GWF: What Could Have Been

[OGpistolpete]

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JANUARY 1992

 

JANUARY 1 CHAMPIONSHIP ROLL CALL

GWF CHAMPIONSHIP

The Patriot

(Week 3, August, 1991 - PRESENT)

Defeated Al Perez in a rematch for the championship.

 

GWF TAG TEAM

Black Bart & Bill Irwin

(Week 4, December, 1991 - PRESENT)

(Defeated John Tatum and Rod Price at a house show in Dallas, TX)

 

The first month of the new year saw a new beginning for the Global Wrestling Federation, adjusting their structure to conform to a more modern-moving approach, with a similar scheduling set-up to the World Wrestling Federation. The company began focusing on building towards larger, non-televised monthly events with television building up to each event. Their television deal with ESPN stands with 9 months remaining, and the company is reportedly unhappy with the GWF’s production and music values for the show: GWF Supercard. Broadcasted every Tuesday at 5:00 PM, the hour long program has historically been a collection on clips from previous live events, as well as some studio taped wrestling and interviews. The studio taping emphasis seems to have increased as the company has committed to at least a year of Tuesday taping as the Bronco Bowl in Dallas TX. The venue, holding 1,500, is under what the company can do at the Dallas Sportatorium, but the balance sheet rules all as the cost between venues outweighs the nostalgia brought on by the old WCCW building. Joe Pedicino left the company after Max Andrews let the company go, and with Pedicino, the beautiful Boni Blackstone.

 

The Showdown at Sundown was announced as the company’s first big event, to be held at the Corpus Christi Coliseum. The company’s perhaps only big name, Eddie Gilbert, remained the focus for much of the booking. Although many perhaps already knew it, legendary manager Skandar Akbar announced his intentions of eliminating Gilbert from the GWF. Only then, with Gilbert gone, can the sleazy and ruthless businessman fully take control of the federation. He would finally have the final say on what was really going down, because after all, money rules everything. Akbar certainly opened a can of worms later that night, when he cost one of his clients, Bill Irwin, his match against Sam Houston on GWF Supercard. Irwin’s name would come up again in the show’s main event, which pitted Eddie Gilbert against Akbar’s other client: Black Bart. During a match in which Gilbert was clearly ready to walk out the victor, Irwin jumped the ropes and into the ring in order to give Bart the disqualification defeat. Of course, this also gave Irwin the opportunity give Gilbert the beat down they had been expecting during the match, but who’s to say was the real motivation was. /s All of this would lead to the run in from Sam Houston, who received a big pop from the fans in order to save Eddie Gilbert from the two dastardly cowboys. But, as Akbar would later say, “Houston had snuck his nose where it damn sure didn’t belong!” Houston was too small, Akbar claimed, ”too weak. There’s no chance in hell he would have cleared that ring if he wasn’t carrying that damn steel chair!” If Houston wanted his name on a list of dead men, fine, let him. It wasn’t a coincidence that Gilbert, later on in a promo, vowed to return the favor to Sam when the time came. Of course, after Sam Houston defeated Gary Young in a twelve-minute bout, the collective of Irwin and Bart surrounded the ring with chairs of their own. At that point, Gilbert didn’t have to wait long to cash in on his promise, and would chase off both Irwin and Bart, even without a chair.

 

Eddie Gilbert went on to call Black Bart and Bill Irwin cowards and phonies. Bart and Irwin can’t get a victory without at least one cheap shot or help from their ”sugar daddy” Skandar Akbar. And just as Houston was a free man to add his name to that list of dead men, Gilbert was going to let Irwin and Bart associate with low-life scum like Akbar. But if that’s going to be the case, then he wanted them both at the Showdown at Sundown two weeks ahead. Finally the fans were able to hear some words from Sam Houston, who had essentially been drawn into this feud out of spite for Bill Irwin and Black Bart. In an interview with Bruce Tharpe, he claims to have only found himself in a position where he’s in the middle of two egos colliding, and he’s been in this situation before. This time, however, he was determined to make a difference of it. He calls for a call to arms alongside Eddie Gilbert, to defeat Black Bart and Bill Irwin at the Showdown, because hey, the thought of becoming GWF Tag Team champions at the same time doesn’t sound too bad now does it? In a rare move, the GWF would end this episode of GWF Supercard with an angle, as Skandar Akbar called Eddie Gilbert and Sam Houston out to the ring in a classic trap. Black Bart and Bill Irwin would end up attacking both men from behind leaving both men battered and broken.

