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Whatever Happened To Respect

Posted: Jul 28th 2008 By: mikeiles

Oklafan Editor's Note: The following is an editorial by GPCW Commissioner and Co-Owner J. D. Richards. The views and opinions of Mr. Richards do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Oklafan staff and/or its owners.

Whatever happened to the respect for the business? When a wrestler first trains, one of the first lessons he or she learns is to respect the business. The other is respect for the veterans of the business. A wrestler pays his dues over the years and learns respect. It's not something that is handed down on a silver platter. Over the years, I have seen some of the younger wrestlers, come into the business thinking they know it all, when in reality, they know nothing. I, along with thousands and thousands of other wrestlers, have paid the training fee and paid our dues, and sometimes after many years, keep paying our dues. Take the backyard federations, (I won't call them wrestlers), because being called a wrestler is an honor and a prestigious title. They watch the professionals on WWE, TNA, or they go to their local indy shows, and they think they can do what we can do, well then get the proper training. Do the right thing learn the holds, learn the psychology of the business, don't listen to wanna be's who don't know an arm bar from an elbow lock. That's the problem with the up and coming wrestlers of today, the veterans are old we don"t know whats right, we don't know what we're talking about, because Joe Blow said that ain't the way its done, and Joe Blow don't have what it takes to be a wrestler. You want to put on shows? I have no problem with wrestlers putting on shows, as long as there is ring psychology along with good talent, that won't hurt the business. I once worked for a federation who wanted to put guys in the ring with no training at all. You got to ask yourself is this fair to the business, or is it fair to the fans, who spend their dollar to see a good show?. I think not, and I am no longer a part of that fiasco. What it all boils down to is this, respect the business, respect the veterans, but most of all respect the fans. After all if it wasn't for our fans we wouldn't be putting on shows. Think about it, the fans don't want to see a guy get his brains beat out with florescent light bulbs every match, that don't make any sense. The fans don't want to see guys who can't bump, take or give a clothesline. The fans don't want to hear a guy with bad mic skills grab the mic and ramble on about nothing, especially if you can't understand him. So before anyone puts on a show, ask yourself 3 things:

1. Do we have the talent to put on good shows?

2 Does this or that match make sense?

3. Are we giving the fans what they want to see?

I love this business, and I just want the business and the veterans to get the respect we deserve.

Tags: J. D. Richards, WWE, TNA