Don’t bury the ref. It really is that simple.
In the past, I’ve done an article on what it takes to be a good referee. Now that we know what a referee needs to do to fulfill their duty in relation with the wrestlers, let’s see what the wrestlers need to be doing in return.
Let’s start with backstage. Respect the referee. He or she is a worker under the employ of the promoter and booker, just like you are. Shake his or her hand and treat them with common human decency, not like a second-class citizen. They are your co-worker and a necessary component of the story you are going to tell tonight. Treat them as such.
I understand in some of the lower level garbage indies out there, you may end up getting the promoter’s brother reffing. Or even worse: a “big fan” who helped to set up the ring that night. The same can be said for some wrestlers: this isn't a problem that plagues solely the ranks of officials. However, just as there are good independent wrestlers out there, there are some good independent referees too. When you find them, latch onto them and become their best friend. Try to get them assigned to your matches. They will serve you truly as a third worker in that ring. Rather than what most of you think makes a good referee (one that just stays the fuck out of your way), there's a lot more to it than that on their end. You should always know where your ref is, he is a worker in there and you need to be consciously aware of and work with him or her.
To further expand on the in-ring aspect, let’s look at the psychology of the referee. What is the purpose of the referee? We need to make one thing absolutely clear: generally speaking, the goal of professional wrestling is to project the illusion of sport. There are no rules. There exists only the illusion of rules. Timing cues and other television production minutia aside, the referee’s job is to maintain said illusion of rules, which adds to the greater illusion that we are all working so hard to create.
Now, when you watch a sport (say baseball, football, UFC, whatever), what happens if a player blatantly cheats? He is disqualified and thrown out of the game. Now, if you blatantly do that directly in front of the referee in the arena of professional wrestling and he doesn’t kick your ass straight out of the ring? That is called burying the ref. But even more, it is burying professional wrestling as a whole.
Still don't get it? Look at it like this: when a referee sees the heel blatantly cheat right in front of him, who does the heat really go on? Answer: the ref. AKA not the stars of the show like it should (specifically the heel, in this case). The crowd sees that the ref saw the illegal tactics and didn't DQ the heel. Now the crowd has heat with the referee because they cheated the baby face out of a fair fight. Put this in a shoot perspective: who are you mad at when your favorite sports team is playing and a referee doesn't make the correct call? The opposing team? Or the ref?
How much power does the referee have? How severely should they enforce the rules? Let things go by or call it like it's a shoot? There is no definitive answer, it is up to the individual promoter's discretion. As a ref, you should always discuss this with your superior regarding how you should handle when (not if, because it guaranteed will happen at some point) wrestlers do things that they should know better than to do. Some promoters and bookers will give the ref full power to "teach workers a lesson" for burying a ref by allowing a shoot DQ. Some will not allow any such thing. Some fall on a spectrum somewhere in between. It all depends on the culture of the company and professional goals.
Things will vary company-to-company. One philosophy is that as a referee, you need to protect the business of the match. This is a more theatrical perspective. For those who hold this belief, on the grander scale of things, the most important thing in the match is the business of the match. Wrestling has moved so far into the realm of entertainment that refs shouldn't ever go into business for themselves and throw out matches over the ten count or DQ someone just because of a rule break (unless that is the culture of the company). When Randy the Ram broke the flag over the Ayatollah's back in The Wrestler, do you think if that indie ref threw that match out that the actors, director, or producers would be okay with that? Or, in the world of the movie, if the promoter would have okayed that? No, because then the fucking movie ends with a DQ or the promoter's big main event ends on a flat note. Don't fuck up the business of a match just because it's a rule. If you, as a referee, think it is at your discretion without clearing it with your superiors, you are wrong. Responding to unprofessionalism with your own bout of unprofessionalism is a perfect example of two wrongs not equaling a right.
On the opposite pole the other philosophy bore by some promoters will expect the official to treat the match like it is a shoot. There is a saying, "a wrestler can get his heat back, but a referee can't." That is to say that once a referee's credibility is in doubt, the finish is in doubt. The standard of these promoters is that if a wrestler is burying the referee to a ridiculous point (let’s say, a blatant low blow right in front of the official), the referee should disqualify him. If the wrestler is hot at the ref for that, the promoter would not only stand by the official, but be hot at said wrestler for being a lazy fuck. He or she should been a true worker by attempting an act of subterfuge and hiding the breaking of the rules. But even with this "shoot" officiating style, a certain wisdom is required to see that it is used in moderation. Unless specifically stated, don't necessarily DQ someone because they won't break the five count. Grab them and pull them off. Be a hands-on official. Do what you can on your end to make sure the business of the match is successfully carried out. Your job as an official is to not only enforce the rules, but to help facilitate the flow of the match. To the best of your ability, don't be the one who screws up the rhythm. Most indie workers do a fine enough job of it on their own.
Now, if you're a company that runs student shows (and let's face the facts, almost all indies are essentially student shows), your wrestlers should be in a constant state of learning. And what better lesson than having your match get thrown out because you were being stupid in the ring and not respecting the ref?
But that is a show-to-show thing. Some bookers or promoters are very serious about their angles and stories. If you fuck up something a booker has been working weeks on because you decided to method act in that moment, be prepared to get chewed out backstage. If you are a well-trained wrestler, you shouldn't be making these mistakes in the first place. So, if you're a worker reading this who got shoot DQ'ed this weekend, don't get hot at the ref. Instead, look in the mirror and direct your feelings there, as you're the fucko who doesn't know how to work.