 

The final edition before the Showdown at Sundown began with Skandar Akbar verbally admonishing both Gilbert and Houston. They didn’t even deserve to be in the same ring as great wrestlers like the one he presides over. Akbar’s men are winners! After this coming Saturday, everyone will be able to forget the charade and return to cheering for the real greats like Bart and Bill. Gilbert and Houston got their chance to respond later that night, with Eddie promising a win at the Showdown; Houston promising a win later that evening. He would battle Black Bart in the show’s main event that saw Bart control from the start, but would eventually wear down against the spirit of Sam Houston. This called for Akbar to, once again, save himself the embarrassment and end the match early. He took to the ring quickly with Bill Irwin, who carried a chair and set it up in the middle of the ring. ”PLEASE NO! PLEASE STOP!” Houston wailed, but couldn’t put up much of a struggle against Bart and Irwin positioning his right forearm in between the chair. Akbar teased the crowd, preparing to break his forearm in one hard stomp until, yes that’s right, Eddie Gilbert made the save. This time, with the chair in hand, Gilbert pulled out all stops to save his partner at the Showdown at Sundown, clearing the ring and setting up for a battle for the GWF Tag Team titles.

 

The two sides went into the Showdown at Sundown looking for a piece of each other, whether it was over ego or personal heat. Two cowboys on one side, riding the saddles of their money-laced manager Skandar Akbar; on the other, two cowboys in their own right. Sam Houston, the could-have-been babyface of the National Wrestling Alliance, and Eddie Gilbert, professional wrestling’s true misfit. They say the most compelling story is the one that ends in hope, so it’s not hard to see why Gilbert and Houston gained the victory over Irwin and Bart. Skandar Akbar tried his damnest to prevent it, however. Interfering three times, once with a nice poke to Gilbert’s right eye and the other with a cane thrash to Houston’s left ankle, Akbar finally thought he had it wrapped up in his favor with his final jump in the ring. The wealthy manager gave Gilbert’s face the kind of facelift you only find in a side street alleyway, and Black Bart rolled him up for the pin. But by the time the referee’s hand’s were ready for the three, Sam Houston made his triumphant save to keep his partner and himself in the race. And like two wild horses deadbeat on conquering the land, Gilbert and Houston felt the wind. By the time both Irwin and Gilbert were out of action, Houston and Bart finished their match after the babyface rolled from Bart’s Texas Trash Compactor, the big man’s impressive diving leg drop. While holding his ass in agony, Sam saw his opportunity after having positioned himself at the turnbuckles. With all his might, Houston ran towards Bart and drove his head straight into the mat for his finishing bulldog! All too quick for even the experienced Akbar to get his dirty hands on the finish! Of course, Akbar reacted in anger, whipping his cane at the post and approaching Irwin, still sidelined, on why he was too weak to keep the contest going. If one thing was clear, this encounter wouldn’t be the last…

 

As for the GWF North American Heavyweight Championship? Well that ugly ****er was renamed to simply, the GWF Championship. Entering the month held by The Patriot, the masked Del Wilkes, it was questionable as to what his next challenge would be. He had seemingly put the Dark Patriot at bay, considering the two hadn’t been involved throughout the last weeks of December. Who knew the answer? Well, that man was Bruce Prichard, who appeared on GWF Supercard for his surprise announcement. He was bringing someone big. Someone, bigger than life. To quote Prichard, ”You will be able to thank him for single-handedly changing this company’s fortunes!” The two men wouldn’t intermingle until Prichard interrupted an interview with The Patriot being conducted by Bruce Tharpe. Bruce laughed in the face of the champion, calling him ”One big American merchandised PHONY!”. This heated up the Patriot, who calls Prichard the real fake. All this talk of having some big client coming to the GWF is a bunch of lies and everybody knows it! Having maybe seen this coming, Bruce is quick to take Patriot up on his offer, if you can call it that, and challenges Patriot to put his belt on the line at the Showdown at Sundown against his big debut. The champ agreed with pride. The next week, The Patriot gave scathing reviews for Bruce Prichard on Tharpe’s mic, and the two nearly collided in the ring when Bruce escaped an interference attempt in the Patriot’s win over Gary Young. Well, we can’t count that one against Gary, it was Bruce that hit him… To be even more of a nuisance, the very next week Prichard put himself into a Patriot match against Bull Pain when he distracted Patriot with threats of sending his big surprise out early that night! The Patriot wouldn’t believe it, marching up the walkway and telling Prichard to put the microphone down before he regrets what he is saying. Bruce egged the Patriot on, getting the masked hero to chase him almost all the way backstage. The referee, a man with the only job to do in this match, was forced to count to ten, and the Patriot was disqualified on a count out! Furious, he gave Prichard even more of a chase, but who knows what happens because the god damn cameras didn’t follow up after.

