We were booking what turned out to be the last WrestleReunion event to date in Davie, Fl. We had two strong matches booked on top. It was The Dudley’s vs. The Eaton and Condrey version of The Midnight Express as usual Jim Cornette was invited to attend but the drive was just too long. We had wanted a six man tag match that night but Stan Lane was busy with his boat racing commentator duties. We also scheduled Dusty Rhodes vs. Terry Funk with Mick Foley as the guest referee. I needed an opponent for Jake “The Snake” Roberts and really didn’t have anyone in mind. I called a man named Joe Price, who I had done some business with, to see if he had any suggestions. When I talked to Joe he made it clear that there was a guy that would be perfect to work with Jake and was good enough to protect Jake who was nursing a bad hip. We went to the extra effort to make sure that we had a snake for Jake. He always wants at least a ten foot boa and we wanted him to shine that night. I was very busy that night as we were filming the event and there was a lot to do. I eventually caught up with the young guy Price had recommended and, as I explained to him about Jake, he said and I quote “We are going to do what he wants to do the way he wants to do it”. I reiterated to him about Jake’s hip and he looked me in the eye and said once again “We are going to do what he wants to do the way he wants to do it”. I said ok and felt like things would go well. After the match I spoke to Jake and he was very pleased with the match. I felt like Joe Price had made a great recommendation. The guy had a great look and attitude. I knew in my mind this was a young man who was going to make it. Well I am glad to say that he has made it. I think he will still continue to rise up the ladder. I might even say that eventually he could be WWE Champion. His name is Antonio Banks or it was Antonio Banks you actually know him as WWE star MVP.
I have to agree with most of the critics that the MVP and Matt Hardy stuff is as good as wrestling has to offer right now. I only hope that Stephanie McMahon can see the positive things about what they are doing with that angle and replicate it throughout the company.
You know it seems that WWE is very high on Beth Phoenix. I have to be honest I don’t see it. I would be running with Victoria as my champion feed all these white meat baby faces to her and I would have Christie Ricci in my company. This seems like booking 101 to me. I must really be missing something.
Flashback: Some of my favorite days in wrestling were working in Concord, NC in various buildings for a wrestler/promoter named Willy Clay. We had recently returned from Australia and I decided I wanted to do more managing. I had really gotten the bug from managing Kamala as Friday on the tour. I started out managing some of my buddies such as “Carolinas Own” David Isley and Colt Steele. These guys had been enhancement talents for Jim Crockett for several years and regularly appeared on TBS. They both worked in a good position for Nelson Royal’s ACW. On top of that Colt worked some territories like Florida and Kansas City.
It was somewhere around this time that I had my first match working with Gorgeous Gary Royal. I was totally untrained in the ring. I was able to get by being led by a true ring veteran. In time with each match I got better. The shows were run quite often and when we were done we would head over to Shoney’s to have a little something to eat. We would sit around talking about the show. There were times that some top guys were even brought in for the shows as well. Eventually, we decided to turn heel. We did a Midnight Rider type angle with David Isley. We used the same music that Dusty used when he did the thing originally. When we came to the ring to Willie Nelson would start signing The Midnight Rider song and the people would start screaming. We had a lot of heat with the people whether there were fifty of them or two hundred of them. I used to get energized every time I heard that song. After the shows ended we had to have police escorts to our car. The locals loved “The Wild Thing” Willie Clay. He was their hero. He always tried hard in the ring and took it very seriously. His ring crew supposedly knew the whole thing was a work. Well on one night we did an angle where we beat up Willie’s son, Willie Clay Jr, and the ring crew came after us as well led by Willie’s main man Paul Green. We were amazed. But it sure meant we were doing our job. It never really got us anywhere except to Shoney’s on a Saturday night. But we were having a ball. We were doing things that made sense, working on our craft and entertaining the people. We luckily avoided getting shot at or starting a riot. When I get frustrated with the business, the backstabbing, the poor product we are forced to watch on TV, I think back to the fun we used to have and wish that we could go back to that time.
