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By Carmine Sabia
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*Pre-Article Announcement*
SSCW has launched it's new, interactive
campaign. Details can be found on www.sscwwrestling.com.
SSCW is now For Fans........By Fans.
They book what they watch. Check it
out and read the press release right
here on usaindy.com.
I promised this one from week 1 but
we have had so much newsworthy happenings
in wrestling I did not get a chance
to write the article I really wanted
to write. So in this week's "Straight
Shootin'" the article you have
all been waiting for......or at least
should have been. The article entitled........
Pro Wrestling For Dummies: (Volume 1).
Good day class. Today we are going to
learn the basics of running a wrestling
promotion. Lesson One is quantity VS
quality. A very important lesson so
sit up straight and....HEY, no gum chewing.
You see class anyone can string together
3 maybe 4 shows a month if the right
moronic money mark is behind them. The
actual value of a promoter or promotion
is the quality of the show and the product
itself. For instance when the workers
REFUSE to put someone over, work so
and so, sign autographs, work an angle,
etc... that's a bad thing. There has
to be ONE boss and it has to be you.
Sometimes you have to fire friends but
so be it. As a great promoter once told
me this is the wrestling BUSINESS not
the wrestling FRIENDS.
Now the average fan may not see what
is going on behind the scenes from what
he sees in the stands. But it is those
in the know that know when a promoter
is a pansy. When he Guarantees and Promises
this and that. When he fights the wrong
people (other promoters) rather then
fighting the real problems in his own
locker room. Trying desperately to build
a sense of family in a locker room full
of disdain.
Lesson 2: Getting sponsors.
Ok so now you know what type of product
you are going to be showcasing. Get
the community involved. We, as indies,
don't get major press so we have to
take what we can get. Get the pizza
shops, barbers, supermarkets etc...
to advertise with you and in exchange
advertise with them. It doesn't hurt
a piazza place to hand out a flyer with
every pizza they deliver.
Lesson 3: Booking talent.
Ah this one's tricky. Revert to lesson
1 regarding business VS friends. I have
a lot of friends I don't book. They
are either not good enough yet or don't
fit the direction I want to take the
company in. This can conceivably make
you a lot of enemies. But if you were
looking to make friends you probably
already know you chose the wrong line
of work.
The first step is to find team players.
Forget about the "book the most
popular wrestlers" theory. Look
at 3PW. They use a lot of great workers
you haven't heard of. That is what separates
there product. If you can see Lo Ki
on 3 different shows this weekend chances
are you'll just pick the one closest
to your house. But if you can only see,
say Billy Reil, at SSCW on Saturday
then you HAVE TO go there to see him.
Don't overpay. There are a lot of indy
workers that want name status paydays.
Don't cave in and don't mark. A lot
of us made that mistake when we were
green. Don't ask a worker what he wants/gets
per appearance. Tell him what is in
the budget that you can give him. Keep
the ball in your court at all times.
If he doesn't like the price you quoted
him and he wants more negotiate. IF
he/she is being reasonable. Example:
you offer Joe Smith $30.00 to work Saturday's
show. Joe Smith tells you he is coming
in from another state and that won't
even cover gas and tolls. He says he
wants $50.00 and asks politely if you
can work it out. Offer him $40.00. If
you really think he is being legit and
you realize after gas and tolls and
a bite to eat this dude is taking money
out of his pocket hook him up with the
extra $10.00 and make it $50.00. Don't
do this as a rule and don't do it for
every worker. If you really want the
guy on your show the extra $20.00 is
worth it. But frankly most indy workers
are easily replaced with a different,
more local, indy worker who will come
in for the $30.00 or less. If the worker
is fresh out of school they work for
the experience and require no pay. In
SSCW we usually have a house minimum
for anyone working a match (not battle
royal). It's not a necessity but it
is a good policy. I like to always make
sure everyone gets something. it sends
a positive message about your company
to treat the boys good. Remember if
no workers then no show.
Lesson 4: The Name.
After filling 6 - 7 matches with your
locals you want that 1 big name to fill
the seats. Lots of things to consider
here. You can take the hot name of the
moment. I'll give an example. A few
months ago every promotion in the area
was drawing well using Eddie Gurerro.
I chose not to. Why? Hey Eddie is a
great draw and a great worker but revert
to Lesson 2 about having a choice. If
Eddie works 3 shows within 10 miles
of each other the draw is split and
no one makes money. By the time I would
have used him he would have been in
every promotion within a 10 mile radius
of me. His usefulness worn out I looked
for other options.
You could book a legend. Legends are
great cuz they get the parents to come
out. And where the parents go the kids
follow. The flaw with this plan is the
legends have REALLY been saturated around
most areas and there drawing power is
long gone.
A good way to book is to familiarize
yourself with your area. If you run
in a largely Hispanic neighborhood Konnan
would probably draw you more then say
Bam Bam Bigelow. Running in south Jersey?
Then Bam Bam is your man. I. for instance,
am running on September 6th and am having
a tribute show for the 1 year anniversary
of the 9/11 disaster. It is a fund raiser
and in order to raise fund I need to
draw well. perfect worker for the perfect
theme. I could go with the Patriot but
who remembers him? I need a great American
hero who hasn't been overused and can
still draw. Someone even the younger
fans, if they haven't seen him, have
at least heard of. DING. Hacksaw Jim
Duggan.
So the point of this story is this.
If you needed to read this don't run
a promotion. I provided you with about
1/10 of what you actually need to know.
Just thought some of you would like
an inside look at why we book the way
we book and why things run the way they
do. Oh yeah and of course to plug the
SSCW September 6th show "Enduring
Freedom" in Union City New Jersey
featuring Hacksaw Jim Duggan and a host
of the best Canadian wrestlers from
PCW Canada who have never before been
seen in the United States.
Feedback can be mailed to CJ@sscwwrestling.com
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