| VIEW FROM INSIDE THE RING |
| Copyright © Georgia Wrestling History, Inc. All rights reserved. |
THE STATE OF MIDDLE GEORGIA WRESTLING
– Velvet Jones
July 7, 2008
Honesty isn’t something that you see a lot of when it come to professional wrestling. We all have opinions on several subjects, feds,
workers, etc. Some are bold enough to stand by their thoughts while others seek the cowardly refuge of message board anonymity.
However, this is not about courage or fear. It’s simply about me stating my opinions on the sorry state of wrestling in Middle Georgia.
During the course of this article, I may step on a few toes. That is not my intention. My intention is simply to give my opinion on the topic
mentioned.
Middle Georgia has four federations that run regularly: All-Star Wrestling Network (AWN), Championship Wrestling Overload (CWO),
Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW), and the Georgia Independent Wrestling Alliance (GIWA). I have only wrestled in three of these
federations. And while I have never set foot in the SCW, a picture (or a video) is worth a thousand words. I understand that this is a fairly
new fed that is seeking to establish its identity. This leads to the first problem with wrestling in Middle Georgia.
It’s true that there are wrestlers who work a lot of the same feds. Hey, that’s pro wrestling. However, the letters may be different
but all of these feds are basically the same. Nothing differentiates one from the other. You’ve got one or two guys who are able to fly,
a slew of fat-asses, and a cast of champions. When the fat-asses are your champions, that’s a double whammy!!!
Let’s be honest and I am saying this from a fan’s perspective. The best way to gauge the quality of a wrestling show should be
its main event. Professional wrestling is athletic competition with a twist. Check out the top champions in each of these federations.
GIWA has Shawn Hunter, a strong-style enthusiast who is a damn hard worker. You’ll never see Shawn on the cover of a muscle
magazine. That’s not to downplay his ability. It’s just to say that he needs someone who is his physical opposite to give the fans
their money’s worth in a main event. Truthfully, you won’t find too many of them in the GIWA. SCW has Leatherface. He’s
big, he has a chainsaw, and he growls. If there is anymore to him than that besides the fact that he owns a ring, please let me know.
CWO’s heavyweight champion is Bobby Joiner. The controversial nature of the CWO coming into existence is one of the biggest
knocks on his reign. Joiner being one of the bookers is another. After that, the quality of opposition in the CWO is horrible. How many
people are actually gonna fill seats to see Joiner versus T.W. James… …or LocoMotive… …or anyone? Now do you see what I
mean by saying there’s not much difference between one and the other? At the time of this writing, AWN has no champion. They are
a day away from a tournament to crown a new champion.. …which is more like crowning another old champion.
The second biggest problem is that the promoters don’t seem to have any true business sense. Think about this for a second: you
pump money into a show. You rent a building, buy food and drinks for concessions, and have workers to pay. You are investing money
into a product and seeking a profit. That’s not just a wrestling show, that’s business! It would be foolhardy to suggest that
independent wrestling in this area draws big bucks. However, that is the nature of business. You don’t get in it to get rich quick. You
get in it to BUILD the business into something that will be profitable over time.
Promoters scratch their heads when trying to figure out why they either consistently draw small crowds or why attendance gets lower.. ..
and lower.. …and lower. Nothing in your federation is being built. There are no storylines to build a threat to a champion or grab and
retain the interest of the fans. There is no concentrated effort to build your next draw or draws. At the same time, that is also the nature of
the beast. You have to make yourself known in this business. But after that is done, why is it that some promoters just book matches
that make no sense or lead up to absolutely nothing? Creating a foundation is cool. Sooner or later, you are going to have to start
building upward. If not, you’ll be pumping money into a lost cause.
The closest I’ve seen a fed come in this area to actually build a storyline is AWN. They have weekly shows and that makes it easier
for fans to follow along. They do have the sense to build a person up, leading to an eventual title match or final match to settle a score.
Everywhere else has booking techniques that come off as grasping at straws. “Let’s put Wrestler A against Wrestler B and see
what happens�. I have never booked a match or card, but I do know something about business. Over time, businesses generate
profit but only if a goal is set and the milestones along the way help that mission come to fruition. Yeah, I know the economy’s bad
but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money to be made.
