State Of The Industry: Independent Wrestling
Promoters discuss how business has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
This was supposed to be National Small Business Week, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced most local shops to close their doors and suspend operations. Independent wrestling promotions haven’t been spared.
With WWE pulling out of Tampa to hold WrestleMania in the Performance Center, WrestleMania Week – the annual gathering of independent promotions from around the country – was decimated, forcing event cancellations and widespread financial destruction. Although WWE and AEW continue to run live shows without crowds, indie promotions don’t have the deep pockets or cable television outlets to present their product. They rely on in-person attendance, which is impossible due to social distancing enforcement and stay-at-home mandates.
The Wrestling Estate has contacted five indie promoters traditionally covered by our staff:
Matt Tremont, owner of New Jersey-based H20 Wrestling.
Ryan Kavanagh, owner of New Jersey-based WORLD-1 Wrestling.
Rogelio Martinez, owner of Texas-based Lucha Brutal.
Colin West, owner of New Jersey-based Synergy Pro Wrestling.
Charlie Armstrong, owner of Modern Vintage Wrestling and Gimmick Tree Entertainment. MVW started in North Carolina and has expanded to Pennsylvania and New Jersey over the past year.
In this roundtable, they discuss how they’re faring during the pandemic and what their strategy is for resuming business.
How has your business been affected by the coronavirus?
Charlie Armstrong: It’s horrible. We had a huge show planned for March 28 – our biggest show in Philly to date. Homicide and Masada meeting one on one for the first time. The return of S.A.T. Jacob Fatu was going to debut for us. We had over 215 pre-sold tickets, as well as a large meet and greet with The Ascension.
We had to cancel everything. It was heartbreaking to return that kind of money, but we have to take care of the fans. We had five flights coming in from different parts of the country. We can’t get our physical money back, just a credit for those flights under the name of the passenger. Obviously, we’ll be bringing someone like Jacob Fatu in for a future event. I probably spent just under a grand in social media ads, posters, flyers, radio ads, etc. I can’t get that back.
Last weekend I was supposed to run Georgia as part of Superstars Fan Fest. We were going to have Brody Cup II. There were 2,100 pre-sold tickets and all that money had to be returned, too.
Rogelio Martinez: Our event for March 26 was canceled. Some wrestlers require down payments, but most realize I pay out of pocket. They trust me and we have an understanding. Their payday was gone. I wish I could have still paid them. Canceling is just a major blow.
Ryan Kavanagh: Our show scheduled in March had to be cancelled. We’re looking to do it in June, but realistically, I don’t know about then either. We usually need a month or so to promote, so I’ll wait until early May to make that call. I lost money on a couple flights and stuff like that. We weren’t hit as hard as other promotions because we only run four times a year. If coronavirus is done by the fall, we’ll only miss two shows, whereas other promotions may miss out on eight shows by then.
Colin West: This is doing its damndest to kill the business. It’s been really tough, and I don’t have it the worst. Some of the promoters who invested in going to Tampa this year got hit really hard. There were a lot of non-refundable items.
We’ve had to cancel shows scheduled for March 28, April 3 and April 18. The last one was our Autism Acceptance show, which we’ll hopefully reschedule for later this year. I’m hoping to do it at a time when we can maximize the donations, so I don’t mind taking extra time and waiting for the all clear. If other shows break even or take a hit, I don’t mind as much. But for that show, we’re looking to raise the most money possible.
I’m hoping the Garden State Invitational (in July) is a thing. The Polish Falcons Nest has been exceptionally forgiving – they could have easily held us to our rental agreements, but they absolved us of those. Unfortunately, I’ve had to eat the marketing costs. I can’t go unprint things and unspend print and digital advertising.
Matt Tremont: Since 2014, my main source of income has been pro wrestling, which I’m thankful for. Between my bookings, running H20 shows and other promotions renting out the H20 Center, there are a lot of avenues of revenue not coming in right now. The only thing keeping us in business right now is the tuition of our students. We have almost 30 at the H20 Academy and their tuition has allowed me to continue paying rent.
Have you considered closing up shop?
