An introduction to gimmicks in professional wrestling.

gimmick

gimik

noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, and interjection

1. a word synonymous with professional wrestling.

You might be over in whatever indie you frequent, but that’s not a fair gauge of how marketable your gimmick and character is. Let’s go through the show-by-show transformation of a normal person into a larger-than-life character that should be happening for you at each event.

For modern televised professional wrestling products, your entrance is treated as the de facto most important element of your performance. This is because it is typically the first impression to the audience. Your theme music is one of the most important things you can choose, but it speaks to an even greater point: your gimmick. Your music defines who you are, it should set an immediate emotional communication to the audience of whether you are someone they like or dislike.

I cannot underline how important the first note or sound of your entrance is. It can be used to form a Pavlovian response with the fans. Think of the Undertaker’s gong, Stone Cold’s crash of breaking glass, The Rock’s, “If you smell!…” or the opening chords of Hogan’s eighties, patriotic fuckfest of pure Americana. When fans hear your music, it should create an emotional visual of what kind of gimmick to expect to walk out the curtain. Even if they have never seen you before. In the fan’s mind, each of the above songs are iconic sounds and completely fit the gimmick of the characters that were being played. Your music sets the tone for the rest of your actions, it introduces them to your character. It is as important as a good hook is to an article.

Let’s move to your gear. It should match your gimmick as much as your song does. Your song should also match your gear. Your body language should match your song, gear, and your gimmick. Your facial expressions should match perfectly with all of the above. Once you are entirely in-sync with your character and you 100% believe you are the gimmick you are trying to represent in the ring, you should literally be able to feel the difference in your work. Think of it almost like method acting. You will become more focused and confident in your impregnable character in the ring, it becomes your suit of armor that no one can penetrate. Even if you as a person are not the strongest, if you believe in your gimmick enough it won‘t be an issue. It is no longer you that is in the ring, it’s just this imaginary character that in reality only exists in your mind.

Think of dreaming. Most people don’t realize it but when you are in a dream you are, in all actuality, in full control. Most people let themselves be carried through their dream, like a movie and they are just passive observers. Until you master the art of lucid dreaming, which is the ability to control your dreams. Because it’s all in your mind. Gain that focus, find your character and become great. Once you can control yourself, you control your surroundings - the crowd. I promise you will know this is working, because you will begin to generate raw emotional feelings in the ring - which your gimmick is generating, not necessarily you. If you’re a heel you should genuinely feel a resentment of fans - think and feel like a heel. If you’re a face you need to be on the same team as the fans - they are you. They are your life force, use their energy in the ring as if it is your own. Plug into them, fight when they want you to. I promise when you get this… You will feel it. And the crowd will too.

Until next time,
-AWV

Why The Rock vs. CM Punk feud played out perfectly, or: Business 101

The conclusion of The Rock vs. CM Punk match is arguably the best thing put out by any wrestling company in recent memory, not to mention a great move financially. Sure, a lot of people are upset about it, but that was intentional.

Let's start off with why the storyline arch between The Rock and CM Punk was artistically fulfilling. Our story begins with the hero of the people, CM Punk. The first half of our story takes many parallels to the Greek tragedy Oedipus (only with marginally less incest). The people ("smarks") are being oppressed by the Sphinx (the corporate machine that is John Cena). A new hero, Oedipus (CM Punk, who is on the fringe of society, which resonates with the smarks who are on the fringe of the WWE fan base), defeats the Sphinx, thus freeing the people (smarks) from its evil tyranny.

The Champion defeats all comers, the past hero in John Cena, the new hope in Ryback, and like Oedipus, his hubris gets to him. He becomes arrogant and conceited. Think The Dark Knight, "you rather die the hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Now we have this unstoppable villain in CM Punk. To bring in some more Batman analogy, let's look at The Dark Knight Rises. This villain (Bane) is running through everyone. It is time to call back the old guard to slay the evil dragon. The hero of the past (because the mythological hero of the past always has a legendary power incomparable to any of the modern day), the true People's Champion before CM Punk came along and usurped the role, The Rock (the goddamned Batman).

The match itself is an emotional roller coaster. Punk, being the evil antagonist, uses all types of trickery, scheming, and outright cheating possible, but there is a sense of balance and fairness in the universe, which is represented by the president of the WWE, Mr. McMahon. McMahon deems that this must happen the right way. And once on equal footing, The Rock shows that he is truly the better man than the evil CM Punk, who has ended up becoming everything he fought against in the beginning, a tyrant. It’s beautiful. "You rather die the hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Okay, now let's get to the business of why putting the WWE Championship on The Rock was the right call.

