Join hosts Kevin and Young John for a very “divisive” edition of the web’s only Punk Rock ‘n Wrestling podcast. This week’s topic is wrestlers who have figuratively split audiences in two. First, hear the guys talk about Hulk Hogan’s place as both the top heel AND top babyface in TNA – and why this could be helpful to the Impact product. Then, the discussion turns again to internet darling, Daniel Bryan. Find out why a seemingly innocuous line uttered by Michael Cole might signal a brighter future for the former “American Dragon.” A can’t-miss feud with John Cena might not be so far off!

Musically speaking, you’ll dig into tracks from Go to the Police, the long out-of-print (and only) recording from U.K. power pop act, The Toys. PLUS: music from Mat Minutiae’s Mike Bessler and BSH’s own Kevin McElvaney. Yes, you read that right!

Click below to download this week’s show.

http://www.mediafire.com/?l5zceg0cm5lsm22

If you want something even more amazing…consider that Devin Cutting, who submits a ton of independent wrestling news to PWBTS and many other websites…has actually been told by a handful of independent promoters to remove the items he’s placed online….with the comment by the promoters that “they can do it by themselves”. That misguided handful of promoters should consider going to their locker rooms at the end of the night, and ask their workers if they enjoy working in front of 50 people, and not getting paid… all because their promoter decided he could “do it all by himself”.

You don’t need to attend the Wharton School of Business to know that the most important thing, no matter whether you’re running wrestling shows or selling cars… is to advertise, advertise, advertise. If marks like me who run wrestling websites are ready to help you do so…you’ve lost nothing, spent nothing…and quite possibly gained a lot. Better yet, you can promote your own company online as well. Along with the usual (and necessary) grunt work of getting up posters, handing out flyers, as well as getting sponsors to defer the cost of your show, and help sell tickets for you… all of which are necessary no matter what kind of fan base you have, the most cost-effective way to promote your shows is online.

Here’s some of the things that can be done…that don’t cost much, and can potentially help a lot.

First, does your company have a website? If not, why not? it’s one of the easiest ways to promote your product to fans. A website doesn’t require technical genius to put up and keep current. Basic ones also aren’t expensive. Hell, just do a Facebook page for your promotion or each individual event. If you want to spend a bit more money, you can also buy a domain name like mine at PWBTS.com, and pay a basic monthly fee to have it hosted. What should that website consist of? If nothing else, it should use intelligible English. Use spell check. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE use spell check, and ask someone to check it for grammar and spelling mistakes before you send it out. While website owners know you want to push your show…lay off releases sent in all caps and with a dozen asterisks and exclamation points. Every match is a great one (or you’d like potential fans to think so…we get the point).

After you do all that, just write it simply with items such as these:

Tell fans when your upcoming shows are…far enough in advance to let them make plans, so they don’t attend a nearby competitor’s show instead. Tell fans where the shows are, and how to get to the shows. The locations of your shows should be listed on your website, with directions from nearby areas, using local landmarks and major highways. You can also use Google maps (my favorite), Expedia or Mapquest to illustrate where you’re running a show.

It also would be nice to include mass transit directions if you live in an area where mass transit connections exist to your venue. You can find these directions easily enough on your local transit agency’s website, then post them in your shills. Google Transit is useful in large markets to tell people where transit connections are to specific addresses.. You can also cheat a bit and use nearby landmarks or an existing map, which typically have websites and /or maps that you can use.

Other things to do are: Tell fans WHO is on the show and tell fans your current storyline behind key matches, so fans feel there’s a reason to come to see them. Do it AHEAD OF TIME…not just days before the show. Tell the fans WHAT your tickets cost, and where they can get them. If you have standard ticket costs, list them. If you have remote ticket locations (local merchants that sell tickets for you), list them and where the merchants are located. If you have an e-mail address, hotline, or ticket phone line, list those as well. If possible, have a part of your website devoted to online ticket orders. Some promotions, depending on which venues they run, may have to utilize Ticketmaster.com, Tickets.com, Brown Paper Tickets, or regional ticket brokers. If that’s the case, you obviously have no problem. Let themr do the work. But be sure to post a direct order link for your show, as opposed to just a generic link to the websites.

