International Experience

Over the last couple of days, the smart mark social media world has been all worked up over a "dis war" between two well known independent wrestlers: Chris Hero and TJ Perkins.  As far as I can tell, it started with an answer to a question on Perkins' Formspring account, where he was asked the following question (with the answer the follows):

 You say indy's are crap and for good experience you need to go world wide. Chris Hero has done NOAH plenty and all over the planet. You still said he doesn't have experience. Why? I agree he's not that great, I'm just trying to understand.

A guy like Chris will go and work a show, or a tour, and all of a sudden they are toyting international experience.

Going somewhere as a star listed on a poster as opposed to going as an unknown and a student, living there, training there, staying there, and being a part of the culture and having it truly shape you as a person.....two very VERY different things.

So when i say international experience, thats what i mean. I can count on one hand tye amount of peers i know who have gone off to another country with dick in their pocket and lived in a gym, ate foreign food, called a ratty dojo loft or hotel room home, and earned the right to call thenself a wrestler bred from those enviornments.

And of those few guys maybe only 1 or two are trendy in the eyes of the indy audience.

When you go over as the american guest star you learn very little in comparison. Your hand is held, you are treated and accomodated well, not much is expected of you outside of your name value on a poster.

Shortly after this was posted, Perkins fielded more questions about Hero, mostly of the "Why are you dissing Hero" variety, which Perkins mostly diffused and blew off.  A little while later, Hero posted the following message on his Twitter account:

LLOL @ TJ Perkins discussing my career like hes an expert. Wrestlings youngest vet should do his homework before my name comes out his mouth

Now, who knows if there is any personal animosity between these two guys?  I do not, but it is irrelevant to this discussion in my opinion.  A fan asked Perkins a question specific to Hero (which alludes to another statement by Perkins that I didn't find in my search) and his amount of international experience.  Perkins answered the question with his opinion.  Hero obviously took exception to Perkins' opinion, which he has every right to do.

However, the internet is apparently up in arms over how Perkins could dis Hero, and not really sure why.  To make the timing even better, rumors started circulating yesterday in numerous places that Hero had lost his long-rumored deal with World Wrestling Entertainment based on a failed PED test. 

What makes Perkins' opinion seem ludicrous is that Hero is well known for his international travels, and performing for many different promoters in many different nations.  In Perkins' answer, he stated that in his opinion, Hero lacked international experience, because Hero is a "carpetbagger" of sorts; he arrives, performs, and then leaves, having performed as a "guest", and not absorbed the local style. 

I know Hero personally from when we both wrestled together in Pittsburgh, and I can pretty much call "bullshit" on Perkins' claim.  However, I do not disagree with his idea that to become a more seasoned wrestler - to gain that "international experience", you have to immerse yourself into they way they do things, and not just arrive on the scene and do your thing.  

I never have had the chance to wrestle internationally, but I have had the chance to travel extensively, and learn different styles.  One of the reasons that I began working with Chicago's GALLI promotion in 2010 was to become more familiar with authentic lucha libre, and not bastardized gringo concepts of what lucha libre is.  Plus, I started wrestling in Columbus, and grew as a wrestler immensely by spending my early years wrestling all over Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  When I went back to Ohio a couple years later to wrestle, I thought I was more polished and well rounded than guys who stayed in Central Ohio. 

But, I always made it a point when I made my booking schedule up to be a consistent performer in different areas - and not just take a booking that was available somewhere and wrestle a guy that was also from my area that I could travel with.  When I worked in West Virginia, I worked with local guys.  When I went to Virginia, I worked with local guys.  Same thing with every territory and every company I went to.  You learn how each region does things just a little different; it is how one learns the "tricks of the trade". 

Perkins has essentially said that on a grander scale.  He is saying that it doesn't mean as much to get booked for a tour of Japan, compared to being asked to train at a Japanese dojo.  Going to Mexico and working a few shows on the border isn't the same as doing a six month touring schedule with a major company. 

I cannot argue against his point, although I might argue in how he made it. 

"You Are Not Getting Booked?"

Over the last few days, a new Facebook page has somewhat gotten the internet wrestling community talking.  The point of the page is, essentially, a gallery of pictures that a promoter has been sent by people asking him for work, and him pointing out why he would never book them on a show. 

