Irish Promotions Thread *Please read post 1* (*Mod Warning Post #3947)

Ethan Swagger

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

At best you've a severely tough road ahead to teach yourself, at worst it's impossible (and a bit useless).

Check around local MMA clubs, some should offer private classes which might suit.

Also, there's barely any correlation between pro wrestling and amateur wrestling / jiu jitsu / MMA. Pro wrestling is an athletic performance based art. Amateur wrestling / grappling is a competitive athletic pursuit. They're worlds apart.

Thanks for that Jimmy. Not sure I'd totally agree they are worlds apart though.

Arawn

they are.

Ethan Swagger

Dude you are entitled to your own opinion but as one who dabbles in both disciplines I should know ... trust me pro wrestling catch style is not disimilar at all.

Arawn

My own opinion is based on 6-8 hours training a day for over 3 years...which is a bit more than dabbling

jaykhunter

It's been a few days now. Moving this to the Irish Promotions Forum, might have a few more takers there. And play nice.

Ethan Swagger

Arawn wrote: »

My own opinion is based on 6-8 hours training a day for over 3 years...which is a bit more than dabbling

Hey I am not a novice ... I know exactly what jitz entails and when I say I've "dabbled" in it I mean I have trained in BJJ for about 2/3 years. But it's been a while as I've been focusing more on bodybuilding in recent times with the view to developing the right image for the pro wrestling squared circle. My pro wrestling style is mat based for the most part and aims to incorporate the best of my sub grappling skills. I like the idea of mixing things up and people who come along to shows love it too - especially in steel cage type matches. I therefore maintain my firm view that the two disciplines are not mutually incompatible.

leggo

Ethan Swagger wrote: »

Hey I am not a novice ... I know exactly what jitz entails and when I say I've "dabbled" in it I mean I have trained in BJJ for about 2/3 years. But it's been a while as I've been focusing more on bodybuilding in recent times with the view to developing the right image for the pro wrestling squared circle. My pro wrestling style is mat based for the most part and aims to incorporate the best of my sub grappling skills. I like the idea of mixing things up and people who come along to shows love it too - especially in steel cage type matches. I therefore maintain my firm view that the two disciplines are not mutually incompatible.

Genuine question and not having a go: are you messing now when you say that people like to see BJJ and chain in steel cage matches?

Ethan Swagger

leggo wrote: »

Genuine question and not having a go: are you messing now when you say that people like to see BJJ and chain in steel cage matches?

Obviously not that many pro wrestlers are skilled in sub as well, so that BJJ/chain combo is rare enough, but yeah in my experience, when combined with pro style strikes which gives it the full MMA edge, it proves very popular. I reckon we're gonna see a lot more of it in pro shows into the future.

leggo

Ah I'm not gonna argue. If it works, good luck to you. If not, you'll learn the hard way.

Personally, I'd think that anyone who paid to see a cage match and got a BJJ/chain fest would be pretty pissed off, but hey who knows? Rules exist to be broken etc.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Ethan Swagger wrote: »

Dude you are entitled to your own opinion but as one who dabbles in both disciplines I should know ... trust me pro wrestling catch style is not disimilar at all.

You've dabbled, which is fair enough.

I've done pro wrestling for about 6-7 years and been training in MMA (and done some MMA League fights) for a year and a half, so I can say with certainty that they really are hugely different.
Both require a lot of skill, but very different skills.
And you referred to 'pro wrestling catch style' - pro wrestling is a performance art. Catch wrestling (as taught most famously in the UK in Wigan) is a legitimate fighting style which has no bearing on 99% of pro wrestling.

I'll agree with Leggo here: if you think chain and ground wrestling in a steel cage match is the way to go, you've a tough lesson ahead. But hey, you might be the guy to break the mould.

Best of luck with whichever you choose to pursue though, try to find a reputable pro wrestling school and MMA gym (separately) that has a good record of training people, and keep your head down.

Ethan Swagger

...and keep your head down.

And why exactly do you say that?

ManicMcDermott

Only a few days until FFPWs first beginners class. Places still available and first ones free. Come be trained by the friendliest and most talented wrestlers in Ireland today. You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain. 12:00 on Saturday the 22nd. https://www.facebook.com/events/575358122485333/

Jimmy Bottlehead

Ethan Swagger wrote: »

...and keep your head down.

And why exactly do you say that?

Because it's good advice. Go in as a blank slate, realise you know bugger all and be ready to learn from those who are in charge and have experience.

Listen to any decent interview with great wrestlers and they all agree that you were given two ears and one mouth for a reason - so you can listen twice as much you speak.

