Reddick: Road to Success
Redd Reddick — The Other Side
Redd returns with his analysis of the current state of the game.
After about roughly a month and a half of much thought, consideration, procrastination, frustration, much more procrastination and even the usual suspect of writer’s block, I’m back with another eyeful. I wanted to make sure that anything I wrote, even when I intended to do so last month, would be free of any flotsam and jetsam of the Benoit disaster and then we lose John Kronus and Brian Adams, respectively. Now granted, after taking note of so many wrestlers suddenly like flies, I’ve nearly become as desensitized as the fictional soldier that Ole Anderson referenced in Foley’s ‘Have A Nice Day!’ when he stumbles into one atrocity after another until he’s completely numb. Up until last year, I’m becoming more annoyed at the fact that individuals I grew up watching in the sport that I now have 9 years invested in (that happened 2 Saturdays ago) are pushing up daisies. But then, that annoyance soon dissipated as I realized that everything happens for a reason and without going down the road that these folks have, we would never fully fathom why things are the way they are now. But let’s take a look at…
The Road to Success in Wrestling?
It’s fairly obvious that the game is a far cry from what it was even 10 years ago, but there are people within the swelling ranks of the Independent scene who are somewhat deluded into thinking that it is and more. This attitude is sometimes enforced by the false sense of accomplishment that these people have when they actually think that they’re worth more than they are when start making demands like more money, for example. Last time I checked, most guys know that we’re all relegated to so much on the pay for a few factors, namely the fact most promoters can barely afford to run their venues on a monthly basis let alone pay the boys exhuberant amounts of cash. That’s why most of us have regular jobs to begin with, otherwise, we’d all be living out of our suitcases just like our forefathers up until about 10 years ago.
I still have yet to see anyone get paid under the same formula Jim Crockett used when he ran in the Mid-Atlantic territory which was this - the guy who put the most butts in the seats got the biggest cut off the gate. That hardly computes today. Sure, you can have the crowd eating out your hands, but it’s not the same as actually being a top draw, even though charisma always went a long way and still does to this day. Knowing how to market your product always helps, and it’s harder to do today, especially with media rapidly changing at the rate it is. Most promotions/terrorities had the huge assist of televison for years, but now that’s becoming that much more expensive of an option.
What’s In a Name?
That’s another pet-peeve of mine - how the ‘names’ in the business get established, especially on the Indy circuit. Not every person in the Territories got to be champions, toured other countries or worked for either of the Vinces with much acclaim attached to their resume, but they’re still veterans, having been where many haven’t. Not every guy on the Indy circuit will ever get to work in TNA, ROH or the Mainstream nor will they get a lot of credibility even if they do, but how are the next so-called ‘names’ outside of those realms be determined? You can log how many names you’ve worked, but it’s really meaningless if there was no build-up involved, because in all likelihood, it was just another match anyway. How many seminars can you attend from so many people running them? Sure, you’re always learning in the business, to adapt to the changes mainly, otherwise if you’re paying for those seminars, then you’re probably really helping the gym owner with his rent as your career possibly stagnates in the process. You’re only going to learn but so much anyway. The best way to apply it is to get out on the road and network.
Back to ‘name’ game. There’s plenty of vets out there with accomplishments out the yin yang, but what made it harder to get established is the lack of a stable voice for the sport. After Apter left PWI, it not only marked the end of an era, but the beginning of a downward spiral for the backbone of Pro Wrestling media, which spelled disaster for all that followed, as putting the next breed of stars in the spotlight would be highly difficult. Granted, there’s a plethora of champions and the like out there now, but what makes them insignificant outside of apathy is the fact that many people are npw oblivious to the fact the champions are even there in the first place, so automatically, the cred gets nixed.
I can keep going, but I think I’m gonna stop here. After sitting in front of a 19″ monitor at work all day, I was still inclined to sit in front of a 9″ laptop and type this at home. Next time though, you can brace yourself for more of the harsh realities of the Other Side of the Ropes…
– Harold “Redd” Reddick
(8/16/07)
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