So, how do you avoid burying the referee? Treat him with the same respect you would an official in a legitimate sports contest. Like anyone who is of authority and can directly affect you in a negative way. Like your boss at work. Because the referee is the boss in that ring. You cannot touch him. You cannot lay a finger on him. You cannot cheat or bend the rules in front of him. Figure out a way to hide it in plain sight from him. Work out a way that doesn’t make him look like a jackass, either. If you conceal it in a way that makes the ref look like he is a jackass, that’ll put the heat on the ref. And that isn’t where you want the heat. You want it on yourself or your opponent.
And lastly, for those of you looking to get to the fed, WWE is strict in the way they handle rule-enforcement. If any cheating is done within range of what the ref can see, not only is the match is thrown out immediately, but the responsible performer is fined. And guess whose pocket that $500 goes into? The referee that called him on it. And if the ref doesn't call them on it? Their ass is fired.
If indie referees threw out every match that a guy buried him and realistically should be disqualified, 95% of independent shows would be over in fifteen minutes including entrances. Let's clean up our act a little bit, for professionalism's sake.
Until next time,
-AWV
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
4/15/13 Raw Thoughts
A few days late, DVRed-Raw thoughts:
Orton is on tonight. He was connected, you could feel it. Brock just reestablishes his monster status, recovering from his defeat at 'Mania. Heyman also continues to show he's arguably the best promo guy in the business. I'm guessing the cage is being done as an illusion to the Octagon.
Antonio Cesaro is great and the match with Kofi was good too. Kofi's promo didn't make sense because he's (kayfabe) not American. They’ve jobbed Cesaro out too much to make the title change really mean anything.
WWE has a genius spin with this Fandango-ing gimmick. Vince basically has WWE starting its own version of Gangnam Style. If Vince can get this to be a meme and catch on he will get huge eyes on WWE. Last week, Jersey made Fandango. If this catches, it will make CNN and morning talk shows. Vince is really going deep down the entertainment rabbit hole. Alternatively, this Fandango-ing can bite WWE in the ass. Like when fans do it during non-Fandango matches, when the fans get bored.
Fandango should cut promos how he hates the Fandango-ing, being offended as a trained dancer is now being compared to stupid trending dances. He is not a punchline, he is an artist. He dropped the ball on his promo tonight, he didn’t heel it up enough.
Damn it, Dolph found his groove. He is ready, in the ring and on the stick. Just on the entrance alone there was presence. Good for him. Swagger vs. Dolph, how bout those two amazing amateur wrestlers go. Then great psychology to lead into the strikes. Even the commentary is spot-on here, too. Note: WWE just gave you a quality heel versus heel match here. Dolph worked pseudo-face whilst still remaining a heel. He worked basically as a tweener, which allowed WWE to test out how over Dolph really is outside of the Jersey smart mark crowd. The important thing to watch is what the business of the match is: establishing Swagger as a credible threat to the title. Take notes, kids. On a personal note, I completely disagree with Dolph losing, especially considering he just won the belt last week.
Ryback cuts a decent promo while getting the story over. Good for him. Did anyone hear Cena calling directions to The Shield? "Look at Ryback! Look at Ryback!" Need to turn down those ring mics. Cena should be selling, not playing director. WWE has too much money to be multitasking him like that.
I also want to point out a master-level psychological ploy that Cena carried out, one that is usually reserved for high-level politicians. Listen to Cena's promo, he added a subtle good ol' southern boy to his accent, even his verbiage changed. It wasn't over the top, it came off like, "oh me, I grew up in the south, but then moved to Boston, but you can still hear I have a lil' southerner in me." It connects him to them, despite whether it's true or not.
He stops enunciating words. Drops the "g" off words ending in "-ing," it's tone things. I looked it up, and low and behold, this week's Raw came from Greenville, South Carolina. I think it's safe to say I nailed that.
This is a common political tactic to get the crowd on your side. Hillary Clinton got called out for it when she was running for president. It gives the masses a way of feeling a better direct connection with you when they talk and sound like you do. You're now one of them.
Until next time,
-AWV
Orton is on tonight. He was connected, you could feel it. Brock just reestablishes his monster status, recovering from his defeat at 'Mania. Heyman also continues to show he's arguably the best promo guy in the business. I'm guessing the cage is being done as an illusion to the Octagon.
Antonio Cesaro is great and the match with Kofi was good too. Kofi's promo didn't make sense because he's (kayfabe) not American. They’ve jobbed Cesaro out too much to make the title change really mean anything.
WWE has a genius spin with this Fandango-ing gimmick. Vince basically has WWE starting its own version of Gangnam Style. If Vince can get this to be a meme and catch on he will get huge eyes on WWE. Last week, Jersey made Fandango. If this catches, it will make CNN and morning talk shows. Vince is really going deep down the entertainment rabbit hole. Alternatively, this Fandango-ing can bite WWE in the ass. Like when fans do it during non-Fandango matches, when the fans get bored.
Fandango should cut promos how he hates the Fandango-ing, being offended as a trained dancer is now being compared to stupid trending dances. He is not a punchline, he is an artist. He dropped the ball on his promo tonight, he didn’t heel it up enough.
