----Well, just as I typed that I had not heard anything this morning..LOL...http://www.lordsofpain.net/ is reporting the following. Good to hear that Nick is ok and hope his friend comes out of it ok. When I started covering this item last night, it felt much like the Benoit story - news every few hours. We have had so many terrible things happen in wrestling this year, I always think the worse.
Hogan Update: Bubba says Nick was released, Comments on the situation
Submitted by Brian Cantor on Monday, August 27, 2007 at 3:55 AM EST
Radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, a known close friend of Hulk Hogan, said early Monday morning that Nick Hogan was released from the hospital.
"I just got back from the hospital, hulks son nick and a friend named john were involved in a pretty bad car crash today around 730pm, i cant get into details, but myself and my attorney kevin haslett were the only ones allowed to be in the trama center with hulk," wrote Bubba in a blog entry on his website. "I can tell you this, nick left the hospital with me when we were leaving and is headed home to rest, he is ok."
According to Bubba, John, the male passenger who was in the car at the time of the crash, remains in the hospital.
He wrote, "The other boy john, needs our prayers……….he is still in the hospital, thats all i can say at this point."
Nick and the passenger John were taken to the hospital Sunday night after suffering a bad car crash that left Nick Hogan's Toyota Supra destroyed.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Nick Bollea: Nothing New To Report
----I have tried to cover this off and on all night. There is nothing new to report as of now. I have found a copy of the CNN video that I can embed here, so I am passing it along.
Late Update on Nick!!
----TMZ.com is reporting that Nick's passenger is in worse shape than Nick. Nick drove the car. Nick is listed in serious condition, which generally means "expected to live, but with potential serious complications." Nick's passenger is in critical condition, which generally translates to "life may be in danger."
Credit: http://www.prowrestlingtorch.com/ and http://www.tmz.com/
Credit: http://www.prowrestlingtorch.com/ and http://www.tmz.com/
Nick Bollea - More Details!!
----Bob Ryder is reporting over at http://www.1wrestling.com/ that Nick Hogan, who was driving the car, is not believed to have been as seriously injured and is being treated for a suspected broken arm and facial injuries, which I also was told by another source earlier tonight around 9:46 the same thing.
----Bill Apter, on the same site, has stated, Good friend/promoter Rob Russen is helping gather some of the news for us in Florida and reports "Linda Hogan and her daughter Brooke are in Los Angeles. When the news of the accident reached them they immediately made plans to return tonight on a red eye flight."
----Bill Apter, on the same site, has stated, Good friend/promoter Rob Russen is helping gather some of the news for us in Florida and reports "Linda Hogan and her daughter Brooke are in Los Angeles. When the news of the accident reached them they immediately made plans to return tonight on a red eye flight."
Sunday, August 26, 2007
3 More Photos of Nick's Car!!!
----TMZ.com has posted three photos of the car. The pics were a bit dark, so I captured them and lighten them up a bit. This car looks horrible. The staff at RRO would like see our best wishes and prayers out to the Hogan family.
Credit: http://www.tmz.com/
Nick's Car - Photo and Video
----CLICK HERE for video footage of Nick Bollea's car. I have tried my best to get a video capture for those that don't watch video. As you can see, if anyone comes out of this accident alive, then they were lucky. The car was wrapped around one of those palm trees.
Bay News 9 - Bollea Not The One Critically Hurt!!
----Bay News 9 is reporting Clearwater Police are investigating a high speed crash near downtown. Investigators say Nick Bollea, Hulk Hogan’s son, was one of two people injured in the crash. One of the injuries is critical, but police tell us Bollea is not the one critically hurt.
Tampa News Reports: One Critical and Another Seriously Hurt
Hulk Hogan's Son in a Bad Car Accident: One Critical and Another Seriously Hurt
Clearwater-Two young men were injured, one critically and the other seriously, when their vehicle careened out of control and hit a palm tree in Clearwater Sunday evening.
Preliminary investigation indicates the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.
Both of the occupants were flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
Their conditions are unknown at this time.
Tune into Tampa Bays 10 News at 11pm for the latest details on the accident.
Credit: http://www.tampabays10.com/
Clearwater-Two young men were injured, one critically and the other seriously, when their vehicle careened out of control and hit a palm tree in Clearwater Sunday evening.
Preliminary investigation indicates the car was traveling at a high rate of speed.
Both of the occupants were flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
Their conditions are unknown at this time.
Tune into Tampa Bays 10 News at 11pm for the latest details on the accident.
Credit: http://www.tampabays10.com/
TMZ.com Reports About Nick - "Very Very Serious"
Hulk Hogan's son Nick was seriously injured in a car accident tonight in Clearwater, Fl.Law enforcement tells TMZ the accident occurred around 7:31 p.m. ET tonight. According to police, a Toyota Supra, driven by Nick Bollea (Hogan's real name), was traveling at a very high rate of speed when it lost control and hit a raised median. The car was flipped around and the back end hit a palm tree. The impact, we're told, "destroyed the entire car." The two male occupants were flown by Medivac helicopter from the accident scene to a hospital in St Petersburg. We're told both injuries are "very very serious."
The accident happened on Court Street, a main drag in downtown Clearwater, causing the entire street to be shut down for hours.
No 911 call was made to police. The accident was actually called in by an officer who rolled up right after the crash happened.
Credit: http://www.tmz.com/
CNN Reports on Nick Bollea!!
----This was just posted on CNN about 25 minutes ago.
Wrestling star's son hurt in Florida car wreck, police say
(CNN) -- The teenage son of wrestling star Hulk Hogan and a companion were seriously injured in a high-speed car accident in his hometown of Clearwater, Fla., Sunday evening, a police spokesman said.
Nick Bollea was the driver of a Toyota Supra that went out of control and slammed into a palm tree while headed out of downtown Clearwater at a "high rate of speed" about 7:30 p.m. Sunday [EST], Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. "It destroyed the car," he said.
Hogan, one of the top professional wrestlers of the 1980s and 1990s, is now featured in the VH1 reality show "Hogan Knows Best." His son, wife and daughter regularly appear on the show.
A helicopter took Bollea and his passenger, whose identity was not immediately released, to a hospital in nearby St. Petersburg after paramedics removed them from the wreckage, Shelor said.