For starters, this is a business. The World Wrestling Entertainment exists solely for the purpose of making money, as does every entity that considers itself a business. And in business you need publicity and brand awareness. Within this bizarre subculture that is professional wrestling, WWE is the biggest brand there is. The end all, be all. But within the greater scheme of things in the world and even within the entertainment industry, WWE is not nearly as relevant a brand as it is to those who are within the bubble of professional wrestling.

The Rock is a cross-culture celebrity. He is an icon within the pro wrestling bubble and, outside of that, he is a famous Hollywood star. He is bigger than pro wrestling. Now, with that said, we need to compare a few facts: WrestleMania 29 (which will presumably be headlined by The Rock) is April 7th, 2013. GI Joe: Retaliation (which stars The Rock) hits theaters March 29th, 2013. A week and a half apart.

So what is The Rock going to be doing leading up to the GI Joe premier? He is going to hit the talk show loop, appear in all of the magazines and the press. And what's going to be on his shoulder while he's doing all of that? The WWE Championship. Sure, to us the belt may look ugly as sin, but you couldn't have the company's corporate logo be any more prominent if you had lights emanating from within. It’s great advertising. And of course having this big, bulky, gaudy trinket on his shoulder is going to bring up questions, which will give The Rock ample opportunity to hype WrestleMania. Starting to get it? The Rock wearing the WWE Championship is like the Susan B. Komen pink ribbon, it’s his way of saying, "I support WWE." Plus, how great is it going to look in toy stores when you see The Rock action figure with his WWE Championship next to the GI Joe action figure of The Rock? He's going to be everywhere. And therefore, so will WWE.

Now, with The Rock all over the media with the WWE Championship, he is going to get eyes on the WWE product. Ones that left because they were tired of where the business directed itself, ones that remember when they loved wrestling, when it was dominated by The Rock.

Compare the ratings today back to the Monday Night Wars, where The Rock was consistently one of the top five guys of the fed. Back then the wrestling audience was steadily 10-12 million people. Every single one of them knew who The Rock was. They still do. His audience is approaching billions.

The WWE strives to be a global brand. The Rock is seen in movies around the world and because he is outside of the WWE bubble, The Rock is a bigger brand than the WWE is. Sad, but true. Even if you choose to dispute that, The Rock's movies have a lot more eyes on them than any WWE pay-per-views.

A lot of people say, “this should have been used to build up new stars.” Could this have been used as such an opportunity? Sure. But not every single opportunity to build new talent needs to be taken. There are plenty of other ways to build talent. Is it better to enhance one piece of talent instead of trying to take the opportunity to reach out to a much larger fan base? Those opportunities are few and far between, building new talent can come at any point if you are a talented and creative booker.

Think globally. Stop thinking about what you want and start thinking about what’s best for the business of pro wrestling. Because I guarantee that’s how Vince McMahon thinks, and rightfully so. Besides all of that, there is also plenty of sociopolitical motives that act as driving factors behind WWE’s line of thinking, but that is an article of its own for another day.

Frankly speaking, Vince McMahon has pulled the emotional heartstrings of "tradition" and the “smart” marks’ love for wrestling, rolled it into a ball, and packaged it into the gimmick that is CM Punk. While I honor the traditions of professional wrestling, I will not be sucked into marking out for a very well booked angle and character. I’m beyond the point of marking out. This is business for me. And the oldest time honored tradition in this business is making money. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate good stories, well done angles, and good matches. And I believe CM Punk is genuine, you have to be to have that passion he exudes. But at the end of the day, Vince is a promoter and a storyteller, he just figured out how to put a spin on this real life personality and make money off it. The character and the person that CM Punk is today exist because Vince McMahon has finally figured out the way to work the smart marks. Vince thinks on a different level. If you want to be truly successful in this business you have to not just think about how you want things, but how everyone else views things. You have to know and understand how your audience thinks and feels to be able to control them.

I will never forget this quote from Jerry Maguire (and neither should you), "it’s not show friends (or even show tradition), it’s show business." It may hurt you to go against the time honored traditions of professional wrestling, but I know the only way to preserve those values is to grow and expand with where the direction of the WWE is headed. Otherwise, we’ll fall to the wayside and what we’re saying won’t mean a damn. We need to adapt.

Business… it’s money.

REFEREES, or: The importance of a good zebra (and how to become one)

If you have a good referee, hold onto him.

