Redd Reddick returns with part 2 of his road report from Europe.

“Redd” Reddick — The Other Side of the Ropes

To Ohz and Back, That’s Not a Typo…

And for something completely different; here’s a slight glimpse of what it’s like to be an Indie worker traveling abroad, and as an example I’ll use my most recent trip to Germany. Hang on…

About 3 weeks ago this time I was in the ring with my tag partner and close friend Roberto Lequimez, affectionately known simply as the ‘Bull’ in our circle headlining the first night of the Spring Rumble Catch Cup, which is possibly the most revered wrestling festival in Germany. Held at least twice a year in the cities of Olsterholz-Scharmbeck, or “Ohz” for short (usually in late Spring) and Bremen in the Fall around late November, it’s considered as the highest honor in the German wrestling circuit. Sponsored by the European Pro Wrestling promotion, the stock of the wrestler who is selected to step between those particular ropes definitely rises.

The atmosphere in the locker room and in the ring is very distinctive from any other locker room I’ve been in, as the EPW also preserves the traditional standards of wrestling in both places. In short, what you usually see happen in most Indies shows in the ring and behind the scenes does happen at the Catch Cup. I’m kind of sworn to secrecy at this point, but I will say this much, infraction of the rules during the match will be reprimanded with a yellow, a red card then a black one, think soccer. On the second night during the Tag Team championship match, I personally received a yellow card. They don’t play around over there, but Bull and I still walked out with the belts as the new Tag Team champions, by the way, and we went through some tough competition (as well as very established) men to do so …

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Now how did I manage to get as far going to the EU and end up getting carded in an old styled match? The short answer is this - I took chances, stuck with some serious decisions to put up and lose a lot of money and generally bust my arse (basically what we refer to in the wrestling business as “paying your dues”) - to get there. Now, when I come back from my trips (the tally is up to 8 trips in the last 2 years to date) the usually line of interrogation is the same - “How can I get into Europe to wrestle?” ” Will they cover your flight?” “How much does it cost to fly there?” and of course, the classic “How much do they pay you?” Now, if anyone ever read my columns since my first trip in April of ‘06, they know the answers to all the aforementioned inquiries.

For the uninitiated, the answers go like this - I took a risk or two to research the promotions in Europe the previous year. Since I was interviewed by a guy in Holland who originally posed the question of what it would take for me to work there to put me in gear, he sent a list of said promotions with contact info for me to peruse at my leisure. I then set out to get my passport - because you’re not getting past the check-in counter at the airport without it. In the meantime I then set out to bombard promoters with email after email and sent footage via video CD (Thanks, Twan!!!) to confirm that I was serious, and contacted whomever replied. Now seeing that I’m just one guy in a vast ocean of multitudes who step in the squared circle with no real media exposure, it makes it a tough sell to negotiate travel, lodging and booking fees to anyone who have no clue as to who I am, so I was reminded of that fact (with full knowledge all the while of my insignificance) that I would either cost too much to use (hey, it’s still the Indies, which means folks across the Pond run on shoestring budgets, too) or I’d be booked on a show if I’m “in Europe at the time, but can’t get paid.” Translation: I’m paying my own way to get there and I’m doing it for free, but at least I get my foot in the door if I go through with it. Guess what? My prompt response to that was “the next time you hear from me, I’ll send you my flight itinerary.” Now what happens next is elementary; you get to a new scene where you’re going to meet promoters you may or may not see again, so what does any wrestler in his right mind do in such an event? Network. That’s why it’s essential to get business cards. It’s The Business, after all, right? Then if anyone else is interested, then you can hammer out deals with fees and such, and seeing how the Euro is clobbering the not-so Almighty US dollar at the moment, getting into the EU circuit doesn’t seem so bad regardless.

Now, this is what sets the professional wrestler apart from the backyarder and the in-between guy who thinks he’s worker because he lucked up and got a ring so he wouldn’t be accused of being a “yard ‘tard”: what was just referred to in the previous paragraph and something else that’s important - learning from the actual professionals. One excuse you may hear for not doing is not finding a school. Here’s one suggestion: if you have access to the ‘net to put your footage on YouTube, then you can look up schools near you in a search engine. Indie shows are all over the place, so there’s no reason not to find one and ask about breaking in. Even if you can’t find one and get a ring, there’s also plenty of ways to get training without a vet (remember they broke Kayfabe?).  Get your arse to a bookstore and find a book. I know for a fact that Borders has the manual out by Les Thatcher, Harley Race and Ricky Steamboat, you can even go on Amazon. Feeling illiterate or too lazy to read? (I can tell just by reading the crap on MySpace alone) There’s video footage around too. Amazon again or even your precious YouTube, if you stop uploading nonsense for a minute, you can actually find it. Hell, it’s even advertised on MySpace, you lazy birds!!!

The other aspect that distinguishes the difference between pro and not-so pro: PROPER GEAR. Not sneakers, (you’re not Cena, and chances are you’ll never get paid what he’s getting to wear them in the ring, either) not Timberlands, but some f@$*ing wrestling BOOTS!!! Traditional boots go from anywhere from $350-$750, so it’s good to be resilient; that’s what shoe repairmen are there for. Find a comfortable pair and have him put a proper heel on if you must and take care of the things, too. For all you cats coming into the ring with jerseys, shorts and sweats on? Most of the fans are wearing that crap, too. It makes you look like you wandered in from outside and can’t find your seat, and it makes you look ridiculous. Plus you can’t move around so well in street clothes anyway, so buy some damned spandex. Even New Jack wears a singlet, I don’t care if he never grabs any kind of hold, but this is why you need to find someone with experience to teach you half-wits not just the basics of the game itself to show the proper respect that’s due to the very people that you all emulate so much. It’s not about the ‘Spinning Belt’ or any belt, that’s all secondary. It’s not even about the money (Hell, my real job not only covers my airfare, but it pays my half of the rent). It’s the gathering of people who share a common bond and they respect each other (should) for it, rather than tear apart the very fabric that binds us all in the name of Self Interest. Enough of that already transpired with the National Wrestling Alliance as it is. Besides, when you get to point where you’re polished enough, you never know who you meet in some locker rooms. Case in point, we all all had the privilege of meeting the legendary Masahiro Chono that weekend. Ironically, Japanese was one of the languages I’ve been trying to teach myself for years, along with German, Korean, Dutch and a host of others. Since I’ve been so deeply entrenched in German and Flemish (which is pretty much Dutch, but don’t tell the Dutch that), my fluency or lack thereof in Nihongo (what the Japanese call their native tongue) diminished to the point where my mastery of storespeak Korean (which was learned while working in a Korean owned shop and the Army when I was stationed there) was strong by comparison. As a result, most of what I knew went out the window when I first met Chono-san, who thankfully knew English anyway, but they love it when you show effort. I at least had the sense to do the very Japanese thing of bowing as I gave Chono-san my business card after we took a picture together, after which I replied ‘domo’. (Hey, it’s networking, remember?) The other lesson here is that when you do travel abroad, you also get exposed to more culture when learn to be more receptive. Plus I did mention a Japanese legend in the last write-up, did I not? I’m so sneaky…

Now maybe I’ll finish ripping the yard ‘tards and such a new corn ‘chute in the next write-up. I’m getting too much like King Kong Dowling…

– “Redd” Reddick