So, you wanna be an Independent Wrestling Promoter?

(Blog I wrote for Gerweck.net)

Running an independent wrestling show is like anything else in life worth doing. It takes a lot of hard work. If you have aspirations of starting your own promotion then you need to accept the fact that financially, you’re going to be in the red for at least the first two years and maybe even during your entire run. This is an endeavor you partake in because you love the wrestling business, not because you want to become rich and famous.

I want to preface this by saying this is not meant to be “Promoting for Dummies”. I’m not here to criticize others or claim to have all the answers. Everyone has their own vision of how they feel a professional wrestling show should look and feel. Different markets, different parts of the country and different demographics will influence the decisions you make along the way. Consider this some free advice in case you decide to take your fantasy booking to the next level. Of course, it’s only fair to divulge in my own personal experience.

I started a promotion called North Shore Wrestling and we ran shows from 2006-2009. During and since that time I’ve assisted other promotions in New England with booking, promoting and consulting duties. My desire to start promoting stemmed from an absence of local shows in my area. Massachusetts is a hot bed for wrestling with some tremendous talent to boot. I grew up on the North Shore and know the area better than most, so it seemed like a natural transition. My goal was to produce a quality family wrestling show in my area.

I like to pretend that we still live in a Kayfabe world so details of how and why the matches are booked will be absent from this blog. I know, I know. What’s the big deal you say? Everyone knows it’s a work, right? Well, some of us still believe in the magic that pro wrestling can deliver. However, there are those who think it is easy to run an “indy fed” while others know the amount of time you have to put in to make it all work. Let’s go over the things you need to obtain in order to get your promotion off the ground.

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Remember Sean Mooney and the WWF Event Center?!?!

You all remember Sean Mooney? He was a play by play commentator and an interviewer in the WWF from 1988 to 1993. His Event Center segment on weekend television would advertise wrestling matches for the upcoming house shows in whatever area you lived in. Mooney would list several of the matches coming to a particular event, for example, in the Boston Garden and then we would get a promo from one of the wrestlers talking about what they are going to do in their match.

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Vladimir The Wrestling Superfan Is #1

If you watched WWF in the ’80s and ’90s, then you probably recognize the person pictured above in the glasses. His name is Vladimir, aka the superfan. He was wrestling’s equivalent to Where’s Waldo as he was a permanent fixture in the front row of the major events from Wrestlemania to SummerSlam. I remember seeing him at all those shows and just being in awe of how he got such good seats at every event and how cool it must have been to witness all of those spectacular matches in person.

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Awesome Wrestling Images From Deviant Art

The artists over at DeviantArt.com have produced some cool wrestling art work but their depictions cover all genres. If you think it, someone on this site has probably drawn it. Check out some of their images on this post and head on over to check out their catalog.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of TNA Impact

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of TNA Impact (Blog I wrote for gerweck.net)

The Good: The opening segment with Austin Aries delivered on all accounts, mainly because of Austin Aries. Yes, I know Vince cut him from Tough Enough before it began and some critics feel he is too small to be in a main event world title match on pay-per-view, but his in-ring work and charisma makes you forget about those things. He is one of the best workers on TNA’s roster and I expect him to take full advantage of his opportunity at Destination X which will be the most important match of his career.

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Savio Vega: Wrestling’s Worst Mystery Partner Ever

In the spirit of No Way Out this Sunday, I’m reminded of the very first installment of this pay-per-view happening back in 1998. It was the twentieth event under the In Your House banner, and the company changed the name two weeks out to No Way Out of Texas. Jeff Jarrett defended an NWA title on WWF TV against Bradshaw, Taka Michinoku wrestled a rock band, and Brian Christopher was almost fired on the spot for calling him a “jap” on commentary.

The eight-man tag team main event was scheduled to be Stone Cold Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie against Shawn Michaels, HHH, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. WrestleMania 14 was on the horizon and with Mike Tyson’s involvement in the Austin/Michaels title match, there was very little interest in this event. No Way Out was the first event that my friends and I didn’t care to see which is shocking if you knew how much we loved wrestling when we were in high school.

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Ten Greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions Of All Time

The WWE Intercontinental championship is the most revered and perhaps the most respected title belt among professional wrestling fans. For the longest time, it was this championship that produced the most anticipated and exciting matches.

More times than not, those who wore this coveted title were able to elevate their careers as a result. As a kid, I was more excited for the IC title matches than I was for the world title matches. Today I’m going to list the Top 10 Intercontinental Champions of all time. This list is based on tenure as champion and their accomplishments beyond.

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Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146???

The internet is up in arms over Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146 this past Saturday. Everyone wants to know: is he ditching the WWE, once again, for Octagon glory? The answer is yes. Well, at least until Junior Dos Santos was declared the winner.

In his retirement speech, Brock stated his plan was to win the title one more time and retire as champion. It’s been proven that if you can throw a decent punch, you can beat Brock Lesnar. Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem & Junior Dos Santos all fit this criterion. Frank Mir? Not so much. Mir can’t take a punch either, but what if he had somehow beat JDS? Brock would have been the first person in the cage to challenge him, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he was there.

He knows he can beat Mir, and a rubber match between the two could end up being the highest drawing pay-per-view of all time. Their first bout drew 600,000 buys and their second bout drew 1.7 million buys.

Thank goodness Mir lost because if he had won, we would be reading about Lesnar quitting WWE for the second time and all the drama that would come with it. Brock is a fickle man and can get away with what most people can’t because he draws a lot of money. The funny thing is, after all the legal rigmarole, Vince would still take him back because, in the end, money talks.

Monday Night Raw Going Permanently To Three Hours In July

If I was still an innocent wrestling fan who never discovered the IWC, read a newsletter or smartened up by my time on the independent scene, I would have been ecstatic about Raw moving to three hours on a permanent basis. My sense of occasion is non-existent because the company can barely write an entertaining two hour show, and three hours runs a great risk of watering down the product and burning out the fans. The ratings are always down during the first hour of a three hour Raw because people forget about the earlier start time and let’s face it, the steak and potatoes are not on the plate until the beginning of the second hour.

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Confessions of a Wrestling Superfan Chapter 3: Mom and I Attend Monday Nitro

Mother’s Day has come and gone, and one of the memories that stands out to me is the time my Mom and I saw WCW Monday Nitro at the Fleet Center in Boston.

It was my sophomore year of high school, and my best friend was grounded the Friday before the event. My Mom hinted she wanted to go, but what teenager wants to have their Mom tag along with them to a wrestling show?

I pretended not to pick up on the hints because I was sure I’d find someone to accompany me.

Yeah, not so much.

Monday arrived, and no sooner did I turn the door knob to leave for the train station did my Mom ask if I had found anyone to go with me. I shrugged it off and told her I decided to go by myself.

“Oh…well, have fun,” she replied in a disappointing tone. I immediately felt guilty. The angsty teenager in me turned to her and said: “I guess you can come if you really want to.”

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