ZeeWI: The Officially Unofficial GFW Grand Championship Rankings (Week 6)

A new week brings us to a new set of rankings for the toughest title in all of Global Force Wrestling, the Grand Championship! A big announcement from Jim Cornette added a little focus to the division, while Moose and EC3 continued to bicker without actually advancing towards the rematch that Moose deserves, and we want to see!

In less-than-shocking news, while someone was in fact named as the next contender, this man did not earn the shot in the ring – especially not in a match held under the usual Grand Championship Rules. Never fear, that’s why we here at ZeeWI Headquarters have this job!

We do say goodbye to Matt Sydal this week, but we’re also quite sure that we could see him again in the future. But with the announcement that the title shot he earned after defeating Lashley would see him face E_Li_Drake for the GFW Championship this Thursday, Sydal is off to other pastures for the time being.

However, that opened up the doors for others, and we have quite the surprise appearance in the rankings this week! Whether or not this particular gentleman is in it for the long haul or not remains to be seen, but still, knowing what we know about this division, one can never be too safe.

Let’s get to it! But first, please do remember…

In ranking the contenders, the following scientific criteria shall be considered:
1. Wins / Losses in recent outings
2. Crowd Response / Interest
3. Momentum Meter (Green, Yellow, Red)
4. Megamove

As Global Force Wrestling can, at times, be the Wild West, it is always difficult to try and instill some order, and that’s understood. Still, the second most important championship needs to have a clear path for those who hope to win it, and I intend to provide it.

To that end, we will break down the Top 5 in the Grand Championship Division, and hope to show the Global Force Wrestlers exactly where they stand!!!

On to the rankings! (Writer’s Note: Don’t forget – if it hasn’t aired, it isn’t official!)

Grand Champion: Ethan Carter, III (EC3)
Last Week: Champion

At long last, after so much Championship drought, the skies opened, and yay, the rains fell. Ethan Carter, III (A GOOD ACQUAINTANCE OF THE COLUMN, EC3), is set to defend his championship on Impact against lucha libre star (El Hijo de) Fantasma.

Carter’s biggest strength heading into this contest will be his comfort with the Big Match Moment, especially within the confines of Global Force Wrestling. Sure, the name may have changed, but this is still his house. This is still the place that he, over the last few years, has fought with everything he has to keep as a relevant place to compete. His effort in this area cannot be overlooked, and it should not be discounted as an incredible attribute that he has.

Carter will also have the power advantage, as well as the knowledge that he has already in such a young career beaten some of the very best to set foot in the ring.

At the same time, Carter is a very distracted man, made clear with his griping to Jim Cornette about not being on the TripleMania XXV card. In a bit of tape delayed video that aired on Impact, we could see that EC3 was angrier about not receiving the same opportunity that Moose was, instead of being concerned about defending his championship, rematching Moose, or anything more pertinent to his career.

Instead, he was worried about a vanity spot in a battle royal at a show in another country. Now, there’s nothing wrong with vanity – and with EC3, it’s absolutely to be expected – but this seemed like such an odd complaint to have, and I was happy to see Cornette bring him back to reality by announcing his next title defense.

If Carter wants to keep worrying about Moose, then he may find himself on the bad end of one of the bigger upsets in the combined history of TNA and GFW. If not, then it should probably be smooth sailing for the champ this Thursday!

#1 Contender: Moose
Last Week: #1 Contender

Moose keeps his spot in the rankings as the #1 Contender, but if we’re being frank, his time is running out. He’s had weeks to demand his rematch, has yet to do so, and seems to be happy instead to participate in battle royals in Mexico. Look, there’s nothing wrong with travelling the world, taking advantage of big opportunities, and increasing your fan base – just don’t expect the entire Grand Championship Division to hold steady while you’re out doing you.

The man needs to, as has been hammered home here, get his head in the game. If he wants to be the Grand Champion again, then he needs to put in the work and focus on the task at hand. Perhaps things came a little too easily for the man during those first few months, because he just doesn’t seem to want to do anything that is even slightly challenging.

Most other wrestlers would have been beating doors down, showering the latest Person in Charge with spittle as they demanded a rematch after losing a match under the circumstances in which Moose lost. However, he’s just been biding his time, hanging out, and doing almost everything but say “Hey, you know, I think I’d like a chance to regain my title that I lost off a bum decision by that guy that we sent packing a few weeks back. Sound good?”

