X Wrestling Federation
Encyclopedia
Xtreme Wrestling Federation (XWF) was an American
professional wrestling promotion
. The organization's heyday was from early November of 2001 to late February of 2002. Its birth coincided with the World Wrestling Federation's acquisition of AOL Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling
. XWF's slogan was "No more prima donnas, no more politics... In your face!". They looked to promote a product that the whole family could watch and enjoy
by bringing back pro-wrestling storylines with a 21st century spin as an alternative to sports entertainment
. The previous number two and three American promotions, the aforementioned World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling
, had folded earlier in 2001, leaving only one national wrestling company. As such, the letter "X" in XWF stood for the missing variable in the industry. The official definition of the "X" became Xcitement as cited by "Mean" Gene Okerlund
in the Extras on the XWF DVD and not "Xtreme" as sometimes written.
, Jimmy Hart
, The Nasty Boys
(Knobbs and Saggs) and Greg Valentine
were pitched the idea by Kevin Harrington of replacing the then AOL Time Warner owned World Championship Wrestling
which was then purchased by rival competitor World Wrestling Federation
. The basis of the XWF was to create a wrestling federation showcasing Family Friendly entertainment all while displaying talents of current Wrestling Legends and future superstars similar to the format that was used in WCW Saturday Night
/ WCW Main Event
. The reason was to create a PG style of wrestling that was opposite of what WCW was since the nWo
started.
In November 2001, filming took place for the new XWF Wrestling Promotion. Present that weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida and filmed in matches were Hulk Hogan, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jimmy Hart, The Nasty Boys, The Road Warriors, Curt Hennig
, Buff Bagwell
, Jimmy Snuka, Jr., Rena Mero
, Jerry "The King" Lawler, "Mean" Gene Okerlund
, and a host of others. The head writer for the promotion was Colin Bowman, former Editor and Publisher of WCW Magazine.
series called In Your Face: The Lost Episodes of the XWF. It featured 19 matches from the original Universal Studios
tapings with extras including an interview with Hulk Hogan. The series is hosted by Jimmy Hart and Brian Knobbs.
received their television deals. Also, footage from the XWF "invasion" of Puerto Rico in 2002 was to be released. Additionally, plans were underway to launch a series of matches featuring living legends from 2001, new up and coming talent, as well as having living remaining members make personal appearances for the XWF. A Special Collectors set including a DVD, T-Shirt, autographs, and an actual piece of the ring apron from the 2001 tapings was expected to be released later in 2009.
As of 2011, no further activity from the relaunched XWF has taken place, and the website has been taken down.
, Rasslin, Puroresu and Lucha Libre
, as many of the talent signed to the federation trained primarily in each or all of these styles of wrestling.
The XWF holds four distinctive wrestling divisions with titles for each: The XWF Heavyweight Championship, the XWF Tag Team Championship, the XWF Cruiserweight Championship and the XWF Women’s Championship. Talks of a 5th championship are rumored and, if created, would be a mid-card title similar to World Wrestling Entertainment
’s Intercontinental and United States Championships or Total Nonstop Action’s Television Championship.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
. The organization's heyday was from early November of 2001 to late February of 2002. Its birth coincided with the World Wrestling Federation's acquisition of AOL Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
. XWF's slogan was "No more prima donnas, no more politics... In your face!". They looked to promote a product that the whole family could watch and enjoy
Family-friendliness
Entertainment or information is called "family friendly" if it is considered suitable for all members of the average family. In particular it means that it is not considered inappropriate for children, which may imply restrictions on engagement in, or depiction of, nudity, sex, violence, horror,...
by bringing back pro-wrestling storylines with a 21st century spin as an alternative to sports entertainment
Sports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
. The previous number two and three American promotions, the aforementioned World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, had folded earlier in 2001, leaving only one national wrestling company. As such, the letter "X" in XWF stood for the missing variable in the industry. The official definition of the "X" became Xcitement as cited by "Mean" Gene Okerlund
Gene Okerlund
Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund is a semi-retired American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan...
in the Extras on the XWF DVD and not "Xtreme" as sometimes written.
Beginning
The idea of the XWF was generated when several wrestling superstars including Hulk HoganHulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Jimmy Hart
Jimmy Hart
James "Jimmy" Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician currently signed with WWE. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname "The Mouth of the South." He has managed many professional...
