GFW Employees Talk Differences Under New Ownership
WrestlingINC.com owner Raj Giri was recently on a conference call with Bruce Prichard and Dutch Mantel from Global Force Wrestling.
Prichard worked for the then TNA Wrestling from 2010 to 2013, where he was eventually promoted to Vice President of Talent Relations. Now, he's an on-air talent and a backstage advisor in Global Force Wrestling. Raj asked Bruce what had changed from his previous tenure to his current role in Global Force Wrestling.
"Well it's a completely different company," said Prichard. "From what I left and walking into it for me, from a talent standpoint and from being able to come in and who I am working with now. I gotta go in, I'm working with Jeff [Jarrett] (laughs). And it's just a completely different environment from what it was before."
Prichard was released from TNA in July 17, 2013 and accused them of stealing from him and not having his back.
"And when I sit there and I talk to him and we talk about the business and we talk about the future, I believe that there is actually an understanding when we talk to one another back and forth," continued Prichard. "That wasn't there before. I do believe the folks at Anthem have placed their confidence in him and the folks like Dutch [Mantel] and Jeremy [Borash] and different people that are involved now to allow the people who know what the hell they're doing, allow them to do it."
Bruce explained how Anthem has come in and have allowed people who know what they're doing a chance to do their jobs, a big difference from how things were run in TNA Wrestling.
"And not try to come in and say 'Nope you know what, we do this up here in Canada so I want you to do it like this because that's how we do it.' They're actually allowing the business to be run and they're listening to folks who have actually done it before. So the environment is night and day."
While Prichard didn't make any demands, he stated this is one of the reasons he agreed to come back and work in an advisory role for GFW.
"Frankly that was one of the selling points of me coming back into the fold," said Prichard. "So it's a completely different company in a short answer than what it was when I left."
Dutch Mantel, f/k/a Zeb Colter, worked in TNA Wrestling from 2003?2009 as a writer, producer and agent. He left in the summer of 2009 due to creative differences. Mantel was brought back to Global Force Wrestling earlier this year and is now the head of the creative team.
"Totally different like what Bruce said," Mantel agreed.
"Ownership sets the tone from top to bottom. When I was here before, the tone was always a little bit off. When I was here before, I didn't know who ran the company to tell you the truth."
Mantel, who worked in WWE in the 1990s and most recently from 2013?2016, explained how there is a clear chain of command in the company up north.
"In WWE you have one guy in charge and that's Vince McMahon. And when it goes to him it's like going to the Supreme Court, his word is final," said Mantel. "It's exactly what it's going to be."
Mantel explained they were without clear leadership during his first run with TNA Wrestling.
"But in TNA and this isn't a knock on them but it was a rudderless ship and we were just floating out in the water sometimes. That's the difference here. Anthem has taken over and they have put certain people in charge."