Damn it, Dolph found his groove. He is ready, in the ring and on the stick. Just on the entrance alone there was presence. Good for him. Swagger vs. Dolph, how bout those two amazing amateur wrestlers go. Then great psychology to lead into the strikes. Even the commentary is spot-on here, too. Note: WWE just gave you a quality heel versus heel match here. Dolph worked pseudo-face whilst still remaining a heel. He worked basically as a tweener, which allowed WWE to test out how over Dolph really is outside of the Jersey smart mark crowd. The important thing to watch is what the business of the match is: establishing Swagger as a credible threat to the title. Take notes, kids. On a personal note, I completely disagree with Dolph losing, especially considering he just won the belt last week.
Ryback cuts a decent promo while getting the story over. Good for him. Did anyone hear Cena calling directions to The Shield? "Look at Ryback! Look at Ryback!" Need to turn down those ring mics. Cena should be selling, not playing director. WWE has too much money to be multitasking him like that.
I also want to point out a master-level psychological ploy that Cena carried out, one that is usually reserved for high-level politicians. Listen to Cena's promo, he added a subtle good ol' southern boy to his accent, even his verbiage changed. It wasn't over the top, it came off like, "oh me, I grew up in the south, but then moved to Boston, but you can still hear I have a lil' southerner in me." It connects him to them, despite whether it's true or not.
He stops enunciating words. Drops the "g" off words ending in "-ing," it's tone things. I looked it up, and low and behold, this week's Raw came from Greenville, South Carolina. I think it's safe to say I nailed that.
This is a common political tactic to get the crowd on your side. Hillary Clinton got called out for it when she was running for president. It gives the masses a way of feeling a better direct connection with you when they talk and sound like you do. You're now one of them.
Until next time,
-AWV
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Style
These days, all that matters is style. Look at
the most recent election (Note: the 2012 US Presidential election). What did either candidate say during the
debates? Nothing too surprising from a substance point. So the debates
were decided on style. Why? Because everyone has an opinion on style and
most people aren't smart enough to sort through the substance.
Just like wrestling fans. Which isn't a commentary on their intelligence, but "smartness" to the business of pro wrestling. Most fans have no idea what good wrestling is. Most wrestlers don't either. Don't get me wrong, as a performer you can't suck (and if you do you better have the look and charisma to make up for it). But so long as you are passable (which most of the indies today are not), it all becomes about style.
So to my more advanced followers, work on character and style, because that's what gets you noticed on the national scale. Most guys in WWE today are just hype and style.
Everything of that style needs to be synchronized to make it a believable character. For example, everything Fandango does fits the gimmick. The guy has had a three month build up and will debut (and most likely win) at WrestleMania. While I'm sure many of you hate this gimmick because you're "purists," you have to look at the bigger picture of WWE. It's no longer pro wrestling. Shit, it's barely sports-entertainment. It's just "entertainment" now. Triple H versus The Undertaker being billed as the end of an era wasn't just a gimmick, it was a shoot. Pro wrestling ended and we are now in the era of entertainment.
This has been a slow transition since The Rock came back, but kicked into high gear at Raw 1000. There has been a very noticeable change in WWE's business plan. Watch Daniel Bryan on Saturday Morning Slam. It's all silly, hokey gimmick. In fact, even the wrestling resembled something that you would do when you would be wrestling in front of children. They have over the top PSAs featuring villains saying,"don't try this at home." The camera cuts away anytime someone is hit in the head. It's all story and character-driven stuff.
The WWE Network is happening whether you want it or not. Vince doesn't accept no for an answer. So he created a show, Main Event, for the purists who love to watch a longer, more technical match. A Saturday morning cartoon show called Slam Masters, and a flagship show where it all comes together with Monday Night Raw. On Friday he crams all the backwash he couldn't fit on Raw into Smackdown. You will eventually have that cruiserweight show and other niche audience products, such as the Vet House, etc.
Vince will place programming out to all the "friendly" networks right now, build the idea of the WWE Network. Plop all of his shitty WWE films on it and produce even lower budget shit movies like Syfy does, using his "superstars" as cast members. This is what he is building to. His new business model has very little to do with actual wrestling. That's right kids, WWE just got MTVed. You know how music television has very little music on it? That is where professional wrestling is going.
I am sure the majority of you are asking, "why?" Because there is a lot more money under the big umbrella of the "entertainment" business then there is with the "pro wrestling" business. Same with MTV. Overall entertainment makes more money than just music.
And sadly, kids, that's simply how this world works. And that's how art forms like music and wrestling die. My goal now is to preserve as much of the art, business, and culture of pro wrestling as I can, while I transition all of you independent pro wrestlers into independent entertainers. I'm not saying I like it anymore than you do, but I'm not here to like things. I'm here to help. And moving with the times is a necessary thing if I expect to help anyone.
Until next time,
-AWV
Just like wrestling fans. Which isn't a commentary on their intelligence, but "smartness" to the business of pro wrestling. Most fans have no idea what good wrestling is. Most wrestlers don't either. Don't get me wrong, as a performer you can't suck (and if you do you better have the look and charisma to make up for it). But so long as you are passable (which most of the indies today are not), it all becomes about style.
So to my more advanced followers, work on character and style, because that's what gets you noticed on the national scale. Most guys in WWE today are just hype and style.
