Jason Gotti:  Inside the Mind of Gotti

The Pros and Cons of Pro Wrestling

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Here are the pros and cons of the wrestling business that I feel are a major factor. There are alot of bad things and many great things that wrestling can provide one.

Pros:

1. The excitement one experiences when ready to wrestle.

2. Getting to visit places you would never think of going to.

3. Entertaining a large number of different people.

4. Having a great match  – there’s no better feeling than when you imagine the match in your head and then it becomes a reality.

5. Living a dream. Ever since I was about 5 years old I always wanted to be a professional wrestler. I have heard you’re too this, you’re too that. But I always knew I could do it. And do it well. How many people have lived their dream?

6. Helping out others learn their craft. I always want to help newer guys learn so they can improve our great sport. That’s the way it should be.

7. Working with guys you admired as a child. Jeez, ten years ago I was watching ECW in the crowd at the Arena. Now I have shared a locker room and wrestled some of these guys. Who would’ve thought?

8. Knowing you’re in control of an audience. I’ll never forget watching some of my wrestling idols control a crowd. Now when I wrestle, I know I can make you want to kill me or love me. I think that part of wrestling is great. I love the psychology of wrestling.

9. Promoting yourself: Those who know me know I am pretty good when it comes to promoting myself and wrestling promotions. I enjoy getting behind something; I love and the feeling of success. My grandfather told me a long time ago before he passed away, “Whatever you want to do in life be passionate about it and give it 100%.” I always think of that before I wrestle. I know he is looking down from heaven with a smile on his face, proud of his grandson.

10. The fans:I never thought that I was something special or better than anyone. (thank God I didn’t let anything give me a big head because I can’t stand that) I look at myself as a normal person who wrestles. I still feel funny sometimes signing autographs. I appreciate my fans. I can remember years ago going to a independent show down the shore as a kid and being blown off by some idiot nobody wrestler who could not give a kid a autograph. I always have time for my fans. I think it’s a great honor to have strangers believe in what you do. Hence every wrestler should be nice to fans.

Those are some of the good things about pro wrestling off the top of my head.

Now it’s time for the bad things.

The cons:

1. The backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes: To me it’s so fucking pathetic. If I feel wronged I will let the person know about it. I’m not a handshake with one hand and stick a knife in your back with the other hand kind of guy.

2. The politics: This is something that really pisses me off. I cannot stand the bullshit politics in wrestling. Sure, politics are part of life, and as I have gotten older I have understood that better. But in wrestling they are so ridiculous. Grown men act like little bitches. That really angers me alot. Wrestling should be about talent and how you get the people to react to your character. Not about “Oh if you use me on your show, then I’ll give you my world title on my show.” Shit like that hurts the business in my eyes. Freebird Michael Hayes said it best. “The one thing you can’t do is bullshit the fans.” That statement is so true.

3. “Ticket sellers”: Sure it is every wrestler’s job to sell tickets. Example: Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant was the main event because the fans sold out the Pontiac Silver Dome to see them. If people are not paying to see you, then you’re not in the main event. That’s how it should be. Until recently, I have noticed a mark promoter will try and get an untrained guy on their show if he sells 15 tickets to his friends and family. That kind of shenanigans hurts the wrestling business. I understand that these guys want to be wrestlers. But go and do it the right way. Find a school and get trained the proper way. About a year ago I sent out my resume to a few different places and one of those places responded back with, “I can put you in a battle royal if you sell tickets for me. If you sell the most tickets we will have you win.” My response to them was “go fuck yourself.”  Any respectable worker would tell them the same thing. It is the promoter’s job to put together a show that fans want to see and buy tickets to. To any young wrestler reading this: if a promoter (and I use that term loosely when it comes to this situation) asks you to sell tickets, you tell them no. That is his job. You don’t want that stigma to be associated with your name.

4. Bad promoters: Unfortunately there are many out there. When you first start out you have to take what you can. I have worked for some terrible places when I first started out (I’m not naming names – I’m not here bury anyone) I worked for some terrible promoters. A promoter’s job is to promote the show. You can have the greatest show around, but if no one knows about it, then they won’t be there. You should always get paid for wrestling. Sure when you first start out it’s different – it’s  part of paying your dues. But in my opinion, the reason the business is down right now is because of bad promoters. For every good promoter there are ten bad ones. If you agree on a price with a promoter then that’s what you should be getting paid. Good promoters always back their word which leaves me with my next subject.

5. Your word is your bond: Back in the day before contracts and such, all a promoter had with a wrestler was a hand shake and their word. If I give my word to someone I keep it. Call me crazy, but I consider that to be very important. I don’t respect wrestlers, promoters, etc. that go back on their word. I guess I’m old school – call me crazy.

6. Untrained wrestlers: Please go to a school and get trained. Not only are you going to hurt yourself, but you are going to hurt others in the process. You are not a wrestler until someone makes you one.

7. People not paying their dues: Just because you set up the ring once a month, doesn’t mean you are paying your dues. Hell man, I can remember when I first started out many years ago, I was still a kid in high school traveling every weekend to Brooklyn and doing whatever I could to be a part of this business. Whether it was helping set up the ring, doing security, or reffing the matches. You have to pay your dues.  Some guys have two matches, and then they’re pushed to the moon, and then people wonder why these guys have an ego. I believe when you first start out, you should definitely be working the undercard and losing. It teaches you to be humble and appreciate things better.

8. Having an ego: I don’t understand, especially on the independent level, how anyone can have a ego. Do you realize that just because you work once a month in your hometown don’t mean shit? It amazes and angers me at times how some of these people act. When you sell out the Garden, then walk around with that chip on your shoulder. Until then shut the fuck up because most of you couldn’t beat your own dick in a shoot.

9. Lack of respect for the business: I think this is what pisses me off the most. It amazes me how alot of guys don’t know any of this great sport’s history. No one knows who Lou Thesz or Verne Gagne is anymore. I don’t know everything about wrestling, but I know a lot about the history. If you’re young in the business, learn the history of this sport. Shake everyone’s hand.  Be polite to the veterans.  There are many guys I can’t stand in wrestling, but I still have respect for them. Respect is everything to me and many others.

10. Smartmarks: There is no such thing as a smart mark. It is ok to voice your opinion about a show. You have that right as a fan. But when you start crossing the line and start trying to tell a wrestler how to do his job, it’s ludicrous and insulting. Would you go to a brain surgeon and tell him how to perform brain surgery? No, you would not. There is a reason why we are called Professional Wrestlers – because not everyone can do it. So the next time you’re on your little computer or on a message board, remember if you could do what we do, then you would not be sitting in the stands, you would be in the ring.  As much as you think you know, you are not a wrestler, and would not have a clue on how to have a match.  I love fans, but I hate the smarks. Please be a fan and not a moron.

Well, that about wraps it up, as it is 4 am and I am writing this off of my I-phone. These are my opinions, and any respectable wrestler can relate and agree to points I have made. I love pro wrestling and want it to be around when I am long gone. Hopefully one day the negative things in wrestling will change. as there are so many great positive things that come from this great sport. Thanks for reading my views and feel free to leave comments.

Until next time this is Inside the Mind of Gotti – God bless and take care.

– Jason Gotti