On its face, that premise seems fair enough.  However, the promoter running the page essentially mocks the people supposedly asking him for work, all while acknowledging he has never responded to any of their inquiries, as they are not worth his time. 

After reading responses to a few of the things he has posted, it is obvious that the guy is doing this page simply to get attention.  He is removing things that other people have posted, and it is becoming obvious that some of the people being mocked have never actually asked him for work.  It is a publicity stunt, fair enough.  It is working, as the page currently has more "likes" (2038) than he has followers on his personal profile (262), or his professional profile (84). 

I thought about ripping into this guy long an hard, but I decided I would take a different approach.  Here is a list of things that any wrestler should do when looking to get work. 

1) Treat finding work as a wrestler just like any other type of work you would try to find.  
Getting any kind of job is about showing what you can do, not telling someone about what you hope to do.  If you are hoping to get work with a company, you should have a resume.  You should have listed on it a number of things:

• The name you work under
• Contact info (phone, email, social media, website, etc)
•  Where you were trained, when, and by whom
• Where you actually live and would be traveling from
• Places you have worked, and where you worked on the card there.  
• References
• A photo (think of it as your "head shot")

Notice I didn't put "championships won" or "what names you worked" or dumb mark stuff like that.   It is not important.  A booker is going to want to see where you have worked, where on the card you have been used, and what kind of background you have.  Almost every business is built on networking, and wrestling is no different.  If you are soliciting for work, he is going to want to know your background, so that he can perhaps find out info on you from people he knows.  If you put a promotion down on your resume and the booker knows someone that works there, he can call and ask about you.  If he is looking for a main event guy and you have never worked past the prelims, chances are that the booker is not going to want to use you.  However, maybe your references will put a good word in about your work, and when he is looking for a mid-card guy or a fresh preliminary face, he will remember you. 
Where you live is very important.  Wrestlers are willing to do a lot of dumb things, including drive long distances for very little money. Honest bookers will be upfront about that - but honesty is a two way street.  Let them know where you are traveling from.  There are bookers out there that might have an interest in using you, but are not going to pay you enough to cover travel.  You have to be realistic - if someone is running shows twice a month and willing to pay you $20, for how long are you going to be willing to drive eight or ten hours for that booking? Chances are, not very long.  A lot more people are going to take where you live into consideration than you might think.  They are less likely to invest in building you up if you travel far, because it is human nature to get tired of the commute. 

2) Have video to show upon request.  This is how your work is sampled. 
If anyone that has an interest in using you is not already familiar with your work, or doesn't have a reliable reference about your work, they are going to want to see a sample.  In wrestling, the best thing to have is video. 
The video doesn't need to be professionally shot, but it needs to be clear, and it needs to show your strengths.  It doesn't need to show you going over, doing your awesome finish, or working with a superstar name wrestler.  It needs to show what you look like, that you are competent in the ring, that you can work a crowd and get them into the match, and that you have a personality. 
Unless it is requested, you do not need a ton of matches on it, or music videos, highlight reels, or long ridiculous promos.  What each booker is looking for is different.  Some might want DVDs with three singles matches.  Some might want links to youtube.  Some might want data files of only tag matches.  Some just might want photos.  Be prepared.  In this day and age with camera phones and iPads, it should be easy to throw something together. 


