble.

“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.”

In the following days, GFW announced the upcoming launch of their Global Wrestling Network streaming service and several new content distribution deals.

GFW Vice President of Production Kevin Sullivan has since responded to Barrasso’s report, calling it “bs” and questioning Barrasso’s integrity as a journalist

@SInow when did it become ok to print bs? As a journalism major, I find your fact checking to be less than diligent.

— Kevin Sullivan (@KevinSullyTV) September 7, 2017

@SInow will you be following up with another story with the facts? @GFWWrestling is: Launching the Global Wrestling Network.

— Kevin Sullivan (@KevinSullyTV) September 7, 2017

Is launching on Pluto TV. Is launching in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, via ran FIGHTING. And extended their deal on @PopTV

— Kevin Sullivan (@KevinSullyTV) September 7, 2017

@SInow Uncertain future?

— Kevin Sullivan (@KevinSullyTV) September 7, 2017

We noted before how GFW/Impact Wrestling was once again subject to rumors of financial issues and the company being sold after a report said that Anthem Sports is looking to withdraw itself from the industry.

It was believed that if these reports were true, then it would be discussed during the company’s creative meeting this week however it’s apparently not the case.

PWinsider is reporting that nothing of such sorts was discussed during their latest creative meeting and there was no inkling of the company shutting down or selling its tape library.

Furthermore, the site notes that they have heard nothing from WWE’s side, who are the most likely buyers for the video library, about this issue as well.

The meeting was said to be centered around the creative direction for their programming in the future and the persons leading the creatives in the upcoming time.

According to the report, the creative team will be led by John Gaburick, Sonjay Dutt and Scott D’Amore with each member of the trio having equal influence and they will have assistance from Dutch Mantel, Jeremy Borash, and Abyss.

Though it was also noted that if Anthem is really planning to sell the company, they’re likely to keep these plans under wraps for as long as they can so we should wait and watch where these rumors lead us this time.

Former Global Force Wrestling star Davey Richards recently spoke with USA Today’s For the Win section about various topics. Here are the highlights:

His decision to leave GFW:

“I’ve done a pretty good of trying to juggle the very high demands of wrestling and school, but it’s gotten to the point where my school load would be so much that I couldn’t do both. The last little while, I couldn’t give 100 percent to wrestling or to medicine because I was being pulled in both directions. I didn’t think it was fair to anyone who pays to see me not to be able to give 100 percent. I can still wrestle a part-time schedule, but it’s not really right to expect TNA to pay me a salary with my hopefully being able to commit to a schedule. School needs to come first. That’s the point where I am.”

Demands of his schedule leading to him making a change:

“I’ve always been the kind of wrestler, nine times out of 10, I would take a booking, no matter how much the travel is because I like to wrestle,” Richards said. “I want to get out there, and I want to stay on the top of my game and compete against the best people. The more bookings I take, the more I have to travel. It got to be too much. We’d fly to Seattle to leave David with my mom and then fly to Florida to do tapings and then fly from Florida to Seattle to get David. Then fly back home to St. Louis. Add in my school schedule, and it just became impossible. This is definitely for the best for right now. Maybe when I’m done with school, that will change.”

Becoming an EMT:

“Emergency medicine has always been my main source of interest,” he said. “The adrenaline rush I get from that is in some ways the same that I get from walking through that curtain because you never know what’s going to happen in a match.”

You can read the entire interview here. 

GFW sent in the following press release on Wednesday afternoon:

Global Force Wrestling Announces Global Broadcast and Digital Expansion Initiatives

NASHVILLE | TORONTO – 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.”

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com.

Global Force Wrestling (GFW) star Robbie E recently did an interview with Wrestling Inc. to talk about a variety of professional wrestling topics. E discussed how some stars from GFW’s past have gone on to make huge names for themselves in WWE, and if he’d ever consider working with WWE in the future. You can see the highlights here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Gju2cAKVg&feature=youtu.be

Former TNA stars making names for themselves in WWE:

“It’s not only three awesome wrestlers because they are so talented, it’s also cool because there was a time when everyone said that if you were in TNA you would be there for life and that there is no where else to go, but it shows that there is,” he said. “This goes to show how awesome Jeff Jarrett is because he helped brand them. Believe me, Jeff helped them develop their platform on Spike TV at the time and become such bigger stars it’s awesome and am so happy for them. All three are great guys. When I first started on the road with TNA, me and Bobby Roode travelled everywhere together so I learned so much from him. I’m super happy for him.”

