Equity says pro wrestlers can be members

[ClassicsGuy]

I would be interested in hearing why exactly Alex Shane believes that the untapped British wrestling market is worth billions.

 

I think the fact that so many British stars are now in WWE and TNA, some of whom are in key positions, being relied upon to draw fans, illustrates the talent is there.

 

He said there was no reason why we could have the same level of business as the U.S., which I think is fair enough He never specified a timeframe for achieving this.

 

Look at the way British television concepts are imported to the U.S., e.g. Pop Idol, Strictly Come Dancing, and soon to be X-Factor.

 

Maybe British wrestling needs a Simon Cowell-type figure to take the concept of British wrestling, dress it up differently, and make it more acceptable to the masses in 2011.

 

In the same way Cowell himself took the concept of the dated-talent contest and turned it into a billion-pound contest, British wrestling needs someone to make the concept relevant again to the masses, and I think what Big Benny HG posted above was right on the mark.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Give Alex his dues, he certainly has the midas touch when it comes to creating debate about British wrestling.

 

And to answer Majik's question about Equity rates. Alex has already said on his facebook that the BWC will set the rates. Obviously they will be higher than normal Equity rates as once you are a member of Equity why would you work for less than the going rate?

[IANdrewDiceClay]

In the same way Cowell himself took the concept of the dated-talent contest and turned it into a billion-pound contest, British wrestling needs someone to make the concept relevant again to the masses, and I think what Big Benny HG posted above was right on the mark.

That was a dated talent show concept, but it was built around music, which will always be marketable and popular because everyone loves music. If someone put their money into banking on a British Wrestling promotion becoming popular and profitable, it would be hard to see this ever happening. Especially with what is currently popular on TV these days. It would be like trying to bring Bullseye back.

[Super Cena]

In the same way Cowell himself took the concept of the dated-talent contest and turned it into a billion-pound contest, British wrestling needs someone to make the concept relevant again to the masses, and I think what Big Benny HG posted above was

 

Comparing wrestling to music is as far fetched as the initial claim about the British wrestling business being worth billions.

 

Cowell could dress up a chess club, have Dermot O'Leary present the show and slap it on at eight o'clock on a Saturday night and it would do better business than a wrestling show would at the moment.

 

There are a thousand and one things that would come before pro wrestling in terms of taking forms of entertainment mainstream in this country.

[1PW]

Give Alex his dues, he certainly has the midas touch when it comes to creating debate about British wrestling.

 

And to answer Majik's question about Equity rates. Alex has already said on his facebook that the BWC will set the rates. Obviously they will be higher than normal Equity rates as once you are a member of Equity why would you work for less than the going rate?

 

 

Thats utter bull. how that can be done i have no clue as to be a part of Equity, at bare minimum is

[Snitsky's back acne]

In the same way Cowell himself took the concept of the dated-talent contest and turned it into a billion-pound contest, British wrestling needs someone to make the concept relevant again to the masses, and I think what Big Benny HG posted above was right on the mark.

That was a dated talent show concept, but it was built around music, which will always be marketable and popular because everyone loves music. If someone put their money into banking on a British Wrestling promotion becoming popular and profitable, it would be hard to see this ever happening. Especially with what is currently popular on TV these days. It would be like trying to bring Bullseye back.

 

They did bring Bullseye back! Mind you, the fact you didn't know that shows how well it did.

[Super Cena]

Let's say that I'm an aspiring wrestler looking to make a career in the industry; I've just started to get bookings and I'm looking to progress further up the ladder.

 

Where do I go from here? Do I wrestle for a company like FWA and get my travelling costs paid for, yet be out of pocket for the time I've spent supposedly working.

 

Do I join the BWC, whatever that entails? Or do I just join this Equity group?

 

If I'm a promoter looking to get the best wrestlers onto my card that my fund allow me to, do I look towards performers whom are a member of the Equity group, yet have to pay them all sorts of royalties?

 

I don't understand who this is supposed to be benefiting?

[1PW]

Let's say that I'm an aspiring wrestler looking to make a career in the industry; I've just started to get bookings and I'm looking to progress further up the ladder.

 

Where do I go from here? Do I wrestle for a company like FWA and get my travelling costs paid for, yet be out of pocket for the time I've spent supposedly working.

 

Do I join the BWC, whatever that entails? Or do I just join this Equity group?

 

If I'm a promoter looking to get the best wrestlers onto my card that my fund allow me to, do I look towards performers whom are a member of the Equity group, yet have to pay them all sorts of royalties?

 

I don't understand who this is supposed to be benefiting?