Most referees on the independent scene are awful — as are most wrestlers and promoters, mind you — and in this article I am going to tell you exactly why that is and how to fix it. Most promoters are not smart enough to know the true value of a good referee or even how to recognize one, so laziness or lack of talent is ignored or even outright praised and accepted. Their mindset is that referees are by definition a background supporting character, so who cares about what they do or how they do it? The answer: anyone who knows what they are doing in this business.

The old adage of “being seen, not heard,” is often used in connection with referees, only reversed. A good referee should be heard, not seen — which isn’t to say all of the little things he does are inconsequential, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Referees are part of the show, but they are not the feature attraction. They’re a background support, whose participation is vital. That is what the “not being seen” part is about. Nothing is worse than a referee who tries to make the match about himself, whether it is because they are acting in an over-the-top manner or fancy themselves a "gimmick ref."

On that note, a quick side-tangent: professional wrestling is art and art has no rules. They are arbitrary and merely an illusion, which is to say that these rules are based on experience and opinion — as are all things in art and entertainment. Specific rules and etiquette will vary from promotion to promotion. Regardless, the main dramaturgical purpose of officials is to aid with the suspension of disbelief. Therefor, a referee's role is to fortify the existing illusion that professional wrestling is a legitimate sport with actual rules. So, there's nothing to say somebody can't be a "gimmick ref." However, outside of very niche circles, the aforementioned will only result in you being told to burn your boots — and rightfully so. You probably shouldn't be a referee if you are someone who craves the spotlight or being the center of attention.

Another factor in not being seen: work around the camera, don’t make the camera work around you. Work the “horseshoe” around the ring, which means not to walk in front of the hard cam side as often as you can help it. Always be facing towards the camera unless the action dictates you are unable to (counting out to the opposite side, etc.). Be mindful of any other roving cameras on the floor. Always find out where the hard cam is before going out and what locations all floor cameras will generally call home.

Now, for the other aspect: a referee must be heard. While counting, be loud while still maintaining a sense of professionalism. Don’t scream. Instead, boom and project your voice as loudly as possible. Do this for pinfalls, counts to the outside, and five counts. The showmanship of officiating may lead you to believe this rule is true for all dialogue, however that is not the case. Sometimes, it is better to allow your body language to express your projected message more verbosely than your voice. For example, as a referee climbs the professional ladder, they will discover that there is more to officiating than simply portraying a character of a legitimate sports official. For instance, the facilitation of communication.

One of the referee's most rudimentary tasks is relaying a multitude of complicated messages during the course of any given match. At first, this will extend only so far as relaying the next spot from one worker to another, confirming that everyone is okay, and offering rudimentary time cues. Eventually this will broaden to encompass minute-by-minute time and commercial cues, stage directions, and all other sorts of instructions through an IFB earpiece from The Powers That Be in the back. When one gets to that level, it no longer becomes practical to shout all commands. To do so would be to eliminate the camouflage that is delivery of verbal instruction and confirmation of physical wellbeing.

While a referee’s goal is simplified to "not being seen," dressing and carrying oneself appropriately is paramount. First, a referee must look the part. This includes wearing hair that would be acceptable in any other professional setting (generally on the shorter side), no facial hair (this has laxed in recent years, just make sure it is well-maintained and presentable), a tucked-in referee shirt (traditional black and white zebra colors or if the company mandates a different color or style), black slacks or dress pants (not sweat pants, jeans, or shorts), a black belt, black socks, and all black footwear (amateur shoes, wrestling boots, or sneakers are all acceptable), and, finally, knee braces and pads — just like your underwear, these should be all black should there ever be an unexpected tear.

A referee should generally not wear anything that will make them stand out and look unique. Alternate dress codes or themed events notwithstanding, wrist tape and elbow pads should be avoided unless they are absolutely necessary for medical purposes. Hats, gloves, and other protective gear is acceptable if  the situation calls for it, such as in a deathmatch setting — this provides you with added protection and also sells the danger of the stipulation.

As far as body shape and size goes, there are two camps: one desires a referee small in size and stature in order to make all of the wrestlers look bigger. The other wants an in-shape referee who looks like they are capable of handling themselves physically, like a mixed martial arts official. Neither is wrong, but either way I suggest you at the least be in decent shape and have good cardio (nothing is worse than a match that needs to be taken home early because the ref is too blown to keep up — yes, sadly, it has happened).