Maybe Moose knows something we don’t. Maybe he knows that he can’t beat EC3. Crummy decision from Bruce Prichard notwithstanding, Moose hit Carter with everything he could, and Carter was never beaten. When you’re as young in the sport as Moose is, sometimes seeing your opponent take your best shot and not crumble can be more demoralizing than any loss. EC3 is no joke, and Moose certainly wasn’t laughing the last time they crossed paths.

Either way, Moose needs to figure it out. One has to assume that, should he say he wants it, the title shot is his. If he doesn’t, then he needs to prepare for a huge tumble down these rankings, especially if he continues to stay so inactive.

#2 Contender: (El Hijo de) Fantasma
Last Week: Not Ranked

A shocking debut in the rankings sees (El Hijo de) Fantasma secure the number two spot through some of the most direct means we’ve seen in these pages: he was named as the next man in line to face EC3, this Thursday on Impact.

While he may not have exactly earned this one in the ring, the facts remain that this is an incredibly skilled luchador who is absolutely more than capable of knocking Carter off of his championship perch, especially if the champion is overlooking his challenger in favor of, say, someone like Moose.

If Fantasma wants his first attempt at solo gold in Global Force to be a successful one, he is going to have to bring the fight to Carter, and never let up. EC3 will most definitely look to slow the pace down, knowing that he probably doesn’t have the gas tank of Fantasma. However, if the challenger can use his lucha libre to stifle Carter, he may find himself with the advantage, one that he won’t easily relinquish.

Fantasma is more than ready for this, with his extensive experience in Mexico, as well as a rumored-but-unconfirmed stop in a Southern California temple as the feared competitor King Cuerno sharpening his steel as a competitor. As a second generation wrestler, he was born and bred for a position like this, and one has to feel that he’s going to do everything he can to take advantage of the situation. Lucky for him, even a good showing can do so much to improve his standing in the company. In fact, as long as Carter doesn’t obliterate Fantasma, this columnist sees the challenger coming out of this the winner on some level, with or without the belt.

#3 Contender: Low Ki
Last Week: #3 Contender

Low Ki needs a win in a big way if he’s going to stay in these rankings. If not, he’ll quickly find himself on the outside looking in. – GFW Grand Championship Rankings, Week 5

Low Ki clearly took heed of the warning, and bounced back on Thursday with an incredible performance, as he defeated the returning-from-injury James Storm in a heated contest. Of course, it wouldn’t be a match featuring someone associated with LAX if there wasn’t a bit of interference, and that rule held tight on Thursday, with a belt shot from Santana leaving Storm in perfect position to fall victim to the The Warrior’s Way.

Regardless, Low Ki needed to make a statement if he was to stay in these rankings after losing out on his Global Title shot and failing to bounce back in the Gauntlet for the Gold, and a win over Storm is definitely saying something. Sure, some may nitpick that Storm had been out since Slammiversary and that he may have had more than a small amount of ring rust to shake loose, but the man was still there, in the ring, ready to compete.

Storm made his choice, and he certainly didn’t look like he was out of his element once the match started. He simply fell victim to a game that the LAX love loves to play – the vaunted Numbers Game.

This columnist still feels like the Grand Championship is almost custom made for someone like Low Ki, and that it’s only a matter of time before he makes that connection, too. Sure, the Global Title is the more alluring prize, but the Grand Championship is where someone like Ki can just unleash kick after kick for 9 glorious minutes, all while looking for the constant finish. With the Global Title scene looking increasingly clogged with each passing week, Ki would be smart to start sizing up EC3, Fantasma, Moose, and the rest of the gang, and getting his plan ready.

#4 Contender: Eddie Edwards
Last Week: #2 Contender

Edwards stays in the rankings this week even though he (along with partner Johnny Impact) came up short last week in their tag team encounter with Chris Adonis and Global Champion E_Li_Drake. While Edwards was the one to eat the fall, his ranking last week made it easier to stay while Johnny Impact, who was #5, falls out completely.

Luckily, a tag match isn’t the best way to define a singles division, but in the Grand Championship standings, everything means something, and so Edwards did have to fall a few spots. Still, his stock remains at a pretty high level in the company, and his performance in the Gauntlet for the Gold is not going to be forgotten soon.

