So I go away on vacation for awhile to return to a packed in-box and a lot of crazy developments in the local scene. I had numerous e-mails and voice mails from multiple promoters all asking to "talk" or questioning my "talks" with other promoters.
Where to begin...?
Well, if you've never been to Las Vegas, I suggest you go. To be honest, I know several people who have gone and raved about it but I never felt the desire to go. A friend of mine wanted to go and encouraged me so I went. I am very glad I did. It's not the "sin city" party town I thought it was. Well, it IS the "sin city" party town I thought it was, but it's a lot more. It's become very family oriented as well. I saw many, many families with small children as well as older couples in addition to the young 20 and 30 -somethings.
I actually didn't make it to any of the nightclubs. I simply didnt have time. We'd usually be out of the hotel by 10:00-ish in the morning and not return until the wee hours. I had planned to go to LAX which was in my hotel (Luxor) but most nights I was too exhausted to bother.
I had heard mixed reviews on the Luxor and had a mixed experience. But I recommend it. It's truly unlike any other hotel in Vegas (and we went to most of the hotels on the strip). It's unique and massive and has a lot of things to do right inside the hotel ( don't go to the IMAX ride...terrible).
We went to Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, which was an amazing experience. Standing at the very edge of the Canyon, an inch away from an incomprehensible drop was indescribable. The Skywalk was over-rated, however, and not nearly as cool as the experience at Batshit look-out. You can climb up to the top of a large rock formation and get a 360 degree view of the canyon...and one wrong step and you're gone.
The Vegas-style serving was also much over-rated. On the Strip, the service was terrible. I even had one bartender watching to see what I put in the machine. Downtown at the Plaza, the service was much, much better. I didn't even gamble at the Plaza, but I watched my buddy play cards. If my drink was almost finished, the server would bring me another one. I got drunk for free watching my buddy play. Good deal.
I would suggest however, not to go in August. 45+ degrees every day with the most intense sun I've ever felt. At night, it would cool off to 30. It's really a heat you can't fathom unless you experience it. And you can certainly tell the locals...they're the ones walking around in long pants, not sweating and not remotely bothered by the heat. I was surprised by how many people knew where Winnipeg was, though the girl at the Ferrari dealership at the Wynn asked if Canada was on the east or west coast.
I'm not much of a gambler but my buddy likes to play cards. He lost several hundred on the Strip and ended up a couple hundred up at the Plaza (I heard downtown pays out more because they want to get more people to that area). Speaking of odds, while we were at the Grand Canyon, on the Skywalk with about ten other people, a woman walks up to and asks "Are you Andrew? Andrew Shallcross?" Turns out to be a girl who dated a friend of mine in high school. My friend was so amazed at the coincidence that he suggested it was a sign that we should gamble...or that the plane going home would crash.
Well, we didnt win at the tables and on the way home, who should happen to be on my plane? Antonio Scorpio Jr. As I contemplated what exactly these two strange coincidences meant, a girl who works with my friend happened onto the same plane. Fortunately, the odds were in our favour and we had a great flight.
Long story short...go to Vegas.
When I returned, I waded through the copious amounts of spam in my in box and was somewhat surprised and confused at the number of emails I received concerning local wrestling...politics etc. It seems my previous blog somewhat "broke" the news of Robby Royce returning to the CWF (I see Ernie Todd mentioned this on his website today).
(I also checked out the local FAN FORUMS to see another example of a worker/promoter insulting a loyal paying fan. My question is, what the fuck is wrong with you idiots? This particular fan does not hide behind an unknown alias. He's easily identifiable. He has spent more money on indy wrestling then probably any other single fan. He supports the business through the good times and bad. And he has been threatened and insulted repeatedly. It's one thing when Zack Mercury does it because Zack is in an idiot. But Bobby Jay? Come on. You're supposed to be a fairly savvy promoter. This fan has every right to state his opinion. I don't always agree with him, but he has the right to state it. Further, he not only states his opinion, he justifies it. In this specific case, he was 100% correct. I can respect Bobby for standing up for his friend, but insulting the person rather then logically disputing his position just makes you look bad and validates the opinion you disagree with. Regardless, fans should be appreciated not crucified.)
