Anyways, I have talked about people lending a hand in this business already, but feel that there is one part that is EXTREMELY important, especially considering how the business is now-a-days. First, I would like to remind everyone that it is 2012, not 1975. The business has changed, and the quicker that EVERYONE realizes that, the better off we will all be in the long-run. Things like the Internet and Facebook & Twitter have changed this business drastically, and it is time to change along with them to make this business the best that it can be.
In today's wrestling business, I feel we have a lot of different kinds of promoters with many different promoting styles. You have the guys that do everything the "old school way," pounding the pavement, getting sponsors, and hanging up fliers. You also have the promoters that blow up your Twitter or Facebook with fliers and hype videos on a daily basis. My favorite though are the promoters that post 1 or 2 things about their show on their Facebook page, and then wonder why there is only 20 people at their show. That's when you get that infamous "well, the house is down a little" speech and walk out of the building with nothing but a frown on your face and swamp-ass from your tights.
The problem is that most promoters are stuck thinking that it is 1975 and think that there is only one way to promote a show. No, not even close buddy. What promoters need to start doing is mixing the "old school" with the "new school." Like I said, it's 2012 and the business has changed, whether you want to admit it or not. If you are trying to target younger fans, then Facebook and Twitter are the way to go, as well as any wrestling forums or websites that may post your info for the the show. For what I like to call "the everyday person," putting up fliers in local businesses, radio, and TV is the way to go. I think a lot of people in the business forget that "normal people" do not watch wrestling on a regular basis, they do not visit these wrestling websites, and they definitely do not have you on their Facebook or Twitter list as a friend. So the key here is to find ways to reach out to these "normal people" and convert them into, or back into, "wrestling people." CM Punk said it the best when he said that "we all need to make wrestling cool again."
The biggest issue here is that promoters are cheap asses, plain and simple. First rule of business is that you have to "spend money to make money." Spend a couple hundred dollars on fliers, radio, or TV if you think that it is going to help you. If you do, you may reach 25, 50, maybe even 100 more people, and should make your money back, no problem. Also, there are things like concessions and merchandise that should help you recover some of your overhead cost. Afterall, this is a BUSINESS, remember, so run it like one.
So we have talked about the promoters, now let's talk about the wrestlers. Wrestlers, you need to help with promoting also. I bet many guys are thinking that they are "the talent" and that promoting the shows is the promoters job. Well, that is true, but YOU are on the show as well. If YOU want people to come out to the shows to see YOU, buy YOUR merchandise, making YOU more money, then maybe YOU need to start helping out. Now I am not telling the wrestlers to get in their cars on a Saturday and go flier a Walmart parking lot. I am thinking more about the Facebook and Twitter type of stuff.
I talked about this before, it is not that hard to share a video or repost a flier for a show. It is literally one click away. I don't know about many of the other wrestlers out there, but I do know that I am out to help this business OVERALL, not just myself. So why not share the hype video for the show that YOU are on? Think about this scenario....you have a show coming up, the promoter has posted a video and a flier with all of the information for the show, then every time that you log onto Facebook or Twitter share the information really quick. If every wrestler started doing this could you imagine the amount of information that would be out there about wrestling?!!? It would be unbelievable. The power of numbers is a lot more powerful than what people give it credit for. There is no way that the business is going to change unless we change ourselves. Otherwise, it is just going to stay the way it is and not get any better. It's the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Let me put it this way. When people find out that I am a wrestler, about 75% of the time I get this answer..."oh, is that still on TV?" The point of this entire post is that "normal people" do not know about wrestling, because they are not surrounded by it like we are. It is OUR JOB as wrestlers, bookers, promoters, announcers, managers, ring crew members, and whoever else, to get the word out there, somehow. It really helps to step back and think about, "how would I find out about this show if I was not in the business?" The problem is that we all get caught up in our "wrestling world" that you sometimes forget about the "real world." It's all about finding ways to reach those "real world people" and letting them know that wrestling is still out there, and converting them into, or back into, wrestling fans.
So here is my challenge to each and every one of you. Take this blog, and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, email, tell a friend, write it down if you want. Let people see this. Then, take the next show that you are on and share that information and see what the results are. Finally, report back to me and let me know what happened. Were there more people in the crowd? Were people asking you about the show more? Were there other people sharing the information? All we need to do is get the people into the shows and let the wrestling speak for itself. It all goes back to the thought of telling one person, then they tell their friends, and they tell their friends, so on and so forth. It's time to change this business for the better, and the only way that is going to happen is by making a buzz and getting the word out there. PRO WRESTLING IS STILL HERE!!!
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