*As an aside, why not check out the class ManicMcDermott mentioned above? Even as a once-off, it'll give you a taste of proper pro wrestling training.

Ethan Swagger

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Because it's good advice. Go in as a blank slate, realise you know bugger all and be ready to learn from those who are in charge and have experience.

Listen to any decent interview with great wrestlers and they all agree that you were given two ears and one mouth for a reason - so you can listen twice as much you speak.

*As an aside, why not check out the class ManicMcDermott mentioned above? Even as a once-off, it'll give you a taste of proper pro wrestling training.

Sound. Anyone else down here in the South East going to that class? Any pro wrestling school down this way? Is Waterford MMA the best club yeah?

Sirsok

Ethan Swagger wrote: »

Sound. Anyone else down here in the South East going to that class? Any pro wrestling school down this way? Is Waterford MMA the best club yeah?

I was considering it but I don't drive, bus times will clash with the girlfriends birthday plans!(I know I know sounds like a horrible excuse) if your driving I'd be happy to split the petrol cost if Ya can stop off in kk

Ethan Swagger

What time does it go until do you know?

leggo

Ethan Swagger - one tip I'll give you is to not go in telling others who've been doing it longer your opinions. The first lesson I learned was that I knew nothing about wrestling when I got in there (and I thought I was hot **** having worked for some big wrestling websites beforehand; I had FANS who loved my theories on wrestling...how could these people tell me I knew nothing?!? Turned out I didn't). It's a quick way to get a bad rep and alienating experienced people early on will only hinder you when you need people to help you work on stuff.

I'm not saying lose your opinions, just learn as you go and, if you're still going after a few years, then you'll have kept some of your old ideas and come up with new ones that you can integrate into what you've learned. Like any trade, you have to get really good at the basics before you can start innovating. Everyone wants to innovate from Day 1 because they've these dreams they've been waiting years to unleash...but un-learning those bad ideas and notions is almost an integral part of the process. And it can take a good 2 years (average) to be able to put on a really solid, tight basic match. There are thousands of guys out there getting booked that probably can't. Some just never grasp it. It's a long, tough slog so forget everything you think you might know now, once you start training you go in as a pure, unadulterated newbie. So brace yourself for that too.

Ethan Swagger

leggo wrote: »

Ethan Swagger - one tip I'll give you is to not go in telling others who've been doing it longer your opinions. The first lesson I learned was that I knew nothing about wrestling when I got in there (and I thought I was hot **** having worked for some big wrestling websites beforehand; I had FANS who loved my theories on wrestling...how could these people tell me I knew nothing?!? Turned out I didn't). It's a quick way to get a bad rep and alienating experienced people early on will only hinder you when you need people to help you work on stuff.

I'm not saying lose your opinions, just learn as you go and, if you're still going after a few years, then you'll have kept some of your old ideas and come up with new ones that you can integrate into what you've learned. Like any trade, you have to get really good at the basics before you can start innovating. Everyone wants to innovate from Day 1 because they've these dreams they've been waiting years to unleash...but un-learning those bad ideas and notions is almost an integral part of the process. And it can take a good 2 years (average) to be able to put on a really solid, tight basic match. There are thousands of guys out there getting booked that probably can't. Some just never grasp it. It's a long, tough slog so forget everything you think you might know now, once you start training you go in as a pure, unadulterated newbie. So brace yourself for that too.

Well firstly I wanna say thanks. I genuinely appreciate your advice and totally respect your wisdom. I fully intend to take it all on board. I suppose my stubborn streak comes out through the way in which I tend to stick to my opinions. But at the end of the day I accept that that is all they are - my opinion. Bottom line is I am wanting to learn the ropes from the best and become the best - no matter how long that takes. The last thing I had intended in my posts of recent days was to alienate myself from guys like yourself who could actually help me. So I stand corrected. Apologies for getting peoples' backs up. I wanna learn. Simple as.

leggo

Don't worry, I'm not alienated at all. At this stage Irish wrestling is just a passing interest and something I remember fondly from my past - so I've no interest in getting into scraps with anyone - just honest advice that I know some guys I've met down the years could've benefitted from so hopefully you will now. Good luck and enjoy it.

Ethan Swagger

leggo wrote: »

Don't worry, I'm not alienated at all. At this stage Irish wrestling is just a passing interest and something I remember fondly from my past - so I've no interest in getting into scraps with anyone - just honest advice that I know some guys I've met down the years could've benefitted from so hopefully you will now. Good luck and enjoy it.

Thanks leggo you're a gent.

