The Avengers...My Addiction to Comic Books...

So, I know that I normally write strictly about wrestling on here but I could not help it, I had to write something about the Avengers and all of the movies leading to Avengers 2.  It’s been awhile since I have been on here because I am now writing for www.WrestleOhio.com , but I am back on here to talk about the Avengers.  Also, I wanted to let everyone know that this blog will actually become a podcast very soon under the same name, Pro Wrestling: Men in Tights.  Colt Cabana has been doing an astonishing job with his podcast, Art of Wrestling (which can be found on iTunes or at www.tsmradio/coltcabana ), but I want to get interviews with some of the lesser-known/up-and-coming talents out there today.  I will let all of you know what is going on with that once I get all of the logistical bullshit figured out.

Now let’s get into some fucking comic book movies!!!  Ha ha!  Let me just start out by saying that I LOVED the Avengers and went and saw it twice (once by myself, and once with my lady).  If you did not notice, “M-Dogg 20” Matt Cross was in the movie dressed as a soccer player during the scene in Germany (or Cleveland, OH…same thing) when Loki makes everyone kneel to him before Cap kicks his ass.  He is on the right-hand side of the screen and has a faux-hawk type hairdo going on.  So there is some wrestling talk, since this is SUPPOSED to be a wrestling blog.

Thanos

I wanted to give everyone a chance to go see the movie and hear some of the spoilers before I got on here and gave my opinion on everything.  This movie was great and they have already announced the Avengers 2, with Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Cap 2 all leading up to it.  I am also pretty sure that everyone is signed on for a third Avengers movie, as well as Thor 3, Cap 3, and even another Hulk movie and talks of a solo S.H.I.E.L.D. movie.  Personally, I say keep bringing the movies on.  There are so many stories that they could go with that they could just keep pumping movies out, but I am about 100% sure that they are leaning towards the Civil War story, which is awesome.  All that I do know is that the extra scene in The Avengers showed Thanos, so obviously they must be setting up for a Skrull invasion sometime in the future.

With that being said, Iron Man has already revealed his secret identity in the movies, so that piece of the puzzle is already set.  There was some tension built between Iron Man and Cap in the Avengers, so that seed has been planted.  All of the pieces are in place; it is now time to bring in those additional heroes that will play a major part in the overall Civil War storyline.

So let’s get into the movies that are leading to the Avengers 2, and what I would like to see in each of these movies:

THOR 2 – Release date of November 15, 2013

So Thor 2 is in the process of being filmed sometime this summer, so they are wasting no time on getting to this one.  Just about everyone from the first movie is returning for the second and it is being said that they want to keep most of this movie “off of Earth” and give it a “Viking feel.”  I agree with this.  Also, they just got Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) to direct, so it should be awesome considering how badass Game of Thrones is.

Mads Mikkelsen

It has been said that Loki will be in the movie, but will not be the main villain.  They actually just cast Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, King Arthur) as the main villain apparently.  I would imagine that he is going to play either an Asgardian or someone from one of the other 9 realms.  They could throw a curveball at us though and have him be some villain from Earth that somehow gets access to the Bifrost, which could be cool.  All I know is that Mads Mikkelsen was an awesome villain in Casino Royale, and I look forward to seeing him in Thor 2.

I would like to see them build up more of the friendship/teamwork of Thor, The Warriors Three, and Sif.  They did this a little bit in the first movie, but he was only in Asgard for a short period of time.  Maybe have Jane Foster get kidnapped by the villain and have Thor and his buddies go after her or something like that.  It would be cool to see some sort of cameo in this movie somehow, but not really sure who it should be or how they could do it.  Whatever they do, I am sure it will be good either way.