Everything of that style needs to be synchronized to make it a believable character. For example, everything Fandango does fits the gimmick. The guy has had a three month build up and will debut (and most likely win) at WrestleMania. While I'm sure many of you hate this gimmick because you're "purists," you have to look at the bigger picture of WWE. It's no longer pro wrestling. Shit, it's barely sports-entertainment. It's just "entertainment" now. Triple H versus The Undertaker being billed as the end of an era wasn't just a gimmick, it was a shoot. Pro wrestling ended and we are now in the era of entertainment.
This has been a slow transition since The Rock came back, but kicked into high gear at Raw 1000. There has been a very noticeable change in WWE's business plan. Watch Daniel Bryan on Saturday Morning Slam. It's all silly, hokey gimmick. In fact, even the wrestling resembled something that you would do when you would be wrestling in front of children. They have over the top PSAs featuring villains saying,"don't try this at home." The camera cuts away anytime someone is hit in the head. It's all story and character-driven stuff.
The WWE Network is happening whether you want it or not. Vince doesn't accept no for an answer. So he created a show, Main Event, for the purists who love to watch a longer, more technical match. A Saturday morning cartoon show called Slam Masters, and a flagship show where it all comes together with Monday Night Raw. On Friday he crams all the backwash he couldn't fit on Raw into Smackdown. You will eventually have that cruiserweight show and other niche audience products, such as the Vet House, etc.
Vince will place programming out to all the "friendly" networks right now, build the idea of the WWE Network. Plop all of his shitty WWE films on it and produce even lower budget shit movies like Syfy does, using his "superstars" as cast members. This is what he is building to. His new business model has very little to do with actual wrestling. That's right kids, WWE just got MTVed. You know how music television has very little music on it? That is where professional wrestling is going.
I am sure the majority of you are asking, "why?" Because there is a lot more money under the big umbrella of the "entertainment" business then there is with the "pro wrestling" business. Same with MTV. Overall entertainment makes more money than just music.
And sadly, kids, that's simply how this world works. And that's how art forms like music and wrestling die. My goal now is to preserve as much of the art, business, and culture of pro wrestling as I can, while I transition all of you independent pro wrestlers into independent entertainers. I'm not saying I like it anymore than you do, but I'm not here to like things. I'm here to help. And moving with the times is a necessary thing if I expect to help anyone.
Until next time,
-AWV
Monday, March 4, 2013
Pro Wrestling and Pop Culture
Anthony asks, do you feel that workers and promoters tend to be, more often than not, behind the times on trends and popular culture? How important is it to pay attention to that kind of stuff?
Workers and promoters are at times behind when it comes to pop culture, but there is a reason for that. Promoters can't book too much based on mainstream news stories from any aspect of pop culture within the week it occurs. That would turn wrestling into Saturday Night Live, only not funny (no matter how hard they try). Also, current event stories tend to die off quickly (IE, the Dorner story. In that case, literally), which would make angle longevity a problem.
Wrestling has always appealed to the masses by playing to their hopes, fears, and in many cases, preconceived notions. WWE always has and always will continue to play to popular sentiments of society, though maybe not in a daily scope. Pro wrestling perfectly dramatizes the preoccupations and pathologies of society. When executed properly, wrestling speaks to matters of broad and compelling interest. It says the right things at the right time, in the right way to the right people (paying customers). In other words, promoters and often workers themselves use the big ideas from pop culture and convey those ideas to the audience in an easy-to-understand way with a conclusion the way the audience wants them to play out. Those ideas mainly revolve around race, sex, nationalism, and frankly any other stereotype Vince can exploit and make money off of.
For example, look at nationalism in the '80s, Hulk Hogan — “The Real American” — took down every threat to America with great ease. He defeated The Iron Sheik to win the Championship during the height of Iranian tensions. He later defeated Nikolai Volkoff during the height of the Cold War. In the '90s he vanquished Sgt. Slaughter, who turned against America during the first Gulf War. Hogan’s career during the '80s and early '90s was the perfect example of pop culture and American sentiment being infused into wrestling storylines. That being the idea, or reassertion, of American domination and the cartoonish villains that “threaten” the country. Each character Hogan took down was grossly exaggerated and made into the American stereotype of various foreign and domestic threats, be they Middle Easterners or Russians from their attire to their in-ring antics. Hell, they were so over-the-top cartoonish that they did in fact make a cartoon about all of this, Hulk Hogan’s Rock n’ Wrestling Show.
Brother Love was born of the '80s’ evangelical movement. The Million Dollar Man was symbolic of the wealth created by the Reagan administration and the lifestyle so many wanted to lead (as parodied in American Psycho). The list goes on and on. Stone Cold was emblematic of the '90s’ MTV generation’s attitude of sticking it to the man and blazing your own trail through life.
Today, John Cena holds the torch as our patriotic, all-American hero. Not only as the face of the company, but as the man to take down evil. Perfect example: WrestleMania 27. Watch John Cena’s entrance. The all-American hometown choir singing an overly Godly intro. Vince basically dared the crowd to boo Cena. “If you’re booing John Cena, you hate America, God, the hometown of Atlanta, and hell, it was a black choir, so that makes you a racist too.”
For another modern example, look at Muhammad Hassan, a thinly veiled terrorist. But once shit got too real with the London bombing he had to be taken out by the former “American Bad-Ass”, The Undertaker. Or look at Jack Swagger and his manager, Zeb Coulter. Their heel gimmick is that they are extremist Republicans. Brilliant.
