Welsh Wrestling on BBC Breakfast

[wrestlingmad]

Those skinny trainees ruined that clip for me. It was a good piece until they turned up, they made it look like PTW. Or for the casual BBC Breakfast watcher a joke. Shame cause Bison and Mason came off real well and the piece overall praised wrestling.

 

First thing that came to my mind was

[knightmare]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

I've been fortunate that every experience i've had with the BBC has been a good one and has led onto something else. I've just had Real Radio call me about this mornings feature, and they now want to speak to us on air about upcoming shows.

 

i am really surprised if you thought that was good for wrestling, James and the other lad was ok, then it went downhill fast but as long as you are happy with it thats fine.

I genuinely haven't seen it. I knew James and Bison were involved, but knew nothing of the two that were sent down from All Star.

 

And honestly, i'm not too bothered whether it was good for wrestling or not. The fact that the most listened to radio station in Wales (outside of BBC radio one and two) have already called me to get us on the air to plug upcoming shows, tells me that it's already been good for my business. And that's whats important to me.

 

That response surprises me Buddy heard great things about you but each to their own.

 

I appreciate that, and like you said it's each to their own. I'm assuming the thing that has surprised you is my comment on not being bothered whether it showed wrestling in a good light?

 

Maybe I should re-word it. I don't care how wrestling is portrayed by the media because like you referred to yourself, the media is very self-serving. All I care about when I deal with the media is that I get something out of it. Now when it comes to my shows and the people who pay money to attend and support us, that's completely different, I care deeply about how wrestling and my promotion is portrayed.

 

I do think people need to remember what wrestling is though. I know what it is, and I know what it isn't. And what it isn't - is a sport. So I never try to legitimise it in the eyes of the public or even to the media, I just try to sell it. Because that's what it is, a buisness. And like every other business, you have to sell the product to make the money. And I genuinely believe that the reason why i've only ever had good dealings with the media is because i've never insulted their intelligence or pretended that wrestling is something it isn't. I've spoken to them the way I would speak to any of my other business colleagues, and made sure that we both get what we want from the deal.

 

Ok Buddy no probs. We have done loads of media work over the years, liked some of it, hated others we have just finished a fly on the world documentary with C4 Who have been great to work with, We dont say wrestlings real but it can still be put over with a positive slant on it. I have already stated its only BBC i have problems with but thats only my opinion. Anyway keep up the good work buddy with your company.

[Ravenhill Promotions]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

I've been fortunate that every experience i've had with the BBC has been a good one and has led onto something else. I've just had Real Radio call me about this mornings feature, and they now want to speak to us on air about upcoming shows.

 

i am really surprised if you thought that was good for wrestling, James and the other lad was ok, then it went downhill fast but as long as you are happy with it thats fine.

I genuinely haven't seen it. I knew James and Bison were involved, but knew nothing of the two that were sent down from All Star.

 

And honestly, i'm not too bothered whether it was good for wrestling or not. The fact that the most listened to radio station in Wales (outside of BBC radio one and two) have already called me to get us on the air to plug upcoming shows, tells me that it's already been good for my business. And that's whats important to me.

 

That response surprises me Buddy heard great things about you but each to their own.

 

I appreciate that, and like you said it's each to their own. I'm assuming the thing that has surprised you is my comment on not being bothered whether it showed wrestling in a good light?

 

Maybe I should re-word it. I don't care how wrestling is portrayed by the media because like you referred to yourself, the media is very self-serving. All I care about when I deal with the media is that I get something out of it. Now when it comes to my shows and the people who pay money to attend and support us, that's completely different, I care deeply about how wrestling and my promotion is portrayed.

 

I do think people need to remember what wrestling is though. I know what it is, and I know what it isn't. And what it isn't - is a sport. So I never try to legitimise it in the eyes of the public or even to the media, I just try to sell it. Because that's what it is, a buisness. And like every other business, you have to sell the product to make the money. And I genuinely believe that the reason why i've only ever had good dealings with the media is because i've never insulted their intelligence or pretended that wrestling is something it isn't. I've spoken to them the way I would speak to any of my other business colleagues, and made sure that we both get what we want from the deal.

 

Ok Buddy no probs. We have done loads of media work over the years, liked some of it, hated others we have just finished a fly on the world documentary with C4 Who have been great to work with, We dont say wrestlings real but it can still be put over with a positive slant on it. I have already stated its only BBC i have problems with but thats only my opinion. Anyway keep up the good work buddy with your company.

