A Closer Look At…The Global Wrestling Federation

From the mid 1960 on, Texas, particularly the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, have been a hot bed for professional wrestling. World Class Championship Wrestling was a tradition in that area for decades, until the promotion tried to go from a regional organization to a national on in 1986. After four years of struggling, WCCW folded in 1990, leaving a void in the Texas wrestling scene. This void would be filled for a brief time by the Global Wrestling Federation.

The GWF started to promote wrestling shows in June of 1991 from the Dallas Sportatorium, which they dubbed the “Global Dome.” The promotion had a mix of veteran texas wrestlers and a strong roster of young, hungry wrestlers, many of whom would go on to become major stars in the industry. Once “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert joined the promotion in late 1991, he took on a large amount of the creative direction of the show and things took off for a brief, but very important, run.
The GWF has largely been forgotten today, but it’s legacy lives on. Global was the very first promotion that didn’t completely insult the intelligence of the audience. Announcers for the daily ESPN show would acknowledge the existence of other wrestling promotions, something that no other televised wrestling show had ever done before. Fans tuning into a GWF telecast were largely stunned to hear mentions of the WWF and WCW on the show. If a wrestler was a former champion in another federation, that accolade was mentioned as one of his accomplishments. Likewise, if a wrestler left the GWF for another promotion, fans were told that as well. The GWF was the very first wrestling show to cater to the “smart” wrestling fan.
Fans who tuned in to the GWF program were also treated to the early matches of some very talented, albeit young, performers. Among the wrestlers who gained much needed national exposure on the show early in their careers were The Patriot (Del Wilkes), Scott Anthony (Raven), The Handsome Stranger (Marcus “Buff” Bagwell), Jerry Lynn, The Lightning Kid (1-2-3 Kid/Syxx), John Hawk (John Bradshaw Layfield), Booker T, Stevie Ray, and Cactus Jack (Mick Foley.)
The GWF didn’t have many established stars on it’s roster. Veterans like Stan Lane, Eddie Gilbert, Rip Rogers and Makhan Singh were on the roster, as well as infamous WWF jobber Barry Horowitz. With no real “franchise” superstar to carry the load, the GWF put the emphasis on young talent. These young wrestlers, desperate to make a name for themselves, worked very hard in their matches, and fans were treated to a quality of matches that was rarely seen on free TV in those days.
Another of the innovations the GWF pioneered was the spotlight on smaller, faster, wrestlers. Other countries, like Japan and Mexico, had long showcased junior heavyweight divisions. The United States, in contrast, had always promoted larger wrestlers as the main attraction. The GWF changed that, introducing a Light Heavyweight championship and letting the smaller wrestlers put on excellent matches as they battled for the belt. Jerry Lynn and the Lightning Kid caught the eye of rival promoters as they feuded over the title. Barry Horowitz, a long time punchline after being squashed for years on Saturday morning WWF syndicated programs, also proved he was actually a very capable performer, winning the title twice during his tenure in the promotion. This belt, seen by many to be the second most important belt in the promotion after the North American Title, proved that junior heavyweights had a place in American wrestling and that fans could get excited about the division if it was taken seriously and booked correctly.
The GWF tried a lot of different things, some of which worked, some of which didn’t. Soon, the cost of the promotion was too much and massive cutbacks were needed in order to survive. The young stars that the GWF had helped create became too expensive to keep, as WCW and WWF noticed what was going on and offered the young wrestlers contracts the GWF couldn’t match with their reduced budget. Eddie Gilbert left the promotion and the booking suffered. Things began to get much stranger and far less believable and the more serious fans who felt the GWF was catering to them stopped watching. ESPN stopped showing the promotion as well, abandoning pro wresting in the afternoons in favor of more talk-show style programming.
With drastic budget cuts, the young talent leaving, poor booking and no national television program, the GWF was forced to close it’s doors after only three years in operation.
Though the Global Wrestling Federation only lasted a short time, it’s long term impact on professional wrestling is still being felt to this day. Fans are no longer led to believe that no other wrestling promotions except the one being viewed at the time exist. Smaller wrestlers are given more opportunities to showcase their skills. Many of the GWF roster went on to achieve a lot of success in other promotions, opportunities they most likely would not have been granted had they not gained exposure in the upstart promotion. The GWF may have died a quick death, but it’s effect on the world of professional wrestling lives on.
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