As near as I can tell, Ernie Todd and Rob Stardom had some sort of falling out. Stardom and RME might have had a falling out too as I was led to believe that Rob was quitting. In fact, the big loser locally seems to be RME. Their much hyped (*cough* sarcasm *cough*) return to Winnipeg this past May was "postponed" until September. You might recall RME's reason for the cancellation being that they had so many venues that wanted them that they had to hold off on making any announcements or Winnipeg "re-launches" until they could do them all at once...uh huh.
Well, now they've cancelled their September Winnipeg date...or I suppose postponed it. I am sure they will announce another Winnipeg date in a few months and then postpone that one too. Winnipeg dates aside, it is my understanding (and I could be wrong), that several wrestlers either have or intend to give RME their notice. I heard even Dick Walker quit (I am sure that had nothing to do with him criticising Angus on the radio show...)!
As I suggested might happen in my previous blog, the supposed return of the CWF is bad news for RME. There simply isn't enough talent locally for five or six promotions to run the same market. It's anti-constructive to say the least. Knowing my roster is loyal and committed, the only "talent" available to fill these new spots for all these promotions are the guys who have been working for RME. That's a pretty weak roster to spread over three or four promotions.
Contrary to what has been written elsewhere, Ernie and I are not suddenly "friendly". We are neither more friendly or unfriendly then we have been for quite some time. We might exchange emails every month or so. As I reported last blog, we did discuss the possibility of sharing talent but he indicated to me his intent was to run "a couple of Winnipeg shows". I suspect a couple of shows would satisfy his ego, shut up some of his critics and, if he had access to the PCW roster, not embarrass himself. As always, I have no interest in sharing talent with promotions who run the same market regularly. It doesn't make sense from a business perspective.
This brings me to another point - why is it so many guys in this business dishonest? How difficult is it to simply "talk" in good faith with honesty, integrity and professionalism? What was the point of Ernie "talking" to me if he was bringing Royce on board to book his shows, especially after the "retirement" debacle? And why do other guys feel the need to lie and manipulate their way to trying to make a "better deal"? This is local wrestling. Relax. I pride myself on being as straight and honest as I can. Anyone talking "deal" with me is going to be treated with respect and honesty. It's not a difficult concept. We should all be working towards the same goal, not working against each other.
At least once a year Ernie suggests we "work together". I've told him before that since the AWA debacle, I simply could not trust him. Would I be willing to endorse PCW guys working "a couple of Winnipeg shows"? Sure. But that seems like a moot point anyway as with Royce seemingly back with Ernie, I would suspect most of the RME crew will follow. One positive thing I got out of "talking" with Ernie is that he has zero intention of using anyone on his shows who is associated with RME. Does that mean Royce and his little buddy have jumped from RME to the CWF? That would be highly amusing, though I doubt Yogi & Boo Boo are what the CWF has been missing...
Let me be clear, I don't dislike Ernie. But his propensity for always trying to make a better deal and thus, stab someone in the back is a big red flag to me. Why can't we be adults and act in a professional manner that is not counter to good business? Well, I didn't make the rules. My best advice to Ernie is a) don't bother me with "talk" if you have no intention of living up to what you're saying, b) come to my show next week - perhaps you'll get a bit of a wake up call to this dream you have of "taking over Winnipeg".
In fact, I'd invite Angus to come to my show next week too (I am sure he'll see something he "likes"), but from what I understand, he doesn't even attend his own shows anymore.
I wrote in my previous blog that I was not overly impressed with our first effort at Dylan's but that this one would be much better. Before I went to Vegas, I thought I had a "deal" with a couple of guys to come in and contribute to our events. It has always been my desire to bring together the best available talent and utilize them in the best possible way to produce the best possible shows. It's frustrating to me when something so simple gets fucked up by ego. But...there will be a surprise or two next week and I am very excited about the show.
It seems like the local chess game has really picked up with multiple promotions (except RME) moving their pieces around the board. It's an exciting time. It seems Angus has already been 'checkmated' by Ernie, leaving himself as the only queen left to fall. The website should be updated soon with more information concerning the show including details on Jon Cutler, Chris Stevens, Scorpio and another big surprise...