If he’d like to work with WWE:

“It’s Pro Wrestling, anything can happen,” he said. “I may end up fighting (Conor) McGregor. Maybe my wife will give me permission to go on the Bachelor just because I like the show so much.”

You can check out Robbie E’s full interview with Wrestling Inc. by visiting this link here.

After a highly publicized feud with Anthem Sports & GFW/Impact Wrestling over the rights to the “Broken Hardy” characters, Matt Hardy and his wife Reby took to Twitter to apparently respond to recent reports about behind-the-scenes trouble in GFW. Reby also retweeted a report that Anthem is “hemorrhaging funds.”

Sports Illustrated reported this week that GFW’s parent company Anthem Sports is looking to sell GFW and finish their stint in the wrestling business.

The Hardys will outlast all. pic.twitter.com/I5VnK6CNBZ

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) September 6, 2017

https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/905477746804920320

In August, Reby told Sports Illustrated that they were willing to go to court with Anthem but would rather settle the issue like “civil human beings.” She says Senjor Benjamin (her father) and Maxel (her son) never signed any kind of release or contract for their images to be marketed by GFW/Impact or Anthem Sports. She also claims that she created, shot, directed, and edited a lot of footage which she never gave them permission to use.

GFY and the Hardys have been locked in a legal battle over the Broken Matt and Brother Nero characters since 2017, with GFW arguing that the characters were created by their employees while working for the company. The Hardys claim that they created the whole gimmick, producing the majority of the Broken Universe segments themselves along with Jeremy Borash and Billy Corgan. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the Hardys even tried to get Borash to join them in WWE to work on Hardy family storylines, but it didn’t pan out.

According to a report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Anthem Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of Global Force Wrestling, is “hemorrhaging funds” on the wrestling promotion and is looking to cut bait.

“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.” (SI.com)

When Anthem swooped in (like an owl) late last year and purchased a majority stake in Impact Wrestling from Panda Energy and the Carter family, the purchased an asset deeply in debt and facing lawsuits on several fronts (Billy Corgan, the Hardy family, the Audience of One production company).

In an effort to alleviate the financial burden they acquired, Anthem has been aggressively cutting talent and scaling back on television tapings.

The news comes on the heels of Tuesday’s announcement that Jeff Jarrett is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the company due to ‘personal issues.’

Another dynamic at play is the fact that Jeff Jarrett reportedly still owns the “Global Force Wrestling” trademark. Anthem’s decision to rebrand the company without owning the rights to “Global Force Wrestling” is ‘questionable’ at best. As such, Anthem would technically be selling “Impact Wrestling.”

At this point, the biggest asset under the Impact Wrestling umbrella is the TNA Wrestling tape library. WWE seems like the most logical buyer of this tape library, which includes years of matches from the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, Sting, Eric Young, Drew McIntyre and more.

Discussion: Which GFW stars would you want to see in WWE?

– Jim Cornette has announced Matt Sydal vs. GFW World Heavyweight Champion Eli Drake for next Thursday’s GFW Impact (September 7th).

Cornette also announced El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III for the September 14th show.

– Here is the latest After Impact video with Josh Mathews and Scott D’Amore recapping last night’s show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJBSIFUXyBM

– Former X Division Champion Petey Williams returned to GFW Impact this week and picked up a win over Caleb Konley. It was Petey’s first Impact match in more than 8 years after returning at Destination X a few weeks back.

In a post-match video, Williams talks about his goal to elevate the X Division once again. He also says his Canadian Destroyer move has been “hookered” around the business while he’s been retired for the past 3 years. He claims to be the original ‘Canadian Destroyer’ and he’s going to save pro wrestling while he takes the move back. Williams also knocks Caleb and Trevor Lee, and thanks X Division Sonjay Dutt for having his back.

