Shuffle It All Part II

October 9th is fast approaching. It will be our first Back to School Bash held outside the LID and should be a fantastic show.

Contrary to some "reports" I know exactly what the line up is for that show. The website should be updated in detail shortly so keep checking it out.

There will be a couple of new faces at that show as well and I'm really happy to have these guys on board. They are young, talented and certainly seem committed.

I've been getting calls and texts about a couple of issues. One, I won't go into great detail on because it has nothing to do with me. I will say that if any member of Joe Public called up any local wrestling promotion and asked to buy a show for a certain amount of money, we'd all do it. When talent and creative control is maintained by the promotion, thus ensuring a certain standard of quality, then it's really a no brainer. I am sure the show in question will be a good one and the boys who are committed to the health and quality of the local industry will benefit from it.

The second issue has been my "relationship" with Ernie Todd. One Internet journalist recently broke the news that Ernie knew in advance that Robby Royce and The Artist Formerly Known As Ozz were returning to PCW. Uhhh yeah. Huge news there.

I have absolutely zero formal relationship with Ernie or the CWF. I have been ready, willing and eager to have a positive relationship with any promotion that was committed to the success of the local industry and to doing what was beneficial for the fans and the boys. More than any other promoter, I have reached out and "worked with" my "competitors". In fact, I was often criticised for that. But to me, whatever is good for the boys and the business is worth exploring, pride and whatever else be damned.

In fall 2003 Ernie and I had a good relationship and decided to do what we thought would be good for the local scene. At the time, I had a few guys leave PCW for bigger and better things, which turned out to be one show. Ernie was running Winnipeg on a somewhat regular basis. It made perfect sense for us to do something.

What really struck me at the time was how much that "relationship" bothered certain people. They were really choked about it. Ernie and I agreed to have a select group of CWF guys (Kerry Brown, Rob Stardom and TJ Bratt) appear on PCW shows leading up to the CWF's big show that December. The day before it was set to begin, someone posted a scathing commentary on one of the local fan forums exposing the deal and calling it the end of PCW. I was called numerous negative names and it was suggested that the deal was a desperate effort on my part to replace the guys who had left.

I recall reading that with tremendous amusement. I know the people locally who put a lot of emphasise on "stooging". I recall how proud people were to expose our angle the day before the show. I loved it. I gave the show a bit more electricity. When the CWF guys showed up in the venue, there was a buzz through the audience...what will happen? It was great.

On a related note, when we decided to bring Chris Sabin as a surprise last year to work AJ Sanchez, I was asked 'what if someone stooges it off?' Either way it worked to our advantage.

The point here is, in August 2003, the deal obviously didn't mark the end of PCW. It wasn't a long angle but it did result in several more bookings for guys who were apart of our team. And I had a lot of fun doing it too. Truthfully, the deal was ended as the guys who had previously quit PCW (and some of whom had touted the CWF Invasion as the end of the promotion) suddenly wanted back in.

As an aside, PCW died in August 2003 and was re-born at the same time. It had to happen or there would be no PCW today.

In short, I have no formal deal with Ernie. I had a conversation with him that was very similar to many I have had with other promoters. The difference is, Ernie wants to run with a certain standard of quality. He wants the boys who are committed to us to be the ones who benefit from more shows. My only interest is in doing whats best for the boys, the fans and the show. Period. Anyone who says any different doesn't know me or is lying. So no invasion. Just a willingess to make the scene a better one for the boys and the fans.

I hate to use a blog as a method of communication when I prefer e-mails, text messages, face to face meetings and phone calls (in that order). But it came to my attention that Shane Madison remarked about my opinion. I don't really care but I might as well clarify. Firstly, I most certainly did not tell anyone that my previous blog posting was about Madison or anyone else. It shouldn't surprise me but it does, that people can just make things up and pass it off as fact.

Secondly, Madison went on to say that I don't value or appreciate him. Here's a reality check. How many times has Madison left PCW? How many times have I welcomed him back? How many times have I booked Madison in a strong role doing pretty much whatever he wanted during those stints? It's ludicrous for him to say he hasn't been appreciated. If he feels tension in the locker room or feels unwelcome, that is his issue to deal with. There are guys who stuck around through the bad times, gave up bookings, money etc to stay committed to PCW. It's THEIR promotion now, THEIR locker room. Madison has had every opportunity to be apart of our team and he still does. But it's his decision to make. I do not want anyone on our show who is not a team player and not committed to what we're doing. If he's a team player and is committed and demonstrates that, then he's an asset to our promotion, friendship or no friendship.

Any assertion that I haven't valued him is utterly ridiculous. Not many other guys come into an indy promotion with their own personal booker. I have always treated him with respect and lobbied for him to play a significant role in our promotion. So, will Madison be at the next show? Well that's entirely up to him.

I love this business but I'm not cut out for it. I love politics, don't get me wrong. I love the creative aspect. I even love performing though I do it infrequently. But the reality is, there are so many guys in the business who don't know what friendship is. I'll agree with Madison on that point. Listening to guys who are supposedly close friends badmouth each other is sad. Watching guys take joy in causing grief for others, especially their so-called friends, is depressing. The attitude of if I dont get my way, I'll take my ball and go home is so counter productive. Or worse, if I dont get my way, I'll take my ball AND fuck with your ball too. Wrestling isn't hard. People make it a struggle. Winnipeg could so easily be the shining light of the industry in Canada but too many of us sabotage it for stupid, selfish, immature reasons.