ManicMcDermott

Just a reminder to all of you that tomorrow is the first Beginners Class in FFPW. Starts at 12 and the first one is free. Come and learn from the best and friendliest wrestlers in Ireland. It's a class designed specifically for those new to wrestling, or coming back after a long hiatus. FFPW training school, Bray. Any questions? Feel free to ask
https://www.facebook.com/events/575358122485333/

ftw_rep

Don't forget folks FTW returns to Andrews's Lane Theatre in Dublin City Centre tomorrow night! FOr those of you who attended our debut show you know what to expect and to those of you who missed it, do yourself a favor and don't miss it this time around!!

★ LAST MAN STANDING - Danny Butler vs Justin Style ★

Also appearing...
★ Kazza G ★ Bam Katraz ★ Vic Viper ★ Sammy D ★
★ "The Pimp Daddy" JC ★ Damien Corvin ★ Katey Harvey ★
★ Bonesaw ★ Alex Breslin ★ Father Soul ★ Sir Paul Tracey
★ Sean "Maxer" Brennan ★ "Fancy" Phil Biggelow ★
★ Chantelle Mantelle and many more...

★ DRINKS PROMOS ★
€3 Btl Sol - €3 Btl Bavaria - €3 Pnt Tennants,
€3 Sidekick Shots - €6 Double JD & Coke
€10 Btl Buckfast - €10 Jagerbomb x 3


Tickets are priced at just €10 and will be available on the Door on the night.

Doors 8pm - First Match - 9pm - DJ 'til late - Over 18's Only

sockmo

Anybody at the FTW show tonight?, thoughts?..

I thought the wrestling was very impressive, I just thought there was a lot of talking from the pimp guy who seemed to talk for 20 minutes at a time between every match and said some stupid unnecessary stuff like calling bonesaw a "proddy ****" and then saying "we coming for you nigga")...it was just a bit stupid and the black dude behind me didnt look too happy!...I know its an over 18's show but a bit of discretion would be nice..I think he might be the promoter actually, not sure.

Either way the wrestling was brilliant at times, really enjoyed Bam Katraz and Paul Tracey, Irish dragon was on form in his bout..main event was good too and it really pleased the crowd that were expecting some crazy ****( which didnt seem to happen until then)..

the wrestlers put their all into it,fair bollix to them all.. felt bad for some guys performing who had the gimmicky badger ref bloke taking the focus off the wrestling.Not sure if I agree fully with that.

Anyway it was good stuff,just more wrestling and less bull**** next time please.

subway

i certainly won't be going back for any future shows.
last nights event was an embarassment as far as i am concerned.

General Zod

I was at last nights event.

1) I thought the wrestling was brilliant. The women and men put everything into it and really told a story. Well done for that.

2) There was little bit excessive promo in between the fights.

3) There are a hundred and one ways to generate heat. Calling people "******s" and "proddy bastards" is one, but FFS it's 2013, use the other hundred.

4) Give Kazza G an angle that doesn't involve being a whore. She's a decent wrestler and can take a bump as well as anyone else in the ring last night.

I'm not a prude, I just felt it's a bit unnecessary. FTW can be a good promotion, but do new things with your talent, don't rely on the same old tropes.

sockmo

subway wrote: »

i certainly won't be going back for any future shows.
last nights event was an embarassment as far as i am concerned.

I would suggest giving them another chance, I had been to 3 Irish shows before last night and I thought they were brilliant.Some shows go bad I suppose!

subway

i genuinely dont think i would ever go back, the wrestling itself was high quality, the production up there with boxing and mma type events, but my feeling of the night was not one of entertainment.

continuously calling people (including audience members) ******, queer, ******, pedo, retard, slut, whore and more was tiring. in addition to non vebal racism, sexism, simulated sexual assault, constant homophobia etc. i think one line was "queer night was last night" in reference to Dublin pride.

i think its very cliche, but i do get the "pimp" character objectifying women (and were not supposed to like him) but every character had the same attitude it seemed and the women were only there to allow that angle to be worked, despite being pretty good wrestlers from what i saw.

maybe i will be dismissed as out of touch, that this is all a neccesary part of a wrestling event, but i dont think that any of this type of **** is needed to create an atmospere. and if you ever wonder why people think we're immature for liking wrestling, last night is a perfect example.

ftw_rep

First of all I'd like to thank everyone that attended the event last night! And to those of you who were offended by the show or any of the content, I do sincerely apologize. No one on the roster is bigoted, racist or homophobic but some may have gotten carried away and to those offended by it, Please Accept My Apologies. It was addressed backstage and will continue to be addressed for future shows! I appreciate the feed back and I hope that those of you that did enjoy the show will continue to support FTW!