How is @ipeteywilliams feeling after picking up a win in his first #IMPACT singles match in over 8 years? Find out now! #LastWord pic.twitter.com/KLHgDu2MDq

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) September 1, 2017

Global Force Wrestling and Pop TV have signed a deal to keep Impact Wrestling on Pop for another year, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

While it’s good news that Impact will continue airing through 2018, GFW barely makes any money from the deal and their viewership performance wasn’t strong enough to bring in any revenue beyond a split on ad revenue from commercials that air during the broadcast.

GFW continues to run on a very tight budget, with the India and U.K. TV deals bringing in the lion’s share of the company’s revenue.

The company has been running fewer TV tapings in recent months (with more shows taped each round) and there’s no live event business to speak of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PayhpFoYq-Q

According to PWInsider Alberto El Patron may be making his way back to Global Force Wrestling either before or after Bound For Glory, dependent on whether they can film an angle first…

Patron was expected to take part in a major segment at AAA’s TripleMania event which would setup an angle and eventual match at Bound For Glory. AAA reportedly angered Alberto when they copyrighted the ‘Alberto El Patron’ name in Mexico and subsequently he refused to film the angle in their ring.

The only alternative for GFW is to film the angle at an independent show so that the footage would be available for Impact, there are currently no reports on where and how they plan to do so.

Rosemary was injured during Saturday night’s AAA TripleMania XXV 4-Way match. Sexy Star defended her AAA Reina de Reinas Championship against Rosemary, Ayako Hamada and Lady Shani. During the match, Sexy Star applied an Arm Bar and which appeared to be a shoot and Rosemary’s arm popped out of place. Thankfully, the injury is said to not be serious and Rosemary will not be out of action for long.

Rosemary took to Twitter earlier in the evening and released a statement about the situation:

“Let me make this perfectly clear: if you take liberties with someone’s body when they are giving it to you and trusting you to keep them safe, you are not tough. You are an asshole. And you don’t belong in this business.

Sexy Star decided to do just that this weekend at Triplemania. And while I have remained quiet on social media until I was more calm to address the situation, I have now being informed that she is telling people that it is a work. You are all now being informed that Sexy Star is a liar. She was a liar in the locker room when she was forced to apologize and instead cooked up some bullshit excuse that she ‘didn’t know’ and she is a liar now. You know if you are torquing on someone’s arm.

You know an arm bar is a real and dangerous hold. The only reason your face is not broken right now is because a little voice inside my head as I lay on the apron kept repeating, ‘Don’t go to Mexican prison.’ (thanks Demon).

However, turning to positives, the outreach from the wrestling community has been incredible. I’m overwhelmed with how much love I feel right now from friends, fans, and people I have yet to meet in this amazing business. We are a family and we protect our own. If you violate that, you are not welcome here.

I also want to thank the AAA locker room. Multiple people came up to me saying how sorry and disgusted they were. Thank you Hamada and Shani, who also had to deal with bulls–t from Star during that match. Thank you, Vampiro, for professionally trying to calm a volatile situation, though, as you know, once the excuses started pouring out of Sexy Star’s mouth in lieu of an apology, it was over.

Thank you to the amazing GFW locker room, both present that night and not. I have so much support from everyone, and talent, crew and office have all reached out to show me that.”

24 hours removed.. pic.twitter.com/KHrPQRAAJS

— The Demon Assassin (@WeAreRosemary) August 28, 2017

Rosemary injured at AAA TripleMania XXV

PWInsider is reporting that former TNA Knockouts Champion Rosemary was injured during the finish of the Reina de Reinas Championship match at AAA TripleMania XXV last night. Sexy Star retained her title in the 4-Way match.

At the end of the match, Sexy Star applied an Armbar Submission and popped Rosemary’s arm out of place while applying the hold. The injury is not expected to keep Rosemary out of action for too long.