I’ve had quite a few travels in my career thus far. With those travels come opinions of the feds in which I’ve wrestled. I’ve
seen Smashmouth in Albany run a show by a guy who was more concerned about proving he was the boss than actually putting on a
good show. I’ve seen FWF make up rules as it went along and show blatant favoritism, thus solidifying its reputation as a fed no one
takes seriously. I’ve had Randy Ward blow so much smoke up my ass, I could put a fog machine out of business.
That’s not to say all that I’ve seen in this business is the bad. I’ve seen Dropkick Pro make an effort to become a central hub
for cruiserweight wrestlers from all regions of the state. I’ve seen Mad Mac Davis – a guy with a boatload of charisma, but a limited
move set – do so much with so little and become wildly popular. While I have never wrestled down there, I’ve seen the GPWA put
on show after show with the proceeds going to raise funds for a young lady battling a life-threatening disease. This is only one manâ
€™s opinion, so please don’t mistake it for bitterness.
On the flip side of that coin come the intangibles of wrestling promotion. This is indy wrestling we are talking about. There is not a lot of
money going around. Such was the case of a recent GIWA show. A card was being created but had several alterations due to several
facts:
The show was being done on a holiday weekend
Most of the wrestlers from out of town wanted to be with their families for the weekend.
In a similar development, a GWE show in North Georgia had to be re-done due to unforeseen circumstances. Murder One – a well-
known Georgia indy competitor with previous booking experience – stepped up to the plate to book the show. When something like
this happens, talk of storylines and things of that sort kinda go out of the window. Once again, this is where the business aspect comes
in. Every good business has a contingency (i.e. backup) plan. GWE had one as did the GIWA. One of the biggest knocks on AWN is that
fans have been treated to the exact same thing (with brief interruptions) for the past several years. This is not my opinion. This is being
taken from conversations I have had with fans in Fort Valley. The workers and promoters know the reasons for this. And as a worker, I
will still believe in kayfabe. There fore, I will not expose that part of the business.
These are only a few of the problems that plague wrestling in Middle Georgia. I still believe there is hope for wrestling in this area and for
wrestling in all of this state. Honestly, promoters need to realize that they are business owners. They need to be able to understand the
difference between a trend and a passing fad. Most importantly, promoters need to listen carefully to their fans. Without those who pay
money to fill seats to be entertained by us, we are performers with no audience. I love our sport’s fans. While I am a competitor, I
will always remain a fan. And as a fan, I truly hope wrestling in Middle Georgia gets better – and soon!!!!
– Velvet Jones
July 7, 2008
Honesty isn’t something that you see a lot of when it come to professional wrestling. We all have opinions on several subjects, feds,
workers, etc. Some are bold enough to stand by their thoughts while others seek the cowardly refuge of message board anonymity.
However, this is not about courage or fear. It’s simply about me stating my opinions on the sorry state of wrestling in Middle Georgia.
During the course of this article, I may step on a few toes. That is not my intention. My intention is simply to give my opinion on the topic
mentioned.
Middle Georgia has four federations that run regularly: All-Star Wrestling Network (AWN), Championship Wrestling Overload (CWO),
Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW), and the Georgia Independent Wrestling Alliance (GIWA). I have only wrestled in three of these
federations. And while I have never set foot in the SCW, a picture (or a video) is worth a thousand words. I understand that this is a fairly
new fed that is seeking to establish its identity. This leads to the first problem with wrestling in Middle Georgia.
It’s true that there are wrestlers who work a lot of the same feds. Hey, that’s pro wrestling. However, the letters may be different
but all of these feds are basically the same. Nothing differentiates one from the other. You’ve got one or two guys who are able to fly,
a slew of fat-asses, and a cast of champions. When the fat-asses are your champions, that’s a double whammy!!!
Let’s be honest and I am saying this from a fan’s perspective. The best way to gauge the quality of a wrestling show should be
its main event. Professional wrestling is athletic competition with a twist. Check out the top champions in each of these federations.
GIWA has Shawn Hunter, a strong-style enthusiast who is a damn hard worker. You’ll never see Shawn on the cover of a muscle
magazine. That’s not to downplay his ability. It’s just to say that he needs someone who is his physical opposite to give the fans
their money’s worth in a main event. Truthfully, you won’t find too many of them in the GIWA. SCW has Leatherface. He’s
big, he has a chainsaw, and he growls. If there is anymore to him than that besides the fact that he owns a ring, please let me know.
