Court Bauer
H2 Wrestling debuts June 26
Court Bauer
H2 Wrestling debuts June 26
Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey: How did you get into the pro wrestling business?
Court Bauer: I was a freshman in college down in Maryland in the mid nineties and went to some of the Samoan shows in Allentown (WSWF or TWWF at the time?) and basically told Samu that I would work hard for nothing to break in under him and his family. After several weeks of pleading and selling him on my work ethic, he finally caved… probably to get me off of his back finally. From there on out, Pops (Afa) and Sam broke me in and taught me all I know from booking, running a promotion, and being respectful yet firm with talent. At Top Rope Productions, I did whatever was asked from booking to helping with merchandise and marketing. I worked for the family though out college and afterwards while working for Bigel Mailer Films in Manhattan – where I stayed until I began full—time with MLW. I also spent a great deal of time under the guidance of Gary Albright and Rosey (WWE) in 1997 and on. Gary was instrumental in my introduction to the Japanese territory where I befriended many from the All Japan office at the time. This then expanded into business relationships with many other folks in various promotions as well as in the broadcast and licensing world in Japan. Briefly, I also had the honor of learning from Dory Funk, Jr. in 2000, who taught me a lot about the fundamentals of booking finishes while his brother Terry taught me in MLW about how to really give the fans something different in an old school, unpredictable wild fashion. I never will claim to have completed my education in the business. Today, Gary Hart who was the booker for World Class and on the NWA/WCW committee in the late 1980s serves as my mentor along with Samu. Gary has taught me a great deal about character development and how to really build business for the box office. My booking from the MLW days will be quite different in H2 due to Gary and Samu. Of course, Teddy also shares the executive producer hat with me, so it’s going to be a much different feel to the show based on that too.
Court Bauer: Actually, that’s not true. I never was employed by ECW. However, I have worked with the majority of the people in and behind it.
Court Bauer: I have taken many bumps, courtesy of the Samoans (laughs), but that’s where it ends for me. I have always respected what the boys do out there as it’s a gift. However, I have never been interested in exploring a career in the ring as I have always been more fascinated in the marketing of the product and personas. That is what drives me and has me extremely excited about H2 and June 26th. However, at one point, I was considering exploring managing but it wasn’t meant to be.
Court Bauer: Originally in 99, the late Gary Albright and I had developed a concept that would’ve been All Japan Americana. We were to call it MLW. We had thought at length about doing some great things in the same spirit as All Japan, using many of the boys from the All Japan crew in what would’ve been a really exciting project. Unfortunately, Gary passed on in early 2000 and the dream died with him. After a year or two of regrouping, which included revamping at every level from the financing of the project to the people involved to the vision, we kicked things off in Philadelphia in the summer of 2002 with a more “extreme” feel initially before branding it “hybrid.”
Court Bauer: I don’t think so, but the decision isn’t up to me. There’s no doubt there’s still money in MLW down in the South, but there is a lot of logistical issues that would come into play for a MLW revival. I’m not sure it’s really possible. I am committed to H2 and have already turned down the offer to do a MLW revival. I believe in H2 and know the colorful and unique feel of the show will be what makes wrestling fun, exciting, entertaining, and unpredictable again. That’s our goal and we look forward to delivering it in Boston at the Roxy in Boston.
Court Bauer: Well, a lot of it did work, as evident from the crowds we pulled in down south in Florida in 2003. The one thing that didn’t unfortunately was the budget for MLW. It was something that became a major hindrance to the growth and stabilization of the company. However, in H2 I am given a fixed budget. I can’t play with the bottom line. It’s set and we must adhere to it, which I love and makes my job actually easier. The burden of balancing the budget isn’t on my shoulders like it was in H2, I just have to plug in the numbers and they must fit. There’s no room for fudging it for the sake of adding another “big name,” which is fine by me. I believe in the H2 crew and am investing in them. They’re going to be what makes H2 work over the long haul and that journey begins on June 26th at our first H2 show at the Roxy in Boston.
Court Bauer: H2 is an affordable, fresh, fun, and abstract product. H2 is about colorful personas. H2 features an electric club atmosphere with high risk aerial combat and intricate submissions that you wont’ see at the local high school or national guard shows. H2 is about a group of young, ambitious, and talented individuals who have an uncanny work ethic and passion to make a name for themselves in the business. H2 isn’t wrestling by the points. It’s not just a great experience from a technical/mechanical execution of a match. Our goal is to have more layers than that in and out of the ring. It’s about being different and unpredictable and showcasing a diverse and multi-layered group of players. There’s also the “H2 Experience”, which folks can learn a little bit about on the H2wrestling.com site under the learn section, but I don’t really want to give much more away in the description of it.