So now you’re looking the part, what else do you need to be an effective official? You need to maintain an aura of professionalism at all times you are in front of that crowd. That means not slumping in the corner, leaning on the ropes during ring intros like an asshole. That only makes you and the company both look like amateur hour.

Referees also need to retain the fact that they are the authority in the ring. They are the boss, the wrestlers have to listen to the referee, not the other way around. Don’t be afraid or cower (unless they are doing a “scary” gimmick, IE The Undertaker, but even then, only in moderation), even if they threaten to punch your lights out. You just point to your stripes and say, “listen motherfucker, I will throw your ass out in a heartbeat and award the match to your opponent. So unless you want to lose, you better focus your aggression on him, not me.” You are ten feet tall and bulletproof in there, don’t ever forget it. Be confident, be in charge.

By that same token, stand tall. Your posture is important. Don't slouch or otherwise you'll look like a shitbag. Carry yourself with confidence (which is not to be mistaken for swagger). You're supposed to be the authority figure out there. How can anyone take you seriously if you don't conduct yourself in a serious manner?

Your counts. Counts are just about everything to the referee. General tip on all counts involved: always maintain the same cadence. Now let’s look at them one-by-one:

1. The pinfall. The most important count of the referee. Be at a position where you can clearly see both shoulders. Be close, but give enough space so that you aren’t hit if they do something stupid. Around one and a half feet is good. Hit that mat like you’ve got a pair. Verbalize the count. Don’t count too fast, give it a measured “Mississippi” in between each slap of the hand. Make it big, but not too big. Watch TV refs for the best example on how to time this. Also, do not under any circumstances let me catch you stalling your arm on a near fall when you know that it isn’t the finish. You bring that arm down, otherwise it kills all of the emotion of the near fall. Bring it down and, if need be, swipe it through. Also, don’t hit the three ten times faster than you would any other fall just because you know it is the finish, it is a dead giveaway to the crowd.

Note: A lot of things I hear referees getting antsy about is, what happens if the guys don’t kick out in time? There are two ways to go with this. 1. Fuck ‘em, they should have kicked out. 2. They plan on having a super late kick out in order to build drama, in which case swipe everything but what you know the finish is. Which of the two you do is all about the culture of the company you work at and trust, because either could potentially go wrong. If you decide to swipe on everything and they know that, then change the finish without telling you, that doesn’t just make you look bad. It makes them look bad too. But make no mistake about it: it makes you look worse. So if you’re going to swipe, make sure you trust them enough to know that they aren’t going to change the finish without giving you the iggy that it’s going to change. I recommend that all refs be prepared to count it as if it is a shoot, just-in-case. A good way to practice that is to have a partner lay on their back. Count the fall and instruct them to kick out at random intervals. Forcing yourself to accommodate to the unpredictability of the situation won't make your count foolproof, but it will increase your perception and timing tenfold. In the end it is your call. Choose wisely.

2. Count to the outside. This typically last for a count of ten, but in some places it is twenty. Make extra sure these counts are big and booming so that everyone hears you, especially the guys on the outside. Stretch the counts out to a reasonable amount of time to do whatever they’re doing. Fill in the brief time between the numbers with, “come on guys, in the ring, let’s go,“ etc. Find out before the match if the guys are going to the outside a lot, and if so, whether you should count from inside the ring, or if you should follow them out there (because they’re going to be a while) - that one, too, is dependent on the culture of the company and how they want you to enforce the rules. If one guy is on the outside and the other is inside, and they go to push past you, grab them and walk them back to the other side of the ring, tell them to stay in their corner. Then go back to the guy on the outside, restart your count due to it being interrupted. This is a ploy to give the guy on the outside more time, whether it is because he needs a breather or to get more heat from the crowd.

3. Ten count (double down). Take your time, make this big. All eyes are on you. Count should be slower than a pinfall, but faster than a count out. In between each count, check on alternating wrestlers. Aside from making things look legitimate, this is an effective way to communicate spots or other messages (something we will get to in a minute). As the popularity in MMA has surpassed boxing and, thus, proportionately affected the rules of professional wrestling (such as the widespread elimination of the illegality of a closed fist), many companies are doing away with double downs: if a wrestler is unable to answer a count of any reasonable count, they're unable to intelligently defend themselves and continue the bout. I most often find that this is left to the discretion of the performer, as many prefer you nix the count in favor of an organic audience buzz. This is largely in response to modern fans counting along with the official (or otherwise attempting to hijack it), which takes attention off of the escalating drama the workers are hoping to achieve.

