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39-599: The GWF Light Heavyweight Championship was the secondary title in the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas . The title existed from 1991 until 1994, when GWF closed. The title was defended on the promotion's show that aired nationally on ESPN . The GWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a twenty-four man tournament for the inaugural GWF Light Heavyweight Championship held on July 12 and July 13, 1991. The Lightning Kid defeated Jerry Lynn in

78-426: A " psychiatrist " for the wrestlers who was actually Dr. Allan Saxe , a political science professor at the nearby University of Texas at Arlington . One angle at that time included the world's first "Bungee" match in which Steven Dane wrestled against Chaz Taylor 150 feet in the air in a cage. The winner was Chaz Taylor who knocked Steven Dane out of the cage. After the match, "Maniac" Mike Davis attached himself to

117-480: A loss to Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers . He feuded with Bam Bam Bigelow after "falling in love" with Bigelow's valet, Luna Vachon . While teaming with Bigelow on the January 3, 1994, episode of Monday Night Raw , Booger kissed Vachon, causing Bigelow to get angry. Booger and Bigelow faced each other the following week, and Bigelow won the match after Vachon distracted Booger by blowing him kisses. Booger

156-831: A memorial tribute card was held at the Dallas Sportatorium, featuring many former World Class wrestlers, referees and other officials. In that card, the main event was the official last match between the Freebirds and the Von Erichs. Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams (who wore Kerry's ring jacket in his memory) faced Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts , with Skandor Akbar in Hayes and Roberts' corner, and Fritz Von Erich in Chris and Kevin's corner (his last appearance in

195-603: A memorial wrestling card was held in memory of Kerry Von Erich , who committed suicide on February 18. Von Erich was to have faced the Angel of Death, David Sheldon, that day. Instead, a memorial service was held at the Sportatorium prior to the matches, with former World Class announcer Marc Lowrance making a special appearance to pay his tributes to Kerry (Lowrance was the ring announcer who called Von Erich's NWA World title victory over Ric Flair in 1984). The following April,

234-559: A professional wrestling match). The match ended with Kevin applying the claw on Roberts for the win, while Fritz applied the iron claw on Skandor Akbar. Adams meanwhile was ganged up by Hayes and Rod Price when David Sheldon came in to save Adams. Sid Vicious and Booker T also competed on the memorial card. The Ultimate Warrior , who competed in Dallas as The Dingo Warrior , was scheduled to wrestle, but no-showed. Bill Mercer , Marc Lowrance , David Manning and Bronco Lubich were among

273-582: A teddy bear with him. Norman eventually broke away from Long, and turned face (being renamed Norman the Maniac ). He feuded with Kevin Sullivan , and even received title shots against NWA World champion Ric Flair . He later adopted a trucker gimmick as Trucker Norm , ostensibly in memory of his late father, a long-haul truck driver. Shaw then wrestled in Memphis' USWA as Jed Grundy. In 1991, Shaw wrestled in

312-572: The Global Wrestling Federation under his "Makhan Singh" gimmick, where he joined The Cartel with Cactus Jack , Rip Rogers , and Scott Anthony . Shaw wrestled in Mexico in the 1990s as Aaron Grundy , the supposed brother of Solomon Grundy, in EMLL and on the Mexican independent scene. Solomon Grundy was an established wrestler in the promotion and in Mexico. In April 1993, Shaw briefly wrestled for

351-671: The Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship three times defeating Owen Hart and losing the title back to Hart. He dropped the title the final time to Don Muraco on December 9, 1988. On December 30, 1988, he and Vokhan Singh defeated The British Bulldogs for the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship . They dropped the titles to Chris Benoit and Biff Wellington on April 8, 1989. After

390-645: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as (alternately) The Friar and Friar Ferguson , a "mad monk". The WWF received negative feedback from the Catholic Church of New York, so they dropped the character. Shaw was then (allegedly as punishment for his weight) given the ring name Bastion Booger in June 1993, with the gimmick of an unkempt, slovenly and gluttonous man who wrestled in dingy, too-small, gray/beige singlets tailored to give him