IRON MAN 3 – Release date of May 3, 2013

This movie should be awesome, and sounds like it will be an integral piece of the Avengers 2 puzzle.  Two people that have already been cast in this movie are Guy Pearce (the King’s Speech) as Aldrich Killian and Ben Kingsley (Prince of Persia) as an unspecified villain.  Now the character of Aldrich Killian was introduced in the Extremis story arc and is a scientist that actually commits suicide but releases a dangerous serum known as “Extremis” beforehand for undisclosed reasons.  One of his co-workers finds a note that indicates this, so she contacts Tony Stark about it and whatnot.  It sounds to me like they may be using this serum as a replacement for Nitro from the New Warriors exploding in Connecticut, which is the catalyst for the entire Civil War beginning in the first place.  So I guess we will see there.

Ben Kingsley

Honestly, I think that Ben Kingsley is going to be playing the Mandarin.  I know that they had that dude from the first movie who was basically him, but I think that they may have re-cast the role.  Cannot really think of another villain that Ben Kingsley could play, but it could be someone who is not necessarily an Iron Man villain in the Marvel Universe.  So, once again, we will have to wait and see.  They only thing that I say is to keep the villain out of armor in this one.  Iron Monger was in the first movie and Whiplash had armor for whatever reason in Iron Man 2.  Find a villain who could be a legitimate threat to Iron Man without needing armor or any of that crap. (*cough*…Mandarin…*cough*)




Ashley Hamilton will play Jack Taggert/Firepower

I have also recently seen that they have cast Ashley Hamilton (son of George Hamilton, Dancing with the Stars) as Jack Taggert/Firepower and James Badge Dale (The Departed, Lone Ranger) as Eric Savin/Coldblood-7.  Jack Taggert is a guy that worked on an experimental suit like Iron Man’s called Project: Firepower for a rival businessman of Tony Stark, Edwin Cord.  Long story short, it is basically Iron Monger from the first movie to a certain extent.

Eric Savin was a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army that was put in charge of something called Project: Ultra-Tech.  He steps onto a mine and is blown to pieces, but is soon operated on by the love of his life Gina Dyson.  Gina does cybernetic surgery on Eric, which essentially turns him into a cyborg named Coldblood-7.  He becomes a freelance mercenary and has quite a few run-ins with Deathlok along the way.

I kind of see Firepower as just re-doing Iron Monger from the first movie, but hopefully they do something different with it.  Coldblood-7 should be pretty awesome though, as having a cyborg would definitely be something fresh and new that has not been done in a while.  Personally, I see these two being secondary villains in the movie, but it should be interesting to see what they do with these two characters.

I would like to see something a little different in this movie than what they did in Iron Man and Iron Man 2.  I love what they did with Tony Stark in the Avengers and think that they should stick with it.  The fact that he was at Stark Towers and that he was an asshole who seemed to secretly have everything under control was great.  Go with this model and please do one thing for me….SHOW THE FUCKING ARMORY!!!  I want to see him use AT LEAST 5 sets of armor in this movie and have War Machine in it somewhere.  The coolest part about Iron Man is the fact that he has a suit of armor for every situation, so show that.  Get him into some situation where he needs underwater armor or something like that.

Many people keep saying online that they need to bring in more characters during Iron Man 3, and I have to disagree with that idea to a certain extent.  I think that there are other movies that bringing new characters into would be better, but we will get to that in a minute.  I say build the relationship with Tony, Pepper, War Machine, and Happy Hogan in this movie.  In the comics, Happy is just as important as any of the heroes almost and he does not even have powers or anything.  War Machine is really only brought in when he needs to be a lot of the time, so there needs to be some sort of threat where he is needed.  Pepper is running the entire company now (I think) so show the fact that she is a badass and a genius, kind of like how they did for her short cameo in the Avengers, but take it to the next level.

CAPTAIN AMERICA 2 – Release date of April 4^th, 2014

This movie is a far way off, which I wish they would just move it to an earlier date, but oh well.  So Cap is in the present world now, he is a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and he has no fucking clue what the hell is going on around him at all.  Right there is your movie people.  Show this guy who does not know anything about the modern world, trying to figure out who he is and what he is going to do now.  He lost his woman, lost his best friend, got pumped full of steroids, saved the world from some aliens, and now he is just here.  Let him take a breath for a second and take in his surrounding a little bit.



