McPinions
By: Sean “The MiC” McCaffrey

What up DOI fans and welcome to another thrilling editions of the McPinions gimmick. Ha, I am digging the word gimmick, due to conversations with Mr. Dexter Weiner, where he drops the word gimmick every sentence. Anyway, enough about gimmicks. Today, I will be discussing the whole AWA and Mike Morgan vs UWA/Frankie Starz situation. I know alot of readers might not be up-to-date with what's going on there, so I'll give you a timeline, then comment on all of this.

In the middle of 2003, AWA had a working relationship with UWA. Morgan was the head of AWA and Bandido was the head of UWA. Also in the mix was the Mambo King, who is friends with Bandido. Apparently, the whole beef started when Mambo King ran a show at AWA's building. This is now where you hear different sides. According to Camp UWA, Malta the Damager broke a wall in the building, similiar to Tim Arson's back bump in Lucky's. UWA claims that Mike Morgan ran out, stopped the match, and pummelled Malta. According to AWA, Mambo King never reimbursed them for the damage to the building. That's the first incident I can get from this situation.

Incident 2 occurred recently. Mambo King went on his public access show and took a smelly, wet, swamp ass dump on AWA and its school. He trashed AWA star, Pinkie Sanchez. AWA returned the shot with Mike Morgan and Pinkie "shooting" on Mambo King and his ways of training. Pinkie Sanchez hinted that Mambo King was a pedophile and trained kids on mattresses.

This now takes us to Incident 3. This incident started 2 days ago, via the DOI Message board. The following was posted by Frankie Starz, the booker of UWA.
From the desk of Bandido.
CEO UWA Wrestling Schools Inc
RE: AWA in NJ, and working for both companies

Any UWA worker. current or future, who works at AWA will not be paid by UWA, or pushed in UWA storylines.

We at UWA have no problem with workers training at the school, or working AWA in NJ's matches, but realize, if you work at AWA for free, as the workers on the shows are unpaid, you will not get paid on any UWA shows, and you can work for us for free as well.

This goes for ANY and EVERY worker in UWA.

Frankie Starz
Booker for UWA
1 part of S.T.D. w The Orphan, Foo Foo and Bobcat

When that statement went up, it recieved tons of negative reaction. Real fast, just read this. First off it's on a message board. I know I advocate message board posting, and I get a kick out of the message board, so I will not pretend that I am shocked that this is on the board. The fact of the matter is that hundreds of people read the board, and hundreds more who read the board are wrestlers/promoters/and others in the business. Does Frankie have a right to post it on the board? Sure he does. He knows it will get read and get publicity. I mean, I am writing this column right? Is it professional to post that on a board? Probably not, but this is the indies, so no one is really that muffed by it. So the fact that it was on a message board is a non-existent issue for me. From the desk of Bandido.
Right from the bat, Frankie looks like he's doing Bandido's dirty work. You don't see Bandido getting himself involved in this publically.

Any UWA worker. current or future, who works at AWA will not be paid by UWA, or pushed in UWA storylines.
So for the 462 people who read the thread, as of press time, they are all aware of this. UWA has about 60 wrestlers. Let's just say that 3/4 of them read that, which might be too high of a number. That's 45 people. So the other 417 are presumably fans. Subtract multiple views, and you're probably looking at 350 fans who read that. While sites like the DOI, in reality, acknowledge the inner workings of wrestling, a promotion just flat out saying someone won't get pushed is like saying Santa Clause is fake to a 3 year old kid. Why UWA decided to attack AWA instead of other promotions like NYWC or WXW, where wrestlers work for free, (not everyone, just a few people out of loyalty to their school) and work AWA shows as well (Red Hot Russ, Johnny Thunder, Mo Sexxy are names that come to mind) is beyond me. UWA is letting their personal heat interfere with wrestlers lives for no reason at all.

We at UWA have no problem with workers training at the school, or working AWA in NJ's matches, but realize, if you work at AWA for free, as the workers on the shows are unpaid, you will not get paid on any UWA shows, and you can work for us for free as well.
From what I hear, some guys do work for free at UWA, and the some who do get paid, aren't exactly laughing all the way to the bank. Another issue that was neglected was that people train at AWA, and work out at AWA (Such as Jay Lethal, DRS, Azraiel and others), and work AWA shows for free out of respect. Everyone fucking wins with that. The wrestlers win because they don't need to spend money on training, and can spend money on gas and tolls. The promotion wins because it gives them top notch talent on their shows. EVERY INDY FAN WINS because these wrestlers have somewhere to train during the week, making their matches better. Joe Schmo can train at AWA for free, work AWA's show for free out of respect on Friday, then work XYZ wrestling on Saturday for 50 bucks. AWA's shows have seen better attendance numbers, but for the most part draw a loyal fan base. XYZ may draw hundreds of people, and those hundreds might come back because Joe Schmo looked so good in his match, in part due to Joe Schmo training at AWA in his free time, and honing his craft. So despite what UWA says, I think they are wrong.