 

Just a few days before the Showdown, we finally got some real information as to who this big man was. Bruce, on television, states that stands at 6’4” and weighs nearly 400 lbs. of pure athleticism. Such an odd combination doesn’t come around often in professional wrestling. While some may have figured it out earlier than others, everyone knew damn well who this big reveal was as Bam Bam Bigelow made his way down the GWF walkway for the first time. The conniving Bruce Prichard, basking in all his glory, flanking the former WWF champion. Bam Bam still carried a presence that not many in the industry have, and is a welcome addition to the Global Wrestling Federation roster. And nothing may be more welcoming than said company awarding you their world championship, Bam Bam could have been thinking as the referee handed him the belt. But, more likely, he was probably thinking about how bad he had beaten down The Patriot as the masked hero lay waste underneath him. Bam Bam didn’t smile. He roared with a vengeance. This was his return to America, an America that isn’t craving an all-American hero to tuck them in at night. In a sixteen-minute match that almost touched every corner of the building, Bigelow had held off all attempts for the Patriot to regain the momentum he needed to overcome the odds. And this pissed people off. The fans seemed upset the match was as chaotic as it was, but that’s what Bam Bam means for the GWF. Chaos, destruction, and a world champion that isn’t going to pose for pictures in front of this nation’s flag.

 

As for our other Global Wrestling Federation heroes, Scott Putski found himself in a feud with “Hollywood” John Tatum. The two failed to turn many heads in their affairs and suffered in the hands of some poor booking in general. It’s clear Putski isn’t ready for the kind of push the company would love to give him, and it became very apparent the company wasn’t ready for hosting John Tatum on their product after their match at the Showdown when the company released him from his contract following the show. Their match ended with Putski pinning Tatum in six-minutes. The fans were introduced to Jeanie Clarke, who gave a terrible interview alongside Bruce Tharpe to advertise the tag team she would be bringing to the GWF. The point she tried to get across was that her clients were so savage, so vicious, they are like animals. They don’t even carry names. She refers to them simply as, number one and number two. And with that, out walked Pitbull #1 and Pitbull #2, rubbing their hands together as Clarke continued to stumble on her message. And to be expected, the fans didn’t have much to give in their win over Mike Davis and Tom Davis at the Showdown. The rest of the Showdown at Sundown saw the debut of Jeff Jarrett, who introduced himself to the crowd after his pinfall over Rod Price. He told him his success tonight was thanks to one man and one man only. The man who stood behind him throughout his entire preparation for this match. And he is excited to introduce him very, very soon! After that tease, Chris Candido made his GWF debut in a win against Gary Young (poor guy), taking the pinfall after an eight-minute bout with a classic underdoggish roll-up. The Dark Patriot, who was pretty much off TV most of the month, beat Al Snow by count out. And Bull Pain issued an open challenge which led to the debut of Jimmy Snuka. Wait, Jimmy Snuka!? Yes, the WWF superstar made a surprise appearance for the fans who gave him perhaps the biggest pop of the night. Snuka ran out like a wildman, which led to Bull Pain fleeing the ring before entering for their match. Not surprisingly, Bull Pain took the fall after Snuka hit his patented Superfly Splash!

 

Certainly a tumultuous month for the company, many new faces were ready to make their appearance on television, while many others were not to make any to come. The company was certainly sending a message that promoted bringing in younger talent they could one day call their own, but we are a long way from that story. Instead, we could talk endlessly about the number of times Eddie Gilbert and Sam Houston took to television in an intoxicated state. Whether it was beer, liquor, marijuana, cocaine, the two couldn’t work an angle without being inebriated. This hasn’t sat well with the locker room, and efforts appear to have made to improve other worker’s experiences working with the company, outside of having to deal with the antics of Houston and Gilbert both in the ring and out.

 

FULL RESULTS AND MORE ENTERTAINING ASPECTS PER POST COMING SOON!

 

BE APART OF THE GWF ACTION!

What should the GWF name their event in February?

 

How should the company handle Gilbert and Houston's actions?

 

Should the Pitbulls keep Jeanie Clarke as their manager?

 

What should Skandar Akbar do next in his quest to eliminate Eddie Gilbert?