Professional wrestling is a wild industry, and whether it be strange booking decisions, surprise returns, shocking upsets, or a company that will seemingly never die, TNA Impact Wrestling has been a staple of the North American wrestling scene for twenty years. Despite eventually being ousted from TNA, one of the founders would go on to try and duplicate the creation of the company.
Jeff Jarrett, most known to fans for his time in WCW and WWE, would launch Global Force Wrestling in 2014, attempting to create the next hottest promotion in North America. In a twist, GFW would eventually merge with Impact during 2017, before another exit from Jarrett led to the partnership being terminated. During its run from 2014 until 2017, some surprising names were a part of the GFW Brand!
10 Mickie James
Being the living legend that she is, still to this day, Mickie James has made quite the name for herself within the world of pro wrestling over the past two decades. Being one of the most famous WWE Women's Wrestlers of her time and being a celebrated and decorated Knockout in Impact Wrestling, Mickie James has truly done it all.
Doing it all would also include having a brief stint as a part of Global Force Wrestling, alongside her husband, Nick Aldis, during 2015 and 2016. While women would not be a staple of the GFW shows, with only a handful of indie women appearing, Mickie would be the most notable, and would compete in the GFW Women's Championship Tournament, then receive a championship match later on, being unsuccessful in both.
9 KUSHIDA
Either known by fans for his high-flying, technical mastery in New Japan Pro Wrestling's Junior Heavyweight Division, or for being one of the final NXT Cruiserweight Champions, KUSHIDA is now calling NXT 2.0 his current home.
Only appearing for Global Force Wrestling during their GFW Amped Tapings, KUSHIDA would be a part of GFW during the summer of 2015, as the company was in the process of attempting to sell their product to a TV partner. The master of the Hoverboard Lock would be successful in his debut in GFW, but would not return for any subsequent events with the promotion.
8 Kevin Kross
A name that many have forgotten or did not know in the first place is that of Kevin Kross, the former Karrion Kross, and now once-again, Killer Kross. During 2015, Kross would be an active part of several GFW events, even participating in the GFW World Championship Tournament.
In his first match in the company, Kevin Kross would lose to Bobby Roode in the GFW World Championship Tournament. Following that loss, the future NXT Champion would take only losses during the rest of his run in Global Force Wrestling. His final appearance would be in October 2015, before debuting in Lucha Underground during December 2015.
7 Booby Roode
Prior to bringing his own Glorious Domination to WWE NXT, but after his long tenure in TNA, Bobby Roode would also take part in the upstart, GFW. The most surprising aspect of his time in GFW, is that it came while he was still in Impact.
Despite beating Kevin Kross in the GFW World Championship Tournament, Roode would not come away with the title, instead, losing to Nick Aldis in the finals. In 2016, Roode would leave TNA and would subsequently stop all of his outside appearances before making his surprise debut in NXT.
6 Colt Cabana
Spending most of his time as the resident veteran in AEW's Dark Order faction, Colt Cabana has been a staple of the American independent scene since the early 2000s. With time in WWE, AEW, New Japan, Ring of Honor, and TNA, Cabana has been a part of a number of the most famous promotions.
During 2016, Colt would make his debut for GFW at the WrestlePro vs. Global Force Wrestling event. During this show, Cabana would face off against the recently-released Damien Sandow, now known as Aron Stevens, with Colt putting in a losing effort.
5 The Good Brothers
Before their eventual arrival in WWE during the first half of 2016, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had made quite the name for themselves during their Bullet Club run in New Japan Pro Wrestling. During their time in the company, they were able to work outside dates, and in 2015, The Good Brothers were riled into the first set of shows for GFW.
Gallows and Anderson would feature as some bigger names on the early GFW shows, being placed in the inaugural GFW Tag Team Championship Tournament alongside teams like Killer Elite Squad, The Bollywood Boyz, and Reno Scum. Gallows and Anderson would fail to make it to the end of the tournament, and would find their way to WWE within a year of their GFW appearances.
4 Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin has continued to be one of the most underrated, underappreciated American wrestlers of his time, with stints in WWE, ROH, and New Japan, that left a lot to be desired. During his time in both New Japan and Pro Wrestling Noah, Benjamin would make appearances on the American indie scene for several years.
In 2015, Benjamin was actually announced as a featured part of GFW's roster, implying that he would be seen within the company for an extended time. That would not come to fruition, though he would play a big part in the GFW World Championship Tournament, winning in the first round, before forfeiting his second round match against Bobby Roode.
3 Johnny Gargano
Before becoming one of the biggest babyfaces in professional wrestling during his time in WWE NXT, Johnny Gargano was a staple across the independent scene. Being a featured name in PWG, Dragon Gate, and Chikara, Gargano was a fan favorite even before his time in NXT.
Gargano's most notable match in Global Force Wrestling, would come against future NXT star and long-time TNA veteran, Eric Young, in which Gargano would pick up the win during an encounter in 2015. Gargano would make his first appearances in NXT in 2015, with Young following in 2016.
2 SANADA
Now one of the top stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling, SANADA spent a bit of time in America, which a lot of fans seem to have forgotten. Wrestling as Seiya Sanada, he was a part of the TNA roster from 2014 through 2015, which eventually led to him participating in GFW.
During the summer of 2015, Seiya Sanada would be announced as part of GFW's initial roster. In one of his first matches within the company, Sanada would team with Takaaki Watanabe, a New Japan wrestler who was on excursion in the United States. In the spring of 2016, SANADA would arrive in NJPW and would align himself with Los Ingobernables de Japon, which coincidentally, Watanabe was now a part of under the name of EVIL.
1 Cody Rhodes
A man of many companies, Cody Rhodes is a name that has seemingly been tied to drawing interest since his initial exit from WWE in 2016. Whether it be debuting in New Japan as part of Bullet Club, making his famed To-Do List, being part of the creation of AEW, or leaving AEW and seemingly finding his way back to WWE, Cody Rhodes has quite the history in wrestling.
By the end of 2016, Rhodes would win the GFW NEX*GEN Championship from Sonjay Dutt, holding it through early 2017 before the belt was listed as inactive, with this happening during Impact and GFW's working relationship, and Cody exiting Impact in favor of New Japan and Ring of Honor. He would be the last NEX*GEN Champion.