If everyone simply stopped to ask themselves 'will this decision/statement/action/rib help the local industry? Will it benefit the boys or the fans?' If the answer is no, don't do it. Simple. If they did that, we could get back to doing what's best for everyone. All of us, rather then a few of us.

The bullshit that gets spewed on a daily basis is asinine. It's like a giant game of telephone where one person says something slightly stupid and within hours, it's grown to preposterous levels of idiocy. For example, I have been accused of hating a certain local wrestler, and of trying to keep him out of PCW. The same guy who was offered a gig in PCW and a program with one of my top guys. What more did he want, a hand job after every match?

Random ramblings:

- I have a bad feeling about tonight's Bomber game. But I will predict a Bomber victory anyway. 34-23.

- I heard Ric Flair might be appearing for an Ontario promotion this year. Very cool. I'd be lying if I said I never wondered about how cool it would be to have Flair in Winnipeg and I did mention his asking price to a potential investor. If someone, anyone, brings in Ric Flair, good for them. I am sure even that would bring out the naysayers...

- Impact has been better than RAW the past few weeks. Sting is hitting home runs every single week. I have to wonder though, does he look at the few hundred people in the TNA soundstage every week and wonder what it would be like to be in front of 20,000 screaming fans one last time? I'm not sold on the idea of Jeff Jarrett leading the charge of the young brigade though. His promo was "real" and very good, but didn't garner the reaction I would have expected. He had a stranglehold on the TNA title at a time when the young guys were the main challengers so his words now seem to ring hollow. Plus, having more than one "veteran" standing up for the young guys diminishes that role in my opinion. Mick Foley can stand up for the young guys and be believable. Jeff Jarrett can't.

It's like when, during the Invasion, WCW was led by longtime WWE guys. It takes something away. One of the problems with TNA is the fact that Samoa Joe doesn't cut a great promo and doesn't come across as a big time star. When his "elders" are all better promos, better performers and in far better shape it makes them justified in their position. AJ Styles is a hell of a performer but has been booked as a comedy act but now we're supposed to take him seriously...and beyond those two, who is fighting for the young guys? It should be Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley but politics have cut their balls off to the detriment of the promotion.

I am sure Sting will put over Joe at Bound For Glory. He'll embrace him and give him the rub. But his promo on this week's Impact, talking about how Ric Flair "made his career" twenty years ago means that when Sting puts over Joe, it's not so much Joe beat a legend, it's that the legend did the honours for the kid. I don't think it makes Joe any more special. TNA should go back to the drawing board on Joe before they destroy him completely.

- When John McCain announced Palin as his running mate, I immediately knew he had gambled away the White House. I listened to my good friend Marty Gold on his radio show talk about how brilliant the move was. I disagreed and still do. There is no doubt that Karl Rove is a political genius and if he was, as rumoured, behind the decision, I can respect the gamble. But it didn't work. Two things blew it: 1) Obama being smarter than McCain thought and 2) The economy changed the election.

It was simple pandering, trying to get Hillary Clinton supporters to jump ship. But that strategy relied on the fact that Clinton supporters were just dumb, uneducated women who would vote for anyone in a skirt. Not only is that not true, but it's highly insulting. It also undermined McCain's position that Obama was too young and inexperienced to be President. Given McCain's age and health issues, if he were President, there is a very strong possibility that Palin would be thrust into the top spot, even temporarily. It was an easy target for Obama to question McCain's leadership when picking a potential successor with less experience then his opponent.

What it DID accomplish was to temporarily change the focus of the election from the Obama revolution to Palin being the fresh choice for America. But Americans will always choose strong leadership they trust and McCain undermined his own position as the best leader in tough times. It also DID accomplish the goal of making Palin untouchable. Any criticism of her could easily be spun as sexism. Word was that Obama's camp instructed everyone to lay off Palin and rightfully so. They don't have to beat her. She has nothing to stand on. Attack McCain and they will win.

The move might have worked if not for the economy which has struggled at the worst possible time for McCain. He openly admitted in the past that the economy was his weak point. The election started out with Iraq and the War on Terror as the main issue, but that is far down the list now. Had he chosen someone like Mitt Romney, he'd have a better shot at gaining voter confidence during the economic crises. Only racism and the Clinton's can keep Obama from the White House now.

Don't get me wrong though. Obama made a huge mistake with his choice too. He should have chosen Clinton. He put ego ahead of what was best for the party and even his own best chance to win. Had he chosen Clinton, he would have united the party and when the economy fell apart, he'd have the team that was in the White House during strong economic times on his side. He would have easily won the debate on who was better to manage the economy with Hillary at his side. And, should he have lost, it would have set them up for another run in four years. Should they have won, it gave Hillary the inside track on the White House in 8 years, something unheard of for the Democrats.

The conspiracy theorist in me predicts a major military operation within the next month, likely with Iran, to bring War on Terror back to the forefront. This recent with skirmish with Pakistan might be the start of it. Pakistan is supposed to be an ally but they're not doing their part. Bin Ladin is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Pakistan. McCain might try to get the focus off the economy and back on the war by diminishing Obama as a military leader, one who needs to be tough with countries like Pakistan. We shall see...

- Could we finally see the Conservative majority this country so desperately needs? I hope so, but I'll predict a Stephen Harper victory with a strong minority but just falling short of a majority. And that sucks because it means Dion gets dumped, a new Liberal leader gets elected and we go through this all again in spring 2010. What were the liberals thinking...?