Brett Lauderdale Addresses Backlash To GCW Working With WWE Over WrestleMania 41 Weekend

WWE WrestleMania 41 weekend will once again be a bonanza of professional wrestling, with top independent wrestling promotions running shows in Las Vegas around WWE's biggest event of the year.

WWE are working with Game Changer Wrestling as part of GCW The Collective, with GCW hosting WWE ID championship tournament matches on Wednesday, April 16.

GCW and the promotion's owner Brett Lauderdale have faced criticism for collaborating with WWE, particularly the integration of the WWE ID tournament into The Collective. Lauderdale has responded to that backlash, though, telling PWInsider:

"This is a 4 pm Wednesday show. There are 12 other shows that have nothing to do with WWE. No funding, no oversight, nothing. Honestly, there's just as much AEW influence on The Collective as WWE. The name is 'The Collective' for a reason. It's everyone coming together."

Beyond GCW Presents WWE ID Championship Tournament on Wednesday night, WWE will also have a heavy influence at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport XIII, another show part of The Collective. The likes of Natalya, Pete Dunne, Charlie Dempsey, Karmen Petrovic, and Shayna Baszler will all be working Bloodsport.

In addition to The Collective, the likes of DPW, West Coast Pro, Dragon Gate, Pandemomium Pro Wrestling, and ASÉ Wrestling will all be running shows in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 41 weekend.

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