Tell Em Why You Mad...about the business

I'm back.
I've laid low for a bit and been noticing some great articles and a bunch of controversy through the DOI and it's message board. Matt The Angry Young Man and Eric Simms have touched on protocol and behavior in regards to being a wrestler booked at a show. After also reading how some fans perceive the way we, the wrestlers, act and respond, some fans really don't know (no matter what they THINK) how we are supposed be outside of a ring. By this article alone, I'm breaking "kayfabe" but then again, the DOI and it's readers are "smarten up" to the business. So with that, let's go through the motions, shall we...

Matt previously stated about how we should behave in a locker room. He is 100% correct. I recently have seen for myself how some people can be and it's a shame on them and their trainers. I, for one, even screwed up a lil bit my 1st time back recently but attempted to make it up. At least I realized my mistake unlike others who don't seem to have a clue. But Matt touched on that so I'll move on...

The AWA/ UWA situation. Yes, I'm gonna connect that to how this business was, is, and could be. Without overly rehashing it, UWA will not pay wrestlers who wrestler on AWA shows as AWA doesn't pay it's wrestlers, so why should UWA? And that causes an uproar? Beyond the actual workers involved, it shouldn't have. Look, I'm not taking sides in this debate but I will say that over the years I've heard countless stories of how promoters will try to get the talent for as cheap as possible. If one promoter knew you were working for cheap, chances are he wasn't gonna offer you anything more unless you were "drawing". So UWA takes a stand in regards to paydays and everybody flips out? Granted it was brought to a public forum, but it's not the 1st time in wrestling this has happened and it won't be the last. Promoters are business men 1st, REMEMBER THAT, and they are not gonna break bank unless you can make them money yourself.

UWA realizes that if AWA guys want to work for cash bad enough, they will stop working for free. Nothing against AWA cause I don't know them at all and if anybody can get experience anywhere, good for you but like I've stated, this is NOT a new business practice...it's just maybe the 1st time it's been put out in the open in recent times. Maybe we do need "kayfabe" back in full effect, huh?

Eric Simms brought up, how walking the floor once the crowd is there and how the faces & heels were mingling in public is a big no-no, HE'S RIGHT! I know as a fan, much less a "smart one", it's pretty cool that these guys wrestling on the indies are accessible and love to b.s. with the fans. Without you, there is no "us" but there are guidelines that should be attempted to follow. I'll use myself as an example:
I traveled to a show years ago with my "hated rival". Just me & him. When we got to said venue, we HAD TO keep ourselves concealed, get out the car and walk in separately,as well as pretty much not be seen together AT ALL, the whole time staying in the back waiting for our match. Sounds like fun huh? If I dared to not adhere to the time honored rules, I would have without a doubt left a bad impression and shown no respect for the promotion or the people working it. This is a major part of the business that keeps the magic part of the trick alive. Yes, it's old-school but that's what we all grew up on and should, by all accounts, attempt to maintain.

If you're a fan reading this, would the match or it's angle mean anything special if you saw the the heel & face travel to the show together, hang out & joke out in public at the venue prior to the match together, and just fraternized after the match as well, as if nothing had just happened?

Keeping the ball rolling, do we feel that telling a "story" in that ring is becoming a lost art? Do you remember how many times you sat in front of the TV getting fully engrossed in the match that nothing else mattered right then? I ask because I have noticed that certain matches have big moves & crazy spots not even halfway thru the match. Sure we love to see them when they do go down, but isn't the payoff a lot better when it's built up as opposed to just being done?

Compare it to sex, would you rather just lose the nut without really feeling it come or would you rather work your way there and enjoy the ride? To me, it seems that to get you fans to react to us sometimes, I need to show you my load instead of teasing you with a promise to leave you with a happy ending. Sorry getting carried away...

The point remains is that there is a certain cycle going on...in order to get ANY king of reaction, a wrestler feels the need to go to great, sometimes unbelievable, levels early on. The better the reaction, the more likely more promoters will express interest in said wrestler, i.e. BETTER PAYDAYS AND SPOTS! You the fans get used to seeing all kinds of crazy bumps and seeing it have no kind of long term "affect", that you demand more the next time around. The cycle continues. So next time you see a match, pay attention to the effort put forth in the struggle of the match, and look beyond the fancy, "HOLY SHIT, DID YOU SEE THAT MOVE, THEN THAT ONE, NOW HE'S GOTTA JUMP OFF THE RING TRUCK OR SOME SHIT NEXT!" attitude that can overcome you as fans sometimes. Case in point, lately I've seen some pretty good women's matches that I feel were very good and told their story (not to shit on the fellas). The only way you'll catch it is by really paying attention and stop only focusing on what Raven refer's to as "spotketeers".

All in all, you the fans over the last couple of years have dictated more than ever what is done or how we do it without realizing what's really going on. "Old-school" is looked at as passé by younger fans who only want to see what they can get by getting the Backyard Wrestling series. Sometimes things are done that we may not like but it can work out for the better (UWA), sometimes you need to look beyond a top rope shoot star press being done only to get a rise out of you half-way thru a match-up, and sometimes, just appreciate what's we done and let the magic happen...that's when old school is still alive...

I need to go pop some prozac damn it!
Comments, email me at MadWhip@msn.com.