Court Bauer: Ted and I are good friends dating back to the fall of 2003 when we met under some random circumstances, an A&E wrestling talk panel with Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Dom Denucci, Raven, Mike Lano and a few others. It was quite the eclectic group to say the very least that night… I’m not even sure if that taping ever made air? But that’s probably another story for another day (laughs). Today, Ted and I are very close and speak a dozen or so times a day on phone while sharing the executive producer hat for H2.
Court Bauer: (laughs) I don’t even know where to start with that whole situation! H2 will most likely be making some sort of announcement shortly on the status of Deranged in H2.
Court Bauer: We may be on the verge of a critical turn in the state of the business; similar to how things were ten years ago. I think the direct catering to the internet era is over as that audience has a glass ceiling as there is just so much money to be made in that one particular area of the folks we promote the product towards. It’s an important demo, but not the only crowd wrestling companies need to be mindful of. Wrestling companies are looking to target casual fans in greater numbers. TNA realizes this and is picking up some momentum with their new national cable show which has a great production. WWE is getting more involved with the development of their characters like Eugene, Evolution, etc. while expanding to two pay-per-views per month on a semi regular basis with one of their brands looking outstanding going into the summer run. This is going to be a period where one or two independent groups break out of the pack because they are doing something different and feel fresh and fun. This probably will also be a period where some groups don’t quite make it because of the above and other factors.
Court Bauer: There’s too many to name. But I’d say I believe in the H2 crew more than any other I’ve ever been involved with based on their passion, work ethic, ability, and dedication to what we are doing as a team. This alone has been such a wonderful experience in the early stages of H2 as this crew is 110% into making it work though their dedication – and we haven’t even had a show yet. Many double in other capacities to help make H2 work. Some help Gary Hart in the booking office, like Matt Martel (Striker). Some assist with the pre-show work outs. One or two oversee the ring crew or coordinate events with charities we work with – which is one of the most important things to me. Being verbally, mechanically or physically gifted is impressive to any promoter. But being dedicated in addition to those three areas is what impresses me.
Court Bauer: Anyone who phones it in and doesn’t really want to give folks their monies worth. No one wants to see any pro athlete dog it and that’s definitely the case in wrestling. I’ve seen it happen from time-to-time in the business and if I ever see someone try it in H2, they’ll be fired on the spot. I have no patience for poor work ethic.
Court Bauer: Well, I think it will add a new dimension to the game and also make for a great specialty match or theme to a show. You won’t however see it on all of our shows or even our debut event as we want our boys 100% comfortable at going 90 mph in it with full confidence. The 6 sider can create a lot of logistical challenges from a timing point of view and Ted and I both want to ensure the crew isn’t in a position of risking injury, so he’s working up in Calgary with a bunch of the boys in prepping for it. Mexico and even Japan to a lesser extent have had a ton of injuries from the ring, so we’re being careful in the rolling out of this concept. Everything we try to do in H2 is with great attention to detail in an affordable way, which is something I learned from the MLW experience. For example Sean, H2’s structure is that we have booking office and promoting “office”/structure. The booking office handles all talent relations issues – not creative based issues for the most part. That’s handled by Ted and myself. Gary Hart, Andy Vineberg, Samu, and one or two others tackle this. They will answer questions and concerns that the talent may have while also giving them their booking sheets for the upcoming show(s) while reconfirming they are committed for whatever dates they have signed on for. We don’t want to leave anything to risk. They coordinate the transportation as well checking out tons of video of talent that is sent to our office, giving us a chance to explore future prospects for H2. The promoting office handles, surprise – the promoting of H2 shows. There’s also the production and merchandise end. All in all, we are operating H2 in our best efforts to be a well oiled machine. We realize we only get so many opportunities to do this right and we’re determined to deliver for the fans.
Court Bauer: Our goal is to attract new fans to the shows that aren’t currently going. That doesn’t mean the “loss ECW/WCW fans”, but fans that haven’t necessarily been exposed to wrestling yet and are more fresh and less jaded. I’d want a new generation to discover H2. However, I’m sure fans of the current wrestling scene may have an interest in it, based on some of the names involved, but I don’t think the majority of the internet contingent are going to embrace it as theirs based on the product and formula we plan on executing with this project. It’s not geared towards the internet. It’s just going in a different, more X-Games, MTV/BET, skater, funky route. However, the internet fans are very important to the overall fan base and we hope they do enjoy the product.