Lady Shani and Star were legitimately shooting on each other during the match. It was reported that Star left the arena after the match, but was brought back by Vampiro to apologize to Rosemary. Star then quickly exited the arena again. Shani was reportedly still upset following the match and was looking for Star backstage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JR7aD9AEqA

Wrestlers react to Rosemary’s injury

https://twitter.com/AllieImpact/status/901802761414696961

https://twitter.com/AllieImpact/status/901803614515208192

https://twitter.com/Sienna/status/901809546808713217

https://twitter.com/JoeyRyanOnline/status/901715799814975488

DISGUSTING is just one word. We put our lives in each other's hands. So unprofessional. This is how you work yourself out of the business https://t.co/aELhRMO017

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) August 27, 2017

Some people are such huge marks for themselves that they'll never understand the art of the "work." Those people should never be in a ring.

— Velvet Sky (@VelVelHoller) August 27, 2017

Not ok, lost all respect. @Sexydulceg https://t.co/nD5ihdyrxy

— Christy (@hemmepowered) August 27, 2017

Furious about what happened to @WeAreRosemary last night. If you legit want to hurt/injure people, professional wrestling isn't for you.

— Rhia O’Reilly ???????? (@rdpixie) August 27, 2017

@WeAreRosemary is one of the SAFEST, most PROFESSIONAL people I have ever been fortunate enough to share a ring with. ??you demon queen!

— Madison Rayne (@MadisonRayne) August 27, 2017

Global Force Wrestling released a video on Wednesday teasing the upcoming debut of Taya Valkyrie.

Valkyrie was signed to a WWE developmental deal back in 2011 but never appeared on television. She competes for Lucha Underground and worked for Mexico’s Lucha Libre AAA promotion until earlier this year, when she had a falling out with the company last month.

https://twitter.com/TheTayaValkyrie/status/886764300253118464

This is complete and utter bullshit. And this is not a work. https://t.co/KhlEE1KN8Q

— TAYA VALKYRIE (@thetayavalkyrie) July 17, 2017

https://twitter.com/TheTayaValkyrie/status/886766012292517889

Valkyrie is engaged to Impact Wrestling star Johnny Impact (formerly John Morrison).

She’s known around the world, but has never competed in the IMPACT Zone. Taya Valkyrie is coming soon to GFW.

https://youtu.be/bHV4BDGvFlk

Low Ki is reportedly done with Global Force Wrestling according to a report by Mike Johnson at PWInsider.

There are conflicting stories about whether he left because of a financial dispute or creative  differences, but it it was Low Ki’s decision to request his release and GFW granted it.

Low Ki had been advertised to wrestle then-GFW Champion Alberto El Patron at last week’s live Destination X edition of Impact, but that match was scrapped due to Alberto’s suspension. It would have been his first world title match in 15 years.

The 4-time X Division Champion will appear in the Gauntlet Match that headlines tomorrow’s Impact, which was taped last week.

The departure marks the end of Low Ki’s latest run with GFW after returning about 4 months ago. With his history in Ring of Honor (as the company’s first World Champion) and WWE (as Kaval), it will be interesting to see where he resurfaces next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXkPxFecANc

Based on the past several days of GFW Impact Wrestling tapings, the card for Bound For Glory is taking shape. Here’s a look at what to expect from GFW’s biggest show of the year.

– GFW World Champion Eli Drake vs. Johnny Impact

– GFW Knockouts Champion Sienna vs. Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell vs. Allie

– GFW X Division Champion Trevor Lee vs. Matt Sydal vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams

– Monster’s Ball: Grado vs. Abyss

– James Storm and Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III vs. Texano and Fantasma

GFW presents Bound for Glory on pay-per-view Sunday night, November 5th in Orlando, Florida.

Saturday’s GFW TV tapings saw Trevor Lee defeat Sonjay Dutt in a Falls Count Anywhere match to become the new GFW X Division Title.