Then, sell your merchandise. Southern wrestling survived on it, and still does through gimmick sales…

Let’s face it, if you’re an independent promoter, you need every revenue stream that there is….or in English, you need any way you can to make a dime. Some promotions are small enough that the wrestlers just sell gimmicks at the shows. But others can also do so on their website. Promotions can also use tape dealers like Smart Mark Video to sell and tape their shows; or use Highspots.com to sell tapes and a variety of other merchandise.

Those are just some very basic suggestions for what you can include on a basic website, and some examples of how some independent promotions do those very things.

Now, does your promotion send out press releases before a show, or results afterwards to websites like PWBTS…or the Wrestling Observer…or a hundred others? If not, why not?

First, press releases. They don’t have to look like something out of Northwestern University’s School of Journalism. But let me suggest a few dos and don’ts. Again, it’s not necessary to capitalize everything…or use exclamation points and asterisks throughout the release you send to a website. We know you want people to come to the show, so write an intelligent sounding release that makes both your company and the show you’re promoting look good….in something approaching English, please.

You might even learn a bit of basic HTML so people can just cut and paste the items into our posting script and get it up on our websites. It makes things LOTS easier when posting your releases. Some promotions do…and it makes life a LOT easier for us. Second, as I’ve said above…PLEASE use spellcheck.

The things you need to include are largely the things we’ve discussed above… namely to: Tell fans WHEN the show is, WHERE the show is, how to get to the show, WHO is on the show, how much tickets cost, and where they can get them. Again, any basic business course would tell you that a business must make it as easy as possible for a customer to give you their money.

But you’d be surprised at the e-mails I receive that don’t provide each of those items. You’d also be surprised at the way some of those e-mails are written. To be blunt, I get some press releases that look like a pre-schooler wrote them. Again, press releases don’t need to look like something out of Northwestern University’s School of Journalism…but it would be nice if they had correct spelling and at least reasonably good grammar. That’s why Bill Gates created spell check and grammar check. I’ve gotten promotional shills for shows that I had to literally spend 15 minutes re-writing in order to post them at PWBTS. I’ve refused to run shills for certain independents, because I’d asked the promotions time after time to check them before sending them to me, because they were written so poorly that the companies should have been embarrassed to send them out in public. Remember that your press release/shill is how a new fan sees you. If your press release is professionally written (or at least semi-literate), that new fan is more likely to read it, and their money is more likely to come your way.

Send it to widely distributed mailing lists of upcoming shows supplied to websites. Post them on any one of the million wrestling related message boards that are out there, and to regional wrestling websites.

Send releases to the mainstream press, such as your local daily or weekly newspaper. See if that newspaper has a weekly wrestling column. Newspapers like the Chicago Sun-Times, Miami Herald, New York Daily News, the Dallas News, and Charleston Post and Courier (just to name a few) have such columns. They’ll often run shills for your show. Mainstream coverage is a Godsend for your promotion. Again, remember the rules I listed above….use spell check and provide basic information. If your local newspaper is a smaller weekly or daily, send it to whoever runs a section for community events, particularly if the event is to benefit a local charity, church, or community group. That’s always a good hook.

Send them to your local TV station or cable system, especially if the event is to benefit a local charity or community group. Put together a e-mailing list of regular contacts and send it out to them to plug each and every show you run. Consider paid advertising on certain sites. Use the major websites or those that cover either your region in particular or independent wrestling in general to advertise your product.
Get your fans to put together an e-Street Team….fans that know how to write fairly well, or provide them with the information to send yourself. Have them talk you up on social media (yes, I mean really versus WWE-style), and anything else out there. Make being a fan of your company not just a fun evening, but a responsibility. ECW was the first known example of a company that understood this. Fans all but MADE mainstream wrestling publications pay attention to ECW. Those fans were ECW’s best asset, because they felt obligated to let people know about the product.

Now, let’s talk about sending out results, including accurate crowd counts.

