The Rising Phoenix Introduction Part 2

 

Today as I enter back into professional wrestling with a new vision, I’m not sure what the current state of wrestling really is. After observing my generation’s influence on the new generation, I have seen yet another positive evolution of in-ring athleticism. A prime example of this evolution can be found in the work of many young wrestlers, and especially in the work of Jonathan Gresham. To me, he embodies all of the positive attributes of this new wave of wrestler. At the same time, accomplished wrestlers who inspired this new generation have expressed their disappointment in how dysfunctional some wrestling promotions have become. With that being said, and with many questions looming in my mind, I decided to go to the source for another perspective in order to make a democratic decision. To find the answers to my questions, I had to go to real wrestling fans.

Before selecting the fans I hoped to interview, I took the time to think about the fans I hoped to attract in the process of telling the new UWA story. I asked myself, ‘who will understand my new vision of professional wrestling?’ To answer this question, I took the time to think back on and understand the first generation of UWA fans. Obviously time has passed, so these fans are now slightly older and more than likely smarter. Some of these fans may have moved away from wrestling due to life restrictions, while some may have stepped back due to frustration or boredom with the sport. Regardless, if they are active or inactive original UWA fans, they are now older – which is a good thing, as I now pursue a more intellectually stimulating product.

The next question I had was, ‘what personal attributes will a next level UWA fan possess?’ First I identified my audience as being primarily male, in the age category of 25- 35. Within this demographic I am looking for a specific type of person. This person will be open minded to new concepts and ideas. They will more than likely identify with independent culture such as music, movies and general forms of art. This person will be very intelligent both spiritually and intellectually, which will allow them to connect the dots of what I hope will become a very complex form of storytelling. Most importantly, this person must have the ability to allow themselves to connect on a non-superficial level. Letting go and feeling connected is the single most important attribute of the next level UWA fan. This attribute is also the Achilles Heel of the entire project, as I find most people today to be very disconnected.

With these thoughts radiating through my mind, I thought back to the fans that posted on our message board and sent emails to us throughout the years. Some emails and posts were very heart felt, as fans opened up to show me who they really were. Others unfortunately were angry, as individuals demanded more of myself and my colleagues. Today and in the future, there is no place for mindless negativity in this project. With that said, obviously the fans who exhibited negative behaviour do not coincide with my new vision of who a UWA fan might be. After eliminating the negative fans from my mind, I remembered back to a time when I used to read our UWA Forum. I needed to find the fans who truly loved not just UWA but professional wrestling in general.

After about 6 months of careful thought, I selected fans to interview. To me, these fans may or may not possess all the attributes on my list, but they were indeed real wrestling fans. I knew in my heart they would give me honest answers as to what the true state of wrestling is today.

With my list of four names now in hand, all I had to do was find them and see if there was indeed a need for the new UWA.

The Rising Phoenix Project Introduction Part 1

 

From 1998 to 2008 the beauty I originally saw in professional wrestling disappeared from my view. My first trainer Ian, ‘Tyler Sylus’, known as Kid Grunge in the mid 90s, warned me that there were far more negative elements than positive ones in the wrestling business. Ian was someone I respected and listened to, but I thought my positive outlook would outshine any negative elements. In 2008, I realized I was wrong. The scales were unbalanced and I lost my battle with the negative side of professional wrestling. Although I had obtained all my personal goals, I wasn’t able to tip the scale back. With that being said, I don’t want to confuse people – there were, and still are many positive elements to be found in the wrestlers, promoters and fans. However, the unfortunate truth is that there are indeed more negatives than positives, causing the scale to lean toward the negative.

I saw this negativity for myself, smeared all over wrestling messages boards. I also heard it from the mouths of everyday people as I tried to hand them a flyer for one of our events. Proof of the overwhelming negativity in wrestling can also be found in a survey I conducted in 2007. We decided to have 15 000 flyers delivered before our final show of the year. The flyer itself was very professional looking, featuring the artwork of an accomplished illustrator named Derek Laufman. In addition to the general information, the flyer also stated in big bold letters, ‘present this flyer at the door and receive a 50% discount off entry’. Prior to this, we had always hand delivered flyers ourselves in parking lots of entertainment establishments like bars, clubs, and movie theaters. For this show we decided to take a different approach and had them delivered through The Mississauga News. By hiring a company to deliver them, we were able to target people living within a 3 kilometer radius of our venue. Most could have walked or ridden a bike to St. John’s Hall.

That evening we had a solid show planned, as it was our final show of the year. I knew core UWA fans would create an extra intense atmosphere during this show, which would be an amazing energy for new fans to feel. The day of the event came and we received only one flyer of the 15 000 that were delivered. Needless to say, I was very surprised. We still had a strong crowd of about 500 people that night, but I was expecting at least another 100 new fans. Mid-way through the show, the man who presented the flyer for the discount came back to the entry door. My mom, who was working the door still talks about how happy this guy was. With a big smile on his face, he handed my mom $5.00 and said, “I felt like I ripped you off.” After hearing this story, I felt that it was all worth it for that ultimate compliment.

The man then became a loyal UWA fan, coming to every show. However, the negative thought of wrestling in people’s minds still outweighed the positive. The stat is right there – 1 in 15 000 people living within a 3 kilometer radius of a wrestling event actually had the desire to come. Maybe they were busy, or maybe they just didn’t care about the ‘fake’ sport of professional wrestling.