McPinions
By: Sean “The MiC” McCaffrey

The AWA-NJ promotion has been covered here on the DOI since its early existence. Personally, I have watched it grow from a crappy little student show, to one of the most enjoyable shows on the indy scene. Not too many promotions that I go to have the fan loyalty or atmosphere of an AWA crowd. AWA is not drawing 200 people everyday, but the people that they do draw are loyal AWA fans, who care about the product. I've honestly been to AWA shows that have drawn 50 people, and see those 50 people be louder and be more into the show, then promotions who draw 300+ fans.

The AWA is run by two people. Mike Morgan is the promoter and the man behind AWA. Neeno Capone (Damian) is Morgan's right hand man, and on the AWA booking staff as well. Both of these men help out in training wrestlers and booking AWA shows. Both of them deserve all the credit for the rise and success of AWA. These two have been through alot together. They have been through the thick and thin, as they have battled jealous promoters during the down times, and have risen to a respected level during the good times.

The AWA, its growth, and problems have all been covered here on the DOI. Back in the Spring of this year, AWA faced problems from a rival promotion in the UWA. After about a month of a one side whining war by Frankie Starz of the UWA, people saw Frankie Starz for who he was, and stopped listening to him. People in UWA were embarrassed working for UWA after hearing Starz's comments. Starz, as the booker of UWA, said that wrestlers who work for AWA, could not work for UWA. About 10 wrestlers said goodbye to Starz and his crap, and joined the AWA. Wrestlers like Jay Lethal, Azraiel, Johnny Thunder, EC Negro and Alicia, are all people who could've took a cheap UWA payday, but instead showed loyalty to the AWA product and stood by Mike Morgan. Starz made up alot of claims, even saying that Morgan's name wasn't on the lease of the AWA arena/school. Starz said that AWA is killing wrestling. Like alot of the things that come out of Starz's mouth, these were all lies and complete crap. While Starz was bashing AWA on a daily basis, AWA ignored Starz and did their own thing. Many indy feds would've stooped to Starz's level and get in a little war that wouldn't help anyone. AWA just let Starz make an ass out himself, and by not responding to him, AWA focused on AWA, and not on what others were doing. The end result? Well after this incident occurred about 5 months ago, AWA has become one of the most respected promotions by many in the business, while Starz, who is the UWA booker, sells tickets to work in USA Pro Wrestling. To compare Mike Morgan and Frankie Starz is like comparing night and day. There are just no similarities, and Starz will never be as respected as Mike Morgan is.

While I don't want to make this a bash Frankie Starz column, because the DOI doesn't have enough bandwidth to fully illustrate the ignorance that Frankie Starz possesses, it is vital to mention to this story, because right now, SSCW promoter, Carmine Sabia has lashed out at AWA, just like Starz did 5 months ago, on Wednesday, 10/27, of this week. Carmine has been more respectful, and presented his opinions more intelligently than Starz, but at the same time, opened up a new can of worms. To read Carmine's column on AWA, go here: Carmine's Column .

It is a well known fact, that has been made public by other promoters such as Starz and Sabia, that AWA wrestlers do not get paid. People who wrestle for AWA do not get paid. The tradeoff is that people who wrestle for AWA get a free ring to work out in. The established indy wrestlers who work for AWA are allowed to train for free. Students still have to pay the fee to train, but those students don't wrestle on the shows right away. Carmine raised the following question in his column, "If you're a 50 dollar worker, and you only train 3 times a week, are you now a 20 dollar worker?" My answer is no.

People who have been around the Doghouse, which was famous for producing about 20 or so guys on the current indy scene today, which was led by Homicide, Laithon and Bobby Lombardi, are comparing the AWA to the Doghouse. While right now, the talent that AWA has produced on their own merits are no where near the levels of the Doghouse talent, AWA gives a place for minorities to go to on a daily basis. JAPW Heavyweight Champion, and former Ring of Honor tag team champion, Danny Maff cut a promo, after working AWA for free, by defeating and in the same time, putting over Pinkie Sanchez, backing these points. Maff said that the AWA gave a place for Puerto Ricans and other minorities to do something constructive with their lives. Maff said that he was glad that the AWA was around and that AWA was valuable to NJ indy wrestling. That promo still goes down as one of the best AWA promos of all time. The Doghouse also did the same exact thing, as a bunch of minorities, and a few white guys, had somewhere to go on a daily basis. While this is not a column about race, alot of people who have wrestled in the Doghouse, and alot of people who have wrestled in AWA have told me that they wouldn't know what they'd be doing with their lives if it wasn't for wrestling. Wrestling diverted a no where direction life, for alot of people, and turned alot of lives into something productive. Wrestling, through the AWA, has given real life people real life goals. The AWA is more than just a school that is taking your money. The AWA has built themselves up to a family level, and is a place, where yes, you take wrestling seriously, but at the same time, is life altering, and changes many lives from negative to positive.

