Since it debuted last September, Xtreme Professional Wrestling has gone from upstart wrestling promotion to being the biggest player in the industry outside of "The Big Three": World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, and Extreme Championship Wrestling. After drawing sell-out, standing-room-only, turn-away crowds, California's XPW, owned by Rob Black, began presenting its product nationwide with a weekly television program on the America One Network in April.
Teaming up with America One allows XPW fans across the country to follow XPW weekly. Local A1 affiliates will air the program Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Pacific/11 p.m. Eastern, with a West Coast replay at 11 p.m. Pacific. Fans in XPW's hometown, Los Angeles, can catch XPW on KJLA (check local listings for channel number). A complete list of America One affiliates is available both on the A1 Website at americaone.com, or on the XPW Website at XPWrestling.com. Fans who do not have a local A1 affiliate will still be able to keep up with the goings-on by logging on to the America One Website when the program is airing.
"The first four weeks of programming will be used to catch fans up to speed on the major events of the past nine months, and who the stars of the company are," XPW VP of operations Kevin Kleinrock said. "Wrestling fans will see familiar faces, like former WWF superstars Shane Douglas, Sunny, Chris Candido and Nicole Bass; former ECW superstars Kronus, Axl Rotten, Chastity, B.D. Dudley and Mustafa Saed; plus new players in the game like "The Real Deal" Damien Steele, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, Supreme, Kid Kaos, and Jimmy "the Homeless Guy."
According to Black, besides pending deals with the WB Network and KCAL, America One, which feeds out of Texas, will be broadcasting the XPW wrestling shows to a potential viewership of 4 million in California at 11 p.m.
"With that deal, we'll reach 23 million people nationally," Black said. "Not everybody gets them [America One]. These are called 'low power' television stations. But the big plus is that they get it in Rochester, N.Y., so my parents will be able to watch the show. Then the deal with KCAL and WB will allow everybody in L.A. to get us. If the deal gets finalized on KCAL, we'll also be on Saturday night at 2 a.m. besides." Besides California, Black says the America One deal will also air XPW shows in Atlanta, Chicago and Akron.
XPW also plans on adding tapes of their television programs to their home video library. In December of 1999, XPW released their first home video, Hardcore Conception, which is available nationwide at all Musicland/Suncoast stores or on the XPW Website. This spring will bring another five new releases to home video and DVD.