429-496: The Dallas audience to see the matches live on Friday night and view them 24 hours later on the local Dallas station. The local attendance rose from a low of 94 people to a packed house of over 5,000 within 6 weeks. In 1992, the Global Wrestling Federation was sued by then World Wrestling Federation (WWF), because they felt the use of the word "Global" was too close to the word "World." In February 1993,

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468-534: The GWF North American title twice, defeating King Parsons on December 25, 1993; then beating Rod Price on July 1, 1994, to regain the title he lost three months earlier to Price. It would be Adams' last championship glory, as he would never win another major title again. In 1994, however, the company would fold. Their last show aired on September 25. After the GWF folded, promoter Jim Crockett Jr. brought

507-463: The GWF paid tribute to Kerry again in a month-long series of past matches Kerry was involved in, including some from World Class. Chris Adams not only played big part in GWF he was also in WCCW as a performer and a trainer. His most known student now a WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. There was many others he trained over the years two in particular was a masked tag team that looked identical and

546-675: The Handsome Stranger ( Marcus Bagwell of WCW) and Cactus Jack . In late 1991, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert entered the promotion and took over much of the creative direction of the show introducing The Dark Patriot (an evil version of the Patriot played by his brother, Doug Gilbert ), John Hawk ( John Bradshaw Layfield ), Jerry Lynn , and the Winner Barry Horowitz (a character created by Gilbert and announcer Craig Johnson.) Booker T and Stevie Ray also wrestled in

585-488: The Maritimes. Also in 1984, he connected with wrestler The Great Gama "Singh" and was bestowed the ring name of Makhan Singh , forming the stable "Karachi Vice" with Gama and Gary Albright as Vokhan Singh and managed by Judah Rosenbloom and following the rebirth of Stampede Wrestling in 1985, by Abu Wizal and feuded with the likes of Owen Hart , Davey Boy Smith , Bret Hart , and Chris Benoit . From 1986 to 1988 he won

624-448: The NWA back to the Sportatorium for a tenure lasting less than a year. After several other attempts to keep wrestling going, the Sportatorium was demolished in 2003. ESPN still holds the rights to the GWF library and airs episodes on ESPN Classic . The WWE Video Library also gained access to GWF content in 2013. Mike Shaw Michael Paul Shaw (May 9, 1957 – September 11, 2010)

663-559: The WWE Raw 15th anniversary special, he returned as Bastion Booger in the opening segment, in which Triple H jokingly suggested that Big Dick Johnson (another character whose unsightly physical appearance had been used by WWE for comic effect) was Booger's son. Jakks Pacific added Bastion Booger to the Classic Superstars line, series 25 in 2009. Shaw worked for various independent promotions in his final years while operating

702-527: The appearance of a hunchback . Shaw's debut as Bastion Booger saw him lose to Virgil on the June 19, 1993, edition of Superstars , though he did win a rematch the following week. Booger achieved only marginal success, primarily serving as a jobber to the stars . Booger's biggest victory in the WWF was a clean pinfall over Owen Hart. Booger's only WWF pay-per-view appearance was at the 1993 Survivor Series , teaming with Bam Bam Bigelow and The Headshrinkers in

741-541: The belt and not being recognized as such by the GWF. In the wake of this temporary fold, the promotional rights to the GWF were purchased by Northstar Promotions, which was formed by Grey Pierson, Robert Keeler, and Wayne Whitworth. Soon after, many former World Class Championship Wrestling stars began appearing, including Chris Adams, Kerry Von Erich and Iceman Parsons, among others. Doyle King, David Webb, and other guest announcers (including former World Class announcers Bill Mercer and Marc Lowrance ) were brought in as

