An Inside Look at Promoters and Bookers

Just as a disclaimer, this is again one of those 90% rules. There are still a handful of reputable places to work these days. You should already know who they are, because chances are you have tried to contact them at some point. I have found very few humble or modest promoters or bookers (or wrestlers). Many of them have God complexes. They think that center of the universe and treat the boys as such. To their defense, it’s very difficult to be a successful nice guy... especially in this business.

Most indie promoters and bookers are lazy and look at the boys as commodities to exploit. Let me take you inside the mind of most promoters and bookers for some perspective. To them, you are just a ripe orange ready to be picked off the tree. Once they pick you and suck all there is to suck out of the delicious orange that you are, in the end when there is nothing else left to take. You become nothing more to them than the orange peels left on the floor. If you're lucky you will be remembered as one of the better tasting oranges.

And while you say that's fucked up, I want you to realize in their minds they are being generous. They look at you and say, “it could be worse, I could have never picked you at all. There are plenty of other oranges to be picked off this tree.” To them, you are lucky, privileged, because you simply could have fallen off the orange tree and rotted away on the ground like all the other oranges the promoter or booker didn't choose to pick.

Honestly, this mindset speaks to a greater societal point. Those who are the job creators in general practice this ideology. They just won't admit this like I will. As fucked up as it sounds, in a way it could be argued that they are correct for doing so. Because for them, it’s good business.

To effectively create long-lasting, captivating stories requires a lot of time, energy, and mental processing. If a promoter truly wants a story to carry from show to show, they should have a strategic plan laid out for when you, the boys, join in on the process. It’s very hit or miss out there with promoters and bookers. I have had promoters walk up to me and hand me the next six months of my story. And I have had some that didn't know what they were gonna do with me an hour after bell-time.

If you are working for a promotion that the promoter, booker, or any one of their relatives are always in the main stories or are always the champions, this is usually a problem. Many promoters are paranoid and feel that they can only trust themselves or those who are closest to them. If you're in one of these promotions, you have my sympathy. Chances are the booker is only worried about one or two of the main storylines and the rest of the roster goes very much underutilized.

There are certain exceptions to the rule, such as when your family happen to be the most talented or most over stars of the company. When you come from a successful wrestling family, like the Harts, Samoans, Von Erichs, etc., this should be expected. I don't want to get into who is right and who is wrong here, because the fact of the matter is, even if they are wrong, who are you to question it?

So how should a booker put together a story for the undercard? I have always felt the best approach to this is, as the booker or promoter, imagine you are a nobody breaking into your particular company. How would you go about getting yourself over on your current roster, who would you want to feud with that isn’t currently tied up into one of your main stories on your show? Play it out in your head, mark out for yourself in the role, and then when you feel you have all the kinks worked out on how you would play the part, stop. Look at your roster, see who would best fit into this imaginary character you have created in your mind.

This isn’t complicated, casting agents do it all the time. And the casting agents don't say to themselves, “man I could nail this role!” I hate to sound like a mark here, but know your role. You are a behind-the-scenes person, you job is to help create intricate stories and cast the right characters in that role. Not get yourself over.

If you’re a promoter or booker and you are the Champion or in the main story, you are the guy I’m talking about. Stop it. If you’re the promoter or booker and you are a manager or commissioner, you are guilty of this as well. Your role is a behind the scenes role, I have seen very few guys who could pull off a promoting or booking role and an onscreen role all at the same time. Usually too much ego, greed, and politics get in the way.

Here is an idea, Vince picked the best onscreen role for a promoter or booker. No, not the Mr. McMahon gimmick. The correct answer is commentator, because then you can actively involve yourself in every match, you can see when your workers are doing well and doing poorly, and when your workers can't carry the storyline in the ring (because they are green or if they don't get it yet), you as the booker or promoter can progress their story on commentary, even if they aren't. You serve as the narrator of the book as each of your short stories are told. Remember, it’s all about the business of the match. It also gives you a front row seat to your talent to understand who they are and where they would best fit into your storylines.

If you're a trainer who is no longer an active wrestler, a good role for you would be a referee. I know it might feel like a step down from what you are used to, and can definitely be quite humbling, but look at it like this: your job as a trainer is to help the next generation out. What better place to teach them than in front of a live audience? You can tell them to tighten up their shots or holds if they are looking sloppy, or you can help them recover from blown spots. I know very few good indie refs out there. You as a vet may be able to really help these younger guys and the promoters produce a much tighter show. But don’t forget, if you are out there as a ref, it isn’t about you. So don’t make it that way.

Are you an injured or older vet and have some decent mic skills? Take a step out of the spotlight for a bit, fix your injuries, and coach a rookie. You can really help the next generation out a lot, either by playing the backstage role of a road agent/producer for the rookies’ matches, or as a manager for a young guy who hasn’t mastered the mic yet.

Just some food for thought.

Until next time,
AWV