Today you also see a greater influx of minority wrestlers getting pushes, which has everything to do with the demographics of WWE’s audience. A huge percentage of WWE fans are Mexican or Latino, which leads to the recent championship pushes of Rey Mysterio as the blue-collar, hard working, underdog Mexican hero. Winning the WWE Championship was his take on the American dream, of hard work and perseverance paying off. Mysterio’s title reign also coincided with hotly contested immigration debates in America. Alberto Del Rio’s heel character as the aristocratic Mexican brought out the contempt many in this country hold for that nationality, as well as enlightening them to the separation of wealth in Mexico. Del Rio as a heel is everything the core white male audience hates: an educated, wealthy minority that rubs his success into the typical mid-class wrestling fan’s face. So why the gear shift (face turn) of Del Rio? The obvious answer may have been reactionary to the writing on national electoral wall and nicely ties into the new Swagger gimmick.
WWE used to be an extremely character driven company that pushed a lot of stereotypes. It broke away from that a bit during the Attitude Era, but even then, you had a gang war between the Puerto Rican gang (Los Boriquas), the Black Panthers (Nation of Domination), the skinhead biker gang (DOA), as well as that young rebellious gang of white kids thrown in the mix (D-Generation X). Stereotypes are a big part of wrestling, but guess what? They are also a big part of the entertainment business as a whole. Vince cleverly exploited this, as did the promoters who came before him with evil Germans and Japanese fresh off of World War II.
It is very important to pay attention to pop culture when you are looking at wrestling, you can create compelling storylines based off of it. One problem I see with the indies trying to capitalize on this is the lack of coverage they receive and the continuity (or lack of it) within the promotion. Will the talent involved show up religiously enough to run an angle? How many storylines are (successfully) run on indy shows? It is harder to infuse pop culture on the indy circuit unless you are basing your gimmick off of something from it.
Until next time,
-AWV
Workers and promoters are at times behind when it comes to pop culture, but there is a reason for that. Promoters can't book too much based on mainstream news stories from any aspect of pop culture within the week it occurs. That would turn wrestling into Saturday Night Live, only not funny (no matter how hard they try). Also, current event stories tend to die off quickly (IE, the Dorner story. In that case, literally), which would make angle longevity a problem.
Wrestling has always appealed to the masses by playing to their hopes, fears, and in many cases, preconceived notions. WWE always has and always will continue to play to popular sentiments of society, though maybe not in a daily scope. Pro wrestling perfectly dramatizes the preoccupations and pathologies of society. When executed properly, wrestling speaks to matters of broad and compelling interest. It says the right things at the right time, in the right way to the right people (paying customers). In other words, promoters and often workers themselves use the big ideas from pop culture and convey those ideas to the audience in an easy-to-understand way with a conclusion the way the audience wants them to play out. Those ideas mainly revolve around race, sex, nationalism, and frankly any other stereotype Vince can exploit and make money off of.
For example, look at nationalism in the '80s, Hulk Hogan — “The Real American” — took down every threat to America with great ease. He defeated The Iron Sheik to win the Championship during the height of Iranian tensions. He later defeated Nikolai Volkoff during the height of the Cold War. In the '90s he vanquished Sgt. Slaughter, who turned against America during the first Gulf War. Hogan’s career during the '80s and early '90s was the perfect example of pop culture and American sentiment being infused into wrestling storylines. That being the idea, or reassertion, of American domination and the cartoonish villains that “threaten” the country. Each character Hogan took down was grossly exaggerated and made into the American stereotype of various foreign and domestic threats, be they Middle Easterners or Russians from their attire to their in-ring antics. Hell, they were so over-the-top cartoonish that they did in fact make a cartoon about all of this, Hulk Hogan’s Rock n’ Wrestling Show.
Brother Love was born of the '80s’ evangelical movement. The Million Dollar Man was symbolic of the wealth created by the Reagan administration and the lifestyle so many wanted to lead (as parodied in American Psycho). The list goes on and on. Stone Cold was emblematic of the '90s’ MTV generation’s attitude of sticking it to the man and blazing your own trail through life.
Today, John Cena holds the torch as our patriotic, all-American hero. Not only as the face of the company, but as the man to take down evil. Perfect example: WrestleMania 27. Watch John Cena’s entrance. The all-American hometown choir singing an overly Godly intro. Vince basically dared the crowd to boo Cena. “If you’re booing John Cena, you hate America, God, the hometown of Atlanta, and hell, it was a black choir, so that makes you a racist too.”
For another modern example, look at Muhammad Hassan, a thinly veiled terrorist. But once shit got too real with the London bombing he had to be taken out by the former “American Bad-Ass”, The Undertaker. Or look at Jack Swagger and his manager, Zeb Coulter. Their heel gimmick is that they are extremist Republicans. Brilliant.
Today you also see a greater influx of minority wrestlers getting pushes, which has everything to do with the demographics of WWE’s audience. A huge percentage of WWE fans are Mexican or Latino, which leads to the recent championship pushes of Rey Mysterio as the blue-collar, hard working, underdog Mexican hero. Winning the WWE Championship was his take on the American dream, of hard work and perseverance paying off. Mysterio’s title reign also coincided with hotly contested immigration debates in America. Alberto Del Rio’s heel character as the aristocratic Mexican brought out the contempt many in this country hold for that nationality, as well as enlightening them to the separation of wealth in Mexico. Del Rio as a heel is everything the core white male audience hates: an educated, wealthy minority that rubs his success into the typical mid-class wrestling fan’s face. So why the gear shift (face turn) of Del Rio? The obvious answer may have been reactionary to the writing on national electoral wall and nicely ties into the new Swagger gimmick.