Court Bauer: Personally Sean, I would like to see H2 slowly build into an operation with more regular shows and be able to expand into the licensing realm where there is some serious money to be made. That’s more long term. Short term, I’d like to have 250 fans a show and hopefully build from there and stabilize it at 500. That’d be wonderful. H2 is for the fans so they will decide our fate and growth. As such, it’s our absolute goal to deliver to them an electrifying, unique and fun experience at an affordable price while always giving the fans a little something extra so they continue to support us and assist in our growth.
Court Bauer: Well that’s the thing. I think you could close your eyes and spin your hand to anyone on the roster and land on a potential break out star. I think that’s going to be a big part of the excitement behind the early shows is seeing who will explode and when? I am confident anyone on our crew can achieve this. We will get some indication of this on June 26 at the Roxy; that much is for sure. But, the question is… who will be first?
Court Bauer: I don’t see how it could, Sean. Do you think fans would respond well to another restart by MLW? Also, I've moved on and am not interested in scripting a lot of the characters I did in the environment that was MLW.
Court Bauer: Well I would be remiss if I didn’t start with Vince McMahon and what he has done in the development, worldwide branding, and financial success of his properties. He is aggressive and controversial, but he also has engineered some of the biggest box offices and licensing deals on a consistent basis in the sports and entertainment genre. No one can argue what he and his family have been able to do. I also respect Ultimo Dragon as a promoter and businessman and value his friendship greatly. He has been a great friend and person to bounce business and creative scenarios off of. He has created a profitable venture in Japan in Toryumon while being based out of Mexico City and has successfully been able to market colorful personas and target a fresh, young and female based fan following. I respect and owe a lot to Pops (Afa the Wild Samoan) for what he has done for me and many others through his years of guidance, honesty, and love for helping those with a dream. He is a great man and promoter that has been promoting family friendly shows for 15 or so years. Without Pops, a lot of us would never achieve anything as he is my guiding light and source for a great deal of inspiration. This list could go on and on, but I cannot forget about Sheldon Goldberg who is one of the few genuine good men out there as a promoter. He knows what works and doesn’t work for his product has his operation down to a finely tuned machine, which is why it is probably one, if not the most stable companies in New England of the past five years. There’s Ron Niemi, who many may be surprised to know is someone I speak with on a regular basis as a friend and on business. You would be hard pressed to find anyone so proactive and dedicated to a territory as that of Ron. No one can deny his passion for the business and dedication to the Florida wrestling scene and because of that, many have experienced success both domestically and in Japan. Then there’s Mike Modest & Donovan Morgan, who have very carefully put together a real solid company in PWI while spending a great deal of time in Japan. They have been able to train and develop a tremendous crew that surely will make their mark in the business in the coming years. Lastly, there’s Ron Rivera of Rev Pro. Ron is a great friend and an awesome promoter who knows that it’s all about doing something different and fun. The gimmicks and personas he has helped to create such as the chickens are what keeps me popping for SoCal wrestling. He is also a tremendous trainer, which graduates that speak for themselves. I know I’m forgetting several, but these are the folks that I personally hold a great deal of respect for.
Court Bauer: Ones that manipulate and damage the wrestling business and the good people in it.
Court Bauer: Misawa vs. Kawada, Love Machine/Guerrero vs. Octagon/Santo, Teddy vs. Jack Evans from Matrats, Austin vs. Bret, Flair vs. Steamboat, Sting vs. Flair (classic clash match), anything with Johnny Smith or Kobashi, and on and on.
Court Bauer: I watch a lot of WWE, K1, Pride, Noah, the TNA:NWA Impact TV show, Pro Wrestling Iron, Toryumon, CMLL, IWA Mid South, Stampede, old Championship Wrestling from Florida/World Class/Georgia/Crockett and miscellaneous indy groups. With the indies you get a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Court Bauer: Because they’re not currently getting the buzz they were getting from wrestling. Because at the end of the day they’re no longer being wowed or given something to believe in. How much is new in wrestling today? How many wrestlers actually have personas? If fans want to witness double moonsaults, daisy cutter drops, 630 corkscrews, mind boggling submissions, international encounters, and more, H2 is for them. If fans dig intimate club atmospheres, then H2 is for them. If fans want a fresh visual experience from a production point of view, H2 is for them. Fans will want to go to the June 26 show because they’ll want to know how it all started a year from now. Who were the initial impact players? How did Black Friday Management grow? What was the first controversy in H2 that Ted Hart caused and on and on. H2 is for the fans. We hope we can, with their help build H2 into something unique, special… and fun.
Court Bauer: Check us out June 26th at the Roxy. Tickets are just $18-$20 with all seats being GA and are available at Ticketmaster and www.H2wrestling.com now. For more info, check us out at: www.H2Wrestling.com.
Court Bauer: Thank you and see you all at the show on the 26th!