Spoiler 4: X Division Title, Falls Count Anywhere, Trevor Lee v Sonjay Dutt pic.twitter.com/FNx7XqTqRI

— The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) August 19, 2017

OVE (Ohio Versus Everything) defeated The LAX to become the new GFW Tag Team Champions at Sunday’s GFW Impact tapings in Orlando. The match will air on the Victory Road edition of Impact, which airs on September 21st or September 28th.

OVE, brothers Jake and Dave Crist, just made their GFW debuts at last week’s Destination X special with a win over enhancement talents.

Spoiler 11: OVE over LAX to win the tag titles. pic.twitter.com/31yltmslyg

— The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) August 20, 2017

GFW held another round of Impact tapings on Sunday from Orlando, FL. Based on the taping schedule, these should air on September 21st and September 28th but they have been taping some things out of order. Thanks to @TheRogueFan for the spoilers:

– Dezmond Xavier defeated X Division Champion Trevor Lee, Peter Williams, Matt Sydal, Garza Jr, Sonjay Dutt in a six-way non-title match. Xavier pinned Lee for the win

– Knockouts Champion Sienna comes out to reveal her Bound For Glory plans. Sienna says she has to be the GFW Hall of Fame inductee this year. Gail Kim interrupts and wants her rematch at BFG. Taryn Terrell comes out and says Gail has never beat her. Allie comes out next and says she deserves a title shot because she’s been working hard. Karen Jarrett is out next. She makes Sienna vs. Gail vs. Taryn vs. Allie at BFG

– Johnny Impact defeated Texano

– OVE defeated The LAX to become the new GFW Tag Team Champions. This match will air on Victory Road

– Jeremy Borash says there’s evidence that Joseph Park has been stealing from Grado. Park comes out and pushes JB, saying he’s not a thief. Park says no one will disrespect him and this crowd sucks. JB says Park will be put on trial later tonight

– Matt Sydal, Petey Williams and Sonjay Dutt defeated Andrew Everett, Caleb Konley and X Division Champion Trevor Lee when Sydal pinned Everett. After the match, Dutt challenges Lee for BFG. Petey says the title shot is his but Sydal says it’s his. The segment ends with the faces arguing

– GFW Tag Team Champions OVE defeated Jon Bolen and Trey Miguel

– James Storm, Allie and Dezmond Xavier defeated Andrew Everett, Texano and Knockouts Champion Sienna when Storm pinned Everett

– There’s an in-ring trial where Park admits to stealing from Grado but he has Grado’s visa. Park suggests a match with himself at BFG. If Grado wins, he gets to stay but if he loses, he has to leave. Grado signs the contract. Park then announces that Grado will be facing Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match at BFG

– James Storm comes out for a segment to air on Victory Road. He says the AAA guys want to disrespect him but he’s the best in GFW. Texano interrupts and the crowd chants USA. Storm stops them and says we’re all humans, this isn’t USA vs. Mexico. Texano and Storm brawl. Fantasma is out next for the double team. Fantasma says Texano is a cowboy too. Fantasma supports GFW but AAA is the best in the world. Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III is out to save Storm. They shake hands

– Sienna, Taryn Terrell and Taya defeated Rosemary, Gail Kim and Allie in a match for Victory Road. Sienna pinned Allie

– GFW World Champion Eli Drake retained over Johnny Impact in a match for Victory Road. The match had referee bumps and interference. Drake and Chris Adonis beat Johnny down after the match. Garza Jr runs out to make the save but The LAX comes out and attacks Garza. Chaos breaks out. Adonis attacks referees and stands tall with Drake to end the show

Here are the results from Saturday’s GFW Impact tapings from Orlando. Based on the taping schedule, these should air on September 14th and September 21st but the order for this week’s ongoing tapings will likely be different from how they filmed. Thanks to @TheRogueFan for the spoilers:

– Grado defeated an unknown wrestler and cut a post-match promo on how he’s going back to Glasgow tomorrow. Joseph Park comes out and says he’s sponsoring Grado’s visa and he will get to stay in the United States. They celebrate

– Trevor Lee defeated Sonjay Dutt to become the new GFW X Division Champion in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Match ended outside of the arena with Caleb Konley interfering

