Huge news coming out of the FGA Headquarters today. Not only has Spike removed all FGA programming from its lineup, but a top FGA grappler has been suspended indefinitely.
Frontier Grappling Arts came from very humble beginnings. Since November 2011, the company has worked hard to prove itself as one of the top wrestling companies in the world. A show on Spike, a network that reaches 98% of paid television subscribers in the United States, was supposed to be a great platform to expand its brand. It's been no secret that the relationship between FGA and Spike has been rocky since the start of its Battleground program. Since then, the relationship has become strained. Today, the situation reached its boiling point.
Early this morning, FGA officials and its new World Champion, Chris Q, met with some top Spike executives at their headquarters in New York. The topic of conversation was Spike's dissatisfaction with the product. They weren't happy with the usage of profane language that was not edited out. They were not happy with certain members of the FGA roster mocking them. They were not happy with the "man on woman" violence that was showcased throughout the programming. They were not happy with the overall presentation of the show, wanting it to look like more of a spectacle. They wanted less focus on the in-ring action and more focus out of the ring (i.e. backstage comedy skits, plugs on who is trending worldwide, etc). And of course, they were not happy with FGA's refusal to promote Bellator (as well as how to download the Bellator app).
During the meeting, FGA officials stood their ground. Despite getting very little advertising from the network, and despite having their Battleground 1.3 show postponed out of the blue, the company was still bringing in decent ratings. They also defended their content, stating that they are not an entertainment company. They are a wrestling company first and foremost. They promote some of the best wrestling in the world. And they will continue to do so. They went on to note that grapplers such as Willow Swaine and Cyncity, to name a few, were some of the best wrestlers in the world, regardless of sex. They refused to put their females in a separate category to appease the network. They also weren't keen on promoting an MMA company that has done zero promotion for them whatsoever.
Chris Q then began to verbally attack the network officials after some of his on-air actions had been called out. As the conversation between Chris Q and the officials got even more heated, Chris Q struck the Vice President of Programming before storming out.
Once Chris Q and the FGA Officials left the office, Spike officials deliberated on the future of FGA programming on its network with its President. FGA Officials were then called back in, without Chris Q, and were told that their programming would be removed from their network lineup effective immediately. It was becoming increasingly clear that the two sides were never going to be satisfied. But it was the actions of their World Champion, the face of their company, that was the last straw.
After a private meeting with Chris Q this afternoon, FGA officials notified him that he would not only be suspended indefinitely without pay. But he would also be stripped of the FGA World Championship.
What this means going forward for the FGA schedule remains uncertain. FGA had been booking larger venues than usual to accommodate the TV tapings. But with a TV deal no longer in place, the company may have to go back to smaller venues.
As far as the future of the FGA World Championship is concerned, FGA officials will have a huge announcement at the start of their next show on March 22.
