Raze Lighting Run By Wunderkind
Independent wrestling has never looked so good.
They say that commentary can make a good match great. Production can do the same for a show.
Xander Marin is the top prodigy in pro wrestling, even though he’s never taken a bump. If you’ve watched WrestlePro, PPW or Synergy Pro Wrestling over the past couple years, you’ve seen his work. He’s the one-man team behind Raze Lighting, which transforms your average indie event into a spectacle.
In 2019, he provided and operated the lighting system for 17 events. He has nearly double that already booked for 2020.
It’s impressive for a kid that can’t even get his driver’s license yet.
“People are always so surprised that a 15 year old can do something like this,” Marin says. “I haven’t hit any issues mainly because I do such a good job and have done so many shows that people know what to expect. They’re not keeping kayfabe on me. They’re treating me like a normal person.”
The New Jersey native started watching wrestling in 2009, rooting for “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and Jack Swagger. While his friends and family gathered for pay-per-views, eagerly anticipating championship matches and the blow offs to feuds, Marin focused on the elaborate stages and entrances. “When I would play with my figures, I would build these realistic, awesome stages out of cardboard or whatever I could find,” he says. “The lighting and stages were so cool and clever. I wanted to know how it works.”
A couple of his friends worked for WrestlePro, including Brody from The Beach Bums. He facilitated Marin’s entry into the promotion, having him assist lighting board operator Chris Gardner. Once Marin got a taste, he was hooked. He soon bought four moving lights and asked Pat Buck, then-owner of WrestlePro, to give him a shot.
On July 6, 2018, Raze Lighting (inspired by the logo of Deerfield Beach, FL-based Burger Craze) officially launched in Union, NJ.
“My lighting looks professional,” Marin says. “When you go to a show and you see lighting on the ring, it looks like a show that has work put into it compared to just using the house lights. I’m hitting a market that no else has covered.”
Since that first gig, Marin has become more efficient, reducing setup time to three hours and take down to just over an hour. He’s also invested in better (and wireless) equipment. After a bad experience with cheap wires from eBay, he’s strayed from the thrifty approach and has purchased more expensive, high quality machinery. “My bank account is nearly zero after every show,” Marin says. “I know what I’m getting next and I know how long it’s going to take me to get it. I have a cool summer job at a camp which will help me pay for the majority of what I want.”
Marin realized he found his niche after Raze Lighting acquired its third customer. GO Pro Wrestling, a well-known production crew in New Jersey, requested his lighting capabilities for the company’s inaugural show “GO Big or GO Home” last September. Synergy owner Colin West was wowed by the design and immediately recruited Marin, later signing him to a contract. West wasn’t the only one blown away.
“Teddy Hart asked to see me and said, ‘this is the best indie lighting I have ever seen for a small event.’ That made me happy and clicked in my mind that I could really do this,” Marin says.
Of course, in order to get to all these shows, the youngster needs a lift. Luckily, his dad is a wrestling fan, catching every Raw, SmackDown and AEW Dynamite. “Without him, I wouldn’t be able to go to these gigs,” Marin says. “He always says he doesn’t care where he sits as long as he sees the ring.”
Traveling throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania over the past two years, Marin’s expanding into New York, Washington D.C. and even Iowa this year. For that last gig, it’s too costly to ship his equipment, so his dad has agreed to make the 16-hour drive as long as Marin covers the expenses. For excursions such as this one, he charges promoters for gas and tolls – so far only one has complained.
“The greatest compliment I’ve received is it’s worth paying what I charge,” Marin says.
Every single show I did this year 2019 which is in total of 17 shows from @PPWWrestling1, @GOProWrestling, @WrestlePro, and @synergywrestle pic.twitter.com/roWVXiIGGB
— Raze lighting (@RazeLighting) December 3, 2019
He charges $100 for setting up lights over the ring or for stage/entrance lighting and $150 if you want both over the ring and for the entrance. Bookings are on a first come, first serve basis, unless one of his primary customers like Synergy needs him.
“I get so many gig offers now that it’s kind of insane,” Marin says. “I have a show almost every single weekend. I wish companies communicated with each other to avoid running on the same day.”
The future is bright for the budding entrepreneur. In addition to working for more promotions in different states, Marin plans on buying his own archway to rent out for wrestlers’ entrances and acquiring top-notch moving lights for stages. When he’s finally able to get his license, there’ll be no stopping him.
“I live by the quote ‘if you get a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ I love this job and I’ll never get sick of it,” Marin says.
About Author