This weekend there was a large legends event called Dream Reunion 2. It appears that there are conflicting stories. I have heard many conflicting opinions and looked at evidence that could be misleading. One thing that I have determined is this ... the promoters of this event should not be promoting wrestling. They are wrestling fans who want to be a part of the show. They over-booked their event and it doesn’t appear that they have the funding or investors to run events. If you are counting on the money that comes in through the gate to pay the wrestlers and the other expenses associated with the show please get out of the business now. It is a shame that many of the legends of our business need the money so bad that they accept bookings from anyone that calls. In some cases, they set down rules for accepting the appearance such as a deposit of half of the money up front. If the money doesn’t show up many of them will still attempt to make the appearance anyway and then get pissed off if they don't get paid. This is a clear case of clueless desire meeting desperation and that leads to a Mickey Mouse event. Do I believe that the wrestlers allow for every Tom, Dick and Harry who has a few dollars, or believe he can draw some huge crowd off of a bunch of legends that used to headline Madison Square Garden or other arenas around the country? Yes I do and week after week it’s proven the results in many cases are painful for someone sometimes the wrestlers, many times the promoters and quite often the fans. There is very little that can be done to stop someone from running a show. In reality, only the wrestlers can stop themselves from being shortchanged. There is no governing body in pro wrestling so we can only police ourselves. The ultimate reason for the insanity is this.... the wrestlers who are considered star's which means anyone who at anytime appeared on a regular televised wrestling program. It could also mean anyone who at one time or another in the last twenty five to thirty five years worked a territory and wrestled five to seven nights a week. They all want a guarantee for their appearance plus expense money. They want this whether there name being advertised helps draw a crowd or not. On the flip side the wrestlers have no control and can not monitor the promoter and whether or not he properly promotes the event. It stands to reason that you would want to be paid something especially when you have no idea what’s being done in some town to hopefully draw a crowd. However, if the promoter does a great job and draws a better than expected crowd, the talent should never ask for more money. If you are going to take advantage of some person that doesn’t know any better then don’t expect to get more than you were promised or hold up the show demanding additional compensation if the promoter actually grabs the brass ring one night. There are many wrestlers who have a well known and very poor reputation this can be for irresponsibility, being in horrible shape, missing bookings or just being plain difficult to work with. If you are a promoter and book these guys than always remember Caveat Emptor its Latin for “let the buyer beware”. If you’re a wrestler check out the promoter ... ask him who he has worked with before and call them and see what their input is. If he has never promoted before then he needs to send you at least half the money in advance and a plane ticket. The wrestler needs to sign an agreement that protects both parties like it’s a real business. The problem is most of these promoters aren’t business people. They are people trying to be in business. The wrestlers are entertainers who really can only entertain. They handle business in a very poor way and either are too cheap to have representation or too foolish. I will tell you this; the talent that is paid the best and has the least problems in this business are the ones with representation. I want to send a clear message to all wrestling talent. In the real world of entertainment, if you don’t have representation you are looked upon in a very poor light. Who knows Congress may help to clear this mess up? But if they don’t I believe foolish desire will continue to meet desperation and the lunacy will continue on.
I can tell you this from my own experience, what went on at this event isn’t all the different from a Memphis Wrestling production. There are a few reasons why we hear very little about the pathetic mismanagement that occurs at the few events that happen. One is because Corey Maclin guarantees nobody any money. The other is because he uses very few stars most of whom are locals who are used to the nonsense that goes on and have chosen to live with and go back and forth between working for Corey and not working for him. The last one is because no matter what happens Corey is making money so he likes to fly below the radar. Even though I don’t agree with how Corey does things as a promoter, I have to say that he accomplishes the goal of all promoters his company operates in the black. I myself have not gotten money promised to me by promoters it happens but to me it only happens once. Perhaps there are so few people complaining about working for Memphis Wrestling is because there is no financial expectation. I guess one has to decide what's more important eating or sleeping at night.
Well another WWE PPV under our belts I think that it did accomplish one thing for me. It made my desire for the return of Chris Jericho increase ten fold. Please expedite his return to television wrestling.
Please tell Paul London to shave that beard. It's absolutely horrible and the wrong look for a potential heartthrob.
I am sorry it took John Cena getting hurt for “The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels to return to RAW. It was a much needed return and if it had to be an exchange instead of an addition WWE still came out ahead.
