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| Caleb Konley dives on Andrew Everett at a CZW event, the spirit of indie wrestling personified Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Labor Day is a celebration of the working man and woman in the United States of America. Also, we celebrate the advances made to aid workers, including unions, labor legislation, and OSHA among the rest. The wrestling industry could stand to make some of those advances. I think the fact that both Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter abuse the independent contractor label to circumvent paying health insurance and other benefits is pretty deplorable. I loathe that they've put the fear in the wrestlers so much that they're afraid to organize. The schedules that mainstream wrestlers have to work are insane.
But for as grinding as working the corporate circuit is, the independent wrestlers of the world have their own personal hell to go through. The wrestlers we see at local armories or even on television as part of local TV deals (Portland Wrestling Uncut, Anarchy Wrestling, formerly Metro Pro) or nationwide through Sinclair Broadcasting Group do not wrestle as their primary source of income. The business isn't just as profitable unless you work for WWE or TNA. I wouldn't be shocked if the average payout per wrestler per show around the country was less than $20.
Wrestling very much is a labor of love for the average indie wrestler, one that if they're lucky might land them at the WWE Performance Center (because let's face it, if you make it to TNA, you probably walked under a ladder). Because wrestlers love it or they have a dream, they drive long distances to take dangerous bumps for crowds that may or may not care about them. If they're lucky, they get people cheer for them or buy their merch after the shows, but nothing is really guaranteed except for their take (and depending on the promoter, THAT might even be in dispute).
Their meager income from wrestling is not proportionate to what they deserve. Independent wrestling oftentimes is the cradle of innovation for American wrestling, at least for the innovation that isn't directly imported from out of the country. Whatever happens in the more artistic independent promotions filters up into TNA and WWE without monetary thanks trickling down. Independent wrestling is not a monetary boon, especially for the work put in.
Independent wrestling truly is for those who love the art created. Idealistically, the love would be enough, but I've been out of college for a long enough time to know that selling out is never a bad thing. Money makes the world go 'round, and adults need it to continue to be able to live in the past. Indie stars can't exactly have it both ways, but on this Labor Day, I can tell you how we can help them get closer to that ideal.
First, go to your local indie show. Whether the promotion has national cache like Anarchy Championship Wrestling or is among the no-national hype podunks like that promotion that runs out of the Old Cheese Factory in Tennessee, every single one of those companies operates on razor thin margins. The more people who pay for tickets to these shows, the better paid those wrestlers can be. Second, talk to the wrestlers at shows. Make them feel like rockstars, like they were WWE superstars. Finally, buy their merchandise. That money goes right in their pocket, and it often can help make their weekends profitable.
Wrestlers in general have a hard lot in terms of their career, but the independent wrestler gets a notoriously short shrift. Today, on Labor Day, remember their contributions to the wrestling industry and act accordingly.
But for as grinding as working the corporate circuit is, the independent wrestlers of the world have their own personal hell to go through. The wrestlers we see at local armories or even on television as part of local TV deals (Portland Wrestling Uncut, Anarchy Wrestling, formerly Metro Pro) or nationwide through Sinclair Broadcasting Group do not wrestle as their primary source of income. The business isn't just as profitable unless you work for WWE or TNA. I wouldn't be shocked if the average payout per wrestler per show around the country was less than $20.
Wrestling very much is a labor of love for the average indie wrestler, one that if they're lucky might land them at the WWE Performance Center (because let's face it, if you make it to TNA, you probably walked under a ladder). Because wrestlers love it or they have a dream, they drive long distances to take dangerous bumps for crowds that may or may not care about them. If they're lucky, they get people cheer for them or buy their merch after the shows, but nothing is really guaranteed except for their take (and depending on the promoter, THAT might even be in dispute).
Their meager income from wrestling is not proportionate to what they deserve. Independent wrestling oftentimes is the cradle of innovation for American wrestling, at least for the innovation that isn't directly imported from out of the country. Whatever happens in the more artistic independent promotions filters up into TNA and WWE without monetary thanks trickling down. Independent wrestling is not a monetary boon, especially for the work put in.
Independent wrestling truly is for those who love the art created. Idealistically, the love would be enough, but I've been out of college for a long enough time to know that selling out is never a bad thing. Money makes the world go 'round, and adults need it to continue to be able to live in the past. Indie stars can't exactly have it both ways, but on this Labor Day, I can tell you how we can help them get closer to that ideal.
First, go to your local indie show. Whether the promotion has national cache like Anarchy Championship Wrestling or is among the no-national hype podunks like that promotion that runs out of the Old Cheese Factory in Tennessee, every single one of those companies operates on razor thin margins. The more people who pay for tickets to these shows, the better paid those wrestlers can be. Second, talk to the wrestlers at shows. Make them feel like rockstars, like they were WWE superstars. Finally, buy their merchandise. That money goes right in their pocket, and it often can help make their weekends profitable.
Wrestlers in general have a hard lot in terms of their career, but the independent wrestler gets a notoriously short shrift. Today, on Labor Day, remember their contributions to the wrestling industry and act accordingly.