CWO’s heavyweight champion is Bobby Joiner. The controversial nature of the CWO coming into existence is one of the biggest
knocks on his reign. Joiner being one of the bookers is another. After that, the quality of opposition in the CWO is horrible. How many
people are actually gonna fill seats to see Joiner versus T.W. James… …or LocoMotive… …or anyone? Now do you see what I
mean by saying there’s not much difference between one and the other? At the time of this writing, AWN has no champion. They are
a day away from a tournament to crown a new champion.. …which is more like crowning another old champion.
The second biggest problem is that the promoters don’t seem to have any true business sense. Think about this for a second: you
pump money into a show. You rent a building, buy food and drinks for concessions, and have workers to pay. You are investing money
into a product and seeking a profit. That’s not just a wrestling show, that’s business! It would be foolhardy to suggest that
independent wrestling in this area draws big bucks. However, that is the nature of business. You don’t get in it to get rich quick. You
get in it to BUILD the business into something that will be profitable over time.
Promoters scratch their heads when trying to figure out why they either consistently draw small crowds or why attendance gets lower.. ..
and lower.. …and lower. Nothing in your federation is being built. There are no storylines to build a threat to a champion or grab and
retain the interest of the fans. There is no concentrated effort to build your next draw or draws. At the same time, that is also the nature of
the beast. You have to make yourself known in this business. But after that is done, why is it that some promoters just book matches
that make no sense or lead up to absolutely nothing? Creating a foundation is cool. Sooner or later, you are going to have to start
building upward. If not, you’ll be pumping money into a lost cause.
The closest I’ve seen a fed come in this area to actually build a storyline is AWN. They have weekly shows and that makes it easier
for fans to follow along. They do have the sense to build a person up, leading to an eventual title match or final match to settle a score.
Everywhere else has booking techniques that come off as grasping at straws. “Let’s put Wrestler A against Wrestler B and see
what happens�. I have never booked a match or card, but I do know something about business. Over time, businesses generate
profit but only if a goal is set and the milestones along the way help that mission come to fruition. Yeah, I know the economy’s bad
but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money to be made.
I’ve had quite a few travels in my career thus far. With those travels come opinions of the feds in which I’ve wrestled. I’ve
seen Smashmouth in Albany run a show by a guy who was more concerned about proving he was the boss than actually putting on a
good show. I’ve seen FWF make up rules as it went along and show blatant favoritism, thus solidifying its reputation as a fed no one
takes seriously. I’ve had Randy Ward blow so much smoke up my ass, I could put a fog machine out of business.
That’s not to say all that I’ve seen in this business is the bad. I’ve seen Dropkick Pro make an effort to become a central hub
for cruiserweight wrestlers from all regions of the state. I’ve seen Mad Mac Davis – a guy with a boatload of charisma, but a limited
move set – do so much with so little and become wildly popular. While I have never wrestled down there, I’ve seen the GPWA put
on show after show with the proceeds going to raise funds for a young lady battling a life-threatening disease. This is only one manâ
€™s opinion, so please don’t mistake it for bitterness.
On the flip side of that coin come the intangibles of wrestling promotion. This is indy wrestling we are talking about. There is not a lot of
money going around. Such was the case of a recent GIWA show. A card was being created but had several alterations due to several
facts:
The show was being done on a holiday weekend
Most of the wrestlers from out of town wanted to be with their families for the weekend.
In a similar development, a GWE show in North Georgia had to be re-done due to unforeseen circumstances. Murder One – a well-
known Georgia indy competitor with previous booking experience – stepped up to the plate to book the show. When something like
this happens, talk of storylines and things of that sort kinda go out of the window. Once again, this is where the business aspect comes
in. Every good business has a contingency (i.e. backup) plan. GWE had one as did the GIWA. One of the biggest knocks on AWN is that
fans have been treated to the exact same thing (with brief interruptions) for the past several years. This is not my opinion. This is being
taken from conversations I have had with fans in Fort Valley. The workers and promoters know the reasons for this. And as a worker, I
will still believe in kayfabe. There fore, I will not expose that part of the business.
These are only a few of the problems that plague wrestling in Middle Georgia. I still believe there is hope for wrestling in this area and for
wrestling in all of this state. Honestly, promoters need to realize that they are business owners. They need to be able to understand the
difference between a trend and a passing fad. Most importantly, promoters need to listen carefully to their fans. Without those who pay
money to fill seats to be entertained by us, we are performers with no audience. I love our sport’s fans. While I am a competitor, I
will always remain a fan. And as a fan, I truly hope wrestling in Middle Georgia gets better – and soon!!!!
