Humbly submitted for all you aspiring wrestling promoters out there, here’s a simple plan from an observer and budding wrestling historian that will turn your fledgling promotion into a must see attraction.
Identify the biggest heel in your territory. This isn’t as simple as it sounds because the biggest heel in your territory isn’t one of your guys. Your heels are still your guys, and your fans know they’re only playing the heel because that’s what they’re booked to do.
The biggest heel in your territory is the guy running shows six blocks away from you. Yes, that guy, the one who is constantly trashing you on Facebook, the one whose fans flame you on Twitter, the one who has stolen some of your guys. He’s the one true heel in your territory because he’s the one who draws the ire of your fans every time he attacks you on social media.
And yes, that means that you, in turn, are the biggest heel in HIS territory as well. You following me? Good. Now, let’s move on to step two:
Arrange a meeting with your newly identified top heel. Do it in secret. Do not make this public, and do not meet in public. Don’t even tell your workers. Get together, shut the door, and don’t come out until you hammer out an agreement that will allow you to work together.
Yes, together. That means you’re going to have to compromise, and that means you will have to give things up – including possibly a percentage of what you’re earning. Give it up, because in the end, everyone involved will be taking home more cash.
Once you’ve worked out an agreement, leave the room and go back home as if nothing happened. You’re ready for phase three.
Escalate your public feud. Fan the flames on Twitter, Facebook, and every platform you have available. Send some of your guys to invade one of his shows – or better yet, open the door to let HIS guys invade yours.
I know it sounds crazy, but when his guys hit the ring and attack your top heel and babyface, they will leave that building with a hundred times more heat than your best heels could ever hope to ignite the way things are now. They have violated your ring. They crashed your party, interrupted your main event, and left your guys lying on their backs. Your fans will want blood, and when you repay tit for tat, his fans will be calling for blood as well.
This part of the plan can go for weeks or even months. Take your time, let it build, and when your fans reach the boiling point, you move on to phase four.
Go Big. Get a bigger hall. Double the ticket prices. Put on the biggest show your town has ever seen. Your guys versus his guys. You have now, in effect, created something wrestling fans have never seen. You have created something real. This isn’t sports entertainment. This is good versus evil, us versus them. You have led your fans to suspend disbelief without their consciously deciding to do so. You have recreated what once made wrestling truly great.
I don’t know if anyone out there has the guts to even try this. I know how it goes when promotions have “heat” with one another, and I know pride is a hard thing to get over. But with everyone else moving to a more comic book, scripted, staged type of presentation, wouldn’t it be great to see someone make things genuinely feel REAL again?