WWE used to be an extremely character driven company that pushed a lot of stereotypes. It broke away from that a bit during the Attitude Era, but even then, you had a gang war between the Puerto Rican gang (Los Boriquas), the Black Panthers (Nation of Domination), the skinhead biker gang (DOA), as well as that young rebellious gang of white kids thrown in the mix (D-Generation X). Stereotypes are a big part of wrestling, but guess what? They are also a big part of the entertainment business as a whole. Vince cleverly exploited this, as did the promoters who came before him with evil Germans and Japanese fresh off of World War II.
It is very important to pay attention to pop culture when you are looking at wrestling, you can create compelling storylines based off of it. One problem I see with the indies trying to capitalize on this is the lack of coverage they receive and the continuity (or lack of it) within the promotion. Will the talent involved show up religiously enough to run an angle? How many storylines are (successfully) run on indy shows? It is harder to infuse pop culture on the indy circuit unless you are basing your gimmick off of something from it.
Until next time,
-AWV
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Religion of Wrestling
Jason Whisman asks, Neil deGrasse Tyson was doing a lecture on how he looked upon the universe and was drawn to it, and felt a sudden burst of emotion and wonder. Very similar to a religious awakening. He went on to say that science to him was what God is to religious people. I wonder, could wrestling do that for people? Could it bring an awakening or sense of belonging? We have a documented history which a lot of people study (like science or the Bible). We have role models that might not be perfect in all aspects, but we mark out for them nonetheless (like religious people do for Jesus and the Apostles). We have versions of Heaven (WWE, Japan) and versions of Hell (backyard wrestling, $5 Wrestling). So, technically, could pro wrestling be a sort of religion?
Well Jason, it is for me. In lieu of religion, there is philosophy, and the search for God in the minutiae. In other words, it is human nature that we search for the essence of God in things. The dogma, the rules, the language. The closest thing to what we, wrestlers, do, are strippers and preachers. Strippers are unquestionably workers. They suck you into their world, they make themselves the most important thing, not just in the room, but in the world at that moment. A stripper runs a shine, a heat, a false comeback, and finally, cheats the mark of victory, but still leaves them unable to wait to return. Regardless of whether a stripper is actually attractive or not, they convince you that they are the hottest thing in the universe, literally dripping with sex appeal. Why? Because strippers think they are the hottest thing in the world. It's all confidence. Besides, you should never go to the strip club to see the strippers. Go to see the women in the audience get naked. That's the swerve. Ultimately, it was dicks and pussy that ruined both the Garden of Eden and wrestling. I digress.
If wrestling is our religion, a significant other should understand that, just as he or she wouldn't ask us to give up Christianity, Judaism, or any other form of belief, to some of us wrestling is that religion. Dick and pussy can ruin that for us. Ruin its purity by distracting us from prayer. People see the passion a true artist has for the business and try to own it. When they can’t, they attempt to destroy it. It's not that your significant other doesn't want you to love wrestling, it's that they don't want you to love anything more than them.
Preachers have you convinced they are in touch with God. Why? Because they absolutely believe it. When you go to a preacher he tells you he hates the way you live, the way you spend your money, the way you raise your children. And you still come back the next week. That's classic heel work. They tell you they dislike every aspect of your life and you come back to get heat on yourself all over again the next week. Preachers are heels. Watch the first ten minutes of The Last Exorcism, tell me it isn't the exact advice you've read in my articles on gimmicks, promos, and making the fans believe.
Morality plays will always work. The Bible is just a booking sheet to get over an agenda. If you read the Old Testament, it's all about a booker putting himself over. So much so, he had to create a heel, because he was so overpowering that no one could get any heat on him. So he gives up the book to his son and everyone gets to run heat on him until the big comeback: Revelations.
Religion is found anywhere passion exists. So, yes, there are plenty of comparisons. Sales at the gimmick table are paying tithes to the baby face savior.
As far as comparative truths, you mentioned $5 Wrestling and backyard wrestling, but aren’t there offshoots of religions? Snake handlers and tent revivals, which aren't the accepted norm, but faith flows from them, be it misplaced or not.
Often, the boys getting fucked over. The only thing an indie wrestler loves more than a push is getting fucked. It adds to their martyrdom. All faiths love a martyr.
Isn't the baby face preaching to some degree? Isn't he center stage, under the lights, fighting the good fight? Not only for himself, but the betterment of the world? But alas, the baby is only as strong as the roadblock in front of him. A baby face must tap into the righteous fire, the indignation of refusing to compromise their values. Same as a fire and brimstone preacher. Save them all, or we all perish.
At the end of the day, what is religion? An ideology that gives those who participate a sense of belonging. Something that gives those who don’t believe a reason to scorn those who do. A search for a higher truth. I’d say pro wrestling fits those parameters.
Until next time,
-AWV
Well Jason, it is for me. In lieu of religion, there is philosophy, and the search for God in the minutiae. In other words, it is human nature that we search for the essence of God in things. The dogma, the rules, the language. The closest thing to what we, wrestlers, do, are strippers and preachers. Strippers are unquestionably workers. They suck you into their world, they make themselves the most important thing, not just in the room, but in the world at that moment. A stripper runs a shine, a heat, a false comeback, and finally, cheats the mark of victory, but still leaves them unable to wait to return. Regardless of whether a stripper is actually attractive or not, they convince you that they are the hottest thing in the universe, literally dripping with sex appeal. Why? Because strippers think they are the hottest thing in the world. It's all confidence. Besides, you should never go to the strip club to see the strippers. Go to see the women in the audience get naked. That's the swerve. Ultimately, it was dicks and pussy that ruined both the Garden of Eden and wrestling. I digress.