Let me use an example of a particular promotion I report on frequently. The previous owner and many of their fans believed that they often received what they believe to be unfair treatment and/or lack of coverage by online sources, the Wrestling Observer, and even newsstand publications about their major shows. In one example some years back, the promotion believed that the Observer report low-counted their crowd by a good 25-30% (thus ignoring the fact that they drew their second highest crowd ever).

It’s important to realize that most online news sources based crowd counts on what they receive via e-mail, and don’t have staff to send on to your show. Thus, if someone sending results to a newsletter or website didn’t like the show, or has a grudge against your promotion, they may low-ball you with a ridiculously low crowd count, and make you look bad. Send out your own information…and, as strange as this may sound for wrestling… tell the truth. Provide websites and newsletters with ridiculously high crowd count, and you’ll be called on it. I know there have been times in the past when the above promotion’s fans and staff were upset at a major website for reviews of shows that were posted. I’ve seen where their fans and staff basically said “screw [insert name of site]“. They said pretty much the same thing in this case regarding what they felt about the Observer report.

Let me say this. This particular promotion is friendly to me, as I’ve gone to their shows since the very beginning. I’ve generally liked their product, and feel I’ve given them fair reviews. That’s all well and good.

But the fact of the matter is that major sites like WrestlingObserver.com or PWinsider.com get more hits in an hour then PWBTS does in a week or maybe a month. A newsletter like The Wrestling Observer gets at least as many readers on a weekend than I get page views in 2 weeks. The Observer’s reputation is also far more well-known and respected by wrestling fans than PWBTS or this column will ever be in my wildest dreams or fantasies.

Therefore, giving me information to publicize their product is a good thing, but it’d be far better if they also did the same for 1wrestling.com, PWinsider.com, the Observer, Prowrestling.net, or the Torch.

Let me use an example from a different field of entertainment. If you wrote a Broadway play, and had a previous play you’d written panned by the New York Times; does that mean that you’d stay pissed off at them and wouldn’t try to use them to promote your next play, and would just send your releases to the Staten Island Advance? Not if you have any sense, you wouldn’t. Letting your ego get in the way of using an online source or newsletter is idiotic. You’re taking money out of your own pocket and those of your workers…just for spite. Instead, spend some time talking to the reviewer (yes, promoters, that means kissing up to those who run or report for websites with such things as press passes, or interviews with your talent) and try to get them on your side.

Unfortunately, some promoters seem to subscribe to the Old School of Wrestling Website Interaction…namely, that online reporters and sheetwriters are better off dead, or are “parasites” and “scum” and ignore them. Call me stupid…but if someone’s going to help me advertise my product for free…I’d kiss up to them in a New York minute.

Independent promotions that are able to do so should spend some time with the Dave Meltzers, Wade Kellers, and Mike Johnsons of the world, and develop relationships with them so as to get fair reviews for their product and encourage new people to come to shows. Again, send your results….that night or the next morning (not a week, or two or three later) or to wrestling websites. Give a basic outline of who went over, major storylines that were advanced, how well you drew (especially if the crowd was good for your promotion), and a reminder of when your next show is happening. If you had a good show and drew a good crowd, make a point to get the word out…that’s advertising, too.

I’m not a graduate of the Wharton School of Business. I’m just one more mark sitting in the seats, who just wants to see independent wrestling succeed….at a time when wrestling fans need alternatives….badly.

Speaking of needing to promote and independent wresting show…let me conclude by doing just that…
Combat Zone Wrestling holds its 13th Anniversary show in Voorhees, NJ on Saturday, February 11th at the Flyers Skate Zone, 601 Laurel Oak Road in Voorhees, NJ (approximately 25 minutes from the Arena).