"They're both down there. Nick's father is down there," he said. (Posted 9:35 p.m. [EST])
Wrestling star's son hurt in Florida car wreck, police say
(CNN) -- The teenage son of wrestling star Hulk Hogan and a companion were seriously injured in a high-speed car accident in his hometown of Clearwater, Fla., Sunday evening, a police spokesman said.
Nick Bollea was the driver of a Toyota Supra that went out of control and slammed into a palm tree while headed out of downtown Clearwater at a "high rate of speed" about 7:30 p.m. Sunday [EST], Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. "It destroyed the car," he said.
Hogan, one of the top professional wrestlers of the 1980s and 1990s, is now featured in the VH1 reality show "Hogan Knows Best." His son, wife and daughter regularly appear on the show.
A helicopter took Bollea and his passenger, whose identity was not immediately released, to a hospital in nearby St. Petersburg after paramedics removed them from the wreckage, Shelor said.
"They're both down there. Nick's father is down there," he said. (Posted 9:35 p.m. [EST])
RassleResults: TFW Tupelo, MS 8.24.07
...Chazz Stone d. Devon Raynes in a "Loser Eats Dog Food Match"...Bless d. LSD and "The Perfectionist" Josh Matthews...Vinnie the Blade d. Chop Top the Clown...Nick Grymes d. Chris Chaos to retain the TFW LightHeavyweight Title...Bubba B. Boodreaux & Kaleb Kastle d. Max Steele & "Dangerous" David Cox...The New Ago Cowboys (Chris Kilgore & Josh Holley) & Crazy-N-Sexy (J-Kid & Curly More w/ Dirty Reel Moe) d. Attitude Inc. (Tony Dabbs & Chris Styles)/Fusion & "The Babyface Killa" Shawn Reed by DQ after interference from Tony Watts...D.C. d. JR Mauler to retain his TFW Heavyweight Title
RassleBits: Sid Last Night and Hogan Knows Best
---- WWE's head of talent John Laurinaitis and his right hand man Mike Bucci were in attendance at the Northeast Wrestling in Danbury, CT, which I reported on earlier today. I am wondering if this was to get a look at Sid to see if he might have a final run in WWE?? It would be interesting to see what comes out of this.
----Tonight's taping of 'Hogan Knows Best" will include Paul Wight, aka The Big Show. I wonder if this is where the Memphis angle starts? They are suppose to show that match on VH1 at some point.
Credit: http://www.pwinsider.com/
VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE NEW KAYFABE MESSAGE BOARD - DOES SID GOT ANOTHER RUN IN HIM??
----Tonight's taping of 'Hogan Knows Best" will include Paul Wight, aka The Big Show. I wonder if this is where the Memphis angle starts? They are suppose to show that match on VH1 at some point.
Credit: http://www.pwinsider.com/
VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE NEW KAYFABE MESSAGE BOARD - DOES SID GOT ANOTHER RUN IN HIM??
Matt Boyce On Raw!!
----You know I have been meaning to mention this and keep forgetting, but Matt Boyce, who was trained by Dustin Starr, appeared on RAW last Monday night. Boyce played the part of “lucky fan” Tony Hayden winning 
Trevor Murdoch’s hat via auction held by Cryme Tyme after Shad and JTG stole the cap during the Cade & Murdoch's match against London & Kendrick. They ran a whole angle on http://www.wwe.com/ about Boyce’s head itching and all after wearing the cap. CLICK HERE to read the WWE story.
Trevor Murdoch’s hat via auction held by Cryme Tyme after Shad and JTG stole the cap during the Cade & Murdoch's match against London & Kendrick. They ran a whole angle on http://www.wwe.com/ about Boyce’s head itching and all after wearing the cap. CLICK HERE to read the WWE story.
Flash Flanagan In Puerto Rico!!
----Last Saturday night [8.18.07] in Bayamon, PR for IWA promoted “Armageddon” with some fam
iliar faces to wrestling and one of last year’s top workers in this area Flash Flanagan. Big Vito became the new Intercontinental Champion beating El Bacano in the tournament finals. Vampiro worked the show doing an angle where he wants t
he IWA World Title and ended up with Bison retaining his belt beating Vampiro and Shane [why is this guy not signed to WWE?? He use to tag with Val Venis for Bert Prentice in this area. I seen a great tag one night with Val/Shane vs Spiders [Headbangers] in Jonesboro, AR] in a Triple Threat Match. Slash Venom [Flash] won by DQ over Matt Morgan. Orlando Toledo, who I believe is doing a CEO type manager gimmick, ordered big Morgan to destroy Venom with a chair.
----This group also is promoting a big show this coming Sat
urday night in Bayamon, PR – September 1, 2007 promoting it as “IWA Saturday Night Main Event” featuring the NWA Championship Finals: Brent Albright vs Bryan Danielson.
Credit: Photos and results : Luis Santiago.
iliar faces to wrestling and one of last year’s top workers in this area Flash Flanagan. Big Vito became the new Intercontinental Champion beating El Bacano in the tournament finals. Vampiro worked the show doing an angle where he wants t
he IWA World Title and ended up with Bison retaining his belt beating Vampiro and Shane [why is this guy not signed to WWE?? He use to tag with Val Venis for Bert Prentice in this area. I seen a great tag one night with Val/Shane vs Spiders [Headbangers] in Jonesboro, AR] in a Triple Threat Match. Slash Venom [Flash] won by DQ over Matt Morgan. Orlando Toledo, who I believe is doing a CEO type manager gimmick, ordered big Morgan to destroy Venom with a chair.----This group also is promoting a big show this coming Sat
urday night in Bayamon, PR – September 1, 2007 promoting it as “IWA Saturday Night Main Event” featuring the NWA Championship Finals: Brent Albright vs Bryan Danielson.Credit: Photos and results : Luis Santiago.