This picture was taken at The Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, LA June of 1999. We were filming TV at the casino. I was managing a group that I called The Firm. It consisted of a new version of The Midnight Express Sweet Stan Lane and Bodacious Brian Blair. At the time Bobby Eaton wasn’t available and Dennis Condrey had not yet made his return to the ring. It is a shame that more people didn’t get to see this version which we called Midnight Express 2000. The team was fantastic and could have worked in either of the big two at the time. We also used Shane Douglas under a hood during our first taping and we revealed him in the second hour. It was a great unit that was rounded out by Tracey Smothers. Actually Tracey is the guy under the hood in this picture. We were waiting for Shane and Missy Hyatt to get in from the airport so we put Tracey in the hood until Shane arrived for interviews. I also had a valet named Olivia she got over well but just didn’t like the business and didn’t want to come back after her first experience. All in all it was a great tapings
This has been a piece of my mind
I have to agree with most of the critics that the MVP and Matt Hardy stuff is as good as wrestling has to offer right now. I only hope that Stephanie McMahon can see the positive things about what they are doing with that angle and replicate it throughout the company.
You know it seems that WWE is very high on Beth Phoenix. I have to be honest I don’t see it. I would be running with Victoria as my champion feed all these white meat baby faces to her and I would have Christie Ricci in my company. This seems like booking 101 to me. I must really be missing something.
Flashback: Some of my favorite days in wrestling were working in Concord, NC in various buildings for a wrestler/promoter named Willy Clay. We had recently returned from Australia and I decided I wanted to do more managing. I had really gotten the bug from managing Kamala as Friday on the tour. I started out managing some of my buddies such as “Carolinas Own” David Isley and Colt Steele. These guys had been enhancement talents for Jim Crockett for several years and regularly appeared on TBS. They both worked in a good position for Nelson Royal’s ACW. On top of that Colt worked some territories like Florida and Kansas City.
It was somewhere around this time that I had my first match working with Gorgeous Gary Royal. I was totally untrained in the ring. I was able to get by being led by a true ring veteran. In time with each match I got better. The shows were run quite often and when we were done we would head over to Shoney’s to have a little something to eat. We would sit around talking about the show. There were times that some top guys were even brought in for the shows as well. Eventually, we decided to turn heel. We did a Midnight Rider type angle with David Isley. We used the same music that Dusty used when he did the thing originally. When we came to the ring to Willie Nelson would start signing The Midnight Rider song and the people would start screaming. We had a lot of heat with the people whether there were fifty of them or two hundred of them. I used to get energized every time I heard that song. After the shows ended we had to have police escorts to our car. The locals loved “The Wild Thing” Willie Clay. He was their hero. He always tried hard in the ring and took it very seriously. His ring crew supposedly knew the whole thing was a work. Well on one night we did an angle where we beat up Willie’s son, Willie Clay Jr, and the ring crew came after us as well led by Willie’s main man Paul Green. We were amazed. But it sure meant we were doing our job. It never really got us anywhere except to Shoney’s on a Saturday night. But we were having a ball. We were doing things that made sense, working on our craft and entertaining the people. We luckily avoided getting shot at or starting a riot. When I get frustrated with the business, the backstabbing, the poor product we are forced to watch on TV, I think back to the fun we used to have and wish that we could go back to that time.