James "Bucky" Barnes as the Winter Soldier

I think it is pretty obvious to any comic fan that we will be seeing the Red Skull and Bucky again.  Apparently, on the audio commentary, they say that the experiments performed on Bucky by Dr. Zola actually enable him to survive the fall that supposedly kills him in the first movie.  So I guess we can all say “BRING ON THE WINTER SOLDIER!!!”  And I personally feel like Red Skull is going to pop back up in one of the next 2 Avengers movies.  He is one of those big-named villains that could be in that role as the main villain again in my opinion.




Ant Man & Wasp

I think that Cap 2 is the perfect opportunity to bring in those “extra” people that need to be brought in.  People like Falcon, Wasp, Giant Man/Ant Man/Yellow Jacket, Black Panther, and so many more.  The reason that I say this is because all of these people are being targeted by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Cap is hanging around with Fury, Hawkeye, and Widow all the time.  So it only makes sense that he is going to run into someone.  Jack Flag, Captain Britain, and U.S. Agent could also be good additions to this movie, or to get REALLY obscure, they could have Nomad in it!  I see Winter Soldier starting off as a secondary villain in the movie, but siding with Cap by the end of the movie somehow.  And I would imagine that they will have Cap falling in love with the modern-day Agent Carter or something like that.



Baron Zemo

The main villain in the movie could really be anyone, but I think that I would really like to see them do something with Baron Zemo.  Maybe give him a modern-day look of some sorts with a touch of the main characteristics that make the character overall.  They can always go back and play off of the Red Skull/Hydra story from the first movie somehow.  Re-working the character to make him a modern-day supporter of Hydra couls be kind of awesome.  Almost like how Christopher Nolan has re-worked some of the Batman characters to make them more realistic.  I think it could be something really cool actually.

Whatever they do with all of these movies, I am sure they will be awesome either way.  Everyone is going to piss and moan about certain details, just because that is how comic nerds are.  I say enjoy the fact that the fucking movie is being made in the first place, and have faith that the people they choose to put the movie out will continue to do it the right way.

Worst decision in pro wrestling history...

Anyone that is a professional wrestling fan and has watched it religiously throughout their lives knows that there have been bad decisions made at times.  Whether that is matches that were put together, or if it was directions for individuals, they were bad decisions nonetheless.  Bad decisions are part of any business, it is how you rebound from these decisions and make sure not to make them again that measure success.

In my opinion, there is one decision in professional wrestling history that absolutely ruined the business over the past decade.  This decision started off as one of the greatest moments in pro wrestling history, but the way that it was handled was awful and ended up leading to disaster.  That decision was Vince McMahon’s decision to buy WCW in 2001.

Now I say that this was one of the greatest moments is wrestling history because it is one that always sticks out in my mind.  I still remember my dad and me watching wrestling when this happened and saying “wtf is going on?”   When Shane McMahon walked out onto WCW and the same show was being broadcasted on both channels, it was crazy.  It was one of those moments that WWE could only wish to have nowadays.  There was so much potential there, but I believe that they did not really have a plan in the first place.

I say that this decision was one of the worst ever for a few reasons:

1.)  Vinnie Mac bought out his competition, therefore giving the fans only one choice for pro wrestling.  I understand why he made the decision to buy WCW, but it did not do what he wanted it to.  Vince wanted to be the end-all-be-all of pro wrestling, but all it did was make fans of pro wrestling in general say “I don’t like this product, therefore I don’t like pro wrestling anymore.”  Nowadays, some of those fans have come back around and become pro wrestling fans again since there are other options, but there are still many out there that have not.  To “normal people” pro wrestling is pro wrestling, no matter what company it is that they are watching.  So if they do not like one place in particular, they do not like pro wrestling overall.