RassleResults: USWO Stadium Inn Nashville, TN 8.24.07
Cousin Jason X b Shane Smalls
Adam (formerly AM Vision) vs Josh Crowe went to a time limit draw
LT Falk & Petey Wright & Saint & Erick Star b Boy & Damien Payne & Shane Smalls & Trash Can Graham when Wright pinned Smalls
Quinton Quarisma & Jay Phoenix b Michael Jablonski & New York Gangster when Phoenix pinned Gangster
LT Falk b Tim Renesto by DQ in a scientific match when J-5 ran in and attacked Falk
TJ Harley b J-5 in a first blood match by reverse decision when J-5 had wiped blood on Harley while ref Ricky Bell was distracted by Tim Renesto, then Bell later determined that Harley had not been cut open at all
Hammerjack b Gary Valiant (w/Miss Boogie) by DQ when ref Jay West arose from a bump and saw Valiant with a chair that was tossed to him by Hammerjack
----82 paid with a gate close to $700…In what is I guess is part shoot and part work - AM Vision took a break from wrestling back after Christmas. His last appearance, he kind of snapped over how his career was going, saying "Nashville is where wrestling dreams go to die" or something to that extent. He returned a few weeks ago saying that he was just Adam (his real name) until such time that he felt he was worthy of returning to being AM Vision. The past few weeks he has had matches with people that he had wronged (Rob C, Petey Wright, Josh Crowe) and was looking for their forgiveness as when he had snapped, he had beat them all up, even piledriving PW! He also attacked his best friend, ref Anthony Cervantes, who pleaded with him to stop this but to no avail. Interestingly, he is now also wrestling for Southern All Star Wrestling as AM Vision. He has not done a TV taping yet, but I would expect him to soon since Krull is really complimentary of him, and I agree since a lot of guys have had their best matches with Vision (including the three above).
Credit: Jimmie Daniel
TRENT VAN DRISSE POSTED AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON NASHVILLE WRESTLING IN JUNE - CLICK HERE TO READ IT!!
Adam (formerly AM Vision) vs Josh Crowe went to a time limit draw
LT Falk & Petey Wright & Saint & Erick Star b Boy & Damien Payne & Shane Smalls & Trash Can Graham when Wright pinned Smalls
Quinton Quarisma & Jay Phoenix b Michael Jablonski & New York Gangster when Phoenix pinned Gangster
LT Falk b Tim Renesto by DQ in a scientific match when J-5 ran in and attacked Falk
TJ Harley b J-5 in a first blood match by reverse decision when J-5 had wiped blood on Harley while ref Ricky Bell was distracted by Tim Renesto, then Bell later determined that Harley had not been cut open at all
Hammerjack b Gary Valiant (w/Miss Boogie) by DQ when ref Jay West arose from a bump and saw Valiant with a chair that was tossed to him by Hammerjack
----82 paid with a gate close to $700…In what is I guess is part shoot and part work - AM Vision took a break from wrestling back after Christmas. His last appearance, he kind of snapped over how his career was going, saying "Nashville is where wrestling dreams go to die" or something to that extent. He returned a few weeks ago saying that he was just Adam (his real name) until such time that he felt he was worthy of returning to being AM Vision. The past few weeks he has had matches with people that he had wronged (Rob C, Petey Wright, Josh Crowe) and was looking for their forgiveness as when he had snapped, he had beat them all up, even piledriving PW! He also attacked his best friend, ref Anthony Cervantes, who pleaded with him to stop this but to no avail. Interestingly, he is now also wrestling for Southern All Star Wrestling as AM Vision. He has not done a TV taping yet, but I would expect him to soon since Krull is really complimentary of him, and I agree since a lot of guys have had their best matches with Vision (including the three above).
Credit: Jimmie Daniel
TRENT VAN DRISSE POSTED AN EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON NASHVILLE WRESTLING IN JUNE - CLICK HERE TO READ IT!!
Why Were Lawler/Sid Not At TV Yesterday??
----I seen these results over at Trent Van Drisse's board. So, we know where Sid and Lawler were yesterday, instead of TV. Since both of them probably bagged over $1,000, I think would have been in Danbury, CT also.
Sid Vicious pinned Jerry "The King" Lawler at last night's Northeast Wrestling "Heat Wave" show in Danbury, CT. Vicious used a foreign object for the win.
Jerry Lawler also served as emcee for the bikini contest between Christy Hemme and Talia Madison; Ron Simmons was the special guest judge.
Sid also made a second appearance on the card. He chokeslammed both members of the Connecticut Idols tag team (Kurt Adonis and Fred Curry, Jr.) after the opening match in which the Idols defeated The NOW.
Other notes: Abyss won a singles match; Romeo Roselli lost to local favorite Brian Anthony; Christy Hemme came back to win a wrestling match over Talia Madison when she used the ropes for added leverage; Current NEW heavyweight champion (and former ROH champion) Xavier defeated Jason Blade.
Credit: Trent Van Drisse's board
Sid Vicious pinned Jerry "The King" Lawler at last night's Northeast Wrestling "Heat Wave" show in Danbury, CT. Vicious used a foreign object for the win.
Jerry Lawler also served as emcee for the bikini contest between Christy Hemme and Talia Madison; Ron Simmons was the special guest judge.
Sid also made a second appearance on the card. He chokeslammed both members of the Connecticut Idols tag team (Kurt Adonis and Fred Curry, Jr.) after the opening match in which the Idols defeated The NOW.
Other notes: Abyss won a singles match; Romeo Roselli lost to local favorite Brian Anthony; Christy Hemme came back to win a wrestling match over Talia Madison when she used the ropes for added leverage; Current NEW heavyweight champion (and former ROH champion) Xavier defeated Jason Blade.
Credit: Trent Van Drisse's board
RassleResults: ICW Mathiston, MS 8.24.07
The Predator defeated "Die Hard" Dylan Hale.
The Alabama JawJacker defeated The Reaper.
In a No-DQ United States Title Match,
Trainwreck defeated "the Outlaw" J.D. Mckay
In a ICW Heavyweight Championship Title Defense -
The Scorpion (babyface) vs. The Convict (babyface) was thrown out when all the heels ran in and jumped both men. They handcuffed Scropion to the ring ropes and beat on The Convict till he had to be stretchered out.
In the Main event, it was an eight-man tag team match - the team of Dylan Hale, The JawJacker, Trainwreck, and The Scorpion won over the team of The Reaper, Predator, Referee Ryan (who had done a heel promo prior to this match and was asked to join the heel side of the team in a impromptu promo), and The Outlaw J.D. Finish saw Scorpion lock the Scorpion Deathlock on Ryan as well as The Alabama JawJacker put the sleeper on Predator.....a double win of sorts for the babyfaces. J.D. was battling outside with Hale and Trainwreck and Reaper were fighting on the other side of the building.
