Pro Wrestling is back on ESPN after what seemed to be a stretch of time during which wrestling was persona non-grata on the network. Jonathan Coachman of ESPN, and formerly of WWE, announced that the network will be airing a weekly WWE recap segment on Tuesdays at 9pm, with guest spots from WWE superstars.
This is not, however, the first time that wrestling has been prominently promoted on the real sports broadcast network, as the two have had a working relationship for years, albeit not the big two of the WWF/E and WCW. In the early 1990’s, ESPN classic often aired Global Wrestling Federation, a promotion that was only open from 1991-1994. At 4pm eastern time, faux-violence viewers could tune in to watch young Sean Waltman, Buff Bagwell, Mick Foley, Jerry Lynn and even everybody’s favorite The Patriot. Unsurprisingly, this did not last very long, but ESPN forged on with episodes of GWF. The federation’s greatest moment was the Kerry Von Erich memorial which featured the last battle between the Freebirds and the Von Erichs. Michael P.S. Hayes and Kevin Von Erich were the only really members of this once truly intense feud. ESPN pulled out of the deal before the company eventually folded, only to resurface on ESPN Classic in 2013. This short-lived regional territory was the last of it’s kind to air on ESPN while still in business.
The Universal Wrestling Federation, not the one run by Bill Watts, but instead the one run by Herb Abrams, was featured on the leader in sports during its run from 1990 until Abrams untimely death in 1996. I personally was only exposed to this in early 2009 on ESPN classic. The roster was full of aging stars and yet to explode young talent. It felt like a history lesson each time I tuned in. Bruno Sammartino was the cranky veteran on the mic, openly berating wrestlers for poor work in the ring and their questionable ring gear. He seemed to be burying the talent week in and week out. He wasn’t alone on the microphone however. WWF’s Coach, A.K.A. John Tolos and Captain Lou Albano welcomed me to this oddball promotion, serenading me with such zingers as “ that guy has the brain of a dehydrated BB. If you put his brain in a pigeon, it’ll fly backwards!”. I could not get enough of watching Paul Orndorff, “Cowboy” Bob Orton and Cactus Jack in rinky dink arenas. It was like watching straight from the vault WWF Coliseum Home Videos. The company tanked however, after Blackjack Brawl, which is widely considered to be the worst PPV in the history of wrestling. It was terrible, but in that stupendous car crash-terrible that you can’t look away from.
So what has changed? Well, ESPN and WWE have both been victims of a drop in viewership and are angling to scratch each other’s backs. Wrestling fans will undoubtedly tune in, at least for the first few weeks to watch what they could conceivably watch on RAW and Smackdown. ESPN seems to be targeting the wrestling fan who cares enough to watch a weekly recap, but won’t watch the product, which I don’t believe exists. Then again, with a bloated 5 hours of WWE wrestling on cable television a week, an hour recap show sounds like a fresh of breath air. On the flip side, the WWE is seeking to lure casual fans back into the fold to increase its viewership as well as its network buys.
This relationship is a far cry from the ESPN/WWF Sportscenter Ad that aired in the 90’s and saw the then Superstars King Kong Bundy and Kevin Nash bullying the anchors. After shows like the E:60, a special on WWE developmental and coverage of Summerslam from right outside the Barclays Center, the two companies have developed a working relationship, giving both a bit of notoriety in the process. Time will tell if this partnership proves beneficial or fruitless.