If wrestling is our religion, a significant other should understand that, just as he or she wouldn't ask us to give up Christianity, Judaism, or any other form of belief, to some of us wrestling is that religion. Dick and pussy can ruin that for us. Ruin its purity by distracting us from prayer. People see the passion a true artist has for the business and try to own it. When they can’t, they attempt to destroy it. It's not that your significant other doesn't want you to love wrestling, it's that they don't want you to love anything more than them.
Preachers have you convinced they are in touch with God. Why? Because they absolutely believe it. When you go to a preacher he tells you he hates the way you live, the way you spend your money, the way you raise your children. And you still come back the next week. That's classic heel work. They tell you they dislike every aspect of your life and you come back to get heat on yourself all over again the next week. Preachers are heels. Watch the first ten minutes of The Last Exorcism, tell me it isn't the exact advice you've read in my articles on gimmicks, promos, and making the fans believe.
Morality plays will always work. The Bible is just a booking sheet to get over an agenda. If you read the Old Testament, it's all about a booker putting himself over. So much so, he had to create a heel, because he was so overpowering that no one could get any heat on him. So he gives up the book to his son and everyone gets to run heat on him until the big comeback: Revelations.
Religion is found anywhere passion exists. So, yes, there are plenty of comparisons. Sales at the gimmick table are paying tithes to the baby face savior.
As far as comparative truths, you mentioned $5 Wrestling and backyard wrestling, but aren’t there offshoots of religions? Snake handlers and tent revivals, which aren't the accepted norm, but faith flows from them, be it misplaced or not.
Often, the boys getting fucked over. The only thing an indie wrestler loves more than a push is getting fucked. It adds to their martyrdom. All faiths love a martyr.
Isn't the baby face preaching to some degree? Isn't he center stage, under the lights, fighting the good fight? Not only for himself, but the betterment of the world? But alas, the baby is only as strong as the roadblock in front of him. A baby face must tap into the righteous fire, the indignation of refusing to compromise their values. Same as a fire and brimstone preacher. Save them all, or we all perish.
At the end of the day, what is religion? An ideology that gives those who participate a sense of belonging. Something that gives those who don’t believe a reason to scorn those who do. A search for a higher truth. I’d say pro wrestling fits those parameters.
Until next time,
-AWV
Friday, February 22, 2013
On the Subject of Masks and Hoods
Most wrestlers don't even have a gimmick or a character to start off with in wrestling, which is a massive flaw in their training. From what I have generally seen, if you're under a hood there is something very gimmicked up about you. If you're going to wear a mask, do something that has never been done before with it. Don't try to have a design like Rey Mysterio's. Try to be original with your mask. Look at Delirious or Abyss. Their gimmick isn't defined by that mask, but it is strongly supported by it. Your mask should represent your character more than anything else.
Generally (in the style of old school American wrestling), heels are the ones under masks because they have something to hide. If you're a babyface with a mask, your mask has to become part of you. This is why heels love to tear off the face’s mask: to you, as a face, it should feel as if your very skin is being pulled from your skull. That mask is part of you, it becomes who you are.
As far as cultural significance is concerned, with their bright colors and designs, the mask hearkens back to Aztec and Mayan ritual. The anonymity the mask gives allows any masked wrestler to become an everyman. A symbol is always stronger than mortal man. Conceptually, it is also without race. It’s not as much an identity as it is a mythology.
Look at the most popular lucha libre stars, such as El Santo and Blue Demon — not necessarily considered all-time greats when it came to in-ring talent. However, all became iconic due to their strict adherence to kayfabe, as far as the mask was concerned. For most of their lifetime, they were never seen in public without them. They never showed human weakness. Therefore, they were suspended above mortality. The mask allows for the apotheosis of man to legend.
Masks also provide you with a shield. Many wrestlers are nervous when they first start. A mask can be their version of a safety blanket. This allows them to mentally click over into their character; similar to when you put on a nice suit, shave, do your hair up, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "damn, I look good."
Here is my question to you: is it that suit that is making you feel the way outlined above? Your haircut? Is it that you're clean-shaven? No. You were the same guy before you were all cleaned up as you are now that you're looking all spiffy. But your confidence level has changed and that's really the core of professional wrestling. You have to be confident in that ring and you have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. If you don't, neither will anyone else. And would you pay to see someone or something you don’t believe in? Nobody wants their entertainment to be half-assed. Give it all or nothing.
In the end, it isn't the mask that makes you who you are, it’s your mental state. That's the trick. That's your answer. If a promoter sticks you under a hood as, say, a ninja, you should be able to make it work. In the case of the ninja, the mask should only be there to enhance the overall character. Is it the ninja mask that makes him a ninja? Or is it just part of his whole? Your outfit, body language, and your moveset should all reflect what the fanbase's idea of a ninja is. I respect creativity out of young guys when they pitch me characters, but realize the fans should know who you are in that ring before the bell even rings based on your look, the way you carry yourself to the ring, the way you enter the ring, and the types of poses you hit as you're in the ring. These are all nonverbal cues to the audience to establish who you are.