 

I appreciate that pal, and good luck with your business and that documentary too.

[Ravenhill Promotions]

Those skinny trainees ruined that clip for me. It was a good piece until they turned up, they made it look like PTW. Or for the casual BBC Breakfast watcher a joke. Shame cause Bison and Mason came off real well and the piece overall praised wrestling.

 

First thing that came to my mind was

That's annoyed me too. If they needed more bodies all they had to do was ask and I would've sent a few guys over who look like wrestlers. Anyone who knows me knows how strongly I feel for wrestlers needing to 'look like wrestlers'.

 

One thing I will add about those two young boys though, they are both very young and have plenty of time to grow. They're both very respectful towards the business and are also good wrestlers with a good future ahead of them. I don't want it to come across that they're no good because of their size, because thats not true. They've done a couple of handicap matches for me at some of the English jobs, and always do a good job. Here's a video of one >> Handicap match

[Richie Freebird]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

 

I don

[knightmare]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

 

I don

[wrestlingmad]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

 

I don

[knightmare]

BBC Has only one interest in wrestling thats, taking the piss, every experience working with the BBC Has been a bad one.

 

I don

[Tommy!]

It made wrestling look stupid and hokey.

 

To be fair wrestling is stupid and hokey isn't it. Your never going to get away from that.

 

That's not to knock it or anything. To do it takes some skill, and to do it well takes a fucking load of skill and hard work and that shouldn't be undersold but you can't escape the fact that at its root to the general public it's a panto with lots of falling over because in truth that's what it is isn't it.

 

I watched the clip in the OP and I think it was great and it put over a very genuine feel of wrestling, the genuine work, effort and skill involved without it sounding overblown or contrived. It showed it does take skill and dedication, athletic prowess and so on without making it sound a massive joke or trying to make it super cereal.

It showed it in a wonderful light which would be encouraging to the mass public, I don't think you could hope for anything better.

 

ohh, and any chance to share this again just because I love it.

 

[Brian Elliott]

I thought the piece was fine by previous standards. They put over the skill and dedication required to be a British wrestler while still not insulting anyone by saying it's 100% real. They clearly said that the two young guys were trainees, so I didn't find that offensive. The thing with the protective ball was daft, but the joke was on the presenter, and not on the wrestlers.

[patiirc]

Oddly that isn't the first time that Mike Bushell has covered wrestling for his Saturday morning slot at the weird and wonderful world of sport, he has done everything from Drag Racing to Bog Snorkling to Ultimate and so on. It must have been about 5 years ago that he first covered it. There isnt anything on youtube that I can find though. He wrestled in that as well.

 

So he was in a 'bubble' I think it was trying to get over how much it would actually hurt and get away from the fakeness that pervades in the British Psyche to some extent, ergo he took measures to protect himself. I quite liked the report. It made wrestling look larger than life, fun and accessable to all.

 

Seems that others see it differently though.

[MungoChutney]

I seem to be a minority of one at the minute! I'll maybe go back and watch it again later but my initial, honest reaction was that I hated it. I thought the supidity of the zorb was OTT, yes even for wrestling. It may well be its a wrestling related reaction given how others have enjoyed it. There's example throughout wrestling where some people hate something that's teremed a classic by others

[CTXRussomark]

For a fluff piece airing on BBC Breakfast I thought it was unbelievably respectful to the business. They gave the guys time to explain what it's like being in the business and how difficult it is, and the presenter being in the bubble just reinforced that not just anyone can get in there and do it. I understand what people are saying about the trainees but they were both presented as such whereas the proper wrestlers actually looked like wrestlers, so I didn't have much of a problem with it. For someone who grew up dreading any time wrestling was mentioned on mainstream TV I thought it was a great little piece.

[Forrest]

Knightmare's sig is excessive. Well done to Bison for getting a big platform like that.

[AshC]

Two thoughts -

 

1) Surely the deal with the Bodyzorb was putting over that in a normal wrestling match the presenter would have been killed, which to me shows a certain respect.

2) Interesting to see people jump all over this when getting comments on the Lembit thing was like getting blood from a stone. Perhaps as there was nothing to criticise, and few were keen to pat a so-called "foam finger promotion" on the back for doing a better reality angle than the reality-obsessed ones do.