WWE Working With Top Indie Promotion?
WWE may have just opened a Forbidden Door - but perhaps not the one you were thinking...
Dave Meltzer has taken Joey Janela promoting this week's episode of WWE Raw on social media as evidence that leading independent group Game Changer Wrestler has "something going on" with the market leaders.
This comes from the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The report references Janela tweeting about Monday's Raw, which he did twice, first using WWE-specific verbiage:-
Had a great time in Mexico but I think I’m good on the Deathmatches for a long while, speaking of great @Lauderdale11 told me to remind you guys that the longest episodic tv show in history @wwe Raw returns to your screens tonight, coming live from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City!
Advertisement— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) October 17, 2022
Joey then tagged the official GCW account, asking roster mates to hype Raw as well:-
For everyone in @GCWrestling_ in case you missed our email, please promote @WWE Raw tonight!
Advertisement— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) October 17, 2022
There's a strong, strong chance that there is no more to this than a wrestler simply stirring the pot on social media. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be the first time that WWE and GCW have crossed streams in 2022, with Game Changer's promoter, Brett Lauderdale, pictured with Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 38. Lauderdale and other figures synonymous with WWE watched 'Mania from a luxury box in the arena.
GCW has risen to prominence as the USA's market-leading independent group over the past few years, with its rowdy live crowds and deathmatch-heavy lineups core to the company's identity. Janela, who left AEW upon his contract's expiration this earlier year, has been a fixture through the company's rise and currently holds its Extreme Championship.