Hello sheep. Dr. Payne here. For my first column in Wrestling Psychology, I decided to do what it seems like every other
wrestler in the indies (and quite a few that are/were in the big leagues) does at some point in their career.
Do A Shoot Interview
See, it seems to me that anyone that is having a lull in their career, simply has to grab either a home video camera
or a website and spill their guts about their lives(both personal and professional), their careers, the business in general,
or whatever grain of sand found its way into their vagina that morning. Then of course, you little sheep eat it up, and pass
around the video tapes or forward the web addies, all the while feeling that perhaps, just perhaps, you and your friends
got a special little glimpse into the REAL world of professional wrestling.
NEWSFLASH
You're not REALLY getting a glimpse into the world of wrestling through these "shoots". What you are getting
is the last ditch tirade of a person that , perhaps at one time, WAS a worker, but now is nothing more than a whiney little
jaded bitch, and is looking for ANY sort of attention and media in order to revive their sagging careers. Let me
explain.
No matter who does the "shoot" interview, there are always the same complaints......
I got screwed on pay!!!
I should have been pushed instead of XXXXXXX!!!
XXXXXXX is a corrupt promoter!!!!
XXXXXXX stiffed me in a match!!!!
XXXXXXX is nothing but a green mark!!!!
I drove xxx many miles, and worked a two minute match for no pay!!!!!
So on and so on.
See, here's the thing. I've been a manager in the indies for just under five years now.I've probably managed or
done commentary on roughly 125 shows, and managed about 250 matches. Now, as a manager, I obviously don't
have to deal with nearly the same heart and headaches that my wrestlers do. YET, guess what? I've been screwed
on pay. I've done 24 hour roadtrips for an eight minute match. I've been stiffed. I've seen "greenies" in the ring that
my wrestler had to carry through a match.
Now I don't want what I just wrote coming off as whining. See, I put up with the above shit for one really good reason.
THAT'S HOW THE FUCKIN BUSINESS IS! THIS SHIT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE!!!
Does it suck that sometimes the workers don't get paid? Yes.
Does it suck that some guys get pushed that shouldn't? Yes.
Does it suck that there are corrupt promoters out there? Yes.
But there is a solution. Instead of crying like a fucking twelve year old girl about it,why don't you be a man?
You didn't get the push you felt you deserved? Train harder, hit the gym, get some charisma. If all that fails, maybe
you just plain ol' suck and don't deserve the push. You had someone shoot on you in the ring? Toughen up, ya bitch!
You got shortchanged on your pay? Either beat the money out of the promoter, or chalk it up to a loss. You had a shitty
match with a greenie? EVERYONE has had to do this, and you were a greenie at some point too, asshole.
Basically, if you can't deal with the bullshit that always has been, and always will be, a part of this business, than
just friggin quit and keep your bitching to yourself. And for the love of God, keep your personal vendettas out
of the ears and eyes of the marks!!! It's called Kay-Fabe you dipshits!
Like I said, I've dealt with some of the headaches above, but these headaches also lead to the best part of this business.
the brotherhood Ya see, it's often going through some of the things that these workers "shoot" on that actually end up
bonding workers. I know one of the most interesting road trips I ever made involved 13 hours in a vehicle, and due to
some unforseen events, we never even made the show. Though everything went wrong, and we never got to work, we still
managed to have some fun that day.
Which brings me to my conclusion. While it might sound slightly contradictory, having a "shoot" interview about
shoot interviews, I'm merely pointing out what I consider to be the biggest problem I have with the "business". That's the
whiners and complainers that can't deal with the B.S. that flows through this wonderful world, so they decide to spew more
shit from their mouths. If you REALLY loved this business, you'd suck it up, and stop being so self-pitying and self-
righteous and realize that the goods COMPLETELY outweigh the bad. By quite a bit, if I say so.
Dr. Payne