Matches scheduled:

The Champ against the #1 Contender
The new CZW Heavyweight Champion Scotty Vortekz vs. top ranked Drew Gulak

CZW #1 Contenders’ Match
Masada vs. Scotty Vortekz vs. ‘Ego’ Robert Anthony

CZW Tag Title Match
Azrieal/Bandido vs. The Runaways (Ryan Slater/Joe Gacy)

Homicide vs. BLK JEEZ

Drake Younger vs. Adam Cole

Death Match Trial
Rory Mondo vs. Danny Havoc

DIRECTIONS TO ANNIVERSARY EVENT:
The Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees
601 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, NJ 08043
(856) 309-4400

From I-95 : Take the Walt Whitman Bridge into New Jersey. Stay on Rt. 42 South. Exit onto I-295 North. (Second exit from bridge) . Take I-295 North to Exit 32 (Haddonfield/ Voorhees) . Make a right off of the exit onto Haddonfield-Berlin Road. Follow several miles to Laurel Oak Road. (Just past the Eagle Shopping Plaza). Make a right onto Laurel Oak Road. Facility is ¼ mile on the left. (Across from the rear of the Ritz Theatre)

From NJ Turnpike: Exit turnpike at Exit 4. Follow signs to Rt. 73 North. Take Route 73 North and exit onto I-295 South. Take I-295 South to Exit 32 (Haddonfield/ Voorhees). Make a left onto Haddonfield-Berlin Road. Follow several miles to Laurel Oak Road. (Just past the Eagle Shopping Plaza). Make a right onto Laurel Oak Road. Facility is ¼ mile on the left. (Across from the rear of the Ritz Theatre)

This event is also part of a huge weekend for the Combat Zone as CZW will be appearing at the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention at the PA Convention Center in Center City from Feb. 10th – 12th. Complete directions to the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees are listed below. Complete venue information can be found at voorhees.flyersskatezone.com.
Until next time…
If you have comments or questions, or if you’d like to add the AS I SEE IT column to your website, I can be reached by e-mail at the address above.
If you’d like to add advertising on PWBTS.com (the flagship website of this column), banner ads are available for $400 for one year. These ads would appear on each newspage appearing on the newsboard. Cube ads are available for $200 for one year, which would be placed on the main newsboard page.

Wow … just, wow. Brady Hicks on PWI Weekly IN THE ROOM … the early years! This week, Brady Hicks discusses an interview with TNA’s Madison Rayne, his experience with at a show with Big Daddy V, and runs down Judgment Day and where he thinks WWE might be headed from here.

Thanks to Sassy Stephanie!

Courtesy of our friends at TNA.

Velvet Sky: I think New England will win the Superbowl because “In Bill we trust!”

Madison Rayne: I think New York will win the Superbowl because I have been a Giants fan for quite a few years now, Superbowl Sunday is my 26th birthday and as always, but ESPECIALLY on my birthday, the Queen gets what she wants. Victor Cruz can’t be stopped this weekend!!!!

Sting: I think the Patriots are going to win it because Tom Brady is going to be on top of his game… he’s built a rep for pulling out all the stops in big games.  Although Eli is a roll and the Giants have a great defense, Brady and the Patriots are going to be so confident going into it, it’ll be tough for the Giants to come out winners.

Rosita: I think NEW YORK will win the Super Bowl because we handle BID-NESS! ROUND 2 SAME OUTCOME

Matt Morgan: Well, YET AGAIN, my Dallas Cowboys underperformed this year and didn’t get into the playoffs, so I really don’t have a vested interest in EITHER the Pats NOR G-Men in this year’s Super Bowl. With that being said, I begrudgingly have to predict that the Giants will yet again upset the Patriots because of their Uber-Athletic Defensive line & good secondary. Plus….. I LOVE when Tom Brady gets his A$$ KICKED IN! There ya go…

Abyss: I think the New York Giants will win the Superbowl on Sunday because they have a  ”Monster”  defensive front four that are going to smother Tom Brady all day

Gunner: I’m gonna go with the Giants to win the Super Bowl! My reason, these guys have really come out of no where this year! Beating the packers sums it up

Mickie James: I hope they both lose! I’m a cowboys fan Damnit!!! FTW

Tara: I think New York will win the Super Bowl because I can’t pick a team whose quarterback has prettier hair than I do.