– Johnny Impact calls out GFW World Champion Eli Drake but KM comes out instead. KM says Drake is still in Mexico. Johnny says that’s a lie and Drake is avoiding him. KM says Johnny should put his #1 contendership on the line. We have a match

– Johnny Impact defeated KM

– Taya Valkyrie defeated Ava Storie. Taya cuts a promo on wanting the Knockouts Title but Rosemary comes out and says she deserves a title shot. She attacks. Knockouts Champion Sienna comes out to assist and the heels go over but argue. Allie is out next for the save. Taryn Terrell is out now for a 3-on-2 attack. Gail Kim makes the save and runs the heels off

– Laurel Van Ness is back out with her wacky makeup. She’s looking for a husband in the crowd

– Kongo Kong defeated Mahabali Shera

– Texano and Fantasma defeated James Storm and Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III. Pagano interfered and helped Team AAA win. Storm and EC3 were reluctant to team together

– Pagano defeated Cody Martin in a match for Xplosion

– The Victory Road tapings are starting now

– Trevor Lee retains the X Division Title over Petey Williams

– Laurel Van Ness is back in the crowd looking for a husband

– Taya defeated Amber Nova

– Johnny Impact defeated Low Ki with the #1 contendership on the line. Drake comes out after the match and stares Impact down. Chris Adonis comes from behind and attacks Impact. Adonis and Drake double team Impact. Drake stands tall to end the show

– It’s possible the only match taped for Victory Road was Lee vs. Petey.

We noted before how GFW Star Tyrus refused to attend the latest GFW TV Tapings due to being unhappy with the way he was being treated.

He released a video in which he accused officials of treating him like a ‘second-class citizen’ and said that he has been handcuffed creatively.

Now the former WWE Star has announced his departure from the company. He gave the news through a tweet in which he revealed that he has been granted his release as seen below:

Thank you to @EdNordholm and @IMPACTWRESTLING for granting me my release. Wishing the roster and crew all success. #TyrusSmash #Nuffsaid

— Tyrus (@PlanetTyrus) August 19, 2017

It’s worth noting here that Tyrus is not the only star who has left GFW in recent days. Over the past number of weeks, almost half a dozen superstars have parted ways with the company.

The names to leave GFW in recent times include the likes of former World Champion Magnus, ‘The Blueprint’ Matt Morgan and just recently Da Pope.

Tyrus had joined TNA back in September 2014. He debuted as a heel initially and acted as a sidekick for EC III. He later turned on him and sided with the Hardy Boyz, turning face in the process.

Prior to his stint with GFW, Tyrus worked with WWE for almost 8 years under the ring name Brodus Clay. Though while he spent a long time working with WWE, the monster sized athlete didn’t achieve anything significant during his career in the company.

Jim Cornette made a surprise appearance on Thursday’s ‘live’ edition of Impact Wrestling and immediately made his presence felt.

In light of Alberto El Patron being stripped of the GFW World Championship due to his conduct outside the ring, authority figure Bruce Prichard announced that he would be presenting the championship to the man Alberto defeated to unify the TNA/GFW titles, Bobby Lashley. Lashley’s music hit, but out came Cornette, who proceeded to fire Bruce Prichard on behalf of Anthem executives. He also announced a championship gauntlet match for next week’s Impact, the results of which you can find here.

Cornette spoke with his podcast co-host Brian Last on Thursday night about what transpired on Impact. Cornette has been very outspoken about TNA (including Dixie Carter and of course Vince Russo), but said he likes a challenge and is looking restore order in GFW. He added that he’s not currently under contract with GFW. “I’m not a member of the Global Force Wrestling roster. I’m not interested with anything full-time with any promotion.”

Listen to the Jim Cornette Experience each Thursday and Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru each Monday on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, and everywhere else podcasts are available!

The first day of latest Impact Taping schedule was filled with a number of interesting events including the crowning of a new GFW World Heavyweight Champion and the Impact debut of a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.

As we noted before the first episode of Impact which was taped during the first day of the 4 days taping schedule saw the return of Jim Cornette.