2.)  The way that the purchase of WCW was handled was ridiculous.  Rumor has it that the original plans for WCW were to have a legit second company where WCW would take over the Smackdown TV slot.  WCW was to be run as a completely separate entity, rather than being the bullshit invasion group that it was on WWE TV.  If this would have happened, it would have given fans “another option” to watch and continue to build that “competitive feel” between the two companies.  Even though both companies were “technically” owned by WWE, the everyday wrestling fan would have still seen it as 2 separate companies because they would not know what was going on behind the scenes.

I still think that if WWE would have handled the purchase of WCW a different way, the professional wrestling industry would be completely different today.  WCW would probably still be around to this day and be doing something completely different than what the WWE currently is.  TNA/Impact Wrestling probably would have never even been created, or at least would not have gotten off the ground, therefore not making the stars that came out of there.  Guys who are currently on the independents doing nothing could have been stars because there would have been another company to go to.  Their lives would have been completely different if they would have had another opportunity with a different company.  Maybe even ROH would not have been started at all, or would have been something completely different because there would have been different talent on their first shows.  Who knows?

What I do know is that the business of pro wrestling has been down for the past decade, compared to what it was the decades before.  It is not “cool” to be a fan anymore.  UFC has taken many of those old pro wrestling fans and turned them into MMA fans, for whatever reason.  Hey, if you want to watch two guys lay on the ground with each other for 10 minutes, wear Tapout and Affliction shirts, and not be entertained, then UFC is for you, “bro”.  If you want to see action and entertainment, then turn on pro wrestling and enjoy.

What is in the past is in the past.  WWE did buy WCW.  WWE did drop the ball with how they handled WCW (and ECW).  There is no changing that.  The only thing that the WWE and all of us can do is to move on and try to find ways to make wrestling cool again.

I actually think that the WWE could realistically bring back WCW somehow in a newly re-packaged format.  I have gone on record saying that the guys on FCW and NXT are more entertaining, to me, than the guys currently on WWE TV.  Take those guys, bring back WCW, and make it into a show.  The fans do not know that these guys are all signed by WWE.  Most of them are good enough to hold their own in the ring anyways.  Why keep them stuck in a corner of Florida?  Put them on TV and start making money off of them now.  My suggestion would be to bring in Dave Lagana (former head writer for Smackdown and the re-booted ECW) and have him write for WCW.  The reason that I suggest Lagana is because he has a completely different vision for a wrestling show compared to the rest of the WWE, in my opinion.  He could make a new version of WCW something completely different than the WWE, and use young talent from FCW & NXT to their full advantage.

The possibilities for WCW could have been, and are still, endless.  So many things COULD have happened, but some many things CAN STILL HAPPEN!  I was a WCW fan when I was a kid, and I would be a WCW fan if they brought it back.  #BringBackWCW

"It's not gay, it's pro wrestling..."

Hello, my name is Ernie Ballz, and I am a professional wrestler.   (Hi Ernie…)

I wear tights and roll around with sweaty men inside of a box that is surrounded by ropes.  I get naked in a small room with other men on a weekly basis.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

I strut around like a jackass just to get a reaction from people who normally would look at me like I am mentally ill.  I wear the most ridiculous outfits that I can create in my mind that would make Elton John & Rupaul have an aneurism.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

I drive hours away for shitty money with 2-3 other men in my car smelling like farts and sweat.  The “normal” public sees me as a weirdo, while I just see this weird shit as being normal.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

I walk through Target and get excited when I pass the toy aisle because I want to see what figures they came out with.  I worship a man that used to play the bagpipes, wore a dress, and hit people with coconuts.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

Normal people do not understand the passion that I have; they just see it as a “phase.”  I tell them about a show and they either look at me like a deer in headlights or laugh at me.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling.