, The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling...
(Knobbs and Saggs) and Greg Valentine
Greg Valentine
John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
were pitched the idea by Kevin Harrington of replacing the then AOL Time Warner owned World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
which was then purchased by rival competitor World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. The basis of the XWF was to create a wrestling federation showcasing Family Friendly entertainment all while displaying talents of current Wrestling Legends and future superstars similar to the format that was used in WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
/ WCW Main Event
WCW Main Event
WCW Main Event is a televised wrestling program of World Championship Wrestling that aired from 1988 to 1998. For most of its run, it was the promotion's secondary show and aired on Sunday evenings on TBS. The show originally aired in 1988 as NWA Main Event...
. The reason was to create a PG style of wrestling that was opposite of what WCW was since the nWo
NWO
NWO may refer to:*Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research, a scientific research organisation in the Netherlands*New World Order...
started.
In November 2001, filming took place for the new XWF Wrestling Promotion. Present that weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida and filmed in matches were Hulk Hogan, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jimmy Hart, The Nasty Boys, The Road Warriors, Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
, Buff Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...
, Jimmy Snuka, Jr., Rena Mero
Rena Mero
Rena Marlette Mero Lesnar , better known as Sable, is an American model, actress, and former professional wrestler. She is primarily known for her stints in World Wrestling Entertainment....
, Jerry "The King" Lawler, "Mean" Gene Okerlund
Gene Okerlund
Eugene "Mean Gene" Okerlund is a semi-retired American professional wrestling interviewer and announcer. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan...
, and a host of others. The head writer for the promotion was Colin Bowman, former Editor and Publisher of WCW Magazine.
Jimmy Hart era
Jimmy Hart acquired the rights for the XWF for an undetermined amount in 2004. In September 2004, the idea of bringing a special television series about the XWF to The Wrestling Channel and likely other channels thereafter was explored by Hart. During July 2005, the XWF released a three DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
series called In Your Face: The Lost Episodes of the XWF. It featured 19 matches from the original Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
tapings with extras including an interview with Hulk Hogan. The series is hosted by Jimmy Hart and Brian Knobbs.
Redesign
In November 2008 the XWF re-launched its wrestling website displaying the new logo. In January 2009 it was rumored that there were talks of a possible pay-per-view similar to how Total Nonstop Action and Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
received their television deals. Also, footage from the XWF "invasion" of Puerto Rico in 2002 was to be released. Additionally, plans were underway to launch a series of matches featuring living legends from 2001, new up and coming talent, as well as having living remaining members make personal appearances for the XWF. A Special Collectors set including a DVD, T-Shirt, autographs, and an actual piece of the ring apron from the 2001 tapings was expected to be released later in 2009.
As of 2011, no further activity from the relaunched XWF has taken place, and the website has been taken down.
Titles and style
XWF’s wrestling style was to encompass Sports EntertainmentSports entertainment
Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competitive event using a high level of theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertaining an audience...
, Rasslin, Puroresu and Lucha Libre
Lucha libre
Lucha libre is a term used in Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, for a form of professional wrestling that has developed within those countries...
, as many of the talent signed to the federation trained primarily in each or all of these styles of wrestling.
The XWF holds four distinctive wrestling divisions with titles for each: The XWF Heavyweight Championship, the XWF Tag Team Championship, the XWF Cruiserweight Championship and the XWF Women’s Championship. Talks of a 5th championship are rumored and, if created, would be a mid-card title similar to World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
’s Intercontinental and United States Championships or Total Nonstop Action’s Television Championship.
Final XWF champions
| Championship | Champion(s) |
|---|---|
| XWF Heavyweight Champion | Mabel Nelson Frazier, Jr. Nelson Frazier, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, and King V. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment... |
| XWF Tag Team Champions | The Nasty Boys The Nasty Boys The Nasty Boys are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, active from the mid to late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Their gimmick was that of anti-social punks who specialized in hardcore wrestling and brawling... |
| XWF Cruiserweight Champion | Kid Kash |
| XWF Women's Champion | Christie Ricci Christie Ricci Christie Mathis is an American professional wrestler better known by her ring names, Christie Ricci and Glory. She is the current and inaugural Wrestlicious Champion.... |