So last Saturday, the independent wrestling federation I help run did their first show of the year and I really couldn’t be prouder of our boys and girls! I had my role as the General Manager making a few matches on the spot and yelling down some of the more petulant talent (They seem to find that an honor ie. “Yo when am I gonna get a chance to be with the GM??”) and it was my first time actually sitting backstage with them as they ran through the whole show. The backstage area was small and cramped and shared with some very bemused medics---we did it in a community center and put everything we had into it, spotlights, camera rigs, color commentators, everything and it really paid off. There was a three-page schedule pasted to the backstage wall which detailed the breakdown of every match in minutes (and the head coach would always keep track of how long a promo or match went) and a flatscreen that all of them gathered around and watched the show on as they were prepping for their matches or returning from one and it was just a ton of fun to watch their camaraderie and them alternating between cheering on and teasing each other which I imagine, is actually similar to the dynamics in bigger leagues and that makes me enjoy this aspect of wrestling even more. There was a lot of co-ordination required even on a small-scale as this---our ‘Commissioner’ doubled as the guy handling security detail and would relay information from the head coach to the ringside crew. Claps, handshakes and hugs all around whenever someone came backstage fresh from a match. There were also WWE scouts here! Three of them in fact, including Canyon Ceman---Our show was included in their search for stars to perform in a Pan Asia tournament and they were seemed to like what they saw! They had their eyes on Shaukat and Emman ‘The Kid’ mainly, our tiny wrestling prodigy who’s basically worth the price of admission on his own (He’s been wrestling since he was 14). Emman however is underaged so if there’s anything to be done, it’ll be later and they definitely have him slotted for potential callups when he’s old enough.
I’ve included their matchcards because a lot of work went into making them, and also a special matchcard I was assigned to create since they wanted a comic-book style piece for Shaukat and The D’s feud.
All in all, it’s been a fantastic experience for me and one hell of an opening show for the company. Here’s to greater things for us this year!