Armstrong: Never. It’s been a financial drain on us, but one thing we can say about our company is every single fan has been refunded every single dollar. We’re looking to do business with wrestling fans for years to come. A lot of independent wrestling companies that were banking on WrestleMania Weekend haven’t been able to refund fans because they already spent it.
Martinez: No, not really. I’ve had conversations with my inner circle about how some companies won’t come back from this. They just won’t be as motivated. After being trapped in our homes for months, the simplest things like going to a restaurant will feel like accomplishments. People might not need such a grand gesture as putting on an independent wrestling show to get their satisfaction. I do feel the wrestling scene will be very healthy once we get out of this. It might be chance for younger promotions to step up.
Kavanagh: Nope. Our roster is a bunch of guys in their 30s – we’ve all been doing shows together for years. Most of them just do it for fun. We’re just trying to do one fun show every quarter to give the fans their money’s worth. The independent wrestling companies that will probably close down are the ones who missed WrestleMania Week.
West: No. That would be unfair to a lot of people. Of course, there are days that we’ve all woken up thinking, what the hell are we doing? It’s very scary financially for a lot of people. Outside of wrestling, I’m down to one freelance gig. But I’m lucky enough we didn’t lose a ton of money with Synergy. I’ve always been relentlessly stubborn and a little stupid, so we’re not going anywhere, whether or not that’s the smart decision.
Tremont: Not at all. I’m 31 years old and have been in this business since I was 17. I’ve worked too hard and have overcome too many obstacles to fold up shop. I’m doing everything I can to keep our doors open. Our students are my motivation. I’m keeping it open so they can follow their dream, just like I was able to.
How have you been keeping busy?
Armstrong: People’s safety and health is beyond money and wrestling. I’ve had a couple friends we’ve lost because of the virus. I was exposed so I’ve been quarantined for 14 days. It’s kind of a mini-vacation to be honest with you. Obviously, it can have different effects on different people. Luckily, I’ve got good family around me and have been just enjoying some time with them.
Martinez: Lucha Brutal is more of a passion project for me. When you put so much time and work into something and it’s taken away from you, that can be a big blow. We’ve started The Time Limit Draw podcast just to interact with our fans. We talk wrestling and other sports and entertainment, too. It’s more of an escape than an attempt to stay relevant.
There are two other guys I work really closely with to put on these shows, so we’ve been staying in contact trying to plan our next moves. Once states are allowed to have a certain number of people in one place at a time, a lot of independent wrestling companies are going to try to put on a show as soon as they can. We’re not. We’re going to take calculated steps.
Kavanagh: After work, I try to hit up one or two guys to check in with. We’ll talk about the wrestling world and the good, ol’ days. Everybody has been staying in touch and doing well.
I actually got the coronavirus in late February. I had bad stomach pains and was throwing up. I just got back from Miami a couple days before. I did the Teladoc thing and he prescribed me something. My wife didn’t want the kids to get it, so they pre-emptively left and went to her parents’ house in North Carolina for three weeks. A week and a half after I talked to the doctor, the news reported the coronavirus symptoms, so I asked whether I should get tested. The doctor said I probably had it, but it’s not worth getting tested now.
I didn’t feel well and couldn’t sleep, but that was for only two or three days. Food poisoning was way worse. Of course, I’m younger and don’t have any pre-existing conditions. While I was on the mend, I was so bored that I went on a spending spree snatching up Jakks Bone Crunching Action Figures.
West: I don’t understand the people who are disappearing right now. Just because this is happening doesn’t mean you can’t be making people happy. Synergy has done a compilation stream on FITE TV for a reduced price. We’ve also done a compilation stream with H20. On Twitter, we did a tournament where people voted on their favorite Synergy entrance theme. Just something fun, you know? I’ve also done watch-a-long parties of previous Synergy events and a series of interviews with TJ Crawford, Joey Silver and Anthony Gangone as part of the Synergy podcast. It was about getting to know them outside the ring, what are they going through, how are they doing mentally. Independent wrestling isn’t just about what goes inside the ring – it’s about the community.
It’s an AIW #PromoMaster Battle
— Synergy Pro Wrestling (@synergywrestle) May 1, 2020
BILL ALFONSO vs WES BARKLEY
Fonzie (@AlfonsoBill) is curious… why didn’t @WesBarkley tell him about PromoMaster? The legend goes in on the young man in this @aiwrestling battle.
