Ok so I had been kicked out after Respect Is Earned because I accidently offered help to the building staff. There was another show coming up in Philly which I decided to go to. Unfortunately I was still a young driver and my mom was uncomfortable with me driving all the way to Philly so she came with me.
A friend of mine came down for a concert the night before and we went there and I stayed in his hotel room, we were up all night drinking playing jager bomb pong til 6am. My friend isn’t into wrestling which would explain why my mom came down, other than the fact that she’s crazy.
So after a night of drinking I got picked up and grabbed some lunch, I was still wasted because I only finished drinking at around 6am. I got some lunch then headed to the show, I got there at like 630… turns out I was still drunk at 7pm while I was watching the show. I got really fucked up the night before lol. By the end of the show I was feeling good, I was sober and ready to take things down.After the show I volunteered again and was able to help out.
I was not refused this time and was able to help out and take down the Ring, Guardrails and any other piece of equipment and take it to the truck. I got to know a few more people there but I tried to not get in anyone’s way and just be very respectful and shake everyone’s hands.
Things went well and I put in a hard night’s work. I was still perplexed how they did this all the time and was not sore from all the lifting. The next day I woke up and every muscle in my body was tight and I could barely get out of bed.
Becoming A Part of Ring of Honor Part 3
So here I was after going to my first ROH show I came back with a half of a broken table and a free sweatshirt and a new found respect for the wrestling business. I had gotten a little taste of what it was like behind the scenes and to be honest I didn’t want to do it again because I was exhausted after doing just cleaning up after a show.
I asked myself how the hell these people can do a show Friday in Boston wake up at 5-6am drive 5-6 hours work for 15-16 hours then drive 4 hours to long island sleep for an hour, then work another 15-16 hour day then drive 2-3 hours home. That’s just insane; I was exhausted doing just 3 hours of their work.
I decided to go to their next show in the area which was their first ever Pay Per View ‘Respect is Earned’. I get there and buy my ticket at the door, head up the elevator for the first of many trips to the 7th floor of the Manhattan Center, The Grand Ballroom.
I had one of the worst seats in the building; I was on the last row of the balcony which was not elevated so I needed to stand up to get a good view of the ring. Eventually I saw a little ledge next to the stairs heading up to the balcony, I went and sat on that for the rest of the show, and luckily no one came and bothered me and made me move.
The show itself was great; I particularly remember liking Kevin Steen and El Generico. After the show I figured I’d help clean up again, well I offered to help and was told they didn’t need help. I found out later that I had asked the building staff which work for the Manhattan Center not ROH itself. So I would have been more than welcome to help out had I stayed and asked someone else.
Not knowing at the time I figured what I did before was just a one-time thing, but I wasn’t going to accept that. After seeing such a tremendous show I was determined to become a part of this company in any capacity I possibly could.
Becoming A Part of Ring of Honor Part 2
I went up and said I’d help out with Ring Crew, and I was put on chair duty. Had to stack all the chairs and help get them all ready to be put into storage. Now I’m not a very muscular person, (especially compared to most of the wrestlers) so I didn’t know if I would be able to keep up. I struggled but I busted my ass to lift as much as I could and just stay on their level. It was so weird seeing some of the same people I saw in the ring earlier were there cleaning up. Everyone was very friendly and got along great, which is really weird to see for the first time.
Coming from a fan’s perspective you know these things, you know they don’t all hate each other, you know that someone obviously needs to set up the building but it’s one thing to see it it’s another to see it in person. I became ‘smart’ to the business, I still didn’t know everything but it was like stepping your foot in to test the water. I got a little taste of what it was like to be involved in wrestling.
We worked for what seemed like forever we didn’t finish until probally around 2-3 am, near the end one of them came up to me and gave me a free sweatshirt to thank me for helping them out. That sweatshirt has and always will mean a lot to me, because it symbolizes the night I became involved in pro wrestling. Sure I was just breaking down the ring and taking all the pieces to the truck, but I got to touch the ring, I got to feel the ropes they use, I got to feel the mats, I got to do so much more than the average fan ever does.
During the show one of the wrestlers went through a table, and afterwards I saw they were going to toss out the table, I asked if I could have it they said I could. So I took half of a table home with me and a sweatshirt, and that half of table is still sitting in my garage because of the symbolism in my mind.
I left very happy and satisfied even though the past two days I had felt like complete shit due to the whole fraternity debacle in part 1. It’s amazing how quick your emotions can change once you get something else on your mind. I felt great… until the next morning that is. I woke up incredibly sore and exhausted, I thought to myself I have no idea how they set up, break down drive 4 hours to a new town set up, break down then drive home. Little did I know that is exactly what I would end up doing, every month for several years.
Becoming A Part of Ring of Honor Part 1
Back up a few weeks previous:I was pledging a fraternity in college, I had been telling myself for a long time that I wanted to go see a Ring of Honor Event for a long time, I missed several Long Island events for various different reasons.
It looked as though I was going to miss yet another Long Island show. It turned out there was a major fraternity function on the same day that we were told about far in advanced. I decided to go to the fraternity event; I worked incredibly hard pledging showing my dedication.
Come April 12th I get the call to meet with the person in charge of pledges, and got the news that I was being dropped. Which was horse shit, I busted my ass more than any of the other pledges. I was pissed; I was upset because of all the time I invested in it and all the effort I put in. I talked to the head of the fraternity chapter and he wasn’t involved in the process but he called a meeting to review the decision.
April 13th still upset I decided I would go to the Ring of Honor Show and get my mind off of the fraternity stuff. I enjoyed the show, ran into some people that I had met previously at autograph signings. Ironically enough when I was getting food Mick Foley walked right past me and went to the locker room to visit some of the guys.
After the show ended I really didn’t want to leave, my mind would be on the fraternity bullshit going on. Luckily before I left one of the members on Ring Crew yelled out ‘Anyone want to help with Ring Crew?’ (Just to clarify they no longer do this) I hesitated for a moment not sure if I wanted to do that. Cause uh well I’m what most people would consider to be ‘lazy’ so to do work was like ehhh do I really want to do this? Although a brief second later I said to myself ‘I’ll give it a try.’
Breaking Into Wrestling
One question I often get asked when it pertains to wrestling is ‘How did you get involved in that?’ or ‘How can I be a Pro Wrestler?’ and well my way of breaking into the business was most certainly unconventional.
I was never the kid who would say ‘when I grow up I’m going to be a wrestler.’ I enjoyed it but never had the desire to be a wrestler; I always knew it would be fun to do for a little while but as far as a career taking bump after bump after bump… that wasn’t for me. I don’t want to be broken down when I’m old, I don’t want to be sore for the rest of my life.
The most conventional way to get involved in wrestling is to join a wrestling school. Very simple, get in good shape and get trained. But my story is quite different from that.
April 13th 2007 Long Island New York, I went to Ring of Honor’s ‘This Means War II’ as any other fan in attendance, I left with a new knowledge that few fans ever see. I was able to see what it was like behind the scenes in professional wrestling and I can never go back to how I was before.
RIP Frank Talent
I know this is a few days late but has been a busy weekend for me. On Friday I found out that Frank Talent died. For those who don’t know who that was, he was from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and would be at virtually every wrestling show in Philly. He would give speeches to the people in the locker room before shows, and he was often seen sitting ringside for many shows at the arena.
I didn’t know him very well but never had a problem with the guy, was sorry to hear that he died. Never like hearing about people dying in the business, but he did live a long life and seemed to really enjoy his job. RIP Frank Talent