3) Do not bug pester anyone for work.  Be persistent, but avoid becoming a nuisance. 
There are a lot of promotions out there, but there are even more wrestlers.  There are way too many examples of both that are horrible beyond belief.  So, if you are trying to get booked somewhere, you need to be persistent and not give up, but you need to do so without becoming a pest. 
When you contact a company looking for work, do not start off with "Hey, how do I get booked with you?", or any other less grammatically correct ways of saying that.  Act professional.
First, look at the contact info you have.  If someone you know gave you a phone number, be polite when making a call, and be smart enough to call at a reasonable hour.  Say things like "sir" and "ma'am", and let them know immediately who put you in contact with them.  If you leave a voicemail or other message, leave all of your contact info, and give them a time frame in which you will call them back (such as a day or two).  If after two or three messages you have not received a return call, stop calling. 
If you have an email address, give a brief statement about who you are, who put you in contact, and attach your resume.  If you do not hear anything back within a few days, follow up with it.  After a couple of times, if you get no response, stop mailing. 
Now, in either case, if you get a response from someone, try your best to follow up with them quickly and completely.  If you are professional, you will may get a response, even if it is just "Sorry, I am not interested in using you".  Follow that up with thanking them for taking the time to respond, and you hope that you will get to work together in the future.   Then, stop contacting them for a few months.  If you are still looking for work a few months later, try sending another message (with an updated resume), and actually reference that you had contacted them before. 
You see, chances are that once you contact a booker for work, your name is going to ring a bell in their mind the next time they hear it.  Maybe they will see your name in results, or someone else will mention you, or whatever.  They might be more willing to give you work after your name becomes familiar.  However, if they get email from you everyday, or are constantly getting voicemail from you, they are going to mentally blacklist you (and tell everyone else you are an asshole). 
Also, research where you are sending out info to.  If a promotion only runs the first Saturday of the month, and you already have a steady gig on the first Saturday, you are just wasting their time.  If the promoter only uses 6ft 5in bodybuilder types, and you are 5ft 6in and 150lbs, they may not have anything for you.  Also, look at the other wrestlers who work there, and the types of places the promotion runs.  Make sure you fit what the promoter might be looking for. 

4) Look like a professional, and act like one too. 
If you have a picture that you send out, make sure it looks professional.  It doesn't need to be professionally shot by a photographer, but it should have a nice looking background, and you should be wearing your ring attire, or something of a professional nature.  What you do not want is a picture you took with your phone or webcam.  You do not want a picture with your girlfriend or buddies cropped out.  You do not want a picture with your toilet in the background. 
No matter what show it is, if you are booked on a show, be prepared to help out with anything that may be needed.  Arrive early.  Do not come to the venue with food (unless you have some for everyone).  Sit in the lockerroom and introduce yourself to everyone.  Dress nicely. 
If you act and look professional, people will treat you, and think of you, professionally.  Walk into a venue, shake hands with everyone, and make it a point to find the promoter and greet them.  Ask them if there is anything that they need your help with.  Find whomever is running the lockerroom, and make sure they know you are there, and ask them if they need anything from you. 
No matter who you are or where you are at on the card, you should not have any issues with helping out in some way.  Most promoters do not have large staffs helping out, so they might need help with the ring, chairs, or even small things like testing the mics. That is why you get there early.  If a promoter says to be there at 5pm, you should be there at 4:30pm.  It doesn't matter how far you drove or how hungry you are - be there early and ready to help. 
These things go a long way.  You are more likely to get a few breaks if you have shown you are willing to help people out. 
Also, do not show up drunk, or on something.

5) Network, Network, Network
Everyone gets in the business somehow.  Your trainer should be the first one you go to about finding work.  If your trainer cannot help you get bookings, then they are probably a bad choice of trainer. 
Most of the time, people get bookings via word of mouth.  If you want more work, it is always good to solicit bookings, but the best way to get bookings is by word of mouth, and by meeting the right people. 
Like I said earlier, if your name is familiar to someone, they are more likely to remember it the next time they see it pop up.  This is why you need to introduce yourself to people, offer to help out, and act professionally. 
When I first broke into the business, I went in with blinders, and I was surrounded by a lot of people who didn't know what they were doing - and I had no clue!  Luckily I networked and met Kingdom James, who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes, helped me find better places to workout at, and when he thought I was ready, helped me find work in Pittsburgh.  A few years later, Kingdom ran some shows in Erie, and he booked me there.  At those shows I ended up working with the late JT Lightning, who liked me enough to book me with his promotion in Cleveland.  Later on when I was helping book in Pittsburgh, I helped get some guys from Cleveland that I met at CAPW get bookings in Pittsburgh.  It is a cycle. 
If you work hard and meet enough people and get your name out there, maybe you will get lucky and be introduced to the right person, and you will be what they are looking for for something big. 

Sick and Crippled

Sorry that this rant was so all-over-the-place... but I am sick, and I felt like rambling.  

Ugh, being sick sucks.  Being injured kinda blows too. 

