NWN, Parity and MORE!

The one positive I can say about the increase in Winnipeg wrestling shows is I get the chance to see what others can do when given the chance to produce their vision of a wrestling show.

Today, I chose to watch the NWN event as part of a downtown street fest. I respect and like NWN owner Will Damon but I wonder if he will be very happy with the event.

I left during the semi-main event, so perhaps I did not get the full experience. Outdoor shows are fun but can be a real challenge from a crowd heat perspective and this was no difference.

The event was well attended though it didnt seem like there was much else going on at this street fest aside from the wrestling event.

I won't get too in-depth into some of the political considerations but I will say if you allow politics to hurt your show, then you're doing something wrong. Damon didn't book the show but he was responsible for hiring the person who did and if you're not going to hire an experienced booker then you should be keeping a close eye on the inexperienced one you chose. The show suffered because of decisions the booker made.

The opening match ended on a very heat-killing double countout. The finish was changed to accommodate someones ego ( and certainly not mine!) and hurt the entire show as a result. Rob Stardom told me he was not going to the show if he had to put over Antonio Scorpio Jr who is a much better worker. I promised someone I would not make a big deal out of "scooping" guys or "jumps" but I will say that I consider giving into Stardom's demands a fair trade for the two guys who just quit RME for PCW.

I don't mind Stardom as a person but he can be bad for business because he thinks he's better then he is. The reality is, he's a decent worker and a decent talker but he needs direction. When left to his own devices, he's a small guy who works like a big guy, doesn't have much of a look and cuts his one promo (but cuts it's well). He suffers from Bobby Collins syndrome a bit. He'd be a solid addition to anyone's low to mid card, but I can't see him carrying a show.

My biggest complaint with the show would simply be that it was a bit lacklustre.

A couple of things, however. The two out of town guys...it seems clear they were booked so the booker could get a return booking of his own. There are better guys locally that would have likely been cheaper too. One of the guys worked face, lost and then proceeded to hop up on the turnbuckles and work the fans, which rubbed me the wrong way, though he didn't have a bad match.

I will also say without getting specific, that while you should have fun in the business, you shouldn't be making fun of the business. Guys are paid to entertain the fans not themselves.

But I dug the Kelly J Davoe entrance music.

I guess what really hindered my enjoyment of the show (aside from people constantly standing right in front of us), was one of my usual complaints - way too much cheap heat nonsense and Larry Zbysko style stalling over and over and over again. I left after the third "chicken" chant started by one of the boys and directed towards his opponent who was stalling on the floor. Three chants, three different matches on a five match show. Too much. And I know EVERYONE involved can do MUCH better then that.

Kudos to Damon for putting together a good show in a great location on such a beautiful day. It's shows like that that promoters should be trying to "work together" on to contribute positively to the overall local industry.

Speaking of RME, I would be remiss if I did not mention them in my blog. I intend to try and check out their show tomorrow (Sunday). While perusing their website and seeing their depth continue to be hampered, I am actually surprised (though I probably shouldn't be) that they have not contacted me to end the heat. It's entirely in their best interests to do so and I wonder if their crew really feels good about the stubborn decisions by their management.

I am under the impression one of their management members has quit that role in the promotion and while I certainly don't know all the reasons behind it, I wonder if frustration with the direction of the company played a role. I like the guy who quit and he seems passionate and knowledgeable. He's a loss to RME for sure.

I've only ever wanted a positive direction for the industry. As always, my email in-box is wide open...


The Canadian dollar hit parity with the US Dollar this week and I am thrilled. If the trend continues, by the time I pay our import talent next week, I may actually save money on the exchange. Perhaps guys will want to get paid in Canadian currency now...

Just for shits and giggles, I looked up the exchange rate back in 2002 when we brought in Eddie Guerrero, Honkytonk Man, Brutus Beefcake, LOD and Buff Bagwell and it was around 63 cents. What an incredible amount of money we were losing on exchange! Insane! If we had parity back then, I wonder how different things would have turned out!

Now let's see how long it takes for businesses to stop gouging us on everyday items which, with parity, should not be more expensive then the same product in the US.

Shane Madison has a good blog up right now discussing the backyard wrestling group. Check it out here: http://www.meccaholic.blogspot.com/

I recently sat down with Madison for a few hours and discussed a plethora of issues over a few wobbly pops as he would call them. It was great to catch up.

Tickets continue to sell very well for our show this Thursday. I encourage fans to get there early. Doors open at 8PM and we always have a line-up of people waiting to get in at that time. So get there early to get the best seats (though there is not a bad seat in the LID). We'll have TNA on the big screen before the show for you to enjoy and low drink prices and a great bar food menu!

For more information, check out the website at www.premierchampionshipwrestling.com As an aside, the old domain should be directing to the site shortly. We'll have an in depth preview of the Back to School Bash on the website early in the week with details on every match!

And don't forget the WFX event next Sunday, which I will definitely be attending.