Wake up, North Carolina!

When you think of regions where Pro Wrestling has always been popular and influential, 2 places immediately come to mind: Calgary, Alberta & North Carolina. Calgary of course was famous in large part due to Stampede Wrestling and the Hart family (Which would be absorbed by the WWF and “revived” in 1999 by Bruce & Ross Hart), while NC was handled by Jim Crockett Productions (Which was eventually purchased by Ted Turner and became WCW).

As a side note before I go on, I am not forgetting such great regions/promotions such as Texas/WCCW, I am merely condensing the article down from it’s ungainly size after I noticed I rambled about certain regions.

Now then. Stampede as mentioned above has returned to it’s roots and is succesful in it’s region again. However, NC never really has managed to gain stability after WCW gained it’s foothold. And that’s a shame really, because NC has in my estimation possibly the best chance to produce another succesful organization.

There are countless talented workers in and around the NC area. Some only lack a bit of seasoning, otherwise they’d already be on the TV screen with the WWE or TNA, but make no mistake, NC has loads of talent. In addition, there are several very good promotions around like the Universal Wrestling Council and Power Pro Wrestling.

The bad part is, for every good worker or organization, there are literally 10 or more so-so (or worse!) ‘talents’ or organizations that are quite happily running sub-par shows just so they can make a few quick bucks. Problem with this is – much as I champion the cause of making money by doing something you love – these people are doing massive harm to the area, killing profitable areas by leaving Wrestling fans with the impression that there are no decent Indy shows to be had. *I* know this isn’t true, as do others in the area – but quite frankly, with the bad outweighing the good 10 to 1 (or more), something drastic needs to happen.

Now, I fully admit I am not the greatest Wrestling mind on the block, but I have always held the notion that there is one thing NC is missing. Once that missing element is in place, I would not be surprised at all if NC were able to develop the next ECW or Ring of Honor type organization,

What’s missing? Cooperation.

It’s not a difficult thing to see. If the better Indies in NC were to band together, creating what amounts to a miniature version of an NWA/AWA, the effects would be easily seen in a short amount of time. Instead of 2 to 3 areas running good shows, it’s conceivable that the entire state could be covered by one “network” organization. In this way, the good Talent would be showcased more often, and reliable, on-going storylines could be maintained from show to show. DVD sales could be increased simply because since the storylines were maintained, fans who couldn’t make a show in Charlotte would be itching to see the conclusion of a feud that started in Raleigh or Greenville (And vice-versa).

But why stop there? This assumed organization could (and most likely WOULD) be able to hold a yearly “Supershow” akin to a Wrestlemania. It could even create a television presence in most of the “minor” show areas, creating it’s own Advertising showcase – and that my friends equals money. With more money, better shows all down the line and consistency, you have broken the current NC indy mold, and created something that would be ready to take the next, inevitable step – namely, being able to follow the likes of ROH.

Mind you, with the Egos I have met (And heard of) in NC, this seems to be a major blocking point. It’s natural to want the organization YOU created to be known as the best – but if one group “kills” a town by throwing bad shows (Or worse, alienating potential locations with bad practices), no matter if your indy could rival the WWE in talent & production value – you won’t be able to run shows there. Oh, you can run them of course – but you won’t make a cent until (and IF) you can win the fans back, and get venues to trust you.

I don’t expect those in NC at this point to even want to try to do something like this. Not because they don’t want to succeed of course – the good ones always want that. No, they won’t do this simply because 1) there’s no trust between any of them, and 2) there at this point no one Promoter who could lead such an organization. That’s not to say one isn’t already in existence – they’d just need to alter their thinking.

IF there is one out there in NC who think they have the ‘Right Stuff’ to get this done, here’s a laundry list. Consider it a gift – but if you make it happen, I better at least get credit – if not a payday.

What you need:

1. A central ‘territory’ to call home. This should be a town/area where you consistently run shows with at least a minor profit. A plus would be the ability to get 300-500 asses in seats there.
2. A minimum of 4 additional towns/areas that either make or are close to making money. A plus would be the ability to get 100-300 asses in seats.
3. A rock solid contract that clearly states the division of profits to Co-op member organizations.
4. Talent MUST be taken care of for this to work. This means simply that you MUST have a standard payoff, and it should never be lower than the pay they’d receive from someone NOT in the Co-op.
5. People who understand psychology to act as “Road Agents” and Bookers. At no time should matches be made because “it sounds cool” or “It’ll be a spotfest”. You should never do a gimmick match unless it makes sense to a storyline, and therefore to your fans. This is VITAL, because you want people to get emotionally involved with Talent so that storylines can be built – which in turn leads to DVD and merchandise sales.

Optional/Secondary needs:

1. A relationship with a Videographer/Video production company. This is not an immediate need, but eventually you will need high production values, certainly if/when you establish a TV presence. You do NOT want single camera coverage, but multiple views and/or a few roving cameras for close-up work.
2. A relationship with local TV or Cable outlets. You do NOT want to pay for Cable Access channels – but if you can get a TV station on-board who will run your program for free or (better) for pay, this gets you light years ahead of any competition – especially if you can be seen in multiple cable regions. This explains the need for the 1st option.
3. A relationship with a printing company. Should be self explanatory, but just in case – you definitely want lower rates, as you WILL be giving them tons of work with posters and even personalized invitations for VIP events, business cards, etc.
4. Contracts with your “arenas”, whether they be school gyms or otherwise. This protects both your company and their property, and sets forth in stone what each provides.

There is far more of course – but I’m not going to give you all the keys to success. Suffice to say that with work, NC can again be the hotbed of Pro Wrestling activity it once was -and can even be better with effort.