That is one thing that friends, fans, family members, and just about everyone on the planet does not understand about an athlete being injured: it sucks.  It is not fun.  All you want to do is get better.  Regardless of the sport you partake in, be it football, tennis, hockey, or wrestling - whatever, an injured athlete only wants to get healed up so they can come back and contribute to their teams fortunes.  Or, in the case of those in individual sports, to get back into competition.

When an athlete is injured, their training, their routines, everything changes.  In team sports, injured players are often outcasts, as the healthy players continue on with their normal routines, and the injured players are brushed aside - to rehab in solitude, away from the team, so as not to become a distraction.  



At the beginning of May I actually hurt myself at my day job, due to an equipment malfunction.  This brought a ton of bureaucracy and red-tape into the mix, and I have essentially been sidelined completely from working out.  I have been able to work on some lower body stuff, and cardio, but it just isn't the same, and I actually get pretty depressed going to the gym.  All of the complications are frustrating. 

While injured, I am missing the camaraderie and the brotherhood of the lockerroom.  I hate watching others going out and performing when I cannot.  I hate missing out on big events, such as the 8th Anniversary Card for Black Diamond Wrestling, because I cannot participate.  I do not think that your average laymen understands that when you are injured, you no longer feel like part of the team, and that it requires a great degree of mental toughness to deal with the feelings associated with being injured.  You question your worth, your abilities, your toughness, your dedication, your heart, and your physical abilities.  You doubt your body. 

If this were an injury that I sustained in the ring, I would more than likely try to tough it out as long as I could.  When I realized I had a neck injury last year, I pushed thru with all of my wrestling and non-wrestling obligations for as long as I could.  I had no desire to let down the promoters I worked for, the fans I perform in front of, or the other wrestlers in the lockerroom down.  My work ethic, dedication, and desire fueled me to a point where I could relax and have the issue taken care of.  In fact, even though I have a physical job that requires a lot of travel, no one at my regular job even knew I was injured, for the most part.  I wasn't injured while on the clock for them, so I continued to give them as close to 100% effort as possible - and that work ethic actually won me an award for my department - somewhat of an "employee of the year" type of recognition.  The trophy was kinda wack though.  


What is the most frustrating thing for me is that I am being robbed of my ability to wrestle, due to a non-wrestling related injury. Although I have never let wrestling injuries keep me from work, it is not working the same way when the shoe is on the other foot. I would love to be able to return to full duty at my job, because I take pride in my work ethic and I feel I am letting down others - just like in the wrestling business.  Business is business. 


By nature, I am pretty passive-aggressive. I am very aggressive about things that I am passionate about, but I tend to procrastinate in other areas.  With this injury affecting so many parts of my life, I am eager to heal up and move forward.  I am finding this impossible to do. 


I went to the doctor that my company works with, because I had to go there.  It took almost four weeks for the doctor to schedule and MRI, and then another week to convey the results.  At that point, I found out that the treatment the previous four weeks was for naught, as I had a different injury than what was thought originally.  In two and a half more weeks, I finally get to see an orthopedic doctor, who says that both of the previous diagnosis are incorrect, and that the best course of treatment to get the injury healed, he cannot do for two more weeks due to further bureaucratic restrictions.  I am antsy.  I want and need to get back into the gym, and into the ring.  I cannot do this until I am released by my doctor.

  I want and need to aggressively work this injury; If I were cut open a week after the injury, I would probably be healed up by now.  I believe that I have missed a total of eight wrestling cards I was booked on at this point.  I have been working on restricted duty at my job, thus costing that company money.  No wonder so many people take advantage of the system and milk it for all that it is worth.  They make it so easy.  Here I am trying to do the right thing, wanting to work and rehab and get better, and essentially being told not to. 


I train ridiculously hard to be a professional wrestler.  While I certainly may not have the body of an Adonis or anything, that is also not my goal while training.  I certainly do not intend to go off on a tangent about "physiques  and the wrestling business", but it was never as important to me how I looked, as it was important how I performed. 

There is nothing more that I want right now than to be able to workout, so that I can work and wrestle at full-speed.  