I have spent 10 years of my life in an industry that most would not last 10 minutes in.  I am 28 years old and feel like I am 50 because of the punishment that I have taken from other men.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

I worry more about my appearance more than a 14 year old girl whose boobies have not come in yet.  Many of the men I wrestle with have made tanning a part of their everyday schedule.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

Pink is a color that is acceptable for men to wear in our industry.  A man with the nickname of “the Hammer” and a man with a move called “the Thump” are legends in our industry.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

A man that dressed like a woman, threw flowers to the crowd, and called himself “Gorgeous” changed our industry forever.  The more flamboyant and over-the-top that you are in our industry is the better that you are.  It’s not gay, it’s pro wrestling…

I am an athlete…

I am an entertainer…

I am a professional wrestler…

Your website is "the window to your product"...

Recently, I have been re-designing a few websites for wrestling promotions.  When I do a website for anyone, I always go out and pull ideas from other websites in that given industry.  I never steal code or copy an entire website, I just take a look at what everyone is doing so that I can get an idea of what I am up against as far as the competition in that field goes.  It is important to know what your competition is doing, but you should never dwell on that or base all of your decisions around that.  Being original and doing your own thing is still a very important part in any type of business decision, as long as it is a smart decision and the right decision.

Anyways, while I was going around looking at certain promotion's websites, I realized that many of these sites are never updated at all.  Roster pages have not been updated in almost 2 years on some of these sites, and there are people on there that I know for a fact do not even wrestle there anymore.  The news section is all out of whack and does not even have updated information on it.  The last results posted were from a show that happened over last Summer.  It's pathetic, to be honest with you.

I always learned that your website is "the window to your product."  Basically, that means that your website is the first thing that people see when it comes to whatever you are selling.  Nowadays, if someone wants to find something, they get on Google and they find it.  So if someone hears about a wrestling promotion, they will Google it and take a look at your website or subsequent websites that talks about your company.  If your website looks like shit and is not updated, then the people either think, A.) this promotion sucks because their site looks like shit, or B.) this promotion is not running anymore because the information is not updated.

Having a shitty website that is not updated will turn customers away.  Let me put it to you this way; you can have the shittiest wrestling company in the world running shows, but they have an amazing website, so they have people coming to shows because those people think that this wrestling company is a bigger deal than what it really is, just based on what their website looks like.  On the flip side of that coin; you can have the best company in your state running top-knotch shows, but their website looks like shit and does not translate what their product is to the end-user (the fan).  Therefore, fans look at this website and assume that this place is a shit-hole and do not go to their shows.

This all becomes EXTREMELY important if you are trying to sell DVD's, shirts, or anything else through your website.  If your site looks like shit, that fan assumes you are shit, and does not buy your products.  Also, many of the sites that I ran across had way too much bullshit on their site that did not need to be there.  What I mean by bullshit is JavaScript that makes pictures scroll or makes shit flash or blink or something like that.  Many people call these "bells & whistles."

The overal goal of a wrestling promotion's website is to:

• Give information about what the wrestling company is all about.
• List a roster of wrestlers that actually wrestle there (not guest appearances or "legends").
• List results from previous shows.
• List upcoming events with information.
• Showcase products for fans to purchase (DVD's, shirts, posters, etc...)
• Provide contact information for whatever reason it is needed.

In my opinion, I feel that the "K.I.S.S." method comes into play, Keep It Simple Stupid.  Don't sit their and add shit to the website just for shits and giggles or because you think it is cool.  Only add things to the website that your feel are of actual use to the end-user (the fans).  Think of how the website would operate for a brand new person visiting it.  Is the information easy to find?  Is the navigation simple to use and functional?  Is the information updated on a regular basis?  Etc....

There are so many other things that I could list here, but that would take way too long.  Another piece to this website puzzle is social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  If you have social media sites on top of your actual website, then all of the sites should be linked together somehow, so that the fans can visit all of them, which will increase your web traffic and web-presence.  Also, all of these site's information needs to match up with the other ones.  Don't just post something to Facebook or Twitter and expect everyone to see it.  Put the information on all of your sites so that you can ENSURE everyone will see it.