As far as the established indy names, such as Lethal, Azraiel, Negro, Thunder, Damian Dragon and others working for AWA, it is quite simple to break down. Carmine Sabia complained about having to pay these guys to work for him. The thing that AWA offers that SSCW can not, is that these guys have a place to go work out every day. Some wrestlers, such as Danny Demanto, have even adopted AWA as their home promotion. The wrestlers are loyal to AWA. AWA is like family for some. There is no time limit on training. Everyone is close knit in AWA. While there are factions in AWA, like there are in any locker room, there aren't any feuding cliques in AWA. The NY guys do their thing, the NJ guys do their thing, but there's no feuding or arguing amongst the cliques. Mike Morgan is a great guy. People respect him and what he's done. Mike Morgan leaves his house and is there every day. Morgan is dedicated to the AWA product. Morgan hands out AWA flyers at other people's shows. The most promoting Carmine has ever done for his show, is giving a stack of flyers for Dana Dameson to put up.

Since Carmine has come out publicily, wondering why people are loyal to AWA, and not his SSCW, I'll use him as an example. It is a fact that I used to book for SSCW, and left a while ago. Alot of wrestlers and others come to me to ask me questions about Carmine, since I know both sides of Carmine. I know Carmine as a friend, and I know Carmine the promoter. I do like Carmine when he's not talking about wrestling. Many wrestlers have complained to me that Carmine harrasses them on AOL IM and tries to make their lives more stressful, for the "better" of SSCW. Well until SSCW can really make a claim as one of the top promotions, Carmine should probably stop IMing wrestlers non stop. One wrestler even complained to me, that Carmine called him up, and started talking like he was from the mean streets. For Carmine to call someone up, that he hardly knows, and say "Yo what up nigga?" is proposterous. The only mean streets Carmine has come from is the hallways of his house. The biggest problem with Carmine is that once he books a wrestler, he thinks it gives him the right to call/IM them non-stop. He thinks by booking them, that makes them automatically friends. If Jim Kettner or Fat Frank book a wrestler, they don't IM them or call them, unless it's something that pertains to the upcoming show. I mean, do you really think Vince McMahon goes up Booker T, and says "What's banging nigga?"

The reason why Carmine calls and IMs his wrestlers so much, in my opinion, deals with his phobia. Everyone knows that Carmine has a agoraphobia, which is the fear of going into new places. To sum it up, it means that Carmine doesn't leave his house. In reality, Carmine does leave his house, even though it's only a 2 block radius. I think that due to Carmine's disease, he doesn't have much interaction with human beings, outside his mother, who he lives with. Carmine will never be a boss in the real world, until he conquers his fear. By playing promoter, Carmine has a chance to live out a fantasy of not only being in the wrestling business, but by playing boss with 30 or so lives. Carmine is more into interacting with people, then he is promoting his show. The way that AWA uses wrestling, to enrich people's lives, is the same way Carmine uses wrestling to enrich his life. D-Lo Brown has gone on the record on numerous interviews, and off the record with me, that he thinks Carmine Sabia is a freak. D-Lo Brown discussed working for Carmine and called Carmine the most "indy" promoter he's worked for. D-Lo told stories about how he watched Carmine brush his mothers hair during a business meeting with him. D-Lo even told a story about how Carmine was playing with wrestling figures, and showing D-Lo what moves to do with the wrestling figures. Let's be honest, there is no fucking promoter today, including Vince McMahon, who busts out a bunch of WWE Jakks wrestling figures, and shows what the wrestlers should do in the match with them. Working for Carmine at the time, and watching this all go down, made me embarrassed, as Carmine wouldn't be at the show. It was bad enough that I really didn't belong as a booker of any promotion, based on the fact that I didn't do anything to deserve the spot, except be in the right place at the right time, but how was I supposed to earn D-Lo's respect, when "my boss" was playing with wrestling figures, harrassing D-Lo on the phone every 5 minutes and combing his mothers hair, as she blew smoke in D-Lo's face? Luckily, I was able to earn D-Lo's respect, and he doesn't talk about me, in the same way he talks about Carmine. If he did, I don't think I'd leave my house either. But regardless, this is a story, showing how Carmine needs wrestling to interact with people.

