David McLane | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Education | Indiana University (BA, BS) Telecommunications, Business |
Occupation(s) | Business Man, Women's Wrestling Promoter, Television Producer |
Years active | 1986–present |
Known for | Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) Women of Wrestling (WOW) Pro Beach Hockey World Roller Hockey League World Wrestling Association (WWA) Triple Crown of Polo (TCP) |
David B. McLane is an American businessman, known primarily as a wrestling promoter and television producer. He was the creator of the GLOW-Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and WOW-Women Of Wrestling (recognized as WOW! and WOW), both nationally syndicated series. He also created the ESPN series of the World Roller Hockey League, Pro Beach Hockey and the Triple Crown of Polo. All of these programs are termed "properties" under his company banner David McLane Enterprises, Inc. [1]
McLane grew up watching professional wrestling on television with his older brothers and attended live events in his hometown of Indianapolis. As a teenager he launched the Dick the Bruiser Fan Club, selling photographs of the wrestling star and other local professional wrestlers through mail order. Bruiser brought McLane in to work in the office of Bruiser's Indianapolis-based wrestling promotion World Wrestling Association (WWA). [2] There he learned the ropes of promotion and marketing, eventually became the ring announcer and match commentator. [3] McLane attended Indiana University. [4]
While continuing to work for the WWA, McLane started his own promotional company to promote live events and concerts throughout the Midwest, including the stadium presentation of the Budweiser Country Concert Tour and marketing of such groups as New Edition [5] in select markets.
McLane began the first-ever all women's wrestling television program in 1986, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). GLOW was a syndication ratings success, achieving superior ratings to the WWF's syndicated Superstars series, which launched at the same time and was frequently shown in adjacent timeslots on the same stations. Shot in a showroom at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the show garnered a cult following. [6] [7] [8] McLane served as the ring announcer, solo play by play announcer and owner of the company. [9]
The strong cult following led Netflix to produce GLOW (TV series) based on McLane's original creation. The series, produced by Orange is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan launched on June 23, 2017. Netflix's second season of GLOW was released for streaming on June 29, 2018. [10]
After selling GLOW, McLane partnered with ESPN for the creation of the World Roller Hockey League (WRHL) in 1992; the first made-for-television roller hockey league in the United States. He arranged for these events to be sponsored by Franklin Sports and Walt Disney World where the resort staged the events from their MGM Studios grounds. [11] McLane merged the WRHL with another roller hockey start-up, Roller Hockey International and introduced Pepsi and Taco Bell to this niche sports marketplace through a league sponsorship. [12]
In 1997, McLane again partnered with ESPN to create Pro Beach Hockey (PBH), with over 156 hours of original programming for ESPN. By holding the events at a beach venue, he got the sport out of enclosed arenas and into a more accessible open air environment. The presentation has been compared to the X Games. [13]
In 2000, McLane ventured back to his passion of women's wrestling and created the WOW!-Women Of Wrestling television series. [14] Shot at the Great Western Forum, WOW! was syndicated in 100 markets, becoming the number one rated syndicated wrestling program in the markets of New York City and Los Angeles. [15]
McLane and his business partner, Jeanie Buss re-packaged WOW! in 2011 and aired its programs in select cities. [16] Live events were staged in 2012 and 2013 in Las Vegas at the Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel. In December 2014, WOW! announced their launch into digital media with a 2015 marketed platform as "WOW Superheroes". [17]
New content was produced in 2016 from the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles for distribution on the company's [WOWE.com] website. On April 20, 2017, MGM Television Studios, headed by Mark Burnett formed a partnership with McLane and Buss to produce and distribute new content across a number of media platforms. [18] [19]
On June 18, 2018, The Hollywood Reporter announced McLane and his business partners Jeanie Buss and Mark Burnett contracted with Mark Cuban's AXS TV for the broadcast of WOW live events commencing in early 2019. [20] In summer of 2019 AXS TV CEO Andrew Simon announced in a live broadcast Women of Wrestling scored the highest ratings and social media engagement of any program in the 17 year history of the cable network.