This weekend there was a large legends event called Dream Reunion 2. It appears that there are conflicting stories. I have heard many conflicting opinions and looked at evidence that could be misleading. One thing that I have determined is this ... the promoters of this event should not be promoting wrestling. They are wrestling fans who want to be a part of the show. They over-booked their event and it doesn’t appear that they have the funding or investors to run events. If you are counting on the money that comes in through the gate to pay the wrestlers and the other expenses associated with the show please get out of the business now. It is a shame that many of the legends of our business need the money so bad that they accept bookings from anyone that calls. In some cases, they set down rules for accepting the appearance such as a deposit of half of the money up front. If the money doesn’t show up many of them will still attempt to make the appearance anyway and then get pissed off if they don't get paid. This is a clear case of clueless desire meeting desperation and that leads to a Mickey Mouse event. Do I believe that the wrestlers allow for every Tom, Dick and Harry who has a few dollars, or believe he can draw some huge crowd off of a bunch of legends that used to headline Madison Square Garden or other arenas around the country? Yes I do and week after week it’s proven the results in many cases are painful for someone sometimes the wrestlers, many times the promoters and quite often the fans. There is very little that can be done to stop someone from running a show. In reality, only the wrestlers can stop themselves from being shortchanged. There is no governing body in pro wrestling so we can only police ourselves. The ultimate reason for the insanity is this.... the wrestlers who are considered star's which means anyone who at anytime appeared on a regular televised wrestling program. It could also mean anyone who at one time or another in the last twenty five to thirty five years worked a territory and wrestled five to seven nights a week. They all want a guarantee for their appearance plus expense money. They want this whether there name being advertised helps draw a crowd or not. On the flip side the wrestlers have no control and can not monitor the promoter and whether or not he properly promotes the event. It stands to reason that you would want to be paid something especially when you have no idea what’s being done in some town to hopefully draw a crowd. However, if the promoter does a great job and draws a better than expected crowd, the talent should never ask for more money. If you are going to take advantage of some person that doesn’t know any better then don’t expect to get more than you were promised or hold up the show demanding additional compensation if the promoter actually grabs the brass ring one night. There are many wrestlers who have a well known and very poor reputation this can be for irresponsibility, being in horrible shape, missing bookings or just being plain difficult to work with. If you are a promoter and book these guys than always remember Caveat Emptor its Latin for “let the buyer beware”. If you’re a wrestler check out the promoter ... ask him who he has worked with before and call them and see what their input is. If he has never promoted before then he needs to send you at least half the money in advance and a plane ticket. The wrestler needs to sign an agreement that protects both parties like it’s a real business. The problem is most of these promoters aren’t business people. They are people trying to be in business. The wrestlers are entertainers who really can only entertain. They handle business in a very poor way and either are too cheap to have representation or too foolish. I will tell you this; the talent that is paid the best and has the least problems in this business are the ones with representation. I want to send a clear message to all wrestling talent. In the real world of entertainment, if you don’t have representation you are looked upon in a very poor light. Who knows Congress may help to clear this mess up? But if they don’t I believe foolish desire will continue to meet desperation and the lunacy will continue on.
I can tell you this from my own experience, what went on at this event isn’t all the different from a Memphis Wrestling production. There are a few reasons why we hear very little about the pathetic mismanagement that occurs at the few events that happen. One is because Corey Maclin guarantees nobody any money. The other is because he uses very few stars most of whom are locals who are used to the nonsense that goes on and have chosen to live with and go back and forth between working for Corey and not working for him. The last one is because no matter what happens Corey is making money so he likes to fly below the radar. Even though I don’t agree with how Corey does things as a promoter, I have to say that he accomplishes the goal of all promoters his company operates in the black. I myself have not gotten money promised to me by promoters it happens but to me it only happens once. Perhaps there are so few people complaining about working for Memphis Wrestling is because there is no financial expectation. I guess one has to decide what's more important eating or sleeping at night.
Well another WWE PPV under our belts I think that it did accomplish one thing for me. It made my desire for the return of Chris Jericho increase ten fold. Please expedite his return to television wrestling.
Please tell Paul London to shave that beard. It's absolutely horrible and the wrong look for a potential heartthrob.
I am sorry it took John Cena getting hurt for “The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels to return to RAW. It was a much needed return and if it had to be an exchange instead of an addition WWE still came out ahead.
This picture was taken at The Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, LA June of 1999. We were filming TV at the casino. I was managing a group that I called The Firm. It consisted of a new version of The Midnight Express Sweet Stan Lane and Bodacious Brian Blair. At the time Bobby Eaton wasn’t available and Dennis Condrey had not yet made his return to the ring. It is a shame that more people didn’t get to see this version which we called Midnight Express 2000. The team was fantastic and could have worked in either of the big two at the time. We also used Shane Douglas under a hood during our first taping and we revealed him in the second hour. It was a great unit that was rounded out by Tracey Smothers. Actually Tracey is the guy under the hood in this picture. We were waiting for Shane and Missy Hyatt to get in from the airport so we put Tracey in the hood until Shane arrived for interviews. I also had a valet named Olivia she got over well but just didn’t like the business and didn’t want to come back after her first experience. All in all it was a great tapings
This has been a piece of my mind