For the fans, no one cares who gets paid what. By having some established indy wrestlers work on shows, that aren't heavily attended, it gives wrestlers a chance to do new things. It keeps indy wrestlers sharp and in shape for upcoming "big" indy shows. Jay Lethal vs Azraiel was one of JAPW's top matches and feud of this year. These guys battled in AWA for a long time. I believe that by working out in AWA rings week in and week out, kept Lethal and Azraiel on the top of their game, so when it came down to wrestling in front of 700 people, they blew the fucking roof off the place. If they didn't work for AWA, they might've been rusty, and the match wouldn't have translated as well. EC Negro is currently working on his babyface skills in the AWA. So now when he goes on another indy show, he knows what works and what doesn't work. AWA may be looked at as the minor leagues, but if anything, it's more of a developmental place, for guys to try out new things, so when they do bigger shows, they know what they are capable of, and what works. This is why the established wrestlers go back. This is why people wrestle for AWA. AWA gives you the forum to try out new things, and not worry about how it goes over. You can just do your thing in AWA, and once you go somewhere else, you know what you got to do. SSCW can't offer that. UWA can't offer that. JCW can't offer that. IHPW couldn't offer that. This is something that indy promoters don't realize, when discussing AWA.

Do I understand Carmine's concerns? Of course. He feels ripped off, that guys would rather work for AWA for no money, then when it comes down to working for him, the wrestlers want money. Carmine is not Mike Morgan. Carmine is not respected in the wrestling business. I hate to say it, but Carmine is considered a joke by many in wrestling. Who else would let someone disgrace his mother, then piss on his title belt, and then take that wrestler and put him in the main event of his shows? I think if you slap his mother and crap in his face, you get to win the Heavyweight title and go down in SSCW hall of fame. There is just no logic when it comes to SSCW or their policies. The Sandman can curse in his promos, but if Kevin Matthews does, he wins match of the year, and is also fired for having match of the year. Where is the logic? Morgan is respected. Mike Morgan gained alot of points with his locker room, when he stood up to anyone in his ring, when attacked by others. Mike Morgan earned alot of people's respect, when he kicked Dana Dameson off his show, for breaking kayfabe, as Dana was hanging out in the crowd a few minutes before the show. That is something Carmine could never do, because he's not at his shows. I already explained why wrestlers work AWA for free, but why should they work SSCW for free? Because SSCW runs 2 shows in a row, then cancels the next 3? Because SSCW has shows in front of 27 people? Because Carmine will harrass you until the day of the show? What does SSCW offer any indy wrestler? The answer: A payday. AWA offers so much more, like I've said in this column already. SSCW's problems lay in the hands of the promoter. For Carmine and any other promoter that complains about guys wrestling for free in AWA, my answer to you is create a product where the boys want to work. Do you think any wrestler gets hyped up working for SSCW, JCW or an IHPW? (Promotions Carmine listed in his column) If any wrestler gets hyped up working for those promotions, that means that wrestler hasn't accomplished much. AWA has done something that none of those promotions have done this year, and that is build up to a show, that is highly anticipated by not only by myself, but by fans and workers alot, as on 10/29 lots of angles will be getting blown off.

That is something else that I haven't mentioned yet. The AWA product is good. I really thought AWA was the shits when I first saw it, but I always give every promotion 3 shows before I formulate a solid opinion by them. I went back to AWA, and every show I went to in the beginning improved and improved. Now it's October, and for the last few months, the booking has been unpredictable and I've seen lots of good matches. I've seen Jay Lethal carry almost every wrestler in the company. I've seen homegrown guys like Mayhem and Envy break out, and hang with guys like Deranged and Azraiel. I've seen angles where I truley do not know the answers to, such as the heavily hyped NBC angle. I've seen guys like Johnny Thunder give back to the wrestling business in his matches. I've seen guys like Homicide, like B-Boy and like Low Ki, go to watch AWA and see what the hype was about. I've seen guys like Danny Maff and Monsta Mack, go put over the AWA in matches, and credibilize it. There is nothing SSCW could do to really credibilize their promotion, until Carmine leaves his fucking house, goes to his own show, and has 500 people there. This is something I don't think he sees.

