Be something different...

Well, after my TNA/Impact Wrestling rant and calling out all of the people who hate my blog, but still read it for some reason, I needed to get onto a new subject.  I have said it before, but the goal of this blog is to help the business of pro wrestling, not to sit here and piss and moan about shit 24/7.  If you want to listen to pissing and moaning, go over to the Indy Board and read some of that garbage.  But sometimes, in order to get the point across I need to go on a rant like that.  I try not to as much as possible, but it does happen sometimes.

So lets get to the topic that I want to talk about today.  I want to talk about being different in wrestling, from both a wrestler and promotional standpoint.  There are so many personalities and promotions that have come and gone over the years.  Some of these people and places made money and did good things for the business, and well, some did not.  I don't really want to get into who did and who did not, I want to talk more about people and promotions trying their hardest to do something new and different.

I think it is pretty apparent that many things have already been done in this business.  Whether that be moves, personalities, or a way that a promotion does things, pretty much everything has been done in some capacity.  The goal in today's pro wrestling industry is to find a way to take something and put your own spin on it somehow.  Believe me, I have seen a few original ideas pop up here and there as well, so they are still out there. 

Let me first start with individual wrestlers.  Who wants to see something that has already been done, but done by another person and not as good as the original?  No one does.  So try to be original.  Mix ideas together and try to do something different that is going to make you stand out somehow.  For example, I come out to the ring wearing some of the goofiest gear on the planet, strutting like a jackass, I have a good time in the ring, but I get pissed off and serious when I need to.  I try to be as innovative as I can be, while still being functional at the same time.  If a promoter does not like the way that I wrestle, fine, then don't book me.  I will find promotions that do like what I do and go there instead.  It's all about finding what works for you and finding the right places to work that pay well, plain and simple.

Now promotions are different.  It seems to me like a lot of promoters just have no idea what they are doing and half of them just fly by the seat of their pants.  You HAVE to have some sort of direction or idea behind who you are, what you are trying do, and why you are doing it.    I have talked about branding before, and that is what this whole business is all about.

First of all, get an identity to your promotion.  Spend the money to get a professional logo done, or shit, find a wrestler that does graphics work and get it for free.  This is a starting point.  Second, GET YOUR OWN BELTS MADE!!!!  This is SOOOOOOO important.  If you are going to spend $250 - $300 to buy a WWE replica belt, then pay for paint, stickers, and whatever else to decorate it, you might as well just spend the extra money to get a custom belt made.  There are plenty of great belt makers out there, just get online and contact them.  It's better to spend the money up front to look legit, rather than trying to fool the fans the whole time.  Third, just make everything look good overall.  The ring, aprons, entrance, music, talent, EVERYTHING.  It's when these promoters try to skip on certain things that make their promotions look like shit.

Don't be the second-coming of someone, be something new, be something different.  That's how you get noticed.  Think outside the box and come up with new concepts, or at least a new spin on something.