Hello to all,
I have been talking to a few young men involved in the wrestling business recently. They are all good workers, some of them are very good. Some of these young men live as far down as the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are, which is a long haul if you are working shows in Tampa or Orlando, which is what makes me even more upset. I have been told by many sources that there are a bunch of workers working for free (Completely Free) for some promotions here in Florida. It bothered me in 1991 and it bothers me in 2011. I am no longer a worker but I will always be an advocate for worker’s rights here in the State of Florida.
It seems like more and more workers are actually working for free just to be on a show. These are guys that have been around, for some, at least 5+ years, these are not rookies. Here is how I see it.
*****If you are a rookie (Just started training to the end of your 1st year as a wrestler), then if you get paid you should consider yourself lucky. At that point in the business you should be happy to just be working. If you sell tickets, you should get a cut of the tickets that you sell though, even if it’s a dollar. You should be setting up and taking down the ring wether you are asked to or not. You should get there early, before the ring does and just start pitching in. Believe me, the promoter will notice. Setting up chairs is a nice thing to do as well. If you do these things then you are paying your dues and like I said, people will notice. If the promoter has enough money to slip you $10 bucks, then gladly take it and thank the promoter for the opportunity he gave you to work his show. Trust me, when your name comes up for future show, the ring setup and things like that will get you brought back for another match….unless you absolutely suck. You really shouldn’t bitch if you don’t get paid because you are still green as grass. Getting ring time in front of a crowd is a beautiful payday for all you rookies out there!
*****If you have been in the business from 1-3 years and you are a good worker, then you have a right to discuss pay with the booker. You should get the price you agreed upon, even if it is $10, therefore, you still got paid for your work. The ticket sale money still applies if you sell tickets, of course. If you have been working for a couple of years and are a midcard guy, making $25 is ok money. If you are working main events, getting paid more money is usually common place, but be happy with $25 if you get it.
*****3 years and up should be getting the most money out of anyone on the card. This usually means that they are a good, solid worker who can lead a green guy through a match, gets good heat if he is a heel or makes 13 year old girls cry if they are a babyface. Around $50 is a fair price for a worker who does not suck and has paid their dues. Workers need to get paid for asses they put in the seats because their angles are hot and drawing money. A good angle can still draw good crowds here in Florida. This state is not totally dead yet (But it is getting that way)!
*****Promoters, just because you have a “Star” on your roster doesn’t mean it is ok to forget the guys that bring in your crowd show after show. The guys that bust their asses every time out there. It have seen promoters who are drawing houses running about 250-300 people per show bring in a “Name” and still get that same 250-300 people. Therefore the promoter has essentially wasted around $500 to draw the same house they would have drawn anyway.
What really upsets me is when a worker who is a great worker doesn’t get upset when they are handed a $20 payday when they were promised $50 and they get the old, “The house is down” speech. If you receive a guarantee then you should get paid that guarantee. I know that things happen but if the pre-sales are down or something crazy like that, the promoter should call the talent the day before and say that they don’t know if they can afford the full guarantee or not. This gives the worker the chance to decide if they want to do the show or not. Promoters will never tell workers that a day ahead of time because they don’t want them to back out. I am just saying that workers would appreciate the call ahead of time instead of getting shorted on pay when they get there. This leads to heat between the promoters and the talent and then ends up on a message board somewhere getting 500+ views and 4 pages of discussions. Honesty is a new word in pro wrestling, but it goes a long way!
Some promoters will compromise the integrity of their show to get out of paying an established worker $50 so they can save money and pay some no name dude $10 or nothing at all. Who wins? The promoter wins.
Todays workers face a ton of health issues from this business, presedtly and in the future. When I was new, if you got hit with a finisher, you stayed down. Now finishers are being done in the opening spot and workers barely register the move and continue to the next sequence of “Spotfestation” as I call it. If promoters want to use a whole card of $10 guys and not $50 guys, they need to remember one thing. You get what you pay for. Your fans will not be happy and may not return. They will probably attend another show besides yours that has the $50 talent just so they can see good wrestling.
Guys and Girls, this business is hard. Even $50 a match is not worth the physical toll that wrestling takes on your body. You may think you are Mega Man now, but wait until you retire and actually see what you have done to your body. I would never have done a swan dive from the top rope onto the floor, ever. Even for $150 I would not have done it. Some kids today will do it for free just to get on the show. Shit like that will slowly kill you (Or very quickly kill you if you fuck it up or the guy doesn’t catch you). Think about your life, your family, your job, your kids and the condition of your body down the road, say 2031 or so. What I am saying is 100,000 watts of the TRUTH my brothers and sisters. Please be careful out there. We have seen in recent months what can happen in a wrestling ring when things go wrong. Is $10 really worth the risks? That is a question you must answer yourself. It is a personal choice for everyone. You have to know when to cross the line and how much money you want for you to do it. Don’t give your talent and your body away for free just because you want to work a show. Money changes everything!
Be safe out there!
CCN