I don't expect to see Ernie or Angus (or EZ) at my show, but I'll put your names on my guest list anyway. Should be a "fun" show...!
I'll make my return to The Squared Circle radio show this Sunday and I expect it to be a rather interesting edition. I have a lot to catch up on!
A
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Winnipeg is SAVED!
Thought I'd update this while I had some time.
The Squared Circle finally returned from exile this past Sunday. It was a fun show and very enjoyable from my perspective as we got to talk about a lot of positive things in the industry.
There seems to be quite the lull locally right now as we're right in the middle of Summer. But big news on the horizon. Just what Winnipeg wrestling needs to "save" it - another local promotion! Or more accurately a re-vamped local promotion. Apparently, the CWF will "re-launch" with a new website and a focus on doing local shows. Ernie Todd has hired Robby Royce to be booker and run the promotion...yes, you read that correctly.
I find this all rather interesting as it contradicts everything Ernie was saying to me recently and I find it rather difficult to believe he and Royce will manage to co-exist long enough to make it worthwhile, but if the end result is a promotion replacing RME, then I support it. If the idea is to add another local promotion fighting over the small piece of the pie and fighting over workers, then what's the point? If it's the latter, it sounds like nothing more than an ego thing.
I have already been told that this new CWF feels no relevance to forging a positive relationship with PCW, that they have "their guys" ready and that no one should be working both promotions. Oddly, that's the exact thing I am often criticised for.
Quite frankly, I agree with the position that if two promotions are running and competing in the same market, the boys should commit to one and work as hard as they can to make it a success. I will admit to being somewhat surprised at the attitude displayed to me, indicating a desire for competitive battle. I've heard it all before, numerous times. In the end, PCW is always the one still there, welcoming back anyone who left for "greener" pastures and putting on the best shows. My honest feelings on this are, if the "new" CWF can knock PCW out of top spot then I can happily retire. But the reality is, anyone else in my position would have quit a long time ago. I've always been there for the boys and the business and probably always will be.
One of the things PCW has going for it is that I have final say in every aspect of the promotion and we own our equipment. Having the guy who actually runs the promotion having to answer the the person who "officially" runs the promotion is a recipe for disaster. In fact, Ernie and Royce have been down this road before. In RME, it's a similar situation.
I was going to write a long blog about what the local industry could do to better itself, but I see no point. I'll cover it briefly. I've actually discussed this with a few guys locally and we all agree it's really a no-brainer which is likely why it's never happened.
RME struggles to run Winnipeg. They want to run Winnipeg because it's the largest market, it's where most of the boys live and it's where you need to be to run episodic shows and draw a regular audience. Running the big market with the most committed fans is where a promotion gets judged and is really the measuring stick. I think Ernie struggled with this for a long time, in that he worked very hard to build a profitable touring company but wanted the "respect" and "press" of running the big market. Largely, the CWF was ignored and I really think that's what bothered Ernie. He'd go on these long tours, make lots of money and then come back to Winnipeg and no one really cared.
In the past year or so, that seems to have changed. Ernie finally seemed at peace with what he was doing in the business. Truthfully, he deserves all the accolades in the world for building his touring business. I know he teased running Winnipeg multiple times in the past and has even talked with others about becoming his booker and show runner. He certainly has the means to produce quality events if he chooses to. But as a businessman, he's been smart enough not to bother trying for very long.
What Ernie proposed to me recently was that he wanted to run the occasional show in town and have access to good talent. I readily agreed to that. In return, the guys we can count on would be given first option to work our shows and go out of town with him. That's a good framework for what Manitoba could be.
Back to my point, RME is very much like the CWF (though not successful), in that they are primarily an out of town promotion. But they want to run Winnipeg. They don't have to run Winnipeg. They could be content with their shows out of town, but they aren't. Angus vowed to the boys that he'd provide a regular Winnipeg gig this year. We're mid august and it hasn't happened. They do have a show scheduled for Sept 6th in Winnipeg at an undisclosed location, but have offered no details. If that show was confirmed at the time they posted it to their website, one would have expected some information by now.
For the very few local shows that RME runs, the end result is a competitive "anger" between promotions that isn't productive. On the flip side, PCW is primarily an in town promotion. I've made no attempt to hide my lack of desire to do many out of town shows. But we could. But I'd just as soon not.
