I have to admit that while watching Wrestlemania 28, I was hoping to see a thunderstorm. Not that I get easily amused when a live program suffers from technical difficulties caused by the forces of nature, but how it would have forced the talent in the ring to adapt to their current situation. What would have happened if an unexpected element interfered with their match, that would throw them off the creative course with puzzled eyes as if someone had just asked them, “What is the best online poker site?”

Pro wrestling matches have become so choreographed that it’s almost like watching a dance competition. Each move has been carefully planned, thought out and rehearsed. There’s no instinct. No room for improvisation. No psychology. The magic from the art is gone.

So when it was announced that Mania 28 had chosen an outdoor venue in Miami, Florida, I had small inner grin that if there was something to shake up the dance, it would be mother nature herself. What if tropical thunder storms hit the sky that night? A downpour of rain submerges the ring and the talent is lost, not knowing what to do. Even if fans left the building because they could no longer withstand the conditions – the show would go on. How can you reschedule Wrestlemania Sunday? It’s impossible. The same way you can’t reschedule Super Bowl Sunday. Nobody walks out there with the critical news saying, “Sorry boys. Too much rain. We’ll do it again next Sunday”. They’d look at you confused and in need of a useful poker guide to just to learn how to read the “tell” on your face. What do you tell the sponsors who paid millions to have their ad spot aired at a particular time and impending sales hinged on the broadcast debut? Afterall, Vince McMahon made sure the show stayed on the night that Owen Hart died live on the air.

I wonder if a rain shower would have confused the talent in the ring and their ability to effectively tell a story. Would have the show been botched and storylines reexplained the following night on RAW? Would creative nonchalantly ran the planned match with the blow off spots at the following PPV, Over The Limit?

Then again, this could have been a things of beauty. The rain used as a foreign object. The puddles offering a special visual effect with every body slam. The landscape would have been a cinematic vision like Obi Wan Kenobi battling Jango Fett in Attack of The Clones, or Mel Gibson fighting Jet Li in Lethal Weapon 4…or Neo battling all those Agent Smith’s in that terrible third Matrix movie nobody ever talks about. I’m sure you get the picture.

The concept of holding an outdoor event has always raised my ears in interest because I would curious to see what happens in a code red situation. Hopefully in my lifetime, that fantasy will come true.

You meet some pretty interesting people in the pro wrestling business. You realize that outside of the characters they portray on television, they actually are human beings. Like you and I, they are people with hopes, dreams, problems, stress, and doubt. The know that at any given moment, they may no longer be the flavor of the month or that their spot on the roster might be compromised when a new star is on the rise. When people ask me what it’s like to work with wrestlers, I simply tell them that sometimes it’s the equivalent of babysitting an adult.

You may have followed some of my previous posts where I’ve discussed some backstage stories that I encountered during my time in the business. Some stories are better than others, and some offer more gossip to a rumor you may have heard. But one thing is for sure… it’s not often where you can talk about who a person really is. Sometime you can just get a picture in your head of what that person may be like to deal with based off a story. But who knows, maybe it was just a bad day for them and you can’t judge their character based off of once incident. I’ve told stories about CM Punk, April Hunter, Jeff Jarrett and many others. Most recently I shared my experience in working with WWE superstar R-Truth.

In the post, you’ll read about a man who was unsure of his career in pro wrestling. You sense his insecurities and the obstacles he overcame to get where he is today. You may see him on WWE TV as a co-holder of the tag team titles, or as the wildly popular comic relief with his invisible sidekick, Little Jimmy. But there was a time when R-Truth didn’t know how much longer he was going to be a pro wrestler. There was a time where his heart and passion were somewhere else. And there was a time where an unknown booker for a small northeast indy organization got to know a man who had all the talent but didn’t think anybody was interested in it anymore.

Click R-Truth’s name in the above paragraph to read the story. I’d like to hear your comments and feedback. Share with me YOUR stories of wrestlers you’ve encountered at a low point, or some who you have met that didn’t live up to your expectations. This is just another one of my stories…and there are plenty more to come.

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I’m a fan of Booker T’s work…but, not so much of his commentary skills. Yeah it’s different, but it has to be one of the worst experiments since the WWE tried to put Superstar Billy Graham behind the stick in the 80′s. Luckily, I’m not here to talk about that right now.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Booker T on numerous occasions, and he is hands down one of the most humble and giving performers in the business. His insight to pro wrestling and his dedication to perfect the craft is what has helped him become one of the most decorated superstars in the history of the business. But what if the creative weight of the wrestling world fell into his hands? Would a spin-a-rooni be enough to get over? What if Booker T were in a position to put on the best wrestling product to engage a wrestling audience?

As some of you might know, Booker T runs his own pro wrestling school in the great state of Texas. With a school, comes student shows. And with student shows, even a veteran wrestler like Booker T soon learns that performing in the ring and promoting what’s in the ring are worlds apart.

The video above is part of Booker T’s new project with his school students, entitled “Reality of Wrestling”. To be fair, I don’t know much about this project at this time – but by watching this video, I’ve already lost interest.

Promoting pro wrestling hinges on the vision of the promoter. Innovation, engagement, uniqueness and most of all, perception are critical elements. Ever seen the film “Boiler Room”? Ben Affleck lectures the young group of salesmen who are still wet behind the ears, and tells them the secret to success is to “act as if”. Act as if you are the boss of the company. Act is if you have a million clients. Act as if you own the most expensive car on the street. Act as if you have 12 inch penis. Just, act as if. Perception is critical.

When you put out a piece of material such as this video, what is your perception? Are you still interested? Does it get the blood pumping? or are you looking at it wondering, “WTF?”

Wht would you build up using these two performers? Why would you build up using sloppy video shooters? Why would you build up letting a pre-school kid edit this on his Fisher Price My First Editing System? This is tragic! A reason to tune out. Most of all, it’s a disappointment because you know Booker T is capable of better. You start to wonder if he officially approved this video or if one intern put this out there for public consumption.

Looking at the arena, Booker T has done his part in putting together a local show for his students to perform in front of their families and peers. And maybe he doesn’t want to become a strong indy organization in the mold of a Ring of Honor. Perhaps he’s content doing what he’s doing. But at the end of the day, this is still a business. His business is judged by his perception. When looking at this video, you question the business. You ask where the money goes. You ask why he doesn’t hire a better production team. You ask if you’re interested in learning pro wrestling from this company or is it just a front with Booker’s name on it.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying the Booker T school is a scam at all. Booker is all aces in my book. He is one of the few people in this business you can depend on and trust. Booker is a true man of his word. But this video doesn’t help the perception. This video is less than amateur. And without interest you have no growth. Without growth… well, you have nothing. Booker T is more than that, and I have a strong interest in anything he is attached to (except TNA programming… even he couldn’t sit through that). But from a man who has achieved so much, we expect better because if anybody, you know better. And this is far from where a Booker T production should be. Now can you dig that, sucka?

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