4. Five count (DQ warning). Like the ten count to the outside, work with them, but keep it consistent. Give them time to work what they're doing, but not so much that it's absurd. Your speed is dependent on the situation, as well: count faster for a choke than you would someone being crowded into the corner by a lock-up. Be stern. Be within arm’s length for this. If you get to five and they aren’t breaking, don’t be afraid to grab them and pull them off. Don't be afraid to get in there!

Tag team wrestling. Two important things here: 1. pay attention to the cues from the heels and the faces. If the heel draws the non-legal face in the ring, go and stop that face from coming in. Failure to do so and you will make the hot tag less important. 2. Wrestlers, don’t bury the refs, and refs, don’t let the wrestlers bury you. There is a five count in between tags. Give them enough time to get something in, but wrestlers, don’t go in there doing spot after spot for minutes at a time, it buries the refs and makes them look like shit. The leniency of that will vary from company-to-company. And refs, if you're supposed to miss something, find a way to cover your ass without burying yourself even if the supposed distraction is asleep at the wheel. When in doubt, CYA: Cover Your Ass.

And what happens when you, as a wrestler, bury the ref in any way? Whether it be ignoring the five count or completely undermining his authority? You are essentially shitting on the company. Look at it this way: the referee is the official representing the company you are competing for, representing the owner, representing the rules they have laid down. If you disrespect him or her, you are disrespecting the company, the owner, and the entire professional wrestling business itself. Don't do it.

Note: In reality, there are no rules in professional wrestling, only the illusion of such. Everything is an illusion in wrestling, save for the money and the miles. By breaking the illusion of the rules, you break the overall illusion that every single person backstage is working so hard to achieve (depending on the climate and culture of the company). Generally speaking, it's a good rule of thumb not to do that.

Now let’s look at a few other miscellaneous things to keep in mind as a ref.

-Stay busy. Don’t just stand there with your dick in your hand. We are working to build up the illusion of legitimate competition, so make it look like one. Constantly be looking for submissions, making sure of the legality of the action going on before you in-ring, etc. Watch referees from legitimate sports and take notes.

-Sell the in-ring action. When toddlers fall down, they often look to the adults to see how they should react to it: if the adult treats it as something serious, the child will begin to cry. The audience is similar in that they sometimes look to the referee for what the proper reaction should be. Without that great reaction the angle won’t go over as well as it could. Whether it is the well timed look of disgust when there is a turn, that legitimate showing of confusion when you are told after the match the heel held onto the tights, the look of sympathy and concern as someone is hit, or the look of amazement when a death-defying act is performed. A perfectly timed display of emotion heightens the drama and makes lifting the feeling of disbelief that much easier for the audience. Use this in moderation, don't be a ham. Less is more.

-Checking submissions. This goes hand-in-hand with selling. Be intense, be concerned. Treat this like it is a big deal, that it could be the finish. If you don’t act like you believe it, why would the audience?

-Work with your dance partners when giving obvious cues. If the heel is right near the ropes while working an abdominal stretch, position yourself in a blind spot so he can pull on the ropes, then go to check if he is cheating in-sync with when they let go. This is Pro Wrestling 101.

-What to do if you fuck up? Two ways to go, rather go with the flow and be 100% confident in your portrayal to the crowd that you made the right call, or admit that you made a mistake. You didn’t mean to slap the mat a third time, the kick out was too last second to stop the momentum of your hand. Either way, don’t half ass it. Go one way or the other, otherwise the crowd will know you fucked up and will tear into you. Not to mention the boys when you get to the back.

Note: Accidents happen. Before you tear into a referee for blowing a spot, think of if you would like being torn into every time you made a mistake? There’s a difference between constructive criticism and being a dick.

-Use proper psychology. If you are in a situation where someone should be pissed, get pissed. If you get bumped, sell it. Don’t just pop up and be perfectly fine to hit the three count just because they got the cheating out of the way. Make it believable.

Note for promoters: I see referee bumps being used far too often as a crutch to shoddy booking, instead of as a way to compliment and add to the drama of a story. The more often you do a ref bump, the less it’ll mean every time it happens.

Now that we’ve worked out some of the presentation aspects of what makes a good referee, let’s look at the functional side of things.

