----Apparently we are looking at the two biggest shows so far this year from Rodney Grimes' CWA. Grimes was considered one of the top indy promoters in this area around the start of the site and placed in the Top 10 of shows in Yearbook 2007. He has pretty much disappeared from the scene for the last two years, but looks like he is back with a vengeance. This is only February, but those two shows could easily be in the top 5 shows of 2010. I am hearing anywhere from 600 to 1,000 people in Ripley, MS and no number for last night in Savannah, TN, but was told it was a big crowd. I did get a yahoo im message that read, "2 awesome cwa legends shows omg the people" [in reference to big crowds].
----Grimes has re-merged in the promoting game in a total different environment than when he left. Memphis Wrestling was drawing some of the bigger gates and guys like Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee and others had a TV outlet that was an average of more than 59,000 viewers. Just a minor mention of some of Grimes' shows would be a boost in the attendance. No TV exposure and just hard selling advertising seems to have paid off with maybe the fans getting a "absence makes the heart grow fonder" attitude and going out to support the Legends.
----These shows were packed with Lawler, Don Bass, Bill Dundee, Buff Bagwell [who has really proven to be a draw in this area], Dutch Mantell and a host of undercard guys featuring some of the local talent. The only question is that will the nostalgia gimmick work if these guys do another round of shows? Fans usually have a vision of what their legends were and not what they actually are now. They then get to see what old age and the road has done to to them, then going out to the shows is a one time thing. The key would be to not use the same people [legends] over and over and capitalize on local talent.
----My congrats to the whole cast and crew though. 2010 actually may be a good year for promoting wrestling in this area. I am looking for full results and any other crowd estimates.