Cornette announced a Gauntlet match for next week to determine the new GFW World Champion after Alberto El Patron was stripped of the title recently.

During the episode, they also announced the debut of former WWE Star John Morrison now renamed as Johnny Impact. The announcement was made through a video package which can be seen below:

JOHNNY IMPACT IS COMING #IMPACTonPOP #DestX #GFW #ImpactWrestling pic.twitter.com/eT1ldnogDa

— pwguru (@pwguru65) August 18, 2017

The episode featuring the Gauntlet match was taped later in the night and Johnny Impact made his debut during the Championship bout while coming out as a participant at number 13.

He stayed in the match for a while and was one of the final four contestants in it along with Moose, Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards, before being eliminated. Below are some of the photos of his Impact debut:

Spoiler 46: Johnny Impact is out next! pic.twitter.com/aMWIiCUs4L

— The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) August 18, 2017

https://twitter.com/theredstandard/status/898366501111123970

Spoiler 55: Final 4 are Moose, Drake, Eddie Edwards, Johnny Impact pic.twitter.com/P2VSYlUwDe

— The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) August 18, 2017

It’s worth mentioning here that John Morrison made his GFW debut during a Live Event earlier this month from Long Island New York on August 4rth.

Global Force Wrestling taped next week’s episode of Impact on Thursday night following the “live” Destination X show. H/T to The Rogue Fan and WrestleZone for the report:

– Taryn Terrell comes out and says she came back to help Gail retire. Gail comes out and chases her away.

–  oVe defeated The Heatseekers

– Grado comes out and says his time is up, and now he has to leave the country. Fans chant ‘Please don’t go’ at him, then Laurel Van Ness comes out, and she’s her normal self, not the ‘Hot Mess’. She says she’s a changed woman because of him, and ends up proposing to him. Grado says yes and the crowd cheers. Kongo Kong comes out to break up the party, but Mahabali Shera comes out and Kong backs away.
Eli Drake wins Gauntlet For The Gold to become the new GFW World Champion

– Gauntlet match participants order of entry:

• Eli Drake
• Eddie Edwards
• Mario Bokara
• Eddie Kingston
• Braxton Sutter
• Richard Justice
• EC3
• Kongo Kong
• Suicide
• Mahabali Shera
• Chris Adonis
• El Hijo De Fantasma
• Johnny Impact (Johnny Mundo / John Hennigan)
• Garza Jr
• Fallah Bahh
• KM
• Taiji Ishimori
• Bobby Lashley
• Moose
• Low Ki

Final six participants are Moose, Johnny, Low-Ki, Eddie Edwards, Lashley, and Eli Drake. Final four was Moose, Drake, Eddie Edwards, Johnny Impact, then it was down to Drake versus Edwards, who entered at 1 and 2, respectively. Eli Drake pinned Eddie Edwards after a Gravy Train to win the GFW Title.

The GFW World Heavyweight Championship has been in controversy lately thanks to its former owner and former WWE World Champion Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio was infamously involved in an airport fight incident with his girlfriend Paige and was suspended by the company due to it while he still held the belt.

Officials stripped him of the World Championship just a few days ago despite no longer being a suspect in the mentioned incident. Since then it was rumoured that GFW will scrap their old plans and take a completely new direction for their top title.

During the latest episode of Impact Wrestling Jim Cornette returned to the company and announced a Gauntlet match for next week’s episode of Impact to crown the new GFW Champion.

The episode was taped later on the same night and Eli Drake won the announced Gauntlet match to become the new GFW World Heavyweight Champion.

Drake joined TNA back in 2015 and this is not the first championship he has won on the Promotion now rebranded as Global Force Wrestling. He has previously won the TNA King of the Mountain Championship once too.

Eli has worked for WWE on a number of occasions as well but he has mostly worked in dark matches for the company and he hasn’t had any meaningful stint with them.

Spoiler 57: Your winner AND NEW GFW Global Champion, ELI DRAKE! pic.twitter.com/hHZQmD3xne

— The Rogue Fan (@TheRogueFan) August 18, 2017