The Wrestling home of Moondog Manson

First and foremost, I'd like to extend my sincere apologies to Moondog and Co. for not getting around to posting an article for so damn long. What can I say? I only had a few weeks left before completing my college education and I didn't have much time.

But now that I'm a graduate, time is all I seem to have. For now.

Enough of that, let's get to the crux of this commentary.

*****

A few weeks back on the Central Canada Forum (which is apparently also known as "Bitch Central") an interesting question was raised. Someone took the time to ask what sort of behavior
"Exposed the Business" to the paying customer.

Now, this is an interesting question because there are several different things that I think everybody should be aware of before I explore this idea:

#1 - The business is already exposed. The people have been told that Pro Wrestlings a show and there is nothing that anybody can do to change that.

#2 - The people don't care that it's a show. Wrestling fans respect the athleticism and showmanship of us wrestlers.

Keeping those two thoughts in mind, I am reminded of something Don Callis told me two summers ago, in the middle of a long road trip. Don and I were discussing the merits of certain types of work rate (my high-impact style vs. Don's very psychologically based, low-impact style) and he said to me:

"You know kid," (flipping his hair back) "The people already know it's a work. It's your job to make sure that you don't remind them every time you step in the ring."

Now, while I don't agree with everything that Don has ever said, this one statement seems to say it all.

Wrestling fans pay good, hard-earned money to be entertained by wrestlers such as myself. They may know that I'm not really trying to kick my opponents ass ... But when they watch me wrestle, I go out of my way to always deliver my most convincing performance and make them doubt what they know.

With all that said, here are some of the most common ways that the "Business is Exposed" :

a) NO LOOK - People have a preconceived notion as to what a professional wrestler is supposed to look like. When they see some skinny, underaged kid step into a ring wearing his sneakers, shorts and T-shirt, they know that he/she is not a wrestler.

(NOTE: There have been a number of exceptions made to this rule in the recent past, and only in the rarest of instances have I ever agreed with said exceptions. However, the ones that I have agreed with have never fallen into the following category.)

b) UNDERTRAINED - When the people see a couple of half-trained morons rolling around in the middle of a ring throwing hokey punches, taking sloppy bumps, running the ropes improperly, and getting obviously lost are all ways to let the Paying Customers know that you have no clue as to what you're doing.

(REMEMBER: Your show is only as good as your worst match. If you have a shitty match early on in the card, it doesn't matter how good your main event is. The people will remember that you had a shitty match and that makes it harder for the rest of the show to get any heat.)

c) SELLING - Or a lack thereof, is the problem here. The X-Division matches on NWA:TNA are infamous for this. Guys will drill each other with huge, high-impact and flashy moves only to pop back up to their feet and set up for the next spot. This is retarded, and is an excellent way to burnout your crowd. This is what happened to ECW people. After seeing too much blood, too many tables, and too many guys kicking out of powerbombs and piledrivers; The people stopped caring. If you take a move, sell it for Chrissake! Make it look like it hurt, otherwise you're wasting your damn time!

(NOTE: Internet fans all around the world criticize McMahon and the WWE for pushing only certain guys like The Rock, Austin and HHH despite their
"lack of wrestling ability."

"These guys only do, like, 2, maybe 3 moves every match." But the people, including the Internet Fans, know exactly what those 2 or 3 moves are. And the people know that when the Rock hits his spinebuster and kicks the guys arm that there's a Peoples' Elbow coming. This keeps the people involved, and makes them feel like they are a part of the show. Crowd interaction, charisma, timing, and athleticism and the things that keep Rock, Austin, and HHH on top of WWE.)

These are the basic ways in which I see the business being exposed on a regular basis. Hopefully, I've said something profound here. Realistically, I imagine that I've merely said something.

*****

Remember to check out www.PCWlive.ca for all the latest news on Central Canada's hottest promotion. Boiling Point 2 is coming soon. Stay tuned for more details.

Gotta love the shameless plug.

Take care,

A.K.