When I first got into the wrestling business, I weighed 185lbs.  I was expected to be a high-flyer at that weight (and at that time), which I was certainly not capable of.  After a few nasty bruises and bumps, I decided that I wanted to get to above 225lbs, so I would be a legitimate "heavyweight".  Little did I know it at the time, but deciding to gain weight to better myself as a wrestler was the first time I decided to physically alter myself to better prepare for the rigors of professional wrestling. 

Look at that skinny white boy in the year 2000.  Sorry about the ring gear - I was a rookie and that was what I wore.  :-(

By mid-2001, I was up around 220lbs.  I was able to gain that weight naturally, simply by eating a shit ton of chicken, milke, and rice.  I was certainly not ripped by the time I was to 220, but I was not a skinny little bastard either.  I quickly realized with my workouts that I was able to get thicker quicker in my lower body, and that I plateaued a lot sooner in my chest.  I was wearing singlets back then, and it didn't really flatter my physique that much, because I was too worried about my torso, and I ended up covering up my thick muscular legs. 

At around 225lbs, I was doing myself no favors by hiding my muscular legs with singlets.   

So, over the next few years I made it my goal to expand my chest, but to also solidify everything else.  In many ways I actually neglected my legs, and focused on my chest, my core, and my cardio.  In 2004 when I became one of the trainers at the NWA's Pittsburgh Wrestling Academy, I changed my workout routine again - I had to put on more thickness to deal with all the bumps I was going to be taking training young boys.  At this time I slowly worked my weight up to around 245lbs - and I infact changed my officially announced ring weight to 110kg, instead of 100kg (which is just above the maximum weight for a light heavyweight, if you didn't know).  At this point in time I began to realize that I was never going to have a physique that could carry the amount of weight that I liked, and to be "ripped".  Since I was spending so much time in the ring with training and matches, I focused more and more on lifting heavy weight, and getting my cardio via work in the ring. 

At about 245lbs around 2005

As you can tell by the picture, I started experimenting with trunks here, and by 2006 I would switch over to them primarily full time.  I also got away from big bulky kneepads at this time, and would soon ween off of kickpads.  By mid-2007 though I somehow let myself creep up a bit to around 260lbs, which was primarily from no longer being in the ring often (due to leaving the Pittsburgh Wrestling Academy) but not making up for it with cardio at the gym.  I was soon quickly back down to around 245-250lbs, which is where I typically hover. 

Hovering around 250lbs in 2007. 

After moving to Cincinnati, I started training different.  I didn't really care as much about my weight, as much as I did about style.  I didn't have a "home promotion" as I was truly a freelance independent wrestler - so I had to do a lot of my preparation for opponents and stuff outside of the ring. 

The way I train, which is perhaps unlike most wrestlers, is a modified boxer or MMA fighter workout.  The big difference is that those types of athletes only have so many fights per year, that they can spend weeks preparing for one opponent for a fight.  As a wrestler, I cannot do that, as I have a fight nearly every weekend - sometimes more.  So, having a "camp" where I focus on a single match is totally out the window.  Since there is no "camp" to get myself in shape and to work towards a goal, I also have no "off season" - so I have to maintain all the time. 

What I would do was look at my upcoming schedule, and spend the week before my match preparing for that opponent.  If I was facing a smaller wrestler, I would increase cardio.  If I was fighting a heavyweight, I would work on strength training.  I would also change things up based on how well I knew the opponent; I would change things to strengthen a weak area, or to exploit their weakness.  This would usually work very well, as I would essentially have an entire week to prepare for a match. 

Occasionally I would have a week or so with no scheduled matches, so I would look at my upcoming schedule and decide if I needed some rest, or if this was a great opportunity to push hard, since I didn't have to worry about a match.  Often, this would simply depend on how beat up my body was.  If I was a little worse for wear, I would usually use this as a chance to rest up.  If I was feeling good, I would push myself even harder.  I would get chances like his more often in the Summer and in December, simply because there were less shows at those times of year. 

Right now, I do not have the ability to train.  I cannot take bookings.  I have a lot of things going on, and I am really excited professionally to get going with them.  I am ready to get in shape for a nice "comeback" of sorts.  Psychologically it is killing me.  Here I have an open window where I could be training hard for a comeback, and instead I can do nothing really, but sit. 

