Part Two: Booking talent and Ambitions
This is the second part of my interview with three experienced promoters on the UK wrestling scene - Ben Auld (Southside), Dave Sharp (4FW) and Stuart Natt (CSF) - who kindly took the time out to respond to some questions that I felt would interest people with regards to promoting shows in the UK.
In this second part, I asked them what their priorities were with regards to booking talent and I finished off by asking about their ambitions for 2014 and beyond:
Jimmo's Angle: What things
do you look for in a wrestler prior to booking them? (UK based or
International)
Ben: Well
in the UK the talent speaks for itself. Quite simply, I want to book
the best and won't book anything less.
International
talent; I look for two things and hope a guy/girl ticks both the
boxes. Firstly, I want them to help me draw [attract] fans; they need
to be able to entertain our fans. More importantly, they need to help
elevate our guys. I believe my roster are on a par with the
international talent and my thinking
is how it will help them
look like the
superstars that they deserve to be.
Dave:
Many things. To be honest, when I book people I compare them to my
local lads that I have trained and see what they can potentially add
that my lads don’t to the event. And believe me, the bar at 4FW is
set very, very high. I look for attitudes in talent; are they here
just to collect an easy pay day? Attire; does it look professional?
Do they look like a professional wrestler or at least an athlete?
Most importantly though, is whether they want to and/or can they
help out my younger lads? Many, many things come into play.
Stuart: I look
for lots of things. Some pros can be the best in-ring worker you've
seen in years, but sometimes if they lack a decent gimmick it's all
in vain. Then again, the fact they could wrestle all day long and
you wouldn't see them use the same move twice is a brilliant
gimmick in itself. Again, 'Something for everyone', so you have to
look at the whole show and get the balance just right to keep
people's attention for two and a half hours.
Another
important thing is making sure anyone you bring in has a decent
attitude so backstage is lively, fun, yet still a professional
environment; that's very important! Being a team player is of huge
importance; no place for anyone out for themselves and, in the
process, damaging the card. You have to pull together as a team and
help everyone to get over and leave the venue looking strong ready
for the next event there.
JA: What
benefits do you think there are in booking international talent?
Ultimately, is the cost worth it?
Ben: There
are lots of 'pros'. Two of the most important are that they help
elevate my talent and my company.
The 'cons' are the
cost and risk involved; the stress levels are a lot higher and if
things go wrong then fans can be very disappointed.
Dave:
There are many benefits to booking International talent, especially
if it is someone who has travelled all over the world and can pass
on knowledge. My main focus is to bring international talent over
that can help benefit my crew; bringing over Dick Togo and Ultimo
Dragon, for example, helped open more doors than I could've ever
imagined. I always ensure a seminar is arranged with the talent as
well to ensure all my students get to learn from them.
The 'pros';
depending on the name, that 'star' can generate big ticket sales,
DVD sales and other merchandise and most importantly to me, help the
young lads that come through the 4FW Academy.
The 'cons'; depends
on who the talent is, to be honest. I’ve only really had one
talent that put a massive downer on international talent for me.
Apart from that, I haven’t had many issues to thinks about the
cons of bringing international talent over. The cost is worth it for
me; I’m not sure what anyone else does but I have a good thing in
place which means it benefits me, 4FW, and the students greatly.
Stuart: Quite a
tricky question. We've had the 'super shows' with half a dozen, if
not more, imports.
Obviously these were received very
well and, by all accounts, were great shows. But maybe that type of
event has had it's time and has been and gone. With there being
lots (and lots) of amazing talents in the UK we certainly don't
need to rely on imports to draw a crowd. Look at the numbers some
UK-only name shows draw. The Scottish scene, for example, has grown
so quickly and they've created their own stars, something which is
very important for not only the gate, but the future of the sport
in the coming years.
I
use the imports as a 'thank you' to my regular fans. Obviously I
need to cover their costs, but rather than rely on them to draw, I
take them to regular venues which already draw very well as a nod
to the customers who attend all the shows there regardless who is
on, as they know they are going to have a great night whoever is
appearing. Last year I had Sabu on a card, this year I have Chris
Masters in a couple of months. In my early days, the imports
certainly helped to draw new fans, then it was my job to keep those
customers coming back each time regardless of the card.
JA: What are
your ambitions for 2014 and beyond?
Ben: I
believe we have cemented ourselves as one of the best promotions in
the UK and I fully intend on taking us to even higher levels. We
have spent more money on production and I believe our set-up is now
one of the best in England. However, I still think we can improve.
Dave:
Continue to grow as a person, business man and as a company. To learn
more and more about business; not just the ‘wrestling business’,
but wrestling AND business in general. Rebranding the entire product
(which is currently well under way). Bring more students through my
academy that add to the very high standard that exists. Run more
events; I’m looking to be in charge of the company that sets the
bar in United Kingdom Professional Wrestling.
Stuart:
2014 ambitions are
simple: add a few new venues, keep my regular customers happy and to
keep presenting good quality entertainment.
Jimmo's Angle: I really hope that wannabe promoters have been given, at least, a small idea about promoting from this interview. Like with the training interview that I conducted, I really hope that it will deter people who have no business running shows, as well as those that think that by watching WWE or whatever promotion, that it's easy to run a show themselves. Please be warned that it takes experience, dedication, (a lot of) money and risk to maintain a well run, successful, profitable wrestling promotion. As much as I may be 'small fry' on the British wrestling scene, I really hope that this (and part one of this article) can help people to make the right decisions and, in however small a way, STOP them from attempting to start something that could cost them a lot in several aspects of their lives.
I'd like to thank the three gentlemen; Ben, Dave and Stuart; for their time. They are three examples of how promoting wrestling shows is done in this country and I am excited to get myself along to their shows at some point in the next few months.
Each of their answers were a joy to read and enlightened me a little more on my journey watching British wrestling shows.
For upcoming events and general news, please visit:
@jimmosangle
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