End of the Line?

AWC sells out to Global Championship Wrestling!

Top Story 27 August 2010
GCW Headquarters -- Columbus, OH

It has finally been confirmed this week that the announcement made by Garbage Bag Johnny at cult promotion Atlantic Wrestling Club's little-watched August pay-per-view, All Summer Long, was accurate. Steven Caldera, GCW Owner & President, has acquired the historic promotion and will subsume it, with immediate effect, into GCW.

AWC originally ran from spring 2005 to winter 2006, and despite its short run, made an indelible mark on the worldwide wrestling landscape. The unique AWC formula combined quality wrestling with off-the-wall comedy and compelling storytelling, making world stars out of then unknown commodities such as Pierce Lavelle, "The Illustrious Face-Eater" Adam Dick, Ellis Nash, and most famously of all the current GCW Commissioner (and AWC Transatlantic Champion) Garbage Bag Johnny. GCW's longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion of all time, Andy Murray, also came through AWC, where he was portrayed as a comedy character and held the Frontier Championship belt - an accolade also achieved by Tim Shipley, another AWC alumnus who is set to face Murray at the High Stakes pay-per-view.

Having closed abruptly in late 2006 when Dr. Kasidy Drake III took his revenge on the Club by buying it out, AWC lay dormant until earlier this year, when former Entertainment Manager David "Pearl" Harber took advantage of Drakewerx Pharmaceuticals' financial struggles to buy the Club back for a pittance and reopen it. However, since the high-profile relaunch, AWC has struggled to reestablish the niche it had so effortlessly made for itself. Although AWC was set to do what it did best in making new stars, out of Diego Foster, Van Isaac Pryce and Steve Harrison, the promotion lacked the solid backbone it needed to compete with market-leaders GCW and Sin City Championship Wrestling. Moreover, Harber struggled to keep control over a locker room riven by tensions over pay, perks (AWC spent an enormous amount each week on the "Legends' Lounge", an area reserved for members of AWC's Roll of Legends, few of whom even turned up to the shows), and Jack Murphy's new AWC branch of the United Primetime Wrestlers union.

Though a summer lull is far from unheard of for a wrestling promotion, AWC's troubles ran deeper than Harber could admit, and he seconded all day-to-day duties to former Transatlantic Champion Darcy "Crisis" Markson in order to focus on securing no-strings-attached investments from a number of firms. It's even rumoured that he tried to solicit an interest-free loan from Live Twice Entertainment, a spin-out from the original AWC run operating in the Eurasian market. But Harber was unable to secure the necessary funds, and through Garbage Bag Johnny, arranged for AWC to become a part of GCW.

While some critics have labelled the move an "embarrassing climbdown" for a promotion once seen as the brightest (literally...) in the wrestling world, Harber rejects any suggestions that he has let down AWC fans. "Ultimately, what we all want to see is great story-telling in and around the wrestling ring," Harber said in an exclusive interview with GCWOnline.net, "and to my mind GCW is leagues ahead of its competitors in that respect. By becoming a part of GCW, we've ensured that AWC joins and augments the strongest brand in the wrestling world."

Harber remained tight-lipped over how many of his AWC roster would be offered television deals with GCW, and admitted there would be large-scale redundancies amongst the production and support staff. Even his own role is up in the air, with Caldera unwilling to solicit a position of power for Harber due to his worry that it would undermine GBJ's position as Commissioner.

We will carry further updates as more news breaks on any changes to GCW's corporate structure or television arrangements. We expect AWC personalities to make their first GCW appearances at High Stakes, though none will be scheduled to compete in the ring as they have not yet been offered contracts with the promotion.



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