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LOOKING AT THE X3 DEBACLE AND HOW WRESTLERS AND FANS CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SHADY PROMOTERS

Sometimes I really hate professional wrestling. It can be a really fun industry with some tremendous quirky and eccentric performers who are interesting characters before they even step through the curtain to the ring. Many of them are decent folk, and while some can be jerks, none of them deserve to get ripped off. Unfortunately it happens far too often and it did this past weekend in Canton, Ohio.

I had to shake my head in disgust when I read Chris Bryan's recap of the X3 Wrestling where the promoter Tim Debos(who was using a fake name of Tim Shady, nice eh?) ducked out the back door and never returned to pay the wrestlers. Debos, a native of Panama City, Florida was long gone, leaving his partner, David Hastings, holding the bag and having to explain his way out of a locker room full of angry wrestlers. While on the surface one might want to feel bad for Hastings, the reality is that no one made him work with Shady and if he was Shady's true partner, he had to have some knowledge of what was to come at the event.

In talking to several performers who worked the show (some of whom were lucky to walk away with $100 in their pockets, before expenses), they had inclinations to believe that there was a lot of shadiness going on before they headed to the show. Performers were being booked, then unbooked, then called asking if they would work the show for a reduced rate and after driving long distances. So without placing the blame on any of them, if you think something is about to fall apart and be a mess, why go?

I give the wrestlers credit for performing for the fans but under the circumstances, every last one of them should have called the cops and never gone through that curtain. Hastings wanted to be a hero and calm the boys? He should have to explain to the authorities why there was no money to pay these men who were for that evening, his employees. If he couldn't and didn't know where Shady was, he should have had to deal with the fiscal and legal responsibilities. With all due respect to Paul Belfi, Hastings shouldn't be offering to appear on SportstalkCleveland.com's Pro Wrestling Insider radio show, especially when he could be sitting next to Shady while on the phone for all anyone knows.

Some blame has to fall on the shoulders of professional wrestlers in general. Every worker is nothing more than a dreamer in their heart and soul, working their tails off to get that magical bigtime payoff while praying for the call from WWE. At the same time, you can't blame the wrestlers for wanting to live their dreams but at the same time, if they aren't going to be responsible with who they work for and how they are going to be treated, this vicious cycle will always continue, with the business having to bear the brunt of the stupidity. The same goes for fans, many of whom see wrestling and just want a night out, only to end up seeing a crappy show because one of these goofs have conned them out of their money.

So what can be done? Here are some suggestions:

Wrestlers: In my opinion, wrestlers (or their booking agents) must demand half of their fee no less than 30 days before the show. If the promoter has the money to run the show, he should already have the money to take care of the boys in advance. If he doesn't, he's obviously looking for the gate to cover his expenses and in many cases, that simply doesn't happen. Demand a certified check or money order by a certain date and don't waver if he tries to convince you of anything other. If the promoter in question isn't willing to do this, he's got to be looked at with a very suspicious eye, especially if he doesn't have any background or track record. It might hurt to bite the bullet and have that backbone but if you think deep down that something is shady, that $500 payoff won't be there in the end anyway, so why accept the booking?

Fans: If you are a fan and you are going to check out an indy product, do some research. Are they running a lot of shows a year with known talent like UXW or ECWA or have they never been heard of before? Is there a website? Are tickets available in legitimate outlets like Ticketmaster? If the answer to any of these questions is "No", wait and see until the day of the show before you get your tickets. There's promoters who announce shows and sell tickets, then cancel and get out of dodge with the money. You know going in you aren't going to be seeing WWE, so until proven otherwise, treat the show like you would a traveling circus - with caution.

Wrestlers and fans make the business matter and drive the industry, not the promoters. Without either group, there would be no way for the promoters to make money. There's no reason why either group should be willing to settle for second or third or fourth rate garbage, simply because it's there for the taking.

As for Shady, his cell phone and website were turned off. A few wrestlers do have his home address information and are deciding what to do as far as pursuing the situation.

On Page 2, I have reprinted a 2003 article about a similar situation where several big name wrestlers were conned after working for a New Jersey promoter, which led to legal issues. Sadly, one of those wrestlers, Ted "Rocco Rock" Petty, died before he ever saw one cent of the money. Let's hope for all the wrestlers involved in the X3 mess that their restitution comes quickly and without further drama.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.