Hey, Chock Full back here on Just The Facts! 3001 - no, we haven't died here but rather had to take a week of vacation... and next week will need to take another one for 'bidness' purposes. These rumors donb't write themselves, people! Anyway, onto the dirt:
- It's official. The Great Lakes Championship Wrestling federation has closed its doors for the final time, citing a varied number of reasons for the closure. Most of the GLCW's roster saw the move coming, but there was still a hope that the fed that defied the odds all these years could do it once again. But earlier this month, president and owner Andrew Wilczak confirmed the closure. With a lack of profits the past two years and some key roster turnover, GLCW was forced into the position to end its run. Wilczak said that he's currently pursuing non-wrestling related goals now and doesn't expect to be anywhere near a ring anytime soon. We here at JTF! 3001 wish him luck. We're sure that he'll excel in whatever endevor meets him next.
- An Issue that comes from this closing is what happens with the GLCW mainstays that stuck it out with the fed, spurning other opportunities? Mainly, the guys who haven't been signed up by another federation - The Gremlin, Johnny Pleasance, Jake Shaw, Tony Cameron, Tim Sanders, and "Mr. Workrate" Tommy James. It's been rumored that James is content in retiring and The Gremlin has hinted, from what my spies have gathered, that he's leaning towards hanging it up for a couple of years to rest his battered body. Pleasance has gotten offers from BSCW and has drawn some interest from his former home in Canada, UWF. Jake Shaw hasn't decided on the couple of offers made his way - from RCW, I-Slash, NEO, BSCW, LWC, and GIW. It's believed, though, that in the interim, Shaw may work the indy scene until a contract that's favorable to him comes his way as he's saved enough money from his EMWC & GLCW days to live off from for a good amount of years. Tony Cameron & Tim Sanders have UWF offers and may take them.
- BSCW & NEO-Pro are back at it again. With the upcoming NEO-Pro big show, Uncivil War, only a couple days away the two have signed on to host a pair of matches that will features BSCW wrestlers on the NEO-Pro show. BSCW stars Seth Draken and Spikyjim are the leading candidates to fill those spots for the card. After Uncivil War, though, expect a full-out NEO-Pro/BSCW joint-PPV that could get a bit out of hand.
- In other BSCW news, they've made a couple roster moves, releasing Roland Dean and Caine Tainer and hiring a couple unnamed, but very big names to the federation. One of the stars signed is a former KCW and EMWC star while the other is a cruiser that made it big with GLCW a couple years ago.
- In River City Wrestling news, it appears that they've finally caught the big one, but they're not telling who they've landed this time around. Word is, though, that this guy has held onto more than a couple World Titles in his time in various federations...
- GIW has signed an agreement with wrestling video powerhouse FR Video to sell tapes of their shows and supercard over the internet. This could be a huge windfall for the Louisianna federation as their tape-trading has always been in high demand.
- An actual Supercard? It seems like something of days gone by, but there are some talks between some of the major federations in the sport today of holding a multi-fed supercard in the likes of the old IIeW. The timeframe for such an endevor is late summer, early fall and would incorporate eight to ten of the top feds going right now. More news as this develops.
- More bad news for GIW wrestler, City Jack. He's being sued by promoter "Blackie" Blair for failing to show up at a recent wrestling event that Jack was paid for in advance to wrestle in. No word from the City Jack camp, but it seems that the show fell on the same day as GIW's event and Jack had to take that committment first. When asked about the appearant rip-off, Blair responded with a curt reply that can't be posted here.
- Todd Michaelson made it official with a press conference, announcing the opening of "Pro Wrestling Revolution", out of Southern California. A couple former EMWC staffers have signed onto the project and some talent that was to be worked through the pipeline in the E but never made it to TV by the time it closed are to be highlighted in the federation. More news on this as it comes.
And that's all for now, but watch out for another Chock Full update in two weeks time with news from the fallout of UWF's Eve of Destruction, NEO-Pro's Uncivil War, RCW, BSCW, LWC, PWR, I-Slash, and everything in between!
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