A year after becoming a photographer for the Pro Wrestling Xpress promotion,which runs shows about two minutes from Penn State Greater Allegheny, I heard about a new promotion staring in Butler, PA, where Far North Wrestling runs shows and I helped out at their shows setting up before so I was familiar with the type of wrestling crowds in Butler, a family type of crowd. This new promotion was called "Extreme Wrestling Alliance," which is a blatant rip off of Extreme Championship Wrestling that was a national company, but closed in 2001. Since the demise of ECW, many company tried to copy it, but they all end up shutting down because people know a rip off when they see it. Knowning this and seeing that EWA had booked two former ECW "stars," I basically knew it wasn't going to work, but since I'm a communications major, I e mailed the EWA and asked them if they needed a commentator for the show. A few e mails later I was booked for the show and I was getting paid so even if it only lasted a few shows, at least it was a start. I even got a few of my buddies spots as "security guards," which worked out for everyone because I didn't know anyone at the show so I bought them along and they got into the show for free. This sounds as if it's going a little too much according to plan...
We arrived at the building at 5 pm with the bell time being at 7:30 and after we got there, we introduced ourselves to the "promoter," Joe Rogers. Over the next two hours, anytime we tried to ask the promoter a question, we would get a "I'll be right with you" response and literally thirty minutes before bell time, I did not have a run sheet of what was booked for the show. Thankfully, BC Steele, who works PWX too was also booked for the show and brought note cards about ten minutes before the show was going to start.
I called four matches and it was fun to get to work with Ben, who was also doing commentary for the show. Intermission started and the ring announcer said the two ECW "stars," Mahoney and Justin Credible would be taking Polaroids in the ring, but a few minutes later the ring was empty so I went to see what was going on towards the front of the building. I've seen some ridiculous things at a wrestling show, but as I got to the front of the building I was told that the promoter, Joe Rogers took the money and ran during intermission. After hearing this, I seen Mahoney, who was still bleeding from the match he wrestled a few minutes earlier, leaving a vulgar voice mail for the promoter. The phone call was captured on video and was posted on YouTube following the show, but was deleted. Eventually, the second half of the show was organized so that the fans didn't get ripped off, but there was no reason to commentate the rest of the show if it wasn't going to be on DVD so my buddy, Johanson and I left to go to the nearest restaurant to watch the UFC pay-per-view that was starting about thirty minutes after we left the building. Yes, the first show I get to work where I would get paid, the promoter runs away and no one gets paid. I told you I should have read books instead of watching wrestling.
To sum up this story, since this blog is getting too long and I doubt anyone will read this much of it anyway, the promoter did actually send me the money for the show six months after it and I appericate that he did the right thing to pay everyone for the show. Check back in a few days and I should have another post explaining how I actually got started announcing for some of the local wrestling promotions. Since I mentioned ECW in this post, if I can use technology correctly, I'm going to include a cool clip from the promotion. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog and I hope you will check back for the next post for the blog.
