Jimmo's Angle Special: Interview: Promoters and their Priorities (Part One)

Part One: History and Show Priorities

On the back of 'The Importance of Training' interview that I conducted with three respected British wrestlers (Iestyn Rees, Gilligan Gordon and UK Dominator) last month, I wanted to tackle another aspect of British wrestling that deserves attention - Promoting. Similarly to the training that one should undertake to become a wrestler, the same dedication and know-how should be applied if someone wants to attempt to run a successful, profitable wrestling promotion.

I'm going to more and more shows and as time has gone on I'm finding that, as with the training aspect of wrestling being important, so too is making sure that a wrestling show is put on in the correct manner.

Something I've always hated about the big leagues in America (WWE) is that all decisions are made with the interest of making the most money. As much as I hate this fact (because at times it gets in the way of sense and logic), it makes complete sense to do... as much as you want to put on a great show for the fans, paying the bills and covering the costs that add up along the way are more important when planning a wrestling event.

To get an idea of a Promoter's mindset, and what is important to them from show to show, I was fortunate to get feedback from three experienced promoters on the UK scene: Ben Auld (Southside), Dave Sharp (4FW) and Stuart Natt (CSF). These gentlemen took time out of their busy schedules to give me an idea of their priorites.

Part one (of two) will focus on each man's history in wrestling as well as their priorities with regards to preparing for an upcoming show:

Jimmo's Angle: What is your wrestling background? What is your connection to your current promotion?

Ben: As a fan, the first event I ever watched was Wrestlemania 7; loved the Ted Dibiase/Virgil match for the amazing storyline; Boss Man vs. Perfect, and of course Warrior vs. Savage... I was hooked straight away.

The transition from fan to promoter started when I went to a TNA show in Coventry where I met a guy who told me all about 1PW, so in April 2009 I travelled to Doncaster to try it out. Again, I was hooked straight away. Funnily enough I was amazed at Project Ego and El Ligero who have all become good friends of mine. I started to go to more and more British shows and eighteen months after my first Britwres show I ran my very first show.

I have now been running for over three years, have run thirty-five shows in St Neots, Over, Huntingdon, Stevenage, Letchworth, Preston and Nottingham. We have used talent from America, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Japan.

Dave: I have been a fan of professional wrestling since the age of six, so for twenty-six years wrestling has been in my life. I’ve never stopped watching or wanting to be involved in some capacity since the day I saw my first match.

I started training to be a wrestler in 2001, where I attended several of the UK Hammerlock sessions and a few of the weekend camps. A local promotion opened the doors nearby and I started attending the sessions on a weekly basis. I haven’t wrestled for around three years now due to injuries and becoming a father and priorities changing.

4FW came about because of several reasons which I don’t really feel the need to get into as everyone has moved on from the things that have happened from ten years ago and I would hate to bring anything up that might rub someone up the wrong way. For the first year I wasn’t the promoter of 4FW but in year two myself and James Dunn took the promotion over and ran it together until October 2012, when James decided to step away from promoting and I now run 4FW on my own.

Stuart: I always attended every wrestling event in the area, from the age of about seven. I'd make my dad take me to all the events from my home town and up to seventy-odd miles away. I used to attend events on a regular basis in Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset and Weymouth (as the family have a house on the harbour next to the Pavilion, so I could go watch the show, sleep and travel back seventy miles to school the next morning).

I didn't miss an episode of World of Sport / ITV Wrestling, either; started watching when I was five or six and still have dozens of Betamax tapes as I recorded it every week. When we upgraded to VHS I happily spent my youth filling hundreds of tapes with WOS and the NWA Worldwide shows that used to air in the early hours.

Over the years I went to hundreds of shows and after a while got invited along to training, I was 16 I think. Not going to mention any names as I don't want to give them any publicity, but looking back it was the sh*ts! After a short while I got put on shows - some good, some bad. I was lucky enough to meet the Noble brothers, Andy and Steve. They ran decent shows and held weekly training sessions; this is where I realised how shit it was where I was and how good things should be. It just made me more passionate. A couple years passed and I just pulled out and opened up CSF in my home town. I did it because I care about the state of wrestling and wanted something better in the area. What was here was a joke so I started out on my own to run those who were already here out.

JA: What are your main priorities (business-wise) when organising a show?

Ben: My main priority is to deliver to the fans and make money. But I will never put money before quality, if I ever have to do that I will quit. I have worked my b*llocks off to garner the rep we have. Luckily, we have built a really good fan base who trust us to always deliver. What a lot of fans don't understand is there are many ways to make money from wrestling so we work hard on DVD sales and merchandise. If our shows are great and only break-even on the door, then we still have other avenues to profit from.

Dave: Book dates with venues with plenty of notice. Promote, present my business well, promote some more and make money. Come show day I know I have put everything into it promoting-wise, so my priorities then turn to ensuring that what I have advertised is what I present in the most professional way possible.

Stuart: CSF is fifteen years old. At first, my priority was to drive the sh*te out of the area. Within my first year I had held three events in my home town and branched out to another venue an hour away. Within a couple of years I had five or so regular venues, all doing well and attracting big crowds. The events were big; I used a cage gimmick and had big production. I had Jake ['The Snake'] Roberts with us for a year; he behaved quite well! Plus Honky Tonk Man, so I guess it was more about the 'wow!' factor back then, bringing these huge events in each venue three times a year and going all out.

My priority now, as it was when I started, is to put on the very best all-round show - 'something for everyone' - it's fine jumping off cages and having the Americano glamour, but you will always need some good ol' rasslin on the card.

As time passed, I became more aware of my budget in each venue and had to cater for very different audiences. I have two children now so I can no longer p*ss the money away, I have to set a budget, work with it and generate a profit, something which can be very difficult in some towns.

JA: What tools and ways do you use to promote your shows?

Ben: I use Facebook, Twitter, fan forums, posters, leaflets, newspapers; it's always hard to judge what is most effective but if I had to choose one thing it would probably be Facebook.

Dave: Presentable and professional looking posters is priority number one. Along with banners and sometimes newspaper adverts, anywhere and everywhere I can advertise my product for free, social media, forums, websites, etc. Flyers are not high on the list as it is very hit-and-miss on whether you actually hit the market you are aiming for.

Stuart: I've always felt the best way to promote the next show is during the [current] show. Nice gee-up for the next event's feature attraction, tease a few of the other up-coming bouts and rotate the stars.

In lots of venues we use a video wall so during the interval we can show videos of future events and plug the dates. I am also a big user of local media; local websites, newspapers and radio. After that, obvious things like posters and door-to-doors. Obviously the last couple of years has seen a huge increase with the use of social media as an advertising tool. This is growing and becoming very important; an easy and affordable way of staying visible.

Jimmo's Angle: I would like to thank all three gentlemen for their time and responses to my questions. in the next part of this interview, Ben, Dave and Stuart will discuss what is important to them with regards to booking talent and their ambitions in wrestling.

In the meantime, please check out the Facebook pages and Twitter accounts of all three promotions and get along to a show...

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