Notes: Attendance was down possibly due to running on Friday instead of Saturday, the heat, and then a bad storm passed through. During the storm, the lights went out on the Trainwreck/J.D. match, but they kept going on with the match, which was a brawl all over the building but saw Trainwreck win with a beautiful powerslam following some other good wrestling in and out of the ring…There was only around 50 fans. Good to see so many clean wins on a card (4 out of 5 were pinfall wins - and three of those were clean babyface wins). Return card sees J.D. face The Convict (expect his injury to play into this) in a Career (J.D.'s) vs. Title match. And the return of "Wildfire" Tommy Rich to team with Scorpion to defend the tag belts against Ken Wayne's team of "3-G" Eric Wayne and Kid Nickels plus Trainwreck faces Steve Masters, Dyaln Hale gets a rematch with Predator, plus Dirty Sanchez, Pyschotikk, Vinnie the Blade return.
The Alabama JawJacker defeated The Reaper.
In a No-DQ United States Title Match,
Trainwreck defeated "the Outlaw" J.D. Mckay
In a ICW Heavyweight Championship Title Defense -
The Scorpion (babyface) vs. The Convict (babyface) was thrown out when all the heels ran in and jumped both men. They handcuffed Scropion to the ring ropes and beat on The Convict till he had to be stretchered out.
In the Main event, it was an eight-man tag team match - the team of Dylan Hale, The JawJacker, Trainwreck, and The Scorpion won over the team of The Reaper, Predator, Referee Ryan (who had done a heel promo prior to this match and was asked to join the heel side of the team in a impromptu promo), and The Outlaw J.D. Finish saw Scorpion lock the Scorpion Deathlock on Ryan as well as The Alabama JawJacker put the sleeper on Predator.....a double win of sorts for the babyfaces. J.D. was battling outside with Hale and Trainwreck and Reaper were fighting on the other side of the building.
Notes: Attendance was down possibly due to running on Friday instead of Saturday, the heat, and then a bad storm passed through. During the storm, the lights went out on the Trainwreck/J.D. match, but they kept going on with the match, which was a brawl all over the building but saw Trainwreck win with a beautiful powerslam following some other good wrestling in and out of the ring…There was only around 50 fans. Good to see so many clean wins on a card (4 out of 5 were pinfall wins - and three of those were clean babyface wins). Return card sees J.D. face The Convict (expect his injury to play into this) in a Career (J.D.'s) vs. Title match. And the return of "Wildfire" Tommy Rich to team with Scorpion to defend the tag belts against Ken Wayne's team of "3-G" Eric Wayne and Kid Nickels plus Trainwreck faces Steve Masters, Dyaln Hale gets a rematch with Predator, plus Dirty Sanchez, Pyschotikk, Vinnie the Blade return.
Wrestling Conventions
By " The Big Cheese" Sal Corrente
I have been keeping up with the feedback from this weekend’s conventions and talking to some of the talent that attended. I am sure I will be speaking to more as the weekend goes on. I want to say that I empathize with the promoters and I sympathize with the fans. A convention, especially like the one Turnbuckle Promotions put on, is like wrestling a grizzly bear. I promoted WrestleReunion 1 and 2 both of them huge conventions. It was a major learning experience. Mistakes were made along the way and, quite honestly, without the help of Rob Russen, Jimmy Hart and Tom Prichard the whole event could have imploded. It was a six month day to day effort in getting ready for the event. The majority of that work was done by Rob Russen. I handled the big picture stuff, but all the day to day duties were handled by Rob Russen. Of course Rob and I were both running around the days of the convention itself. The efforts of Tom Prichard and Jimmy Hart were recognized the days of the event itself. I want to say clearly one of these monster events takes more effort than it can ever be worth financially. I greatly under estimated what happens when you sell VIP packages that GUARANTEE people everyone’s autograph. It should be every promoter’s goal to give the fans everything that was promised them. It should be the fans responsibility not to cry because they aren't getting more than was promised. I assure you this happens all the time. In the selling of the so called “VIP” packages people are treated as anything but VIP's. They wait on ridiculously long lines and are herded in like cattle to meet a star for what seems to be mere seconds. If you are going to get into the convention business, understand that the larger your convention is, the more help that you need in running the event. You will need qualified help not just aunts, uncles, friends, brothers and sisters. You need people who understand the business, that know how to talk to the stars and can handle HIGH pressure situations. It’s not to say that you can not and shouldn't use people close to you to help with your event. It is ok you use them but use them properly, especially in the box office. If you do use them use them for things that do not require knowledge of our business and if you're in it for the long haul perhaps they will gain experience and knowledge. They will be even more of a help at future events.
If you are a wrestling fan like I was, these events are a dream come true. In reality, unfortunately many people come away feeling under whelmed. I will say that if you attend an event that sells hundreds and hundreds of VIP tickets to fans then please come with the expectation of being stuck in a line for several hours and have a few seconds with a star and hope the star isn't worn out by the time you get there. If you have ever attended the opening of a restaurant or any other business you should also understand no matter how much the promoter wants to please you he is bound to let you down on some of your expectations. If you assume that the wrestlers are employees, and you should, understand they are first day employees with NO TRAINING. I understand that by now most of the wrestlers have been to conventions but they all have differences on how they are run and different physical plans. If a waitress jumps from restaurant to restaurant they still need training to understand how this new place functions. If you are thinking clearly and without emotion you can see where the problems will occur.
I have come to learn through experience, painful and exhausting experience, that to sell a lot of VIP memberships and hope you get through the agony is a bad business model. Also, there is a point of diminishing returns when adding on star after star no longer equates to additional sales or revenue. It just doesn't make financial sense. When you are booking stars for these events you have to keep the “I am booking certain guys because I am a mark for them" theory to a minimum. Allow yourself three, if you must and then book from a point of business only. It is critical that you have "A" list stars. They are the ones people come to see in our business assuming that you can not get any current WWE stars to attend. I will tell you that at this time some of the stars who actually attract the fans, in my opinion, are Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Hart, Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, Ricky Steamboat, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Not only do these guys bring out fans but you can get main stream publicity for them. The media is willing to talk to these guys and that is FREE PUBLICITY for you. It is a huge plus. I am sure there are some other names out there which are obvious but priced so high that it doesn’t make financial sense to book them. If you’re attracting hardcore fans there is hardly anyone better than Jim Cornette for these events. You will find that for Q&A’s Jim Cornette, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk are top notch and the fans never get tired of listening to them talk.