The biggest issue that I have with the advent of websites for wrestling promotions is the fact that promoters feel that this is the only way to contact people anymore.  This is a two-fold problem as well, so let me start with the first part.  The first part of this problem has to do with the fans.  Promoters feel that they can just post their information about their upcoming shows online and expect everyone to see it and come to the show.  Well, that may work for the people that frequently visit wrestling sites or your site in particular, but what about the "normal people?"  What about the people that are not necessarily die-hard wrestling fans, but would probably enjoy checking out your show?  How do they find out?  That's why it is important for promoters to still use outlets like radio, tv, newspaper, or just good-ole-fashion fliers to promote thier shows as well.

The second part of this problem involves the promoters contacting the wrestlers who they want on their shows.  I can count on 1 hand how many times that I have been formally contacted to wrestle on a show within the past few years.  Many of these promoters just assume that I know that I am on a specific show.  Fuck that.  Pick up the phone and call me or send me an email or direct message somehow.  I have no idea that I am on your next show asshole, and if you don't say something to me, I AM going to take another booking.  Just because the promoter knows about the upcoming shows does not mean that all of the wrestlers do.  It's a give and take relationship between promoters and wrestlers, and it takes both parties cooperation to make things work.

I think the point here is to just make sure that if you have a website, it is updated regularly, simple, and easy to use.  Promoters, don't sit there and assume things. Contact your talent for the shows personally, make sure they are good to go and let them know what is going on. Post the info for your shows everywhere that you can and use other methods to reach "normal people" so that we can turn them into fans.  When you assume things, that's when you get 50 people at your show, with 20 guys in the back that you need to pay.  That's when promoters skip out at intermission and no one gets paid at all.  That's not the way to do business.  Be smart and do things the right way.  I would say that 80% if business is common sense and that your website is a vital part of any business today.

Youth Movement in the WWE?...

Recently, I began watching FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) on YouTube.  Being the developmental system for the WWE and the fact that I know some of the people down there now, I figured I would check it out.  Needless to say, I was blown away by how entertaining it is.

I have also been hearing about NXT a little more as of late as well, so I went and checked it out also.  I used to watch NXT when it was on TV, but just felt that it was a hassle trying to watch it online and it was always fuzzy anyways.  Since I bought an iPad, it is a whole different story.  The picture is clearer than a computer and it is just like watching it on TV.

Anyways, my point is that both FCW and NXT are more entertaining than what they are featuring on TV, in my opinion.  So I guess the question to answer is....why?  I think that the reason that both of these shows are better to watch is almost like how college football is more entertaining.  The guys on FCW and NXT are out there busting their asses to get a spot on the "main show."  I am not saying that the guys on TV are not busting their asses, but the FCW/NXT guys are doing a lot of different stuff, while the "main roster" guys that just stick to what they do.  These younger guys are more innovative, and putting together matches better than the guys on TV right now.

Maybe it is becaus they are hungrier and trying to earn their spot.  Maybe things are a little more free-reign on these shows and they have more say in how they present themselves.  I am not 100% sure what IT is, but I like IT.  People like Tyson Kidd, Curt Hawkins, and Johnny Curtis have entertained me more in a few episodes than other people on TV have in years.

Both shows give off a ECW-type of feel to me.  It's a feeling that I have not felt in years when it comes to watching wrestling.  It's a good feeling, and I hope WWE takes notice of it and makes changes to put these guys on TV as soon as possible.  There's a youth movement in the WWE, and I feel better about the future of our business after watching FCW & NXT.

Tag Team = Marriage...

It's pretty well-documented that the majority of my career in the wrestling business has been dominated by being a part of a tag team.  Along with my tag partner "The Natural" Brian Bender, we formed a tag team called Team Clash that lasted 6 years and turned us into one of the best teams in the Midwest.  It is a time of my career and my life in general that I will never forget, just because of all of the good times that we had together.



Team Clash - Ernie Ballz & Brian Bender

I get people who constantly ask me why Bender and I were such a good team.  I always answer that we were a legit team.  We rode together, hung out together, and basically broke into the business together.  The key to being a good tag team is to not try to make it, it just has to be.  We were the real deal.