On October 6, 2021, on top of the Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, ViacomCBS Global Distribution President Dan Cohen, alongside McLane and WOW Executive Producers Jeanie Buss and AJ Mendez announced ViacomCBS had entered into a multi-year distribution agreement for WOW. For McLane this historic and exclusive media rights deal gives WOW the biggest distribution opportunities for the U.S. and abroad in the history of women's professional wrestling. [21] [22]
In 2003, McLane developed another new venture with ESPN, the Triple Crown of Polo (TCP). The championship series was broadcast domestically on ESPN2 during weekends and internationally to 196 markets in twelve different languages by the ESPN International network through 2009. Marketing partnerships with high end sponsors Tiffany & Co. and Lexus helped propel the TCP to one of the most prestigious tournaments [23] [24] [25] [26] within the "Sport of Kings." [27] In 2019, the Aspen Valley Polo Club hosted Team Audi defeating Team Flexjet to win the TCP season-finale. [28] [29]
In the last weekend of August 2021, fans attending the Aspen Valley Polo Club witnessed Team TonKawa headed by Jeff Hidebrand, Marc Ganzi, Gonzalito Pieres and Juan Bollini defeat Team NetJets by 9-8 in overtime to take the Aspen leg of the World Polo League Triple Crown of Polo. [30]
With his history of taking products from concept to market, in 2008, McLane was retained by a start-up non-pharmaceutical/nutraceutical products company to manage its start up. [31] Following the completion of clinical trials, McLane oversaw the entry of three products into the U.S. market through direct-response TV, online, and print media. The company's cornerstone product, an appetite suppressant, named Livea [32] is patent pending and was endorsed by NBC's The Biggest Loser 3rd season runner-up Kai Hibbard. [33] [34]
Lisa Mary Moretti is an American retired professional wrestler, teacher and coach. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a three-time WWE Women’s Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.
William Fritz Afflis was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and NFL player, better known by his ring name, Dick the Bruiser. During his NFL days he played four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In addition to that he was also hugely successful in professional wrestling being a fifteen-time world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship once, the WWA World Heavyweight Championship thirteen times and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once. He also excelled at Tag-Team wrestling having won 20 Tag Team championships, having held the AWA tag team championship five times and the WWA tag team championship a record 15 times in his career. 11 of these championships were won alongside his long-time Tag-Team partner Crusher Lisowski. He was one of the most hated as well as well known heels from the mid 50s till the early 80s. He was famous for his feuds with the likes of such stalwarts such as Lou Thesz, Bobo Brazil, Angelo Poffo and "Classie" Freddie Blassie. For his achievements he would be inducted into the WWE hall of fame class of 2021. He was also inducted into the 2005 International Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is a women's professional wrestling promotion that began in 1986 and has continued in various forms after it left television. Colorful characters, strong women, and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series' success. Most of the performers were actresses, models, dancers or stunt women hoping to enter show business.
Mike Halac was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-1990s under the ring name Mantaur, and briefly as Tank.
WOW – Women of Wrestling, is an American women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane. WOW is based in Los Angeles, California, and is owned by McLane and Los Angeles Lakers owner/president Jeanie Buss.
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Powerful Women of Wrestling was a women's professional wrestling promotion based out of Indianapolis, Indiana founded by David McLane, founder of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and Women of Wrestling.
'Triple Crown of Polo', started in 2006, is an ESPN2 television series exhibiting the top-level league of American polo. Started by David McLane, known for Women of Wrestling, Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, and Pro Beach Hockey, the show features three of the top tournaments in the country to appeal to the affluent polo fan.
Cynthia Peretti was an American professional wrestler and trainer, better known by her ring name Princess Jasmine.
Trudy Adams is an American actress and retired female professional wrestler, who wrestled in the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as Amy the Farmer's Daughter and in the Powerful Women of Wrestling, the Ladies Sports Club and the American Wrestling Association as Brandi Mae.
April Jeanette Mendez is an American author, screenwriter and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE under the ring name AJ Lee.
Jeanie Marie Buss is an American sports executive who is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and co-owner and promoter of the U.S. women's professional wrestling promotion Women of Wrestling (WOW).
James Hatten Buss is a part-owner and former executive vice president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Buss was president of the Los Angeles Lazers professional indoor soccer team from 1985–1989. He later trained thoroughbred race horses for nine years before joining the Lakers in 1998 as an assistant general manager. He was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2005. After his father Jerry died in 2013, his controlling ownership of the Lakers passed to his children via a family trust, with each child receiving an equal interest.
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Women of Wrestling aka WOW!, is a women's professional wrestling television series and promotion created in 2000 by David McLane, previously the founder of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. The promotion is based in Los Angeles, California, and is owned by McLane and Los Angeles Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss. The promotion's eponymous program has aired in ninth "seasons" since 2000.
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The WOW World Tag Team Championship is a women's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Women of Wrestling (WOW). The Tonga Twins are the current champions in their first reign.
The Indiana state capital was the hometown of the World Wrestling Association, which was operated by the famed wrestler Dick the Bruiser. McLane actually founded the Dick the Bruiser fan club and then went to work for the organization.