Despite all the seeming turmoil going on right now over at Anthem Sports — the parent company of Impact Wrestling, which probably isn’t Global Force Wrestling anymore, unless it is, or unless they’re partnered with them or something, who knows — they still believe that now is the best time to launch an over-the-top streaming pro wrestling network, akin to WWE Network.
As of Tuesday, the dream of the Global Wrestling Network is now a reality. The Network has been launched, and you can find what redirects to be the Impact Wrestling landing page right here. If you sign up for the Network (the first 30 days is free, which is a novel concept!), you get to watch absolutely everything TNA/Impact has ever done, all the way back to the original weekly pay-per-views ca. 2002.
But as of right now, there is a TON of stuff that you can watch just for free. Scroll down in the library and you’ll see that most of the stuff is locked, but there is a lot of content (like the old TNA Epics weekly series, hosted by Mick Foley!) that you can stream to your heart’s content, and there is a LOT of good stuff in the TNA archives, despite the bad rap the company has gotten over the years for silly storylines and behind-the-scenes shenanigans. Because “good wrestling” has always been a component of TNA, regardless of what the company was called or who was running it at any given time.
The full press release, via Anthem:
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, announced today the launch of the Global Wrestling Network, a multi-platform digital service designed to give fans around the world instant 24-hour access to the extensive IMPACT Wrestling library, including every classic pay-per-view event, groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries, exclusive events and cards from international promotions and partners, classic content from old territories, over 1,000 hours of original programming, plus the ability to purchase premium live pay-per-view events.
Global Wrestling Network will be available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including web at GlobalWrestlingNetwork.com, iOS and Android, and coming soon to Roku, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV and Smart TVs. A premium subscription will be priced at just US$7.99 per month with a 30-day free trial for new members.
Members will also have free access to episodes of the weekly flagship show IMPACT!, as well as new weekly episodes of Xplosion and other original digital content featuring top professional wrestling stars, including Eli Drake, Bobby Lashley, EC3, Eddie Edwards, James Storm, the high-flying X-Division, the lovely and lethal Knockouts, including Sienna, Rosemary and Gail Kim, and talent from international partner promotions such as Johnny Impact, Naomichi Marufuji and El Hijo del Fantasma.
“Within just one year, we have made tremendous progress by re-branding and re-energizing the IMPACT Wrestling product,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “The launch of the Global Wrestling Network marks a significant milestone in the brand’s digital growth and international expansion. Working with our partners, GWN will create, acquire and curate content from various promotions around the globe to become the leading provider of independent professional wrestling content in the world.”
Programming from IMPACT Wrestling’s 15-year library showcases household industry names such as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.
$7.99 a month isn’t a terrible deal, and there’s a hope that more promotions will be added to the Network in the future. So if you want to dive into some old TNA stuff and see like 12 years’ worth of AJ Styles matches, game on.