Christy Hemme: Hummmmm… no idea about the teams but I am curious about Madonna at the halftime show

Tony Nese: I think New York will win the Super Bowl because the Giants defense will bring nothing but pain on Tom Brady making him uncomfortable, like in ’08, and Brady is no good under pressure. On top of that, the Giants have already played a better defense in San Francisco and showed there resilience. Manning has even more weapons this year and no matter who New England tries to shut down, another receiver will step up and steal the show. LET’S GO GIANTS!

Robbie E: I think the Giants will win because they play in Jersey bro…besides they better win so there will be some sick parties that night.  Yea buddy!!!

Gail Kim: I don’t care who wins the Superbowl because I dont care for a bunch of big muscled men wearing spandex! Oh wait…. well anyway, I just care about the party…PARTY TIME!!!

Kazarian: I think the new York giants will win the Super Bowl because they are the hotter team. Their defense is significantly better, and the Patriots didn’t win their championship game, the Ravens lost! This year for once & once only, I love NY!

Angelina Love: I think the New England Patriots will win the SuperBowl this year because I’m sure in all of the players minds they are thinking about retribution for the 2008 Superbowl! They are a great team and had a great year, I’d like to see them take it in 2012!!

SoCal Val: I think the New York Giants will win the Superbowl because like Hagrid in Harry Potter, you’d be a fool to mess with a giant. Trust me. I’ve seen all 8 movies.

Mark Haskins: I don’t care if New England or New York win the Super Bowl because I’m British and we play real sports.

ODB: New York all the way,have you seen their tight ends BAM

Austin Aries: You mean the NFL season is still going on? (Disgruntled Cheesehead)

Earl Hebner: I think the Patriots will win the Super Bowl because they are clearly the better team. I should be wearing the stripes for the game. Everybody knows I know how to make the calls.

Final Score

10

4

• 3 matches will be spotlighted every Sunday morning based on their nostalgic qualities, their in-ring performances, their campiness, and their performers’ contributions to today’s wrestling world.
• Not EVERY match will be a squash, but it’s always nice to see the fan favorite totally dominate.
• Main event of Squash Match Sunday will normally have a title on the line, and will ALWAYS be a quality wrestling match.

…Let’s get to the action!
_____________________

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

“The Juicer” Art Barr takes..on..uhh…what a creepy friggin’ gimmick. Watch some creeper in face paint run around with kids in face paint for your Early Bird Special.

_____________________

MID CARD HANGOVER

T.J. Perkins takes on Mr. “Desmond Wolfe” himself, Nigel McGuinness in the Mid Card Hangover match this morning. After all the booze you drank last night, I’m sure your head must feel like you just got hit with Nigel’s “Tower of London” finisher.

Things to keep an eye/ear out for:

• Every wrestler from here on out who is on the receiving end of a wristlock should exclaim “OIIII!” the way Nigel McGuinness does in this match.
• Seems like Perkins got caught in the air for a bit during that frog cross body splash. Because he’s very light, you see!

_____________________

YOUR MAIN EVENT OF THE MORNING

Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow headline your SUPER BOWL-themed Main Event of the Morning in a Lumberjack match at Wrestlemania XI. Look out for Steve “Mongo” McMichael as well as other former NFL players who are probably dead broke around now.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Your main event worthy commentary of the afternoon:

• Funny to see Pat Patterson as a ref, and Nikolai Volkoff as a guy at ringside with a cent sign on his shirt.
• Big props to Bam Bam for jobbing to an ex(?)coke addict…then again this IS the WWF in the 1990s.
• Please answer the following question in the comments below: Would you wear a WWF Lawrence Taylor jersey? I know it’s hard to imagine without the bike shorts but you KNOW that would strike up some interesting conversation!

_____________________

Well that about does it from my end, enjoy your Sunday afternoon!

Ladies and gentlemen … Live from Los Angeles, California, it’s Saturday Night Akbaz! Also featuring Two Tickets to Paradise with special guest Chauncey “The Gaudy” Fentura.

Featured item:
TNA: Knocked Out Starring Christy Hemme, Gail Kim, Awesome Kong and Karen Angle (Original release: Oct 7, 2008)

Excerpt source:
Tagore, Rabindranath. Gitanjali = (song offerings). London: Macmillan and Company, 1914. Print.