The people who run these events want to make wrestling fans dreams come true. They are sincere in that desire. The fans want to meet their heroes and have a great time doing it. You would think that when people all share a common goal it would be easier, but that is not the case. The people running these events, for the most part, are not business people. They are people in business trying to learn on the job. The fans paying their money expect perfection and they should, but I haven’t seen that happen yet. Perfection is an unrealistic, un-doable expectation.
If you are a promoter looking to make a fortune from one of these events, I can tell you that the chances are small. There has been some money made at the very beginning when these events were basically new to everyone. It has since become a way for wrestlers to make a lot of money and promoters to lose a lot of money or spend a lot of time and energy to hopefully break even. If you are just doing it because you love it and can afford the potential loss by all means feel free to live your dream. Just don't disappoint the fans. It is common knowledge that many of the wrestlers behave poorly in a situation where they don’t have a guarantee and can only make money by selling merchandise. It is common knowledge who these individuals are. If this kind of information is not known by you then you are someone who shouldn’t run a show at all. If you are including a wrestling event with your convention don’t book the typical Indy show type of event. The fans expect to see known legendary feuds and things they can’t see every other weekend. You have to make the whole convention special from beginning to end and close strong with great matches based on established feuds.
I suggest smaller events like the one that was in NJ this weekend that had just one real “A” list headliner. In this case was Bret Hart. What I don’t understand about it was he had Bret and Jim Neidhart booked. How could he let the NY promoter book Jimmy Hart? I would have gone for the Hart Foundation reunion for sure. I did receive a call from someone who told me Bret Hart was signing with his IPOD in his ears. I am sorry but that is totally unacceptable. (Since the initial posting of this article the Bret Hart issue appears to be false, it is understood how the mistake was made but I have been told Bret was a total professional the entire time)These fans are paying money in times where the economy is unstable and gas is out of control. They must get the time and attention they paid for. With that being said, he ran a small manageable event. It appears that most of the stars were friendly with the fans. He only had one no show and a reasonable budget. This event had a chance to make money and I hope it did. I can tell you from my experience that the event in Long Island was an event doomed to failure from the beginning. It also has the stigma of a cancellation by Jesse Ventura. I am not sure if Ventura was ever booked. We wanted him for WrestleReunion but he wanted SIXTY THOUSAND dollars for a ninety minute speech. Did they really have this guy booked at all? If they did and he canceled, I am sure they saved a lot of money by him not coming. Either way, wrestling fans have the right to believe that the advertised talent will be there with no exceptions. Talent that is not contracted and verified cannot be advertised and promoted. Where is the contract Ventura signed to appear? I would be scanning it and making it available on the internet for credibility sake. I say that no one should be advertised without a contract, which is the first rule of conventions. Also, do not book non- wrestling talent at wrestling events. All in all wrestling fans want wrestling people not other kinds of celebrities. The same can be said of celebrity autograph shows. The fans don’t want wrestlers at most of them. They are looking for movie and TV people not wrestlers. I am very involved in these types of shows and wrestlers as a rule do not do well at these kinds of events.
Now the good news ... a lot of people turned out at both events from what I am told. That is great news. It shows that even with the recent tragedies that occurred, the fans still have an interest. The wrestlers, for the most part, conducted themselves well. I do hear that there were some bad apples in the bunch. That becomes a bad situation for everyone and these people should not be invited back. No matter what your problems are with the promoter that has to be handled in the back. You should never ruin these events for the fans. I can’t be sure what financial situation these conventions ended up in since I didn’t write the checks, but I am betting that one lost huge and the other made some money. Did they make enough for it to be worth the effort? That question can only be answered in the heart of the person running the show. The next big convention is being run in San Francisco in October at the Cow Palace. I offered some advice to these guys that they ignored. They assured me they knew what they were doing. I will now offer advice to the wrestlers scheduled to appear ... if you don’t have fifty percent of your money before you leave for the event and then get the other half when you arrive do not get upset if your money isn’t available when you leave. This event has some huge names booked and is making a lot of promises along with some outrageous claims of tickets sold in advance etc. I wish all of you involved with that event, on both ends, a lot of luck. I can also tell you I am available as a consultant for anyone wanting to run these shows. I can promise you that I will save you money and keep you focused and you will get all the benefits of my experience and war wounds. I don’t expect to hear from any of you though. I realize everyone thinks they can do this on their own and will no matter what I or anyone else says. There are more details to take care of for any one person to handle and if they aren’t taken care of expect to be TRASHED on the internet, its going to happen.
In closing, if you are running an event, have all the money prepared and ready on the front end. If the rumors are true and some people did not get paid this weekend. There is no explanation other than incompetence for this. The talent are not your partners they are your employees pay them when your supposed to.
I have been keeping up with the feedback from this weekend’s conventions and talking to some of the talent that attended. I am sure I will be speaking to more as the weekend goes on. I want to say that I empathize with the promoters and I sympathize with the fans. A convention, especially like the one Turnbuckle Promotions put on, is like wrestling a grizzly bear. I promoted WrestleReunion 1 and 2 both of them huge conventions. It was a major learning experience. Mistakes were made along the way and, quite honestly, without the help of Rob Russen, Jimmy Hart and Tom Prichard the whole event could have imploded. It was a six month day to day effort in getting ready for the event. The majority of that work was done by Rob Russen. I handled the big picture stuff, but all the day to day duties were handled by Rob Russen. Of course Rob and I were both running around the days of the convention itself. The efforts of Tom Prichard and Jimmy Hart were recognized the days of the event itself. I want to say clearly one of these monster events takes more effort than it can ever be worth financially. I greatly under estimated what happens when you sell VIP packages that GUARANTEE people everyone’s autograph. It should be every promoter’s goal to give the fans everything that was promised them. It should be the fans responsibility not to cry because they aren't getting more than was promised. I assure you this happens all the time. In the selling of the so called “VIP” packages people are treated as anything but VIP's. They wait on ridiculously long lines and are herded in like cattle to meet a star for what seems to be mere seconds. If you are going to get into the convention business, understand that the larger your convention is, the more help that you need in running the event. You will need qualified help not just aunts, uncles, friends, brothers and sisters. You need people who understand the business, that know how to talk to the stars and can handle HIGH pressure situations. It’s not to say that you can not and shouldn't use people close to you to help with your event. It is ok you use them but use them properly, especially in the box office. If you do use them use them for things that do not require knowledge of our business and if you're in it for the long haul perhaps they will gain experience and knowledge. They will be even more of a help at future events.