I have tried to cope with this by viewing it as some rest, and a way to recharge - and in a way I have.  At this point, I just want to have a timetable.  I want a doctor to tell me that I should be ready to go by a certain date, that way I can start working and planning for it.  I am just frustrated beyond belief about this. 

I am ready to have some good matches and to draw some good crowds. 

Do Not Whine About It, Just Walk Away

Recently a couple of notable independent wrestlers from the US started posting things on the internet, indicating their intentions to hang up the boots out of frustration with not being able to get signed by the WWE.  One of them posted a lengthy video in which he appeared to have a mental breakdown of sorts, where he cried, and said that it was "unfair" that he never got a break because of his size, and that he had dedicated years of his life to a dream that he will never realize.

Honestly, a few times I have posted things here and there about my frustrations with the wrestling business.  I have never really gone in-depth with it, because a lot of it is nobody's business but mine.

I got into wrestling back in 1998, so I am a thirteen year veteran of this business.  When I got into this business, WCW, ECW and WWF were all running and looking for new talent. The business was on fire.  It was the Monday Night Wars.  There were a ton of independent wrestling shows being run by legitimate promoters.  Guys I worked with and knew personally were getting looked at and working shows with the big companies. By 2001 when I was out of college and ready to devote myself "full-time" to pursuing my dream, WCW and ECW were out of business, and I knew that all those workers now out of jobs were going to be killing opportunities for me. In addition, there were so many indy wrestlers fresh into the business because they got in during the 1990's boom, there just weren't enough spots to go around. I had a dream of being a television wrestling star someday, and that dream quickly disappeared before I even got a real shot at it. 

So, I adjusted my dream - my goal was to make a living off of wrestling. The problem with this dream became that everyone and their brother thought they could open up the next promotion and become the next "ECW", and in a few years take on the WWF. I had opportunities with major companies that came and went, and I made a lot of sacrifices - but there was no way I could support myself on wrestling.

Here is a dirty little secret about wrestling: A lot of these guys wrestling on shows still live at home with their parents, or mooch off girlfriends, and have no means to support themselves. I was never afforded such a luxury.  My parents had to work hard to pay their own bills, they couldn't handle a freeloader.  If I wanted to eat and pay my bills, I had to have a real job. You would be surprised how many "wrestlers" who live at home with their parents and play X-box all day long actually have the audacity to criticize guys who have real jobs as "unprofessional" and "weekend warriors".

In 2007, with nine years in the business, going thru a divorce, in major debt, with a very ill and widowed mother, and with a sister going thru personal problems as well, I decided I was going to move back to my hometown of Cincinnati and continue to wrestle, but to finally just let the dream go. At that point, I discovered that the mortgage industry I had worked in for the past seven years was falling apart, and that my degree was about as useful as a parking ticket when it came to getting a good job. So, even with a great degree from a Big Ten school, I was another schmuck who was working a menial job to pay the bills - and wrestling a couple weekends a month.

Soon however, I made a solid name for myself in this area, and somehow I became in-demand from local promoters.  A different territory had different payoffs, and I was suddenly getting bigger paydays than previously, and I was picking up more bookings with much less travel.  Around that time I met a woman who, at the time, was very supportive of me and my dream, so I dove back into things head first, but with adjusted expectations.  I was going to have fun, and try to become as complete of a worker as I possibly could.  I wanted to draw big houses and have great matches - I didn't care about "making it".  So, I was going at it again full-steam.

When the girl I was in a relationship with lost her job, I wasn't able to support her and two kids with my day job and with wrestling on the weekends.  I ended up losing that woman to wrestling.   I was undeterred though, and I started having some of the best matches and drawing some awesome houses - I was motivated as hell. Everything else in my life was falling apart, but I was good at wrestling, and I was gonna keep doing it. With no one to feel obligated to, I started traveling more.  Back to Pittsburgh and West Virginia, and still keeping my dates for all over Ohio.  I must be crazy. 

These days, I am pretty much booked every weekend. I wrestle in front of crowds as few as 50-75 people, and I main event shows that sell out venues in front of 300-400 people. I realize that I am never going to really make a living wrestling. I get injured, I do not make any money, I travel way too much, I never have any real "down time", and I have waaaaaay too many miles on my car. I purchased a 2007 model-year car in 2006, and I have 75000 miles on it.   I cannot afford a big screen TV or the medical bills that I rack up.

