If you have ever tried to sell sponsorships to a wrestling card, not just tatoo parlors and motorcycle clubs (not that there is anything wrong with that, but trying to expand the audience beyond that), but real everyday businesses in the community, to work with local kids oriented charities and clubs, THIS along with the sleaze of the WWE, is what you have to overcome.
This is the crap that gets on 20/20, 60Minutes, and your local tv news sweeps pieces.
You dont see the heartwarming Fanfest stories where guys from yesteryear can embrace the fans that grew up watching them. You dont see the stories of how local indy promoters such as Shawn Williams, of the CWA, every year does a Toys for Tots show in December and gives seats away to local kids who might not afford them or Louis Moore, with NCWA, working with Ivan Koloff on a show that benefits the Children's Miracle Network. There are plenty of other local promoters that I know I am leaving out, that have worked tirelessly to put on shows where the community or a special project was benefitted by it. You don't see George South get a lot of press, doing church shows and giving away toys to needy families at shows. Bobby Yates puts on a show in Asheboro, it got some decent newspaper coverage, but these small victories get totally washed away by trash like CZW in the eyes of the general public and potiential sponsorships.
Over the last year, I have received many emails from guys like you see on CZW looking for bookings. Trained by someone you've never heard of who's best gimmick or talent is that he knows how to bleed. This totally screws professional wrestling and quite frankly offends me personally.
Any idiot can bash a chair over someone's head. Heck, doesnt take much talent to get into a bar fight and if you are stupid enough you can even fall off a 20something foot cage and crash thru a table...but what does it prove? You've got an IQ lower than most apes?
I look around and I see so much potential for professional wrestling. Kids flock to guys colorful characters like Kamikazi Kid and Ultra Dragon, those two guys can reach and audience just on presence alone. A good guy like Ric Converse, who along with the AWA and CWF MidAtlantic, has a chance to really build something around his AWA World title, walks into a room and people know he's there just on his presence alone, not to mention the fact he goes out of his way to sign autographs for kids. A guy like Jake Manning, who has mastered his heel role and has worked his butt off over the last year or so establishing himself. Even as a heel, even when fans get a bit offensive, he doesnt take the low road and comports himself like a true professional. You can add Joey Silvia to that list as well. Joey gets called all kinds of crap, but I havent seen him (maybe I've just been lucky) take the low road with fans. In the times I've seen him, he'll find something clever without having to resort to vulgarity. Bobby Houston, Chris Guerrero, Johnny Lightning, Louis Moore, KC McKnight, Shamus Maloney, Ali Steele, Brady Hawk, The Radical, Caprice Coleman, Ace Crusader, George South, Jr, Jason Jones, Chris Nelson, Neil Sharkey, Phil Brown, Pat Cusick, and probably a hundred more I am missing here know how to get over as a professional wrestler without resorting to something that would offend your mother.
When I see crap like CZW being sold at Suncoast, Fye, and other places it makes people think "that" is what wrestling is. And if you watch the fans in attendence they were eating it up, that that makes me really sad. It's not only an insult to my personal senses but I think it's an insult to every wrestler I mentioned above, their hard work and efforts, the promoters who have busted their humps to put quality shows for the public, and the wrestling fans who have supported the MidAtlantic style of wrestling over the years.
Sorry but I had to vent.
Dogs
