Mike Levy incident
Well this video has been making the rounds lately and I finally got around to watching the whole thing today and I thought I'd throw in my comments on it for what it's worth. It seems after reading various message boards there are many different opinions on this situation and I have to admit I'm a little mixed in how I feel about it. I see a little of both sides. I have been known in the past to rough up guys who weren't properly trained who got in the ring with me. It was my feeling guys who got in the ring untrained (or think they knew how to "work" because they were backyarders) didn't respect the business or the other wrestler's safety by getting in their untrained and putting people at risk. So I wanted to try to drive them out by beating their ass and making them not want to get in their again. In one instance Neil Taylor and I were specifically told to go out and run in on two guys match and "make them not wanna come back". At the time I felt fine with it cause I thought it was bullshit those guys would get in there and shit on the wrestling business BUT in retrospect I should have been wanting to beat the promoter's ass for letting those guys in the ring. Think about it, it's the promoters fault for letting untrained guys in HIS ring on HIS show. Hell who can blame these guys for trying to get in there if someone was willing to let them. If the promoters are really honest with themselves it's largely THEIR fault wrestling is in the shape it's in cause anybody can get in the buiness, that's why all the towns are getting killed off......but I'm gonna on a tangent here.
So, back to the subject at hand, the Mike Levy beatdown. Should Mike Levy have been in a wrestling ring? No, he shouldn't. BUT, who let him in there? Ian did. You don't let a mark from the internet get in the ring with someone who has a huge tv booking days later for TNA. It was stupid for Mickie to even be in that Death Match tournament at all much less against some backyarder who you know doesn't know how to work. The sad fact is Levy was selling and working better than a lot of the guys who call themselves "workers" in MS and TN. I don't see anything wrong with anything that went on in the course of the match, Mickie got stiffed, she gave it back to him, it was no worse that the average bullshit hardcore death match thing that always goes on there, however the beatdown afterwards was uncalled for. Ian knew what this guy was when he put him in the match, so whatever happened the responsibility fell on his shoulders and if anybody needed curb stomped for booking that shit, it was him.
Was this good for THE business? no. Was it good for IWA Mid South's business? Yeah, it was because. A) People who never mention IWA Mid South or see any footage of it, are watching this and taking the time to write about it on message boards. B) A ton of people who wouldn't give a shit about a 'Queen of the Death Match' dvd will order this now just to have this clusterf*** on dvd to show people. So these types of things will continue to happen in wrestling and the more hype this kinda thing gets there will be situations like this staged in the future possibly just to create a buzz.
So to recap, Seeing as how I've been guilty of doing things simular to this (nothing NEAR this rough but stiff and unprofessional) I can't totally condemn this, it shouldn't have happened but I understand guys being protective of the business and wanting to drive out wannabes. BUT, truth be told the heat should be on Ian for letting this goof in the ring and hopefully something can be learned from this. One being, marks keep your ass in the crowd, or keep it in your backyard with your neighbor. And TWO, promoters keep the marks out of your ring and don't give guys the opportunity to make your show look stupid or hurt someone who trusteed YOU to have their safety and best interest at heart.
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