780-558: The bungee cord and was launched into the night sky. When he landed back on the ground, he claimed he had launched himself to the Moon and had returned to Earth with a "Moon rock." Another angle in which announcer David Webb, having "amnesia" following an attack by Manny Fernandez , believed that he was Elvis Presley (who performed at the Sportatorium in the late-1950s during the Big D Jamboree days). Another storyline involved Cecil Fielder , who

819-534: The federation centered mostly on Adams, who again ran his wrestling school and was working a feud with both Price and Iceman Parsons; as well as assist in booking various matches. During one 1993 match, Adams accidentally tore the hair weave off the hair of Price, resulting in stitches on his head. Chris' former second wife Toni Adams , whom he brought in to the storyline, was also involved, siding with Price and Parsons; and during one match, she attempted to rub Freebird Hair Cream into Chris' eyes. The former couple also

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858-414: The final to win the tournament. The GWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a three-man tournament for the vacated GWF Light Heavyweight Championship held on May 29, 1992. The title was vacated after previous champion Danny Davis left the company for United States Wrestling Association . Terry Simms defeated Chaz in the final to win the tournament. Global Wrestling Federation The GWF

897-599: The loss Shaw left Calgary. Stampede Wrestling closed in December 1989 and just prior to the closure, he received the opportunity to join World Championship Wrestling as Norman the Lunatic . He was managed by Theodore Long , who led him around with a giant key. This key was symbolic of Long's potential to recommit Norman to the insane asylum he came from if he did not follow orders. Norman carried

936-522: The many WCCW officials and personalities who appeared on the memorial card. Manning officiated Kerry's 1984 NWA World title-clinching match against Ric Flair at Texas Stadium nearly 9 years earlier. Proceeds of this card went to a trust fund established for Kerry's daughters Hollie Adkisson and Lacey Adkisson (who is now a model and third-generation pro wrestler known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ). In 1994,

975-785: The matches to Typhoon. On December 15, 1995, he returned to Calgary as Makhan Singh defeating the Gothic Warrior at the Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show . On May 4, 1997, he lost to Doink the Clown at Outaia Pro Wrestling in Arnprior, Ontario. Later that summer, he worked for Renegade Wrestling Alliance based in Hamilton , also worked in Burlington and Oakville, Ontario. Shaw retired from wrestling in 1999. On December 10, 2007, during

1014-590: The promotion as did the Lightning Kid (later known as the 1-2-3 Kid, Syxx, and X-Pac in WCW and WWE) The GWF began airing weekly shows in the local Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex television market from the Dallas Sportatorium , which was billed for a short time as The GlobalDome . Although their main weekly show's name was Major League Wrestling (not to be confused with the future promotion of

1053-595: The promotion creation established on the first episode of GWF of ESPN noted that the promotion was the USWA becoming “globalized” putting over talent such as the British Axl Rotten and Rasta the “Voodoo Man.” The organization was a mix of established names and newcomers, many of whom would launch their national careers after appearances on the daily ESPN show. The original stars included the Patriot ( Del Wilkes ), Scott Levy ( Raven of ECW , WCW , WWE and TNA ),

1092-458: The same name ), as it was often referred to as, the GWF had also used other names for it, such as Supercard (also used by the USWA at one point) and Main Events . The promotion's announcers were Jon Horton (as Craig Johnson), Scott Hudson, Steven Prazak (as "Steven DeTruth"), and Joe Pedicino, with Boni Blackstone as ringside interviewer. Scott Hudson left the announcer's table and in his place

1131-603: The show became more of a theatrical presentation. Mercer, a veteran of Sportatorium wrestling since the 1950s, hosted a weekly segment on many memorable events that took place in the venerable Dallas arena. In late 1991, shortly after the Bungee Match, Keeler and Whitworth left Northstar and Pierson took the reins. The local television shows boasted that it was also being aired over a fictitious global television network as Northstar introduced many interesting and bizarre characters. In one of its more interesting angles, GWF hired