I guess my dream scenario would go like this: PCW would continue to run Winnipeg as usual. Another promotion (whether it's RME or CWF or whatever) would run out of town. RCW would continue to be dedicated to developing young workers. We'd all get along. We'd all deal with issues in a mature professional manner. We'd all utilize the same pool of talent. It's a good scenario for the boys as well it protects the promoters from individuals acting in counter-productive ways. It's an easy and obvious solution. But it wont happen. Mostly, ego is to blame.
Royce is a talented, intelligent person. When he's focused, he's as driven and committed as anyone. He has good ideas. In fact I think he and I worked together particularly well, fine tuning each other's ideas and making them better. The call of the ego can be a hard thing to ignore, however. It's why a person would "jump" while holding a title...to make a splash, to go on the Internet the next day and read people talking about it. But as Marsellus Wallace said, "Pride has a way of fucking with you." And once the pride wears off, what are you left with? Often times, regret.
I view this "new" promotion with cautious optimism. I hope it's not another "fly by night", drop a bomb and then go away leaving it to us to pick up the pieces, scenario. The feeling I get is certainly of a desire to hinder PCW. I'm fine with competition. But if the goal isn't to do something better for the business, then don't bother. At the end of the day, I can be in the business until I choose not. I have a loyal roster. I own my equipment. I have a very dedicated support staff. I don't answer to anyone.
Wanting to be like ECW or, I guess, ROH is interesting. The latter is really an endorsement and compliment to what PCW has been. But finding the talent to support that vision will be difficult. Finding venues is likely even more difficult. I have been told they have 3-4 venues booked already. I'm not sure if I find that surprising because I can't possibly believe there are 3-4 venues that want wrestling that no one else has discovered or that if Royce knew of 3-4 venues that wanted wrestling, why he didn't tell his current promoter...I would guess Coyotes maybe (which is a whole other story...), maybe Doubles...maybe some C.C's.
That alone says to me that the plan isn't too well thought out. When Royce was on the radio show, he said if I really made the effort, I could have multiple monthly venues in Winnipeg. My response was, I don't want multiple monthly venues. Why would I? If you think about, it doesn't make a lot of sense outside of the ego-driven need to say "we have more shows". I'd rather have one great show in front of a great audience then risk watering that down, burning out the boys or splitting the audience. At one time, PCW ran three in town venues per week, as far apart as possible. It was not successful.
The most difficult thing for the "new" CWF will be Ernie and Royce getting along. Ernie hates RME and certain comments Royce made seemed to indicate a peaceful co-existence with RME wasn't at the top of his list of priorties. I'd find that amusing, I must admit. But really, there isn't enough talent to support three or four "local" promotions anyway. If the shows are good and the promotion successful, Royce will get the credit. That will bother Ernie. If the shows are bad or the promotion amounts to RME under the CWF brand, Ernie will likely get the criticism. That will REALLY bother Ernie.
It's an interesting concept. I wish them well.
PCW returns to Dylan's On Pembina August 28th. This show will be better than our initial effort at Dylans, I guarantee that. While things seem "quiet", they aren't. We have several iron's in the fire and several new pages to turn. I would look at the first Dylans show as sort of setting up the chess board. Now we begin to play.
In all honesty, I was so-so in my opinion of the first show. Some segments were awesome. Some were terrible. There will be some changes made. But mostly, as I said, we've set up the chess board now. I don't consider myself a "promoter" per se, more of a show runner. Booking is what I enjoy the most. And I'm really, really excited about the next show!
Check out our website now and in the coming couple of weeks for some significant updates!
Lastly, HUGE congrats to Kenny Omega for his successes in ROH and Japan's DDT recently. The audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In my humble opinion, Kenny is a natural fit in ROH and Japan. If TNA could book their way out of a wet paper bag (settle down, Dick), he'd be a natural fit there too. When you look at WWE and their willingness (however hesitant it might be) to give guys like CM Punk, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Jamie Noble etc the chance to get over, then one could certainly see Kenny being a big star there too.