The name Team Clash came because we are two completely different people.  Bender is more of a serious guy with a basic style, while I am a goofball with a little bit more of a flashy style.  Even though we were different in so many ways, we pretty much had the same sense of humor, which I feel was our real connection at first.

Throughout the years that we tagged together, we just started to think alike and kind of know what the other guys was thinking as well.  This is not something that can be taught, it is just something that comes with time together.  We had done a lot of the same stuff in matches and watched a lot of the same footage for inspiration (mostly Brain Busters & Hart Foundation) and it showed in the way that we worked together.

When I broke my ankle in 2009 and had my surgery, Bender I held a few different sets of tag titles, which basically forced him to either defend them himself, or find someone to replace me.  Well, it's not that easy to just replace a tag partner and expect the same results.  It sucked, but there was not much that I could do about it.  But it sucks even more because that was kind of the nail in the coffin for Team Clash overall and we have not really tagged up since.

Ohio Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions

I would like to get the two of us back together, but Bender has a lot of other stuff going on in his life, and he does not seem interested in wrestling much anymore.  I know that the two of as a team still have A LOT to offer, especially in the promotions that I currently work for.  I plan on trying to get that ball rolling soon enough and hopefully Bender is receptive to it.

The point of this whole blog is that tag team wresling really is like a marriage.  Bender and I constaly fought about things, but we always seemed to work together to get through it somehow and come out better on the other end.  Tag wrestling is all about making a commitment and sticking to it.  Going out and wrestling singles matches is almost like cheating on your tag team partner.  And if the two of you do stick together, you get better year after year and turn yourselves into a hot commodity.  Great tag teams are hard to come by, but I can honestly say that I feel Team Clash was just that, great. 

I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to go off on my own while we were tagging, but now that I have, I miss having Bender there with me.  It might sound gay or whatever, but it is a special bond that you make, especially when you tag as long as we did.  We were together for 6 years, and hopefully we will tag again soon and revive Team Clash.  Thinking individually and working collectively, that's what it is all about.

We make the business, the business does not make us...

I know that I talk a lot about us changing wrestling for the better, but well, that's the whole point to this blog.  Personally, I feel that things like UFC and reality TV have hurt our business over the past decade and the only people that can change that is us.  We make the business, the business does not make us.  Some people may disagree with that statement, but from an actual business standpoint, it is dead-on.  A business is only going to be as successful as the people that are in it, no matter what industry you are in.  Sure, a CEO can walk away from a company and that company will be fine, but the company makes sure that the new CEO is just as good as the last one, if not better.

The same logic can be used for the wrestling business; because it is only as good as the people that are in it.  Whether that is promoters, wrestlers, managers, referees, or anyone else in the back, everyone does their small part to make this business better, or worse.  I feel many people only focus on the bigger companies and not much on the smaller places.

I compare people in the wrestling business to voters; a small contribution is all part of a bigger picture.  It's like any other industry, where each person does their small part to make a larger product in the end.  So that is why I always talk about how important it is for even the smallest of indy wrestling company to treat things as a business, rather than a hobby.  If even one company in a state treats it like a joke and does not care about making money at all, then everyone else feels that it is okay to do that also.  We should be pushing each other to be better.  We should be working together to make money, rather than acting like one place is better than another.  NO promoter on the indies makes enough money to live comfortably, so technically, no one is better than anyone else, we are all equals.

I posted about all of this awhile back when I talked about running almost tiny territories.  The idea is to build an area, build the buzz about pro wrestling as a whole.  I said in that post that there is a power in numbers, and I really feel that many people do not realize that.  One person tells this person, then they tell someone, so on and so forth.  Put your pathetic excuse for an ego aside and work together man.

So I guess my point here is that each and every one of us in this business can make a difference somehow.  Figure out what that difference is that you can make, and do everything you can to help this business that we love.  Like I said, it is like being a voter, each person counts in the big picture.