1170-781: The sport. Following a massive cutback of budget, Pedicino and Johnson left the promotion. Due to a pay dispute, booker Eddie Gilbert and his brother Doug (working under a mask as the Dark Patriot), left the GWF in 1992. Eddie Gilbert took with him the GWF North American Heavyweight Championship belt. He made a few defenses of the title in the United States Wrestling Association as the GWF World Heavyweight champion, despite being stripped of

1209-450: The stable disbanded. The original GWF was notable for many of its wrestling broadcast innovations, most importantly, the acknowledgement of other promotions within the broadcast (including past promotions such as World Class Championship Wrestling). Competitors' former championships were mentioned, as were departures of wrestlers to other promotions. The promotion also aired behind-the-scenes footage and news segments with features from around

GWF Light Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-508: The top baby-faces at the time in Steve Simpson , Chris Walker and the Patriot . They never won any titles but their presence was always felt at each event. Rogers was the spokesperson for the group and did most of their interviews, but Foley and Levy were allowed to shine occasionally on the mic. They talked of having a "boss" but would not name him. After a few months of this, they named the boss as GWF Commissioner Max Andrews and then

1287-419: Was "The Expert" Bruce Prichard (Brother Love of WWF/WWE). In one storyline, Prichard and Horton argued in an expletive filled exchange only to reveal that Prichard was orchestrating many of the nefarious activities of the heels. The Cartel was the first stable formed in the GWF and was the top heel stable in 1991. It consisted of Cactus Jack , Scotty Anthony , Rip Rogers and Makhan Singh . They feuded with

1326-759: Was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic , and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Mike Shaw started wrestling in 1980 in Vancouver 's NWA All-Star Wrestling using the ring name Klondike Mike . In 1981, he wrestled in the WWF as Mike Smith, in a losing effort against former world champion Pedro Morales on All Star Wrestling. In 1982, Shaw began wrestling under his real name for Stu Hart 's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary , Alberta . In 1984, he worked for All Japan and Montreal. A year later he worked in

1365-447: Was billed as the first two sport athlete in baseball and wrestling. He didn't wrestle, he was "observing" other wrestlers. The GWF was shown weekdays on ESPN as well as a one-hour weekly syndicated show presented in 130 markets. One of the main reasons Northstar was successful was the separately edited and broadcast weekly syndicated show for the Dallas market which eliminated the two-week lag time between taping and airing. This allowed

1404-400: Was only known as Unknown Wrestler 1 & 2. One of the two was hurt in the ring ending his wrestling career late in 91 and the other quit not long after never revealing their identities. Chris had commented about the injured wrestler, saying that it's a great loss to the wrestling world, and that the young man had more heart and love for the business than he as seen in a long time. Afterwards,

1443-713: Was scheduled to appear in the 1994 Royal Rumble match, but was unable to compete, and the on-screen explanation given was that he contracted food poisoning . He lost his final match on WWF TV to Koko B. Ware in April 1994 and he left the WWF in August 1994. After leaving WWF, Shaw kept the Bastion Booger gimmick. He wrestled in the independent circuit in Michigan and Canada for Border City Wrestling . He feuded with Typhoon in 1995 in indy American promotions losing all

1482-474: Was the last pro wrestling promotion to be seen on ESPN regularly. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the network began to emphasize talk shows in the mid-afternoon hours, supplanting pro wrestling. It was announced that ESPN Classic would start showing re-runs on August 5, 2013. Episodes are available on the WWE Network . Max Andrews and Joe Pedicino were the original GWF promoters. The kayfabe reason for

1521-461: Was wrestling in Memphis' United States Wrestling Association promotion, where Toni was billed as Nanny Simpson. Chris and Toni's son Chris Jr., then about 5, also made a few appearances in the ring. A renewed feud between Adams and Jimmy Garvin took place, but the closing of the GWF on September 21, 1994, ended any prospects of a long angle between the two former rivals, and Garvin retired shortly thereafter. Despite all of these angles, Adams won

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