But, I love what I do on the weekends, and I am happy. I wish I got paid a million dollars a year to do what I do, but I don't. I love it, so I do it for virtually nothing. Not enough people do the math on the money in independent wrestling.  300 people at $10 a ticket is a gate of $3000.  Subtract from that the cost of promotion, renting a building, security, licensing, promoting, sound and light equipment, rings, and then look at what you have left.  Then divide that up between 14-30 wrestlers that are on shows.  That is on a good night too, because 300 is a good house by indy standards. 

I struggle all week long working 40-50 hours at a physical job so I can pay my bills. I put in countless hours at the gym every night. I have lost many awesome women in my life that couldn't handle my schedule and commitments. But, that is my choice.

So fuck guys who have made way more money than me in this business posting about how they have been fucked by the business and their life is ruined. Grow the hell up and be a man. 

When people I know or work with outside of wrestling find out I wrestle, it kind of usually just gets blown off.  "Like Hulk Hogan" they often say, which pisses me off.  Many of them will end up Googling me, or will find a video on youtube or something, and find out that I'm legit, and not some douchebag yardtard.  This always leads to the inevitable question of "Why aren't you on WWE?", as if all I had to do was just go sign up or something and I was on tv the following week.

So, I usually try to relate things in layman's terms.  I will often use the analogy of "Well, it is like I am in a band, and we go all over the area and play gigs, but we never got a record deal".  That, makes sense to me, because there are a lot of good bands and musicians out there that aren't on the radio or on MTV.  Or, I will describe myself as a minor leaguer who never got called up to the big leagues.  People usually understand then, but often they will be a dumbass and ask "Well, then why do you do it then?"


Because I love it, and that is all I know. 

When I have personal problems or a mental breakdown over not being a success at what I chose to commit to doing, I do not go feeling sorry for myself in a youtube video, or on my twitter, or my blog.  I rely on my loved ones, my friends, and my family - my actual real life support system.  Hell, there have been many of my friends within the business that I have seen have breakdowns like in the video, but it was when I was having a heart-to-heart with them - not on the internet for everyone to see.  I dunno about you, but I have never seen a career minor league baseball player make a video crying about how it is unfair how he made all these sacrifices and bus rides and never made it to the big leagues. 

This is something that should be done in private, and not in front of a camera.  Doing it publicly, when you are a public figure with a persona you have groomed over time, is akin to throwing yourself a pity party.  Is Vince McMahon gonna see this guy crying about how bad he wants into the WWE and sign him?  What is a viewer of that supposed to do help the situation - demand that promoters pay him more and not make him travel so much?  He is complaining about travel and missing birthdays and funerals - does he not understand that guys in the WWE travel?  Those guys are on the road every week Friday thru Tuesday.  A friend of mine that works for New Japan has been overseas since mid-January, and he doesn't get back to Cincinnati until the end of February - I sure bet he misses his infant son and his family too. 

Hell, there have been times when I have pulled over my car at a rest area to sleep while on a road trip and it is five degrees outside and I am sleeping in the cold in my cramped backseat, alone, because I do not know anyone in the area to crash with, and I cannot afford to shell out for a hotel.  I have been in situations where I can only eat once a day because I cannot afford groceries and gas for my car to get to a booking.  I have lived in a home with no running water, and I had to shit in a bucket and shower at the gym, because I couldn't afford to turn the water on.  If you do not think I have ever had breakdowns and told myself I was walking away from the business, then you are crazy.  I often wake up in the middle of the night and cannot feel my arm because of the damage I have done to my body.  I do not whine about it. 

This is the life I chose.  This is the life that anyone who has ever stepped in a ring has chosen.  If this isn't what they want, then they shouldn't be in this business in the first place.  If it is too much, walk away and give your spot to another guy.  Or maybe wrestle somewhere local and pass your knowledge on to some younger guys and help give them some breaks you never got.  As often as it may seem like it, this business isn't the mafia - you can walk away from it. It is hard, but trust me, it can be done.