X marks the spot: promising a return to old-time wrestling, Jimmy Hart and the fledgling XWF are looking to put their brand on the map - new league seeks to restore some class to the sport

REMEMBER WHAT PROFESSIONAL wrestling was like prior to 1996?

When the word "ass" wasn't spewed from every wrestler's mouth during promos? When backstage skits didn't take precedence over matches? When there were foam WE'RE NO. 1 fingers rather than so many middle fingers?

Jimmy Hart does. That's why the former WWF and WCW manager is a key member of the XWF, a fledgling federation that is taking a step back in an attempt to move forward.

The XWF (the "X", incidentally, doesn't standing for anything in particular) "promises to bring back all the tradition, excitement, and fan-friendly action that seem to have been missing in recent years from one of America's favorite pastimes," according to a news release issued by the promotion.

Specifically, the XWF plans to keep skits to a minimum. There will be no coarse language. The women will not be wrestling in bra-and-panties matches. And the wrestlers will be available for autographs and pictures after shows. Only time will tell if this throw-back-style of wrestling can be successful in the new millennium or if fans will reject it because it's not what they have come to expect from the genre.

Hart, for one, believes the WWF's "attitude" era has run its course. "The WWF got people watching them because of shock TV," says Hart, who is part owner of the XWF, as well as an on-air personality and a creative force behind the scenes. "Well, after a few years, `ass' isn't that shocking anymore and giving the finger doesn't mean that much anymore. Shock TV has kind of worn off a little bit.

"If we were to copy them, it would weaken the WWF and us. We're not trying to be prudes. We'll use tables, and we'll use chairs. But the marquee does say `wrestling,' it doesn't say `man shot out of a cannon.'"

The XWF, which is based in Florida and will tape it shows at Universal Studios in Orlando, has been shopping around footage compiled from two days of taping in November in an effort to get a TV deal, although one wasn't made as of press time. An XWF infomercial has aired in several markets in the Midwest, and the group held a series of house shows in markets such as Hammond, Ind., Milwaukee, and Green Bay to generally favorable reviews. The promotion will return to the Midwest with shows in Toledo, Port Huron, Mich., and Battle Creek, Mich., in late March.

Hart is hoping a groundswell of support will lead to a major TV deal. "We know if we have to go to syndication that we could be on next week if we wanted to," Hart says, "but we'd really rather go with someone like the USA Network or Fox or ESPN."

There are plenty of familiar faces on the XWF roster, including Roddy Piper, Rena Mero, the Road Warriors, Buff Bagwell, Norman Smiley, Vampiro, the Nasty Boys, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and Rick Steiner.

Also on board are several young, up-and-coming wrestlers, such as Kid Krash (formerly Kid Kash in ECW), Emory Hail (a 6'9", 360-pounder who is being groomed to be a Goldberg-type character), English bodybuilder Ian "British Storm" Harrison, Low Ki, A.J. Styles, and Josh Matthews (from MTV's wrestling reality series "Tough Enough").

"We want to have a little bit of the past mixed in with a little bit of the present, bringing in a lot of these younger kids and trying to build them up," Hart says. "Nobody's going to watch the young kids if you don't have a few of the older stars on to get the people's attention."

Speaking of older stars, where does the biggest star in the history of the business--Hulk Hogan--fit in, if at all? Hogan wrestled Curt Hennig during the initial television tapings at Universal, which prompted Web sites and the sheets to speculate whether Hogan was part of the XWF. Hogan's subsequent return to the WWF, put a kibosh to the rumors, but Hart, a longtime friend of Hogan's, says if things don't work, "the Hulkster" is always welcome in the XWF.

"Hulk did a great piece for us for the front of our show [that we're shopping around], putting us over big time," Hart says. "He's a big part of this thing. Our doors are open for Hulk, for Sting, for Goldberg, everybody."

The XWF also hopes to discover and develop new talent.

"What we want to do is find 10 guys every six months," Hart says. "We'll give them $500 a week, $35 a day per diem, and put them in a decent apartment, two to a room. We'll train them, and we'll also try to teach them how to do interviews."

Seeing how backstage politics contributed to the demise of WCW, the XWF's slogan is, NO PRIMA DONNAS. According to Hart, everyone from the greenest rookies to the most established stars will be treated equally.

"We don't have any private dressing rooms or anything like that," he says. "I know it sounds corny, but we're going to have a points system. If a person is on time, dependable, keeps their gear clean, and has good matches, they can make bonuses."

In addition to Hart, veteran wrestlers Brian Knobs of the Nasty Boys and Greg Valentine also have a stake in the XWF, with Reliant--a company that produces infomercials--serving as the majority owners.

The seeds for the XWF were planted when Knobs phoned Hart and asked him to join Valentine and him in an effort to start up a new promotion. Randy Savage had been in on it as well, but subsequently dropped out.

Hart, who along with Hogan had been trying to work out a deal that would bring wrestling to Universal Studios, jumped at the opportunity. Because of Hogan's pending lawsuit against AOL-Time Warner, their negotiations with Universal had hit a roadblock.

"Knobs called me one night and said, `Jimmy, these people really want to do wrestling. They said if I could bring someone else to the table who could show them a business plan and explain how this thing could really make money, they're interested,'" Hart says. "After about three or four meetings, the deal was put together."

Hart says he and his partners are entering into this venture with realistic expectations, and they don't have any delusions about the XWF going head-to-head with the WWF.

"Our backers are wonderful," Hart says. "They said they don't expect to make anything the first year and they're ready to shove some big money into this project. And they're not marks either. These people are businessmen.

"As far as the WWF, we're not at war with them. My God, if we went to war with Vince McMahon, we've got water guns and he's got machine guns."

A potentially sticky contract situation that occurred in November seems to prove Hart's contention that the XWF isn't taking an aggressive stance toward the WWF. After Jerry Lawler signed a 45-day contract to be an announcer for the XWF and worked at its first tapings, the WWF approached Lawler about returning to his old job with the federation as part of a surprise-filled "Raw" the night after the Survivor Series.

Rather than ruin the WWF's plans, the XWF released Lawler from his contract. In the cutthroat world of wrestling, such gracious acts are rare.

"It's like I said: We're not here to blast Vince's product," Hart says. "Whatever they want to do, let them do it. We just really believe that we can be the alternative. It's time to start having fun again."

COPYRIGHT 2002 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group