How to start your own Pro Wrestling promotion
Have you ever wondered how to start your own independent professional wrestling promotion or company? Well, if YouTube subscribers are any indication, then you aren’t alone. At around 4,500 subscribers, Indy Wrestling School on YouTube goes over every facet of the industry from start to finish.
With thousands of shows under his belt, Ryan Kavanagh who ran Pro Wrestling WORLD-1 and now ECWA introduces fans of all experience levels to what goes on backstage in independent professional wrestling with a realistic and honest assessment.
Look I never expected to see 100 subscribers to my channel let alone over 4,000. I don’t take that for granted. It’s something I enjoy doing and enjoy talking about, and I know wrestling fans can sometimes get a negative rap, sometimes justifiably so, but I’ve been so lucky in that the subscribers feel very like-minded. It’s like we built our own wrestling community, and it’s been overwhelmingly positive. Like I said I know the audience is a niche one. Not only do you have to find pro wrestling fans, but then fans who like independent pro wrestling, and of that incredibly small number you then have to find the ones interested in started their own promotion. From there you have to find people who are interested enough to actually subscribe.
The channel features a lot of how-to videos and other questions he gets from people looking to get into the business. He also recently began a backyard series called Backyard Wrestling Cinema, which covers his time as a backyard wrestler and backyard wrestler booker.
I really subscribe to the “one for them one for me” theory. The backyard series is something I always wanted to do and I know full well there will not be a huge audience for it. It’s just a need I have to create. The series is done kind of tongue and cheek, taking the incredibly frivolous world of backyard wrestling and speaking so serious about it, because we all believed it was just that at 16 years old. Then, being able to look back at stuff we did and mistakes with did with the eyes of a 36 year old, if nothing else I think it makes for an entertaining 6-8 minute story every other week and I’m super proud of it.
Recently he added to his weekly uploads by adding a book and Masterclass series on his website. You can find Indy Wrestling School on instagram or you can subscribe to the official YouTube channel for new videos every week!
About Author
Your Indy Wrestling School videos are light-hearted yet informative. I was watching “The Most Important Jobs In Professional Wrestling”, and when it comes to ring announcing (which I have done, along with on-camera hosting & play-by-play), it reminded me of a real life situation that took place during the late 1980s. This small independent wrestling promoter in the Midwest told me about this one old man he had as a ring announcer, who was showing “signs of his age”. Not only was this old guy’s ring announcing very slow and monotone (and rather Mr. Magoo-ish), but during a match, out of nowhere, this elderly ring announcer started doing ring announcements DURING THE MIDDLE OF AN ACTUAL MATCH! This ruined the match and killed all the momentum. This promoter admitted to me that he hired this particular ring announcer out of personal friendship and sympathy (which got in the way of the presentation and professionalism). Ryan Kavanaugh and IWS, blessings to you and a straight up thumbs up from “Straight Up” John Watanabe!