Edwards has definitely found himself in that runner-up position before, but he’s also not too far removed from an incredible run as World Champion that saw him defeat Lashley on multiple occasions, and feats like that should still be fresh in any GFW fan’s head. If Edwards fails in his quest to unseat Drake, do not be surprised to see him switch gears and make a run at a belt he’s nearly won before. Edwards has had his sights on this championship in the past, and underestimating its importance to him would be a huge mistake.

For the time being, he appears to have other goals. But we all know that things can change at the drop of a hat. I mean, Anything Is Possible, right?

#5 Contender: Colby Covington
Last Week: Not Ranked

We know, we know. The man hasn’t wrestled a match in Global Force Wrestling, nor is he under any type of binding contract to the company. In fact, he’s one of the people openly calling for his fellow American Top Team member Lashley to quit wrestling and focus on fighting (for Bellator MMA).

However, we’ve seen in recent weeks that Covington is not afraid to get a little dirty, as he’s assaulted a Global Force official on more than one occasion. And, in a move that shows that GFW isn’t as different from what the company used to be called, ATT members are still being allowed to attend shows, walk freely backstage, and engage Jeff and Karen Jarrett in multiple minutes-long screaming matches where the same 3 lines are repeated by everyone over and over again.

So, with that in consideration, maybe Covington is angling for a match. The man is known in the MMA World for talking a bit of trash, and that could very well carry over to GFW. His willingness to assault members of GFW should also make it pretty easy for him to get a match, especially against anyone looking to make their name by beating up an MMA Fighter.

For this columnist, what makes Covington the biggest X Factor is his familiarity with the rules of a Grand Championship match. Covington routinely fights in 3 round fights, although the rounds are 5 minutes a pop instead of 3. This would make competing in this type of contest almost seem like more of a practice session than an actual match, with the result of it all being a championship belt.

There are clearly some hurdles here, but Covington’s constant presence means he’s a threat, and that someone is actually to have those guys in the building. If the door is open, then there’s a good possibility that we’ll see him compete. And if I’m an MMA fighter getting ready to compete in a professional wrestling match, I’m taking the rules and format that I’m most used to.

If Covington decides that this is what he wants to do, the entire Grand Championship division will officially be on notice.

What about you guys? Agree with the rankings? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below!!!

Further GFW Impact Musings…

This past week we saw the cracks continue to grow between Braxton Sutter and Allie, and the heartbreak just gets worse and worse. We still don’t know what’s causing this – another woman, insecurity, a simple change of feeling – but what we saw Thursday is not the same man that we saw as recently as April or May.

After an unprovoked attack at the hands of Taryn Terrell, Allie would seek some care from Sutter. Instead of simply caring that someone hurt his lady, Sutter instead seemed more interested in finding out the logic behind it.

When Garza Jr approached to check on Allie (showing more compassion with 1 question than Sutter had the entire time), Sutter suddenly found a reason to care about something, getting in Garza’s face and threatening to leave Garza in worse shape than that of Allie. He even capped off the whole bad scene with some Spanish 1 level taunts, including calling the man “Rico Suave”.

Now, to be fair, he did use the Usted version of the verb “comprender” when he asked Garza ¿comprende?, and that at least shows a slight level of respect that should be commended. However, we all know that Sutter’s absolute lack of tolerance for BS probably forces him to use Usted at all times, regardless of how much respect he actually has for the person with whom he’s speaking.

And really, it seems silly to base the attitude of someone on whether they use the tú or Usted version of the verb in the first place. I almost never use Usted personally, but it’s not due to a lack of respect.

Anyways, as we’ve seen these last few weeks, something is up with Sutter, and it’s pretty obvious to everyone. Even Allie. It’s just more obvious that Allie doesn’t want to lose the love that she fought so hard for, and suffered so much to obtain. Maybe Braxton has forgotten all the effort that they put into this relationship, but Allie most certainly has not, and she seems to think that a little more of that work can fix it all again.

The only problem is that this time, Sutter actually called someone out. And from what we’ve seen out of Garza, he is not someone to just back down. He may not be the biggest man in the company, but he has the heart and determination to face off with anyone, even someone as skilled and as venerable Braxton Sutter. And, unfortunately for Sutter, he’s someone that the ladies consider to be pretty handsome. Allie’s certainly one of a kind, but does that mean that she can’t see the physical gifts of Garza Jr?

Especially when juxtaposed against the unusually surly Sutter as of late? Braxton may not like BS, but if he keeps his up, he might find himself all alone.