Masked wrestlers can also be a very helpful thing to a booker. It can give you added options in creating some fun stories, like when Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan came back as The Midnight Rider and Mr. America, respectively. Or it can allow for a complete repackage of someone. For reference, see Demolition Smash's transformation to the Repo Man or Rikishi's to the Sultan. Smash went from a power-and-paint, high energy ass-kicker to becoming a kleptomaniacal Repo Man. And the Sultan is about as far off from Rikishi as you can get. But these guys took those masks and, in some cases, it made them who they were.
There are some limitations to wearing a mask. The most obvious is that it at best impairs, at worst hides your facial sells. In the age of high-definition television, this is a huge disadvantage. Especially when you are performing for a televised audience. Now, because of your mask, the audience at home cannot read the emotion on your face. That means you have to almost double up on your body language sells. I’m not saying be hokey or too over the top with your body language, just be more aware of it. As a wrestler, I put a lot of mental effort into how my face is reflecting what is happening in the ring. Now that this has been taken away from you, you should put that effort into more effectively conveying the story with your body language. Like how a blind man’s sense of hearing is stronger to make up for his inability to see. Don’t wrestle harder, wrestle smarter.
As you read this, it is my deepest hope that I am breaking through to you that there is so much more to wrestling than “shine, cutoff, heat, hope spot, comeback, finish.” There is so much more to be taken into consideration than “what move comes next” and how it leads to the next spot. This again reiterates my statement, “pro wrestling is a high-level thinking business, despite its reputation.”
Until next time,
AWV
Generally (in the style of old school American wrestling), heels are the ones under masks because they have something to hide. If you're a babyface with a mask, your mask has to become part of you. This is why heels love to tear off the face’s mask: to you, as a face, it should feel as if your very skin is being pulled from your skull. That mask is part of you, it becomes who you are.
As far as cultural significance is concerned, with their bright colors and designs, the mask hearkens back to Aztec and Mayan ritual. The anonymity the mask gives allows any masked wrestler to become an everyman. A symbol is always stronger than mortal man. Conceptually, it is also without race. It’s not as much an identity as it is a mythology.
Look at the most popular lucha libre stars, such as El Santo and Blue Demon — not necessarily considered all-time greats when it came to in-ring talent. However, all became iconic due to their strict adherence to kayfabe, as far as the mask was concerned. For most of their lifetime, they were never seen in public without them. They never showed human weakness. Therefore, they were suspended above mortality. The mask allows for the apotheosis of man to legend.
Masks also provide you with a shield. Many wrestlers are nervous when they first start. A mask can be their version of a safety blanket. This allows them to mentally click over into their character; similar to when you put on a nice suit, shave, do your hair up, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "damn, I look good."
Here is my question to you: is it that suit that is making you feel the way outlined above? Your haircut? Is it that you're clean-shaven? No. You were the same guy before you were all cleaned up as you are now that you're looking all spiffy. But your confidence level has changed and that's really the core of professional wrestling. You have to be confident in that ring and you have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing. If you don't, neither will anyone else. And would you pay to see someone or something you don’t believe in? Nobody wants their entertainment to be half-assed. Give it all or nothing.
In the end, it isn't the mask that makes you who you are, it’s your mental state. That's the trick. That's your answer. If a promoter sticks you under a hood as, say, a ninja, you should be able to make it work. In the case of the ninja, the mask should only be there to enhance the overall character. Is it the ninja mask that makes him a ninja? Or is it just part of his whole? Your outfit, body language, and your moveset should all reflect what the fanbase's idea of a ninja is. I respect creativity out of young guys when they pitch me characters, but realize the fans should know who you are in that ring before the bell even rings based on your look, the way you carry yourself to the ring, the way you enter the ring, and the types of poses you hit as you're in the ring. These are all nonverbal cues to the audience to establish who you are.
Masked wrestlers can also be a very helpful thing to a booker. It can give you added options in creating some fun stories, like when Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan came back as The Midnight Rider and Mr. America, respectively. Or it can allow for a complete repackage of someone. For reference, see Demolition Smash's transformation to the Repo Man or Rikishi's to the Sultan. Smash went from a power-and-paint, high energy ass-kicker to becoming a kleptomaniacal Repo Man. And the Sultan is about as far off from Rikishi as you can get. But these guys took those masks and, in some cases, it made them who they were.
There are some limitations to wearing a mask. The most obvious is that it at best impairs, at worst hides your facial sells. In the age of high-definition television, this is a huge disadvantage. Especially when you are performing for a televised audience. Now, because of your mask, the audience at home cannot read the emotion on your face. That means you have to almost double up on your body language sells. I’m not saying be hokey or too over the top with your body language, just be more aware of it. As a wrestler, I put a lot of mental effort into how my face is reflecting what is happening in the ring. Now that this has been taken away from you, you should put that effort into more effectively conveying the story with your body language. Like how a blind man’s sense of hearing is stronger to make up for his inability to see. Don’t wrestle harder, wrestle smarter.
As you read this, it is my deepest hope that I am breaking through to you that there is so much more to wrestling than “shine, cutoff, heat, hope spot, comeback, finish.” There is so much more to be taken into consideration than “what move comes next” and how it leads to the next spot. This again reiterates my statement, “pro wrestling is a high-level thinking business, despite its reputation.”
Until next time,
AWV
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
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
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
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