Rick1PW

Oh thats nothing new... they kicked me of while being just a reading member...I guess he didn't want me to read anymore of his lies. Now that I look back at it since I arranged Bret Hart for him. The people deserved it... he didn't ...

I won't be promoting wrestlingshows soon if that's what you mean... but I was involved (in a similar job as in 1PW) in this past weekends APW/TNA Portugal shows and had a lot of fun over there. Thanks for asking :-)

The sad thing is that 1PW could have been something quite special indeed. They had the resources, the contacts, the hard work and the best intentions, as well as an undeniable will to plough it all into the product....it's just a shame they went about it all the wrong way.One-off supershows, laden with big name (and big money) international stars and aimed at the "smarter" internet fanbase are fine. You undoubtedly get people willing to travel long distances to see this type of show since it is one which is specifically designed to cater to their own personal likes and dislikes in terms of wrestling. As such, these fans are willing to pay a premium price for tickets, since they are getting something directly catering to them. You'll take a fortune on merchandise, "fan slams" etc due to fans wanting to make the most of this special one-off occasion. You can afford to bring in the big names, since you'll be making a stack on the gate and at the stalls.But that's the key. It only works to perfection when they are one-off. The model does not lend itself to a regular promotion, running shows every couple of months.And that was the initial appeal of 1PW - "Come and see the international stars". "Come and see international dream matches". It was a chance for UK fans to feel a part of something like TNA or ROH. At first, it didn't matter that all 1PW was doing was taking these big name performers and putting them in meaningless, soulless exhibition matches - since people were turning up just to see the wrestlers. People would turn up to see the work-rate. People would turn up to chant "This is awesome (clap clap clapclapclap)!" and "Thank You Steven (clap clap clapclapclap)!".Instead of moving on, gradually phasing out the big name stars in place of establishing cheaper home-grown names and using clever booking to create a genuine connection between performance and audience (which would in itself give fans a reason to come back again and again), they continued to rely on the top-line, big-name, top-dollar US indy stars. It eventually got to the point where the 1PW fanbase wouldn't accept anything less, with the only guys the 1PW fans giving a damn about was these big imports. British guys like Jack Storm, Dave Moralez, Spud, Jody Fleisch etc were not wanted by 1PW fans, and were treated with disdain or, even worse, complete apathy. So, 1PW had to continue to shell out for the AJ Styles' and such like, since they had conditioned their own fans into not accepting anything less.A side-effect of all of his was that they created a loyal, cult-like following who they were happy to feed, but they weren't managing to interest anyone else. The DVDs of their events were abysmal, and that abomination of a TV show was attrocious. It hardly portrayed them in the best light, and it came as absolutely no surprise to me when it came out that effectively, zero people were watching them on TWC. The fact that 1PW had run out of new top-name indy stars to bring over meant that once fans had seen them, there was no reason to go back. If these same indy stars had been involved in well-booked, story-driven contests as opposed to the meaningless, soulless exhibition bouts I referred to earlier, it might have been different. So, it came down to having to attract the same blindly-loyal people back to their shows again and again, which admittedly they did, but remember it was this very same loyal cult following which had come to expect nothing short of the excesses they had been treated with over the first series of shows. And it went on like this...and on....and on...Aside from the creative issues, there were also commercial ones. 1PW made no secret of the fact that they wanted to be the biggest and the best, and that they would pay stupid amounts of money to become recognised as just that. British guys were paid over the odds, some earning up to 5 times their normal rates. Managers and non-wrestling people were paid 3 figure sums. The money spent on bringing the same imports back again and again must have been astronomical. The money reportedly spent on securing the services of Bret Hart and Christian Cage was ludicrous. But, having made that bed, they had to lie in it. British workers openly mocked Gauntley for paying what he was, admitting that he wasn't going to last but they were sure as hell going to get a piece of it while they could. International talent like Low-Ki reportedly charged Gauntley waaay more than their usual fee, simply because they knew they could.They fell out with wrestling press, wrestling promoters, television people, production companies, wrestling staff etc, all of whom could have benefitted them in the long run if their attitude had been better. Steven Gauntley, for all his hard work, dedication and effort, managed to become the laughing stock of the internet - the very same people his product was aimed directly at, for the most part - with his rants and "Fuck the world! 1P-Dub! 1P-Dub!" stance on every bit of sleaze which came up. People even began to revel in 1PW's increasing misfortunes.I think the saddest part of all of it is that I'm not sorry to see 1PW die. Over 18 months ago, before their very first show, people were making the very same observations, criticisms and warnings about their model (both from an in-ring and out-of-ring perspective) that they were at the very end. The fact that they were seemingly blind to all of this is perhaps the underlined reason why today's annoucement has come. Over the past few months, where the dirt and sleaze on 1PW have really been dished (and from very reliable sources), it was apparent to all but the most naive of 1PW "fanboys" that there were problems, and the constant denial and "them and us" attitude from anyone associated with 1PW officially or unofficially became comical.I met Steven and Rosie, and the overwhelming impression I got from them was the undeniable desire to pour their heart and soul into 1PW, and to give the fans what they thought they wanted. Their determination and hard-work should be admired, I just don't agree with the way they went about it. In short, their idea of what constitutes pro wrestling was very different from my own.Another sad thing, is that 1PW haven't made a single difference to pro wrestling. Despite all their grand shows, grand intentions and grand promises, the wrestling industry is exactly the same on the day they have died as it was the day they were born...

I would like to point out (again) since I made the arrangements for Bret and Christian that we are not talking about amazing amounts. In fact I got Bret for a lower price then he normally gets and Christians pay was fair also. I read people saying that they got paid 5000/10000 and even 20000 pounds which is absurd. I am sure (since I am hearing all of the stories now aswell which I compare to my own experiences) that the truth will come out soon and I don't think everybody will think the same about the Gauntleys as they did before. In Holland there is a saying called a Wolf in Sheep Clothes... that is what this story is beginning to look like.

Arrogant first statement: announcing that you are the ONLY UK promotion to air on the wrestling channel for the next 5 years..... only then to realise that doesn