-Communication. The chief job of the referee is to be an effective communicator. This comes into play in a lot of different ways. Voicing spots to one another, communicating if the other is hurt or just needs a minute to catch his breath, how much time they have left (being able to mentally gauge how long the match has gone is a learned skill that comes only with experience for both wrestlers and referees), watching if there is a “take it home” sign coming from the back. Some guys and some promoters ask the ref to take advantage of the fact they are so close and watching the action to tell guys if something they’re doing isn’t working, or give them helpful hints. Like to lay in a bit more because their shit looks weak, if a guy gets color and needs more or if it looks good, if they should focus on working the crowd more, etc. Some guys get a bug up their ass about this, so use your best judgment and only speak if you genuinely have something to contribute.

-The iggy, which is the squeeze of a hand (typically to be received on the inside of the palm, but it can be done elsewhere, such as on the forearm on every corresponding number when conducting a five count to remind the worker you're there). In this context, it is done by the referee to the worker to check if they worker are okay. If so, a reciprocal squeeze back is in order.

-Know your signals. The X sign for injury (if you are using it to work an angle, make sure you let the boys know so nobody shits themselves backstage). Other signs vary from person-to-person. If you are using an earpiece, figure out other cues to respond, “got it,” and, “negative.”

So that’s a little bit of what it takes to be a good referee. A lot more than most of you probably thought, huh? A hell of a lot more than just counting to three. So let’s start showing referees respect. Refs are workers too, not second-class citizens within the professional wrestling industry.

If I hear anyone telling a ref that the finish is when they, “count to three,” I’m requesting to work that guy next show. When they ask what I want to do out there, I’ll tell them we’ll call it in the ring, finish included.

I also highly recommend that all referees read my article on hustle, as with the nature of referees being auxiliary roles whose job is not to be noticed, it applies to them ten times more so than wrestlers. Happy travels, zebras!

Until next time,
-AWV

THE IMPORTANCE OF HUSTLE, or: How to get bookings (and what to do with them)

Okay, you’re at the stage in your career where you have completed training and are actively taking bookings (which is an achievement in itself, congratulations). What’s next? How do you become relevant on an independent level? Let me tell you, quality performances alone will not get you to that upper tier. What you need in combination with that is the three P’s: presence, persistence, and patience.

Presence: This is perhaps the most crucial of the three P’s. You need to know how to present yourself. This applies to your behavior in front of fans and backstage as well. To the fans you need to put on quality performances and, while doing so, carry yourself as a professional. If you don’t act like a big deal, they won’t treat you like one. And why would they pay to see you if you’re not a big deal? You need to be a larger than life figure (don‘t confuse this for acting like a self-important douche bag). Backstage it is the exact opposite. Be humble. Appreciate all feedback and assistance that you receive. Never be above hearing someone’s take on things. The best teachers can come from the most unlikely of people. Essentially what it all adds up to is don’t be a dick.

Note: Just about everyone in the wrestling business has the sensibility of an emotionally-imbalanced teenager. The tiniest thing can and will offend just about anybody. Always be on guard. Watch what you say and what you do when you are around anyone you do not absolutely and completely trust with your life (lest you get the dreaded HEAT).

Conquering interpersonal and fan interactions isn’t the only thing you need to pave your own personal road to success. It is essential that you present yourself professionally. Having good matches isn’t enough, you need to send them to promoters in a business-like manner, which means having a resume. And not just a list of the alphabet soup of places you’ve worked. You need to list your stats, contact information, a picture, who trained you, how long you’ve been performing, notable places of employment, any other marketable abilities, and references. Just like any resume you use in the real world, it should be condensed to one-to-two pages. Sell yourself. Don’t just copy it into the body of an email. Link it or upload it as a document or PDF. Play with the font and sizing and make it your own.

Note: be smart about who you list as a reference. Make sure they will put you over if anyone should contact them. Don’t just list Joe Shmoe here. List well-respected figures. This is not the place to list controversial or irrelevant individuals, regardless of how near and dear to your heart they may be. You’re doing this to get business opportunities, not to name your BFFs.

Persistence: As I said earlier, being good isn’t enough. Hell, all the talent in the world isn’t worth a damn if you don’t market yourself to all of the promoters out there. Tree falls in the woods, so on and so forth. You know what I mean. Once you’ve got the whole professionalism thing nailed, start sending that resume out. Find any and every promoter you can and get your information out to them. They might not have something for you right away, but don’t let it discourage you. Check back in every now and then. Be warned, use your judgment on exactly how persistent you are. There is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. Touching base every couple of months or so is a reasonable time frame.

Patience: Promoters will not always immediately have a spot available for you, regardless of how talented you are. Sometimes it just isn’t feasible. Don’t sweat it. Handle it with grace, understanding, and dignity. If you have the necessary tools, handle yourself professionally, and are reasonably persistent, I guarantee you will eventually find yourself on the receiving end of an opportunity.

