For the first time since settling their recent legal dispute, GCW will return to IWTV this summer.
IWTV announced a Sunday, July 10th event live from Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, at 1 PM Eastern.
A month ago, the two sides announced they had come to a settlement after IWTV sued GCW in 2021 for breach of contract. They had claimed they had an exclusive agreement with GCW and that the promotion broke the deal when they began airing events on FITE.tv in December 2020.
As part of the settlement, GCW agreed to produce eight live shows on IWTV called “The Settlement Series” that begins with the July 10 show.
No talent was announced for the show.
After running their Maniac show in Los Angeles this past weekend, GCW continues their busy 2022 this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Downward Spiral.
In the first weekend of June, they return with one of their biggest events of the year with Tournament of Survival VII on Saturday followed by C.O.S. on Sunday.
GCW and IndependentWrestling.TV (IWTV) have reached a settlement.
IWTV filed a lawsuit against GCW for breach of contract in 2021. The streaming service claimed they had an exclusive agreement with the promotion for filming, producing, and digitally distributing their PPV content. IWTV alleges GCW broke that deal when they began streaming their events on FITE TV in December of 2020.
GCW announced on Wednesday that they have reached a settlement regarding the lawsuit.
“Game Changer Wrestling is pleased to announce that we have come to terms on a settlement agreement with IWTV that brings an end to litigation between the parties,” reads GCW’s statement. “This agreement represents a significant milestone for GCW, but most importantly serves as a victory for INDEPENDENT Wrestling and its fans.”
The statement continues to say that as part of the settlement, GCW will produce a series of eight live events to be streamed on IWTV that will be titled, “The Settlement Series.” The events will take place within the next year with dates and locations being announced in the coming weeks.
“This last year has been trying. As a small business, our resources are not unlimited. Litigation was a last resort, but a necessary step in establishing our independence,” the statement continues.
We have reached a settlement in our lawsuit with IWTV.
This is a major step forward for GCW.
Thank you to everyone who has stood by and supported us throughout this process. pic.twitter.com/OieHhrYlbD
A bout for the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championship has been announced for Beyond Wrestling’s Sunday, December 5 Fete Forever event in Rhode Island.
IWTV World Champion Alex Shelley will defend the title against AEW’s Ruby Soho. Beyond Wrestling made the match announcement today. The show will air on FITE TV.
Shelley captured the IWTV title on October 8, defeating Wheeler Yuta.
Soho is one of a number of regular AEW talents working the event. Yuta will also be in action, taking on Matt Makowski. John Silver and Alex Reynolds of The Dark Order will be in a tag match against VSK and Mark Sterling on the show.
Here is the announced lineup for the event:
Beyond Wrestling Fete Forever, Sunday, December 5, Providence, Rhode Island, 4 p.m. Eastern time on FITE TV —
IWTV Independent Wrestling World Championship: Alex Shelley (c) vs. Ruby Soho
John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. VSK & Mark Sterling
IndependentWrestling.TV is suing Game Changer Wrestling for breach of contract, claiming an estimated $500,000 in revenue loss.
Filed in a Pennsylvania court, the Wilkes-Barre-based IWTV claims they entered into an exclusive contract with Haddonfield, NJ-based GCW in March of 2020 for filming, producing, and digitally distributing their pay-per-view content.
They allege that GCW broke that contract in December 2020 by informing them they were going to stream their PPVs through another platform (FITE.tv).
In the suit, IWTV, which touts 251 promotions and nearly 5000 events on its streaming platform, said that GCW has held 36 PPVs between December 5th and May 15th — a violation of their agreement. They said they notified GCW about the breach of contract, but GCW kept promoting shows anyway.
They estimated the damages are in excess of $500,000, but can’t fully be calculated until GCW provides the revenue from those shows.
On December 26th, GCW tweeted that they were “formally requesting to be released from our IWTV contract. This request comes with sadness and regret, but also with the knowledge that there is apparently no other option. Thank you everyone for your support. #FreeGCW”.
On the same day, GCW owner Brett Lauderdale sent out a flurry of tweets, explaining his side of the situation, part of which is below:
“This is not a call for sympathy or an excuse. This is an acknowledgment that I/we are human and get frustrated and emotional when I feel like my company deserves better. In this new world, our existing agreement w/ IWTV isn’t sustainable & we need a change. We have tried to seek a resolution privately but we’re not having much luck. IWTV will thrive with or without GCW. We just want the opportunity to do the same. Hope you understand. Thanks,”
Neither Lauderdale or GCW have tweeted about this latest development and are focusing on their Tournament of Survival weekend in Atlantic City, NJ.