If you are a wrestling fan like I was, these events are a dream come true. In reality, unfortunately many people come away feeling under whelmed. I will say that if you attend an event that sells hundreds and hundreds of VIP tickets to fans then please come with the expectation of being stuck in a line for several hours and have a few seconds with a star and hope the star isn't worn out by the time you get there. If you have ever attended the opening of a restaurant or any other business you should also understand no matter how much the promoter wants to please you he is bound to let you down on some of your expectations. If you assume that the wrestlers are employees, and you should, understand they are first day employees with NO TRAINING. I understand that by now most of the wrestlers have been to conventions but they all have differences on how they are run and different physical plans. If a waitress jumps from restaurant to restaurant they still need training to understand how this new place functions. If you are thinking clearly and without emotion you can see where the problems will occur.
I have come to learn through experience, painful and exhausting experience, that to sell a lot of VIP memberships and hope you get through the agony is a bad business model. Also, there is a point of diminishing returns when adding on star after star no longer equates to additional sales or revenue. It just doesn't make financial sense. When you are booking stars for these events you have to keep the “I am booking certain guys because I am a mark for them" theory to a minimum. Allow yourself three, if you must and then book from a point of business only. It is critical that you have "A" list stars. They are the ones people come to see in our business assuming that you can not get any current WWE stars to attend. I will tell you that at this time some of the stars who actually attract the fans, in my opinion, are Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Hart, Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, Ricky Steamboat, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Not only do these guys bring out fans but you can get main stream publicity for them. The media is willing to talk to these guys and that is FREE PUBLICITY for you. It is a huge plus. I am sure there are some other names out there which are obvious but priced so high that it doesn’t make financial sense to book them. If you’re attracting hardcore fans there is hardly anyone better than Jim Cornette for these events. You will find that for Q&A’s Jim Cornette, Dusty Rhodes and Terry Funk are top notch and the fans never get tired of listening to them talk.
The people who run these events want to make wrestling fans dreams come true. They are sincere in that desire. The fans want to meet their heroes and have a great time doing it. You would think that when people all share a common goal it would be easier, but that is not the case. The people running these events, for the most part, are not business people. They are people in business trying to learn on the job. The fans paying their money expect perfection and they should, but I haven’t seen that happen yet. Perfection is an unrealistic, un-doable expectation.
If you are a promoter looking to make a fortune from one of these events, I can tell you that the chances are small. There has been some money made at the very beginning when these events were basically new to everyone. It has since become a way for wrestlers to make a lot of money and promoters to lose a lot of money or spend a lot of time and energy to hopefully break even. If you are just doing it because you love it and can afford the potential loss by all means feel free to live your dream. Just don't disappoint the fans. It is common knowledge that many of the wrestlers behave poorly in a situation where they don’t have a guarantee and can only make money by selling merchandise. It is common knowledge who these individuals are. If this kind of information is not known by you then you are someone who shouldn’t run a show at all. If you are including a wrestling event with your convention don’t book the typical Indy show type of event. The fans expect to see known legendary feuds and things they can’t see every other weekend. You have to make the whole convention special from beginning to end and close strong with great matches based on established feuds.
I suggest smaller events like the one that was in NJ this weekend that had just one real “A” list headliner. In this case was Bret Hart. What I don’t understand about it was he had Bret and Jim Neidhart booked. How could he let the NY promoter book Jimmy Hart? I would have gone for the Hart Foundation reunion for sure. I did receive a call from someone who told me Bret Hart was signing with his IPOD in his ears. I am sorry but that is totally unacceptable. (Since the initial posting of this article the Bret Hart issue appears to be false, it is understood how the mistake was made but I have been told Bret was a total professional the entire time)These fans are paying money in times where the economy is unstable and gas is out of control. They must get the time and attention they paid for. With that being said, he ran a small manageable event. It appears that most of the stars were friendly with the fans. He only had one no show and a reasonable budget. This event had a chance to make money and I hope it did. I can tell you from my experience that the event in Long Island was an event doomed to failure from the beginning. It also has the stigma of a cancellation by Jesse Ventura. I am not sure if Ventura was ever booked. We wanted him for WrestleReunion but he wanted SIXTY THOUSAND dollars for a ninety minute speech. Did they really have this guy booked at all? If they did and he canceled, I am sure they saved a lot of money by him not coming. Either way, wrestling fans have the right to believe that the advertised talent will be there with no exceptions. Talent that is not contracted and verified cannot be advertised and promoted. Where is the contract Ventura signed to appear? I would be scanning it and making it available on the internet for credibility sake. I say that no one should be advertised without a contract, which is the first rule of conventions. Also, do not book non- wrestling talent at wrestling events. All in all wrestling fans want wrestling people not other kinds of celebrities. The same can be said of celebrity autograph shows. The fans don’t want wrestlers at most of them. They are looking for movie and TV people not wrestlers. I am very involved in these types of shows and wrestlers as a rule do not do well at these kinds of events.