Those are the three P’s: presence, persistence, and patience. When added together you get hustle. How well this tried and tested formula will work is entirely dependent on how you apply yourself to it and how much hustle you use to get it done. You kids have it so easy today, with the internet and instant messaging. It costs literally no money to send a video and a resume electronically, and it is possible to receive a response virtually immediately. The veterans of yesteryear didn’t have it so easy. So appreciate it and take advantage of it. It boggles my mind how truly easy it is in this day and age to get your name out there to promoters and fans, but guys simply can’t get it or won’t do it. Is it laziness? Genuine incapability to understand it? I’m not sure. But know this: most can’t or won’t do what I just outlined for you all. By doing this you are stepping it up and are in the top percentage, and I guarantee it will bring you more opportunities. You’ve been given the ball, take it and run. Opportunity doesn't knock twice. “Never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television.” - Gore Vidal. You get the picture.

Now I told you how to get bookings. What do you do with them? This is what I advise to all young guys in the business: for the first, say, three-to-four years, take as many bookings as you can (of course the amount of time varies based on the individual, I’m just throwing out a good average number). Take those year to work as frequently as you can and to work as many places as possible. Be a sponge, observe and learn not only what is good and why it works, but what is bad and why it is counterproductive. Don’t worry about pay. If you get it, great. But if not, that’s not the goal just yet. Your goal is to get your name out and build not only a fan base, but to build a network of promoters who know who you are and have you on their radar. Will it be costly? Yes. Will it help you find success? Maybe. It depends what you define as success and what your goals in this business are. Do not allow your need of a short-term, often ego-based pittance to get in the way of a potential long-term fortune.

Aside from being costly, this can and will burn you out. Which takes us to the next step, how do you know when to reel it in and start being more selective about bookings? I have two ways of telling: rather when more promoters are contacting you than you are them, or when you begin to feel burnt to hell from the wear of it all. One way or the other, you need to start changing things up.

Regardless of which one is beckoning you to change (or perhaps even both are, they aren't by any stretch of the imagination mutually exclusive), this is my solution: work for places only if they provide one or more of the following:

1. A place where you can learn.
2. A place where you can have fun.
3. A place where you can safely tryout new things.
4. A place that will give you good publicity.
5. A place that pays well.

In the early stages of this, there is no reason not to have at least one booking a week (if not more). By the end of a career, if all goes to plan you can work only when you want to. Good luck and have fun, greenies. Try not to shit the bed.

Until next time,
-AWV

PSYCHOLOGY, or: Stop doing shit that doesn’t make sense, and start doing shit that does make sense.

Arguably the thing most lacking in professional wrestling today is a sense of realism emanating from the product. The type which makes the audience’s suspension of disbelief come naturally. Now you may be asking, what do I need to add to my match or overall product achieve that factor? The answer is simple: good ol’ fashion psychology. Otherwise known as logic (which in itself is known as "stop doing shit that doesn’t make sense and start doing shit that does make sense").

Professional wrestling is a predetermined, theatre in the round exhibition which showcases drama and athletic prowess. There is absolutely no denying or escaping that. That being said, it is up to us as performers to put on a show so compelling that the fact of wrestling being “fake” is left in doubt or forgotten altogether by the audience. To quote what Johnny Valentine said to a young Roddy Piper, "I can't make you believe wrestling is real, but I sure as hell can make you believe that I am." This is impossible if at any time in the match, angle, storyline, or promo, a fan points to something and says, “that doesn’t make sense. Why did they do that?” Or, “that doesn’t look real.”

The easier of the two problems, “that doesn’t look real,” is solved by a simple motto I was taught when I was still training and have held near and dear to my heart ever since: tight is right. This doesn’t mean take an Idaho road trip and start potato farming (AKA stiff the shit out of each other). It means a little bit of contact doesn’t hurt anyone (unless they’re a crybaby. In which case they’ve entered the wrong profession). Tighten that shit up. Nothing’s worse that seeing so much daylight between a punch that it gives you a third-degree sunburn. Don’t be afraid to connect. Just take it in moderation.

Now that we’ve solved that, it takes us to the more problematic of the two issues at hand: things not making any goddamned sense. We live in an age of wrestling where the overall athletic abilities of the average professional wrestler are much greater than years past. And that is a good thing, but as Uncle Ben said after being shot to shit, “with great power comes great responsibility.” And the great power that today’s athletes possess is just that, in their athletic prowess, with the responsibility being not to use it to wrestle like a complete asshole.