But did Fonzie win? Scroll down for Wes’ response & to donate! pic.twitter.com/nICRnUvnef
The main thing we’ve been doing is #PromoMaster, a series of promo battles on social media. It’s a fundraiser for three pro wrestling schools: New England Pro Wrestling Academy, Absolute Intense Wrestling School and the H2O Wrestling Center. Representatives of each school have participated and it’s kind of like fantasy warfare. Wrestling schools are possibly the most important part of our business. If these schools aren’t training the future, we’re going to wake up one day and wonder where all the top guys and girls are.
Tremont: I’ve been trying to create some type of archived content with Smart Mark Video and IWTV. We’re a tight-knit family. We’ve all stayed in contact checking in on each other in our private group chats. I’ve been reaching out to the boys and trying to help them as much as I can. 50 bucks here and there, something to help buy groceries or put gas in the car. I just try to pay it forward because the amount of people who have helped us is overwhelming. Synergy’s #PromoMaster has helped support us and we’ve received some donations. The wrestling community really comes together in times like this.
Are you considering any changes for holding events in a post-coronavirus world?
Armstrong: I’ve seen promoter saying they’ll have chairs six feet apart. MVW won’t be running any kind of show like that. Until we get the “all clear “notice, we won’t be running any kind of show at all. Imagine having untrained people at the door with thermometers checking fans. It’s dangerous and stupid. Trying to do social distancing while running shows is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
If wrestling fans want to do something, here’s what you do: support independent wrestlers. Buy a T-shirt. You may think $20 or $30 for a shirt isn’t that much, but it may make a difference in helping that guy pay his cellphone bill for the month. We’ve seen WWE letting people go during this time and that company is certainly not hurting. Support independent wrestling and people who actually need it.
Martinez: Getting venues to hold events will be difficult after all of this. Some venues will be under new ownership and may refocus what they do. It might have an effect on us – we might have to start hunting for a new venue.
We had a lot of things lined up before this. We were going to be part of “Texas Forever” during WrestleMania Week as part of the GCW Collective. To get five independent wrestling companies all on the same page in Texas is very difficult and complicated. If GCW now wanted to do that show on a different weekend, it might be really hard for us to be part of it. I also had some arrangements with community partners, now that’s all on hold. We run every other month and we’re possibly going to increase to monthly shows. Now we have to relook at that.
A lot of wrestlers are having an identity crisis because wrestling is all they know. They’re going through some really hard times right now. We need to encourage them to get through this. “Texas Forever” is a mentality that we can handle anything. Once we come back, my biggest hope is that we’re able to work together better than ever before.
Kavanagh: I don’t think we’ll be making any long-term changes. Everybody will be big on hand sanitizer and social distancing for a few months, but we’re creatures of habit. Independent wrestling as we’ve come to know it will be back.
West: We’ll be making changes, but I won’t know what they’ll be until I see what’s out there. Maybe our events have to be outdoors or in front of a smaller crowd. Maybe we need to implement even more health and safety precautions backstage. The weirdest is going to be a wrestler coming through the curtain and not be able to give fans high fives and hugs. Look at a Nick Gage entrance. That’s not going to be a thing for at least a little while. That sucks, but it’s for the best for the moment.
There is nothing and I mean NOTHING like a Nick Gage entrance live. Here is me getting tossed into a brick wall and absolutely loving it. @GCWrestling_ #CrushedUp pic.twitter.com/XbA3n2WBvH
— Jonesy (@JonesyWasTaken) August 14, 2019
When we can finally run shows again, lots of people will be competing for the same talent on the same day. We’re going to find out who actually treats talent well and with respect. My job is to make sure that excitement level we had in the winter picks up right where we left off.
Tremont: Things are changing every day – we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. June 20 is our four-year anniversary show. I’m hoping everything is good by then, but I really don’t know. As far as changes, our last live event was March 14, right before everything shut down. We took a hit as far as attendance goes, but we took as many safety precautions as possible. I don’t think it’s ever going to be normal again, though. We’ll have to adapt to a new lifestyle.
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