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If you don't know, don't act like you do

Posted: Oct 13th 2009 By: mikeiles

The following is a MySpace blog from native Oklahoman "Impressive" Anthony Wayne, who is currently wrestling professionally mostly in Tennessee. The opinions and views expressed here are those of Anthony Wayne only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of any staff member of Oklafan.

I don't know about anybody else, but I get so tired of the day in and day out nonsense of marks talking about how independent wrestling shows are run and produced when they wouldn't know the first thing about doing it themselves. I mention this after seeing a post some dope put up on a crappy little message board here in Tennessee run by a pathetic mark who's name I'm not even going to dignify by mentioning here. I'm going to go through the things this mark said, with my take on each.

He started off by saying, "I hear a lot of guys talk about "what's killing the business." I'm here to say you can't kill what's already dead."

It is? I'm not sure how to register that. Indy wrestling is dead when I myself have hundreds of promotions, an entire category as a matter of fact, as friends on my myspace profile? Looks to me like indy wrestling is all over the country. That's like going to McDonalds and Wendy's, not caring for the burger you get, then driving by Hardee's, Jack in the Box, and Backyard Burger on the same street and saying to yourself "Man, the burger business is dead."

The mouth running continued with this...

"I was talking with a fan recently about a show's turnout. About 80 people were in attendance. He said something to the effect of, "I don't know if 80 is a good number or not."

"It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out just how terrible this number is. It just takes a calculator. 80 x $10 = $800. Pay the 20 guys on your card $40 apiece and the "profits" are already gone. And this is before building rent, ring rent, and event insurance are figured in."

Ok, no, 80 people is not a good number, I admit that. However, what is he talking about with the rest of this? Who says that particular show charges $10 to get in? Also, I understand why this mark isn't running a show himself, because nobody in their right mind would book 20 guys on an indy show. For crying out loud, WCW, a multimillion dollar promotion, was only using 30 guys on Nitro when it was running 3 hours! Furthermore, who says that promotion is renting their ring? Maybe they own it. Or maybe a wrestler working that show does and cut the promoter a break. Who knows? As far as event insurance, depending on where you run if you even have to have it or not.

And it went on with this...

"On another board a few days ago I posted a picture of an indy wrestling match and asked, "How many things can you find wrong in this photo?" I found it telling that no one mentioned the fact that the ring mat had been "repaired" with duct tape."

Give me a break! Maybe their mat was damaged at the show before the picture was taken and they had a new one on the way or just hadn't had the chance to fix it yet. Cut whoever it was some slack you know it all.

Then...

"The fact is, the "business" of indie pro wrestling is hardly a business at all. It's more like a hobby where the lead hobbyist asks for donations at the door to help defray the cost."

This is where I take exception. I can't speak for anybody else, but it's no hobby to me. This business is my life. Don't you dare sit there and tell me when I was the one lifting weights at age 14 in a filthy barn at home, dreaming of one day becoming a cruiserweight champion, that this is a hobby. Don't tell me, when the best friends I have in this world I came to know because of this business, that it's a hobby. Don't tell me, when I wrestled one of the best matches of my career the day I left Oklahoma and shed tears in the ring after my match, thanking Tom Jones my trainer for making my dreams come true, many people in the crowd crying with me because the emotion was real, that this is a hobby. Don't tell me, when I wake up next to a woman who loves me and I love her, whom I have been through every good and bad for the last six years with, including a house fire that claimed every worldly possession to our names, that this is my hobby. Screw you.

"Back in the territory days, promoters like Ole Anderson drew crowds of anywhere between 5,000 - 15,000 every week, depending on the venue, without the benefits of a national TV network or massive advertising budgets."

"Compare that to a paltry 80 people in some obscure storefront, VFW, or community center. It's in this environment that we have people lamenting about, "What's killing the business."

This is the part where I have to go, "holy crap, you're an idiot." Old Anderson booked Georgia Championship Wrestling, which had Ted Turner's TV exposure.

It went on...

"Killing? It's already dead."

Let's explore the facts:

- "Indie pro wrestling, by and large, does not generate its own fan base. Instead it relies on WWE to do the converting and then just rides its coattails.

Hmm, that's odd. I've worked for over 40 promotions, not one of which ever claimed to have anything to do with WWE, ever said they wanted to have anything to do with WWE, let alone "rode it's coattails." Truth of the matter is, any indy promoter that wants to run a successful show today should watch WWE and TNA closely and do the exact opposite of what they produce.

- "Indie pro wrestling events are, by and large, extremely low rent productions, immediately pointing up their lack of profitability."

- "The purveyors of indie wrestling fail to see how low production values -- rings repaired with duct tape, "wrestlers" wrestling in their dirty sneakers, cards of "athletes" of which maybe one out of 20 has ever seen the inside of a gym -- prevent their shows from ever becoming profitable and scare away potential converts (customers)."

I believe that all wrestlers should have a professional appearance with proper gear, but there's a couple of other things wrong here. One, for years and years, wrestlers came in all shapes and sizes. Adrian Adonis, Buddy Rose, Doug Somers, Dick Murdoch, all were great in the ring, but to walk by them on the street, you wouldn't think anything of their appearance compared to any other guy you passed. It was Vince's dumb self that decided years later that everybody in the ring had to look like they could win Mr. Universe the next day. And again, what indy promoter in his right mind has 20 guys booked on one show? Stop using it as an example.

- "Any call from a former wrestler or just a fan (i.e., again, the customer) for an improved production is met with disdain, scorn, obscene language, and a "Who are you to talk?" attitude by the very people who purvey the stuff and then wonder, "Why don't more people come to our shows?"

I find this funny too. In virtually every promotion I've worked for, my suggestions and ideas have been met openly.

"If a restaurant patron suggests to the owner or manager or waiter ways that the dining experience could be better, thus ensuring return business, would it make sense for the owner, manager, or waiter to spurn those suggestions and belittle the customer?"

I'm sure there are people who have told the manager at McDonalds that Big Mac sauce tastes like yak vomit, but it's still on the menu.

Again, I just wanted to share this because I get so tired of the marks running their mouths like they would know how to get past the first day in this business. I leave you with this point: Remember, the WORST wrestler on any indy show is still better than you, you mark, because you're the one paying for a ticket to see them, not vice versa.

Tags: Anthony Wayne, WCW, Tom Jones, WWE, TNA, Doug Somers, Dick Murdoch