Now the good news ... a lot of people turned out at both events from what I am told. That is great news. It shows that even with the recent tragedies that occurred, the fans still have an interest. The wrestlers, for the most part, conducted themselves well. I do hear that there were some bad apples in the bunch. That becomes a bad situation for everyone and these people should not be invited back. No matter what your problems are with the promoter that has to be handled in the back. You should never ruin these events for the fans. I can’t be sure what financial situation these conventions ended up in since I didn’t write the checks, but I am betting that one lost huge and the other made some money. Did they make enough for it to be worth the effort? That question can only be answered in the heart of the person running the show. The next big convention is being run in San Francisco in October at the Cow Palace. I offered some advice to these guys that they ignored. They assured me they knew what they were doing. I will now offer advice to the wrestlers scheduled to appear ... if you don’t have fifty percent of your money before you leave for the event and then get the other half when you arrive do not get upset if your money isn’t available when you leave. This event has some huge names booked and is making a lot of promises along with some outrageous claims of tickets sold in advance etc. I wish all of you involved with that event, on both ends, a lot of luck. I can also tell you I am available as a consultant for anyone wanting to run these shows. I can promise you that I will save you money and keep you focused and you will get all the benefits of my experience and war wounds. I don’t expect to hear from any of you though. I realize everyone thinks they can do this on their own and will no matter what I or anyone else says. There are more details to take care of for any one person to handle and if they aren’t taken care of expect to be TRASHED on the internet, its going to happen.
In closing, if you are running an event, have all the money prepared and ready on the front end. If the rumors are true and some people did not get paid this weekend. There is no explanation other than incompetence for this. The talent are not your partners they are your employees pay them when your supposed to.
RassleResults: LAW Rector, AR 8.24.07
Idol Bane over Tommy Wayne
"The Golden Boy" Greg Anthony over Ray Ray
Rockin' Randy over Shannon Lee
“The Asylum” [Psycho/Arnez] over Mark Bravura & Dell Tucker
“Trendsetter” Jon Michael over Tommy Redneck to not have to wear the dress anymore
----The usual 30 or 40 in the crowd with gate around $200…Show opened with “Trendsetter” Jon Michael begging Jeff O'Dell if he could help him get the dress off. Jeff O'Dell made a deal with Tommy Redneck that if Redneck gave Trendsetter one more chance and Redneck won then O'Dell would name Redneck #1 Contender to the LAW Title…Slim Pickens made save after TGB/Ray Ray match. TGB & O'Dell agreed to give Slim another title shot next week at LAW's 5th Anniversary Show but if Slim loses, he must become TGB & O'Dell's own personal pet. Jeff also said that he wanted everyone to see Slim be destroyed, so he is OPENING THE DOORS FOR FREE!...The Asylum got a letter from “The Treat Connection” [Loose Cannon/San Francisco Treat]…And, yes, for those that have asked - that is "the" Mark Bravura that wrote THAT ARTICLE, but never finished IT!!!...Watch the LAW Recap here later this week.
BRAVURA
----For those that have not read this article, take a look and read all three parts!! Bravura talks about his trip to WWE to be hired as a WWE script writer.
"Confessions of A Script Writer"
Part I
Part II
Part III
"The Golden Boy" Greg Anthony over Ray Ray
Rockin' Randy over Shannon Lee
“The Asylum” [Psycho/Arnez] over Mark Bravura & Dell Tucker
“Trendsetter” Jon Michael over Tommy Redneck to not have to wear the dress anymore
----The usual 30 or 40 in the crowd with gate around $200…Show opened with “Trendsetter” Jon Michael begging Jeff O'Dell if he could help him get the dress off. Jeff O'Dell made a deal with Tommy Redneck that if Redneck gave Trendsetter one more chance and Redneck won then O'Dell would name Redneck #1 Contender to the LAW Title…Slim Pickens made save after TGB/Ray Ray match. TGB & O'Dell agreed to give Slim another title shot next week at LAW's 5th Anniversary Show but if Slim loses, he must become TGB & O'Dell's own personal pet. Jeff also said that he wanted everyone to see Slim be destroyed, so he is OPENING THE DOORS FOR FREE!...The Asylum got a letter from “The Treat Connection” [Loose Cannon/San Francisco Treat]…And, yes, for those that have asked - that is "the" Mark Bravura that wrote THAT ARTICLE, but never finished IT!!!...Watch the LAW Recap here later this week.
BRAVURA
----For those that have not read this article, take a look and read all three parts!! Bravura talks about his trip to WWE to be hired as a WWE script writer.
"Confessions of A Script Writer"
Part I
Part II
Part III
Memphis Wrestling TV Report 8.25.07
----Corey Maclin opens the show with promising a "big surprise"!
----Dustin Starr/Tatt2 won by DQ over Kevin White/Derrick King with Mr. White. Johnny Dotson joined Maclin on commentary and added nothing to it. Good TV match. Heat on Tatt2. Crowd was loud chanting "Go Tatt2". Hot tag to Starr. DK/Tatt2 to the floor with Starr going to the top rope. Mr. White pushed Starr off the top rope for the DQ, when ref Bill Rush seen White interfere. DK did an interview after the match telling Johnny Dotson that he had beat him so many times that he is not scared of him no more and he will wrestle him when HE is ready. He called Dotson Corey’s "buddy", which was shoot. LOL
----"Sam's Town" clip of "Too Kool 2"[Tim Grind/Flex] vs “Midnight Express” [Bobby Eaton/Dennis Condrey] with Jimmy Cornette. Condrey got them DQ'ed after the Condrey had pinned Flex for the win. He used Cornette's tennis racket and ref Bill Rush caught him after the win and DQ'ed them. After the match they aired a new video for "Too Kool 2" to the song "A Bay Bay" by Hurricane Chris.
----"Too Kool 2" come out for an interview. "Naughty by Nature" [Rude/Pokerface] won by COR over "Too Kool 2" when after the hot tag TK2 walked out for the COR. Good spots with the shine and heat on Rude. Hot tag from Pokerface and after about 5 seconds there was no heat for it. It turned into a major clusterfuck here with the finish getting screwed up somewhere and then them redoing it.
----Corey brought out people from the Delta Fair with a guy that can juggle and a "Charlie Chaplin" imitator. Derrick King with Rashard Devon comes out to make fun of them. DK stops the juggler and throws the balls in this face. He then picks up a pie that Charlie brought out. Can you guess what happens next??? Come on!! Guess?? Right!! - DK got a pie in his face!! Crowd loved it and pie went everywhere.