This goes for ANY and EVERY worker in UWA.
So for the few that this applies to, UWA has decided to put their heat and make their wrestlers make uncomfortable decisions. Someone should tell these fucking guys that ITS THE FUCKING INDIES! People are supposed to get as much work as possible to get better! If someone works UWA only, chances are he might not be good enough to get anywhere else. With more work in other places, the UWA will benefit because their wrestlers will have more experience. For example- The DRS work AWA. Every show, the same 3 DRS fans will follow them. No matter what, these are loyal fans that will always see the DRS. (And no, it's not Mikey, Me and my beer) If DRS get booked for UWA, these fans will go to that show. By isolating wrestlers with a power move, you will ultimately lose paying fans.

Frankie Starz
Booker for UWA
Everyone knew that Frankie Starz was the booker of UWA. By just reminding everyone at the end, and knowing that he's part of the UWA Tag Team Champions, it just plants the thought that he booked himself to be tag team champion. Instead of worrying about AWA, worry about booking a solid tag division, so you can take the belt off yourself and focus more on booking and promoting UWA.

Alright, so you think this is all over now, right? Sadly, it continues. Frankie Starz released another statement. Pinkie Sanchez and Danny Demanto replied. Starz replied to Demanto. I'm not going to get into the last three replies. You can find them on the DOI site. It's the stuff that's bumping down the other stuff that people really care about such as the interviews, reviews, and results. But who knows, from just looking at it, people are reading them, and as the DOI, we got to report the news. We give everyone a fair shot to vent their feelings at any time, so we will keep that policy in tact and allow people to have an open forum. So you can go to the main page to read the other stuff. I just want to reprint Frankie Starz's latest statement. This was his response to the negative feedback he recieved when releasing his first statement. Of course, you can read this all for yourself on the message board, by going to DOI Message Board

Here it is, a little clearer.

#1. The AWA "school" has no insurance, get hurt there, and your fucked.

# 2. The AWA "School" has no trainers, none that know how to wrestle.

# 4. None of the workers on those shows that mattered were TRAINED by AWA, that's right, not one.

# 5. Other promoters & bookers have already EMAILED me saying it's about time someone took a stand, and support my position.

# 8. You want to talk LIWF/Doghouse comparisons? THERE IS NONE. Bobby Lombardi always gave guys from other feds a little gas cash when they came to work a Doghouse show, and LIWF had INSURANCE in case you got hurt, and if somethiong wasnt covered, Bobby Lombardi covered it himself, LIWF had TRAINERS ( Low Life Louie, Homicide, Laithon, Low-Ki ) who knew and know how to wrestle, and LIWF had a locker room ,not a shitty fire escape staircase to change on.

Fans, if you want to support it, you go ahead too, but UWA won't be party to it, and is taking a stand against the corrupt treatment of workers at AWA.

Frankie Starz.
UWA Booker.
_________________
Frankie Starz
Booker for UWA
1 part of S.T.D. w The Orphan, Foo Foo and Bobcat

Honestly, when I first read this, I laughed, then just said "UGH." Without even re-reading it, WHO FUCKING CARES? If someone wants to work AWA, let them. Stay the fuck out. Run your fucking show and stop fucking with others. There are enough people fucking with each other, that a fed that is only 4 shows old in 2004 and averagely draws less than 100 people (They say the paid attendance is higher, but I'm going on what I've seen and heard at live shows) should be thinking of ways to draw more people, and not waste time with this. UWA keeps referring to AWA as bushleague, and I don't get it. Not once has AWA even replied to this nor instigated this. I'll tell you this, I am doing an interview with Mike Morgan, and I hope he says whatever the fuck he wants, because a guy who's doing alot of this out of his own pocket doesn't need crap like this. Look, I'll reply to what Frankie said, and since this started on the board, let it end on the board, and feel free to tell me if I'm right or wrong on the following:

#1. The AWA "school" has no insurance, get hurt there, and your fucked.
Most shows in NJ don't have insurance. If someone breaks their leg at a UWA show, will you compensate them for that? I don't want to take low blows, but how about this- if someone passed out from the extreme heat that was reported by many who attended and wrestled at the last UWA show, would've you paid their bills if they passed out from exhaustion and water deprivation?

# 2. The AWA "School" has no trainers, none that know how to wrestle.
That's a bold statement to say. I don't wrestle, but I do know that Mike Morgan and AC Smooth can, and are better than me, so that's more of Frankie's opinion. He's entitled to it, and I respect him being honest with his words. To me, the AWA School does have trainers and they do know how to wrestle, or else people wouldn't be coming out every other Friday night for AWA shows.