I'm very proud of him as a PCW "original" and as a friend. For someone of his calibre and success to continue to be so committed to PCW and to see the importance of our vision, it's very humbling and much appreciated.
www.PremierChampionshipWrestling.com
A
The Squared Circle finally returned from exile this past Sunday. It was a fun show and very enjoyable from my perspective as we got to talk about a lot of positive things in the industry.
There seems to be quite the lull locally right now as we're right in the middle of Summer. But big news on the horizon. Just what Winnipeg wrestling needs to "save" it - another local promotion! Or more accurately a re-vamped local promotion. Apparently, the CWF will "re-launch" with a new website and a focus on doing local shows. Ernie Todd has hired Robby Royce to be booker and run the promotion...yes, you read that correctly.
I find this all rather interesting as it contradicts everything Ernie was saying to me recently and I find it rather difficult to believe he and Royce will manage to co-exist long enough to make it worthwhile, but if the end result is a promotion replacing RME, then I support it. If the idea is to add another local promotion fighting over the small piece of the pie and fighting over workers, then what's the point? If it's the latter, it sounds like nothing more than an ego thing.
I have already been told that this new CWF feels no relevance to forging a positive relationship with PCW, that they have "their guys" ready and that no one should be working both promotions. Oddly, that's the exact thing I am often criticised for.
Quite frankly, I agree with the position that if two promotions are running and competing in the same market, the boys should commit to one and work as hard as they can to make it a success. I will admit to being somewhat surprised at the attitude displayed to me, indicating a desire for competitive battle. I've heard it all before, numerous times. In the end, PCW is always the one still there, welcoming back anyone who left for "greener" pastures and putting on the best shows. My honest feelings on this are, if the "new" CWF can knock PCW out of top spot then I can happily retire. But the reality is, anyone else in my position would have quit a long time ago. I've always been there for the boys and the business and probably always will be.
One of the things PCW has going for it is that I have final say in every aspect of the promotion and we own our equipment. Having the guy who actually runs the promotion having to answer the the person who "officially" runs the promotion is a recipe for disaster. In fact, Ernie and Royce have been down this road before. In RME, it's a similar situation.
I was going to write a long blog about what the local industry could do to better itself, but I see no point. I'll cover it briefly. I've actually discussed this with a few guys locally and we all agree it's really a no-brainer which is likely why it's never happened.
RME struggles to run Winnipeg. They want to run Winnipeg because it's the largest market, it's where most of the boys live and it's where you need to be to run episodic shows and draw a regular audience. Running the big market with the most committed fans is where a promotion gets judged and is really the measuring stick. I think Ernie struggled with this for a long time, in that he worked very hard to build a profitable touring company but wanted the "respect" and "press" of running the big market. Largely, the CWF was ignored and I really think that's what bothered Ernie. He'd go on these long tours, make lots of money and then come back to Winnipeg and no one really cared.
In the past year or so, that seems to have changed. Ernie finally seemed at peace with what he was doing in the business. Truthfully, he deserves all the accolades in the world for building his touring business. I know he teased running Winnipeg multiple times in the past and has even talked with others about becoming his booker and show runner. He certainly has the means to produce quality events if he chooses to. But as a businessman, he's been smart enough not to bother trying for very long.
What Ernie proposed to me recently was that he wanted to run the occasional show in town and have access to good talent. I readily agreed to that. In return, the guys we can count on would be given first option to work our shows and go out of town with him. That's a good framework for what Manitoba could be.
Back to my point, RME is very much like the CWF (though not successful), in that they are primarily an out of town promotion. But they want to run Winnipeg. They don't have to run Winnipeg. They could be content with their shows out of town, but they aren't. Angus vowed to the boys that he'd provide a regular Winnipeg gig this year. We're mid august and it hasn't happened. They do have a show scheduled for Sept 6th in Winnipeg at an undisclosed location, but have offered no details. If that show was confirmed at the time they posted it to their website, one would have expected some information by now.
For the very few local shows that RME runs, the end result is a competitive "anger" between promotions that isn't productive. On the flip side, PCW is primarily an in town promotion. I've made no attempt to hide my lack of desire to do many out of town shows. But we could. But I'd just as soon not.