----"Sam's Town" clips - White/Mr. Hughes vs Bill Dundee/Koko Ware. Finish was shown with Mr. White running out after a ref bump to throw Kevin a chain. Kevin used the chain to hit Dundee to pin Dundee. White with Mr. White interview. White says, "The business has past him" Dundee on the phone interview. Garry White then does a tremendous interview calling Jamie a "goofy ass" and pushing on Maclin. Maclin was telling him to "watch your mouth" and then Kevin said that Jamie was a "waste of SPERM". Good stuff.
----Jerry Lawler taped interview with Lawler/Renee talking about the Delta Fair. Renee talks about Mark Chestnutt going to be at the fair. LOL Good fun interview that come off as a shoot with Renee. Lawler vs Sid Vicious at the Fair.
----Johnny Rotten comes out. He looks at the crowd and asks if it was "handicap" day?? Rotten says that Lawler got Renee from the unemployed "Platinum Plus" girls [a strip club that got shut down in Memphis]. "The Surprise" Brian Christopher then comes out. Brian is out flipping and flopping still doing that gimmick. Brian was "fired up" and did a good interview. Well, I guess that is what you call it. LOL Crowd popped big for him. Rotten challenges Brian for tonight and match is scheduled after the commercial break.
----Brian Christopher beat Johnny Rotten. Not much of a match with Christopher getting most of it. Rotten went for a chokeslam and pushed the ref. Rush was down, so Brian gave Rotten a nut shot and roll him up for the win.
----NOTES: Memphis Wrestling at the Delta Fair and Musical Festival 8:00 PM and a "Meet & Greet" at 7:00 PM. Price of admission is only $5...Midnight looked old...After the match Midnight Express match clip, Corey called Jimmy Cornette "Jimmy Grant". I know!! I can't make up this stuff!!....The new TK2 video was good. They use to produce videos to get over everyone in the Memphis area...Garry White interview was good. It would be good to see Jamie Dundee come to Memphis TV, but I am not sure if he would do that…I have also never been a big Brian C fan with this gimmick. It is so over the top WWEish that it just don’t fit here, but if I see a rating increase for rest of the year, then it will be worth it…A good show, but it really didn’t get over any angles or anything except the fair. What do they do after the fair, when there is no “Sam’s Town” shows now???
----Dustin Starr/Tatt2 won by DQ over Kevin White/Derrick King with Mr. White. Johnny Dotson joined Maclin on commentary and added nothing to it. Good TV match. Heat on Tatt2. Crowd was loud chanting "Go Tatt2". Hot tag to Starr. DK/Tatt2 to the floor with Starr going to the top rope. Mr. White pushed Starr off the top rope for the DQ, when ref Bill Rush seen White interfere. DK did an interview after the match telling Johnny Dotson that he had beat him so many times that he is not scared of him no more and he will wrestle him when HE is ready. He called Dotson Corey’s "buddy", which was shoot. LOL
----"Sam's Town" clip of "Too Kool 2"[Tim Grind/Flex] vs “Midnight Express” [Bobby Eaton/Dennis Condrey] with Jimmy Cornette. Condrey got them DQ'ed after the Condrey had pinned Flex for the win. He used Cornette's tennis racket and ref Bill Rush caught him after the win and DQ'ed them. After the match they aired a new video for "Too Kool 2" to the song "A Bay Bay" by Hurricane Chris.
----"Too Kool 2" come out for an interview. "Naughty by Nature" [Rude/Pokerface] won by COR over "Too Kool 2" when after the hot tag TK2 walked out for the COR. Good spots with the shine and heat on Rude. Hot tag from Pokerface and after about 5 seconds there was no heat for it. It turned into a major clusterfuck here with the finish getting screwed up somewhere and then them redoing it.
----Corey brought out people from the Delta Fair with a guy that can juggle and a "Charlie Chaplin" imitator. Derrick King with Rashard Devon comes out to make fun of them. DK stops the juggler and throws the balls in this face. He then picks up a pie that Charlie brought out. Can you guess what happens next??? Come on!! Guess?? Right!! - DK got a pie in his face!! Crowd loved it and pie went everywhere.
----"Sam's Town" clips - White/Mr. Hughes vs Bill Dundee/Koko Ware. Finish was shown with Mr. White running out after a ref bump to throw Kevin a chain. Kevin used the chain to hit Dundee to pin Dundee. White with Mr. White interview. White says, "The business has past him" Dundee on the phone interview. Garry White then does a tremendous interview calling Jamie a "goofy ass" and pushing on Maclin. Maclin was telling him to "watch your mouth" and then Kevin said that Jamie was a "waste of SPERM". Good stuff.
----Jerry Lawler taped interview with Lawler/Renee talking about the Delta Fair. Renee talks about Mark Chestnutt going to be at the fair. LOL Good fun interview that come off as a shoot with Renee. Lawler vs Sid Vicious at the Fair.
----Johnny Rotten comes out. He looks at the crowd and asks if it was "handicap" day?? Rotten says that Lawler got Renee from the unemployed "Platinum Plus" girls [a strip club that got shut down in Memphis]. "The Surprise" Brian Christopher then comes out. Brian is out flipping and flopping still doing that gimmick. Brian was "fired up" and did a good interview. Well, I guess that is what you call it. LOL Crowd popped big for him. Rotten challenges Brian for tonight and match is scheduled after the commercial break.
----Brian Christopher beat Johnny Rotten. Not much of a match with Christopher getting most of it. Rotten went for a chokeslam and pushed the ref. Rush was down, so Brian gave Rotten a nut shot and roll him up for the win.
----NOTES: Memphis Wrestling at the Delta Fair and Musical Festival 8:00 PM and a "Meet & Greet" at 7:00 PM. Price of admission is only $5...Midnight looked old...After the match Midnight Express match clip, Corey called Jimmy Cornette "Jimmy Grant". I know!! I can't make up this stuff!!....The new TK2 video was good. They use to produce videos to get over everyone in the Memphis area...Garry White interview was good. It would be good to see Jamie Dundee come to Memphis TV, but I am not sure if he would do that…I have also never been a big Brian C fan with this gimmick. It is so over the top WWEish that it just don’t fit here, but if I see a rating increase for rest of the year, then it will be worth it…A good show, but it really didn’t get over any angles or anything except the fair. What do they do after the fair, when there is no “Sam’s Town” shows now???
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