# 3. If the workers want to get ROBBED by helping Mike Morgan pay his rent, and ROBBED by watching Morgan sell tapes of them, and not get a dime for it, they can, That's all they are doing there by letting AWA announce thier names, especially when your using indy workers in matches that would be just under main event status ( AMIL vs DRS ) ( Jay Lethal v Azrael ) etc .
Again, that's another opinion. I've never seen Mike Morgan sell tapes ever at any show. The only AWA merchandise I've ever seen were AWA T-Shirts. Frankie hasn't been at an AWA show for some time, so he should check it out to get his information updated. As far as AMIL, DRS, Lethal, Azraiel, why the fuck do you care? They are bettering themselves at AWA, which in turn betters them at every other show. Those guys WANT to work there. They are not being forced to work there. AWA is FUN for these guys and FUN for the fans, and that's what I think you're taking away from wrestling by this statement, FUN.

# 4. None of the workers on those shows that mattered were TRAINED by AWA, that's right, not one.
Well, that's a slap to the face of anyone who's ever been in an AWA ring. I'll let you deal with that comment, as I think it's too cocky for me to reply to.

# 5. Other promoters & bookers have already EMAILED me saying it's about time someone took a stand, and support my position.
Carmine Sabia doesn't count as a true promoter, considering his last two shows combined haven't even cracked the 100 mark. (A few people have told me that Carmine was one of the guys who agreed with Frankie- if not, feel free to say otherwise Carmine.) I agree with Frank Goodman, call me a kiss-ass or what, but people who can't draw more than 100 fans consistently aren't truly a promoter. They are guys running shows for fun, which is great, but that don't make them a true promoter. If Frank Goodman, Afa The Wild Samoan, Jim Kettner, Ricky O, Fat Frank, Firehawk etc have emailed you, then I'd be surprised. Anyone who would waste their fucking time trying to take down AWA shows what they think of their promotion. I guess they figure if you can't draw on your own, you might as well take someone else out and try to get their fans.

# 6. Why should ANY Booker or Promoter pay any of these guys to work a show, when they're working for AWA for free? They make Mike Morgan rent money, why cant they work for the rest of the NY/NJ indies for free? If this keeps up, every promoter is going to offer these guys NOTHING... ZIP NADA .
I said this before, they are training there and working out there for free. In a sign of respect, they help Morgan out by working his shows for free. I'd like to see one wrestler say that UWA is paying me like I truly deserved to be paid, once I see that, I'll reconsider this statement as actually being worthwhile.

# 7. A UNION is NEEDED in Pro Wrestling, .. and needed desperately, the closest thing NY had was the NYSAC, which made sure workers got paid a minimum of $35 for every show, unless it was an exhibition.
I agree 100%. But honestly, if people joined the Union, there would be another 150 some odd people who wouldn't join and jump in any spot available. Promoters would have to be forced to use unionized wrestlers. Honestly, I think a Wrestling Union is like Communism- sounds good and should work out great, but ultimately it's set to fail and has too many flaws.

#9. Workers, train there all you want, hone your skills alll you want, and on Friday Nights, If you want to be USED by AWA, and ABUSED by them, for Mike Morgan to make money off your dumb asses, go right ahead, If I was you, I'd make sure I got paid especially if your the ones training his students while you train there durin the week, cause he dont have a paid trainer on staff..
I don't know how much money Mike Morgan is making off of them. To me, I get that he's doing it for the love of the sport. He's renting a building and running shows to cover costs. He lets guys train for free to work on his shows. Up and coming indy wrestlers can pay a flat fee and work out with guys who have proven themselves as draws on the indy circuit. A guy like Jai Kronik can get better, because he can train with Damian Dragon at AWA. Guys like Pinkie Sanchez can get better, because he can train with DRS. Anyone can get better because Jay Lethal always looks to give a helping hand. Wrestling is a give and take sport. These guys who show up to AWA are giving back to wrestling, and they should be commended, not insulted.

Fans, if you want to support it, you go ahead too, but UWA won't be party to it, and is taking a stand against the corrupt treatment of workers at AWA.
I can't believe you typed that with a serious face.

So in closing of this crap, I'd like to say that I do support UWA and AWA. I do want to see each of them do well, but not at the expense of the other. I think UWA has lost their mind with these policies. It's not right to use personal heat to hold against someone else. I believe there is even a law, that prevents a promoter from costing a contractor work for another promoter. It's 4 AM as I type this, so if anyone knows the law, feel free to email it or post it on the board. UWA has good talent and runs good shows for indy fans. Half of them could care less about this AWA shit. UWA should focus on promoting more and getting more fans, and stop wasting minutes with this. What ABC, DEF, GHI or whatever does, it shouldn't affect what you do. Worry about your own show. If someone sucks or if their show sucks, they'll be out in time. Why not better your product instead of trashing someone elses? What if TNA told UWA that they couldn't use guys? No one has any signed contracts here, so quit the nonsense and enjoy wrestling. Instead of posting these inane statements on the board, can't we just go back to bashing Bravado? And by WE, I don't mean me, because I never posted anything about Pr41.... oh look at the time I gotta go!

Seriously though, I think it's time for UWA to realize that this is retarded and go back to running shows and not worry about anyone else. Good luck to AWA and UWA on their future shows. Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com