 

It benefits the worker more as they are more protected by various extra's (private health care was one point pointed out to me) it will help get a better standard in wrestling, but it will not happen over night by any means. this could easily take a long time. any promotion could "employ" you to work for the promotion Equity or not it would just make the standards better. as for the Royalties, as long as the wrestler knows they wont get a take on the DVD sales. i would happily use a worker on the Equity scheme now i know a lot more about it.

 

however, do i see this really taking off? nope. i cant see a lot of wrestlers wanting to pay out a minimum of at least

[Super Cena]

^ If I were a trained wrestler then I seriously doubt that I would join up to this. Surely if I was apart of the group, then the chances of me getting booked in an already over-saturated market would diminish even further?

[Loki]

It depends. If the big names refused to work on shows with non-Equity workers, then it might. Make a clear division between the "professional" companies and the amateur pisstake companies.

 

This all sounds veeeery familiar though - what happened to the last plan to professionalise BritWres, which was much touted on here, also involving Alex Shane I believe, about a system of registered training schools with a "belt" system and all that? Is that up and running or did it die a death?

[Astro Hollywood]

It depends. If the big names refused to work on shows with non-Equity workers, then it might. Make a clear division between the "professional" companies and the amateur pisstake companies.

 

This all sounds veeeery familiar though - what happened to the last plan to professionalise BritWres, which was much touted on here, also involving Alex Shane I believe, about a system of registered training schools with a "belt" system and all that? Is that up and running or did it die a death?

 

And what about that Project Mayhem style house, where trainees would pay four grand, or whatever it was, to sleep in bunks in a big communal building and do nothing but train for three months?

[GlennCullen]

I was going to go into a big diatribe about this but think it can be summed up in 4 words...

 

What a fucking joke.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Give Alex his dues, he certainly has the midas touch when it comes to creating debate about British wrestling.

 

And to answer Majik's question about Equity rates. Alex has already said on his facebook that the BWC will set the rates. Obviously they will be higher than normal Equity rates as once you are a member of Equity why would you work for less than the going rate?

 

 

Thats utter bull. how that can be done i have no clue as to be a part of Equity, at bare minimum is

[David]

Make a clear division between the "professional" companies and the amateur pisstake companies.

This is the main aim of anyone or any company that wishes to make British wrestling more than a joke in this country, surely? What we need to see more than anything is a minimum standard of practice right across the board when it comes to working conditions, contracts, visas, promotion etc.

 

Whilst the situation we currently have exists, where any imbecile in his early twenties can buy himself an ill-fitting suit and play at being Vince whilst making one fuck-up after another, we aren't going to ever see British wrestling veiwed as anything other than a farce.

 

I'd prefer to see a "union" of sorts take effect in such a way as the talent refusing to work for any company that doesn't meet a minimum standard of conditions. This would quickly see the numpties and the moronic "promoters" fall by the wayside leaving us with a smaller number of solid, reliable promotions that are run by people who actually have a clue about what they're doing.

 

If this were to happen, and these reliable promotions were to receive something like an official seal of approval that could be placed on all advertising and so forth we may actually see people willing to put their hands in their pockets as they will have confidence that the talent advertised will show up, and that they won't get robbed by some chump just out of high school who didn't have a clue what he was doing.

[Deaq]

If this were to happen, and these reliable promotions were to receive something like an official seal of approval that could be placed on all advertising and so forth we may actually see people willing to put their hands in their pockets as they will have confidence that the talent advertised will show up, and that they won't get robbed by some chump just out of high school who didn't have a clue what he was doing.

 

No seal of approval in the UK will make people part with there cash. Most of the fans at UK wrestling shows consist of, a small amount of net marks (a very small amount) these are the only people in attendance who would understand what the seal of approval is for, then if its a shit show then loads of friends and family of the wrestlers/promoter who are on the show make up the crowd (which will go no matter how good or bad the show is). But if a wrestling company draw's well and make money it's kids and family's that come and fill up your seats. None of them really check online and wont know anything about the different promotions out there. They all put wrestling under the same bracket, I have worked venues that have got 250 every month then some shit backyarding company has run the venue or a venue runs a show filled with tributes on gets some many complaints they just stop doing wrestling shows, when you go back to these venues after the shitty promotion has run it you are lucky to get 40 people in as they just think its the same as last time, If you want to go down the route of a seal of approval it would need to be aimed at the venues that put the shows on. This way the good venues only use company's who are members and have a seal of approval. Aiming it at fans just would not work at all. It would also mean that the better venues always have good shows on and send the paying customer home happy, which hopefully means they can go back in a few months and build the venue up more.