As I reported yesterday on the DOI, Carmine Sabia is to blame for B-Boy being taken off of AWA's show. Singlehandedly, Carmine has sabotaged AWA's main event. Carmine also sabotaged any new fans to AWA, that would've come to see B-Boy, as B-Boy doesn't wrestle on the east coast on a weekly basis. Luckily, AWA got a more than suitable replacement in Homicide. Homicide will be putting over the AWA promotion by working there. Homicide has been at SSCW shows before, but wouldn't work them because the money wasn't there. There is no way Homicide would work for free for someone who he didn't respect. That is why Homicide vs EC Negro will be taking place this Friday night in AWA and not SSCW. B-Boy will still be at the show attending it. It says alot about his character. You don't see too many wrestlers wanting to see a SSCW show, but week in, week out, wrestlers, promoters and scouts from all over come to watch AWA to see what's going on.

One more fact I should mention in all of this, is that Carmine Sabia has never seen an AWA show. He's more into the money aspect of it, then the product that is being offered. If Carmine would leave the house, and go to an AWA show, or go to an AWA training session, he will see why wrestlers work there for free. He would see what's so special about the AWA. It's hard to fight against something you don't see.

To sum it all up, the reason why Carmine is complaining is simple. His shows don't draw, are full of plot holes, and he was forced to cancel his show due to low ticket sales. Frank Goodman, the promoter of USA PW, has said many times that you shouldn't be a promoter unless you can absorb taking a loss. Carmine is not in that position. He would've obviously lost his ass, if he ran. AWA has never cancelled a show. SSCW runs 5 shows a year, before they go on their yearly change-bookers and cancel a few shows routine. By December of this year, AWA will run it's 40th+ show. That's 8 times as many shows SSCW has run without one cancellation. That's impressive.

In this column, I didn't even talk about how Mike Morgan owns the place where the wrestling school is held. I didn't mention how Morgan put alot of his own money into making the AWA successful. I didn't mention how Morgan has to take care of all the bills. I didn't discuss how Morgan is liable for wrestlers injuries. We saw Dan Payne suffer an unfortunate incident, in the summer of this year, and that's something Morgan has to live with, as it took place in his ring. Morgan has lots of responsibilities. All Carmine has to do is play with the phone to make his show run. Morgan is involved personally and emotionally in all of AWA's operations. And let's face it, if AWA does well, all of the indies do well. If fans of the AWA really dig a wrestler, they will go to other shows to see him work, and then these fans will be exposed to a bigger stage. It's good for everyone in the wrestling business that AWA is around.

Let me also mention that AWA has become somewhat of a feeder for NJ's biggest and best promotion, JAPW. JAPW scouts AWA shows on a frequent basis. Guys like Pinkie Sanchez, Danny Demanto, Kevin Matthews, Alicia and Tara Charisma have all received dark matches in JAPW, because of their AWA work. There aren't too many wrestlers in SSCW getting dark matches with JAPW. To be honest, in my opinion, it isn't too long before we see Neeno Capone and Mayhem getting darks with JAPW. AWA prepares people for the wrestling business and for strong promotions. That's invaluable, and something that lot of indy groups, such as SSCW can't offer.

So in closing, let me say that this wasn't an attack on SSCW or any other indy group. This column was all about showing you the importance of AWA. I hope after reading this, you understand what AWA is all about. They run shows every Friday night, and this upcoming Friday, 10/29, looks to be their biggest show ever. AWA shows take place on 725 Sips Street, in Union City, NJ. The ticket price is only $7.00, which is half price of most indy shows today. Check it out one night, and make your own opinions of it. It can't hurt to check it out. For people in NY, the show takes place only 10 minutes from The Lincoln Tunnel, so it's easily accessable by Public Trans, and isn't a long drive. You'll pay more in tolls than you will for a ticket to the show, but trust me AWA is worth it, as the shows are usually pretty good, and I always have a fun time. The AWA is vital to the indy scene, so if you got a free Friday night, check it out, and feel free to leave me your thoughts about the show.

Sean "The MiC" McCaffrey
BULLSMC@aol.com