This means being able to logically and reasonably justify everything that you do in a match, holding it to a standard as if the bout was a legitimate contest. Asking yourself, “why?” Not, “why not?”

Far too many workers do things because they look cool and not because they make sense. Listen, I’m not saying everything needs to be dull and blasé, without any room for innovation. I am saying it is fine to do cool new things. Just figure out how to logically put them into your match, not just cramming them in there because you want to.

Another huge problem that is related to this is the modern concept that a match can or should be made up of a series of overly convoluted, choreographed spots. In this case, just because you are working hard does not mean you are putting on a good match. Let me tell you, nothing sucks all of the emotion (and therefore, interest) out of a match faster than when the contest stops looking like a legitimate fight and starts looking like two guys waiting for the other to get into place for the next flashy move sequence they have planned. Work smarter, not harder.

An aspect of wrestling often looked over in these spotfests is the art of selling. Selling is arguably the most important thing bell-to-bell. It heightens the emotion (and thus, interest level) involved in the match, whether it be because you are rooting for your hero to overcome the villain or you are finally seeing that same villain get his just desserts.

By not selling, it also takes all of the hard work you put in to do these flashy moves and makes them mean dick. What is the point of a sick looking move if a guy no-sells it? It makes it look ineffective in the fans' eyes. And if something looks that brutal and it isn’t sold, it takes us back to the very root of the problem - to a fan watching it doesn’t make a lick of sense.

That’s psychology in a nutshell. Use it and cherish it, or please do us all a favor and get the hell out of my business.

Until next time,
-AWV

PROMOS: What is the point of a promo or interview? What are your goals when cutting a promo? What does it all mean?

The promo (or interview) is a match and storyline supplement which aids in building and then promoting an emotional connection between the fans and the product. The crowd wants something they can sink their teeth in, heroes they can identify with, and villains they openly show disdain for. They’re not going to get that out of fancy counters or daring high spots. That can only be realized through displays of personal character.

So we’ve established that your goal is to build an emotional attachment with the fans in order to add more excitement to a storyline or upcoming match and the way to do that is through presenting a likable (babyface) and an unlikable (heel) character. Now, the reason we want the fans to be emotionally attached to the product is so they will go out of their way to spend money on tickets for the next show. Entertaining feats in a match might entertain fans, but it won’t guarantee they’ll come back. If they are emotionally attached they will absolutely need to come back to see their favorite stars in battle with their sworn enemies to settle the grudge for a personal vendetta; after all, they want to see the baddies get the whooping they so rightfully deserve.

Now we know what promos are for, so what information needs to be dispensed when delivering a promo? Three important bulletin points that absolutely need to be touched on:

1. The issue. Why should people care? Why do you care? Who is it you are facing and why should fans go out of their way to see you square off against them? These are all things you need to get across: it is your job to make the people care.

Note: If you completely bury your opponent and put across how you will have no problem ripping him limb from limb, it takes away the emotional connection. You’re their hero and the fans believe what you say, where is the suspense in going into a match where victory is guaranteed? At best, you bury your opponent and when you beat him - you’ve gained nothing. You knew he was a bum. You told the people he was a bum. So you beat a bum. What’s the big deal? At worst, you lose. You just lost to a bum. That makes you look godawful. As a face you should never promise something to fans that you can’t deliver, because then you have zero credibility. And what good is a face that the people can’t believe in?

Build him up. That way fans eagerly anticipate the match and want to come down to see who will be victorious. If you win, you defeated a major challenge, congrats! If you lose it’s okay, because he was built up as a force to be reckoned with. Never promise something you can't deliver. Don't say you'll kill them. You just might.

2. When and 3. where. What is the date? Time? Location? What town is that in? What street is that off of? You can never say these things too many times in a promo. Make it cemented in fans’ heads the exact day, month, time, and location of the bout.

Two final notes: time is money. Whether your promo is on a DVD, a television show, or simply a live event, every second counts. Be concise and be entertaining. You’re more valuable to a promoter if what most can get across in five minutes, you do in one.

Additionally, pay at least a little attention to the production value of your promo. I'm not saying it needs to be Hollywood level, but don't do it off of a webcam from your parent's basement. Do your best to have a decent setting, lighting, use a free editing app to trim off the fat, generally don't half-ass it. Save that for the ring.

Until next time,
-AWV