Formation The idea of the XWF was generated when
Kevin Harrington pitched the idea of replacing the then-
AOL Time Warner owned
World Championship Wrestling, which was just purchased by rival competitor the
World Wrestling Federation. He suggested this plan to several wrestling superstars at the time, including
Hulk Hogan,
Jimmy Hart,
The Nasty Boys, and
Greg Valentine. These conversations led to the X Wrestling Federation coming together and Hart becoming the President of the company. The basis of the XWF was to create a wrestling promotion showcasing family-friendly entertainment, all while displaying the talents of past legends and future superstars, similar to the format that was used on
WCW Saturday Night and
WCW Main Event. The intent was to create a PG-style of wrestling that was similar to what WCW presented before the
nWo was formed. The XWF along with
World Wrestling All-Stars which was also formed in 2001 would provide fans an alternative to the WWF and also give the wrestlers another place to work, since the WWF had become the only nationally televised wrestling organization.
TV tapings coming to the ring for a XWF event. The initial XWF tapings were conducted in November 2001 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, in the soundstage that used to be the home for the
WCW Worldwide Wrestling tapings, and later the home for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's TV tapings for
iMPACT! and
Xplosion as well as some of its pay-per-views. Former WCW play-by-play announcer
Tony Schiavone and former WWF color commentator
Jerry Lawler were brought in to call the matches. Lawler had left the WWF earlier in the year, in protest, after he felt they had unfairly fired his then-wife
Stacy Carter. Shortly after the tapings, Lawler and Carter divorced, he mended fences with the WWF, and asked the XWF to be let out of his contract so that he could return there. They also brought in
Mean Gene Okerlund to be their locker room interviewer. The storylines were based on a struggle for power in the company between
Rena Mero (formerly Sable in the WWF), who was the heel CEO, and
Rowdy Roddy Piper, the babyface commissioner. The XWF Roster was a mixture of former WWF, WCW, and ECW Stars, as well as several indy stars. They brought in
Hulk Hogan, with the hope that he would be both a wrestler and a part owner of the company. He would then wrestle and defeat
Curt Hennig (who was accompanied by his "agent"
Bobby Heenan) in his only match at the tapings. In addition to Hogan and Hennig other stars included;
Vampiro,
Buff Bagwell,
A.J. Styles,
Christopher Daniels,
the Nasty Boys,
Hacksaw Jim Duggan,
Jimmy Snuka Jr. (managed by
Jimmy Snuka Sr.),
Marty Jannetty,
Greg Valentine,
Horace Hogan,
Ryan Sakoda (who wrestled as Vapor and was managed by
Sonny Onoo),
Low Ki (who wrestled as Quick Kick),
Kid Kash,
Juventud Guerrera,
Psicosis,
Konnan,
Carly Colón (who was accompanied by
Carlos Colón, Sr.),
Maximum Force (
Simon and Swinger, who were managed by
Dawn Marie),
Johnny B. Badd,
Norman Smiley,
the KISS Demon (managed by
Gene Simmons),
Devon Storm (Crowbar in WCW),
Big Vito,
the Road Warriors, Public Enemy (who wrestled as
the South Philly Posse),
the Shane Twins,
Josh Matthews, and Emory Hail (The Machine in WCW; managed by Jimmy Hart). Ten episodes were taped, and prepared for broadcast. The talents were only signed for the initial set of tapings. Shortly after the tapings, WWF owner Vince McMahon
poached several of their key talents such as Lawler, Hogan, Hennig, Piper, and others. Hart expressed his frustration in an interview. He explained that they would go to network executives to pitch the show. The executives would get excited by the roster, but Hart and company would then have to explain that several talents were no longer with the XWF and had gone to the WWF. They would then get turned down. During the tapings, a joint angle was worked with the Puerto Rico-based
World Wrestling Council (WWC) which began by having
Ray González appear backstage speaking to Hogan, Bagwell and other talents in an effort to have them join his La Familia del Milenio stable. This was worked along
WAPA-TV, which produced a prime time special titled XWF vs. WWC: Invasión, but the angle was heavily modified since it featured the reduced roster and González left for the
IWA-PR. More cards were co-promoted, with WWC ultimately winning a series where the only consequential outcome was a title change of the XWF World Tag Team Championship.
House shows Following the initial tapings held in fall 2001, the XWF held their first three shows in Hammond, Indiana; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Green Bay, Wisconsin. In Spring 2002 the promotion ran more shows, and a series of house shows in Texas. In addition to the wrestlers that stayed on, the XWF brought in
Rey Mysterio, who teamed with his longtime friend
Konnan against the Nasty Boys, and hardcore legend
Terry Funk, who wrestled Greg Valentine. The XWF scheduled a second series of house shows in Michigan, but ultimately had to cancel them due to low ticket sales. After not being able to secure a television deal, the promotion later folded. With the XWF folding, TNA and
Ring of Honor Wrestling which were both formed in 2002 ultimately became the new alternatives to the WWF.
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. The collaboration with WWC was briefly revived during this time. During July 2005, the XWF released a three
DVD 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 Knobs. They also broadcast a series of pay-per-views on DISH Network featuring matches from the tapings. ==Wrestling style==