I guess my dream scenario would go like this: PCW would continue to run Winnipeg as usual. Another promotion (whether it's RME or CWF or whatever) would run out of town. RCW would continue to be dedicated to developing young workers. We'd all get along. We'd all deal with issues in a mature professional manner. We'd all utilize the same pool of talent. It's a good scenario for the boys as well it protects the promoters from individuals acting in counter-productive ways. It's an easy and obvious solution. But it wont happen. Mostly, ego is to blame.
Royce is a talented, intelligent person. When he's focused, he's as driven and committed as anyone. He has good ideas. In fact I think he and I worked together particularly well, fine tuning each other's ideas and making them better. The call of the ego can be a hard thing to ignore, however. It's why a person would "jump" while holding a title...to make a splash, to go on the Internet the next day and read people talking about it. But as Marsellus Wallace said, "Pride has a way of fucking with you." And once the pride wears off, what are you left with? Often times, regret.
I view this "new" promotion with cautious optimism. I hope it's not another "fly by night", drop a bomb and then go away leaving it to us to pick up the pieces, scenario. The feeling I get is certainly of a desire to hinder PCW. I'm fine with competition. But if the goal isn't to do something better for the business, then don't bother. At the end of the day, I can be in the business until I choose not. I have a loyal roster. I own my equipment. I have a very dedicated support staff. I don't answer to anyone.
Wanting to be like ECW or, I guess, ROH is interesting. The latter is really an endorsement and compliment to what PCW has been. But finding the talent to support that vision will be difficult. Finding venues is likely even more difficult. I have been told they have 3-4 venues booked already. I'm not sure if I find that surprising because I can't possibly believe there are 3-4 venues that want wrestling that no one else has discovered or that if Royce knew of 3-4 venues that wanted wrestling, why he didn't tell his current promoter...I would guess Coyotes maybe (which is a whole other story...), maybe Doubles...maybe some C.C's.
That alone says to me that the plan isn't too well thought out. When Royce was on the radio show, he said if I really made the effort, I could have multiple monthly venues in Winnipeg. My response was, I don't want multiple monthly venues. Why would I? If you think about, it doesn't make a lot of sense outside of the ego-driven need to say "we have more shows". I'd rather have one great show in front of a great audience then risk watering that down, burning out the boys or splitting the audience. At one time, PCW ran three in town venues per week, as far apart as possible. It was not successful.
The most difficult thing for the "new" CWF will be Ernie and Royce getting along. Ernie hates RME and certain comments Royce made seemed to indicate a peaceful co-existence with RME wasn't at the top of his list of priorties. I'd find that amusing, I must admit. But really, there isn't enough talent to support three or four "local" promotions anyway. If the shows are good and the promotion successful, Royce will get the credit. That will bother Ernie. If the shows are bad or the promotion amounts to RME under the CWF brand, Ernie will likely get the criticism. That will REALLY bother Ernie.
It's an interesting concept. I wish them well.
PCW returns to Dylan's On Pembina August 28th. This show will be better than our initial effort at Dylans, I guarantee that. While things seem "quiet", they aren't. We have several iron's in the fire and several new pages to turn. I would look at the first Dylans show as sort of setting up the chess board. Now we begin to play.
In all honesty, I was so-so in my opinion of the first show. Some segments were awesome. Some were terrible. There will be some changes made. But mostly, as I said, we've set up the chess board now. I don't consider myself a "promoter" per se, more of a show runner. Booking is what I enjoy the most. And I'm really, really excited about the next show!
Check out our website now and in the coming couple of weeks for some significant updates!
Lastly, HUGE congrats to Kenny Omega for his successes in ROH and Japan's DDT recently. The audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In my humble opinion, Kenny is a natural fit in ROH and Japan. If TNA could book their way out of a wet paper bag (settle down, Dick), he'd be a natural fit there too. When you look at WWE and their willingness (however hesitant it might be) to give guys like CM Punk, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Jamie Noble etc the chance to get over, then one could certainly see Kenny being a big star there too.
I'm very proud of him as a PCW "original" and as a friend. For someone of his calibre and success to continue to be so committed to PCW and to see the importance of our vision, it's very humbling and much appreciated.
www.PremierChampionshipWrestling.com
A
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