Results from FTW Round 2

- Sir Paul Tracey def. Bam Katraz
- Bull Reilly def. Manik Mac
- Sammy D. def Irish Dragon
- Bonesaw & Alex Breslin def. Kazza G & Phil Bigelow (when Phil walked out on Kazza)
- Chantelle Mantelle def. Katey Harvey
- Danny Butler def. Peter Farrell (formerly Justin Style/Shape/Bred) in a Last Man Standing Match.

Mother Duck

I have to agree that it was really disappointing that they had to sink so low in their attempts to generate heat (that's giving them the benefit of the doubt that that was what they were trying to do)...

I posted a comment on their Facebook afterwards to try to address it, but unfortunately it was removed several times (friends reposted etc). It's sad because it looks like it had potential but I really can't support an organisation that so carelessly propagates very damaging views and seems to want to stifle any criticism or negative feedback.

For what it's worth, here's the message they deleted and ignored. I know many readers may find these kind of views OK, and in that case I hope you continue to enjoy the FTW shows. But I also think (and hope) there may be wrestling fans out there who don't want to support this kind of stuff.

Apologies in advance for any offence caused!

Dear Full Throttle Wrestling members,

I hope you don’t defensively dismiss this, and can read this openly and take this as the word and honest opinion of a paying customer (and I suppose as a fan of wrestling, granted that I come from an Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan generation), and I hope you can take something constructive from it. Here’s the bottom line: I was embarrassed to be part of your crowd.

I’d never been to one of your events before, and when I arrived I was impressed by the whole set-up, lighting, and sounds. The couple of wrestling events I’d gone to in Ireland had taken place in gyms or community halls and had really lacked atmosphere – but in the fog-filled Andrew’s Lane, the red-lit ring looked ominous and exciting, I was hoping to enjoy an evening of good-natured violence and foolhardy drunken fun.

I suppose the tone was lowered a bit when the MC, a charismatic pimp character, began referring to the female wrestler that came out with him as a ‘slut’ and a ‘whore’ who ‘sucked c*ck’. While I thought that it was a bit easy to paste a woman with such a cheap stereotype, I reckoned that in a way it fit the pimp role and I chose to go along with it, thinking it was just this particular character. I began to feel uncomfortable after several wrestlers and the MC began repeatedly using ‘queer’, ‘fagg*t’ and ‘homosexual’ as pejoratives to insult other wrestlers / characters as well as members of the audience.

As the atmosphere grew increasingly sultry and crass the MC, at this stage boastfully drunk, announced that he would like to ‘say something serious’. He started by calling out a member of audience who had used the word ‘n*gger’, and quite rightly branded him a ‘racist b*stard’. I initially thought that this would be a moment of lucidity where the MC would point out that the blatantly misogynistic and homophobic views espoused by practically everyone who wielded a microphone were not to be taken seriously and all part of a show. Unfortunately, this was wishful thinking.

While the serious speech, dedicated to a member of the crew that had died tragically, showed that both the organisers and audience had some heart, it still didn’t call a stop to the horrible, hate-filled, and frankly f*cking weird exhibition.

I’m genuinely at a loss as to how to convey my feelings towards the next couple of matches that involved women. I am probably attempting to preach to deaf ears, because any organisation that thinks it is OK to portray, even in the pantomime world of wrestling, the things that you guys did is well and truly f*cked.

If you think it is OK to portray yourself as humping a semi-conscious woman during a wrestling match – that is f*cked up. If you think it is OK to portray yourself as beating a woman and then grinding your crotch in their face – that is f*cked up. If you think it is OK to portray yourself beating up a woman before licking your fingers and rubbing them on her crotch – that is f*cked up.

I am fully aware that all of these acts are performed by complicit performers, and I believe that we are all free to do what we want to do. But I also believe that we need to take care with what message we choose to broadcast to the public. I believe this is important to bear in mind on a personal basis, but even more important for anyone involved in the entertainment industry. What is worse is that these views weren’t even confined to the wrestling characters (lest that be a defence)…even the stage-hand could get on the microphone to call people ‘fagg*ts’ and you had the awareness to declare that ‘last night was for queers’, referring to the Pride festival.

I paid €10 to enter your event and I am sorry I ever gave money to you. What is worse is that if you removed the (and let’s not mince words anymore) f*cking shameful, sh*tty views that haunted your show, it would have been a really decently organised, and even possibly entertaining event.

Instead it was a parade of vile, rotten, bigoted sh*te that overwhelmingly reduced my faith in humanity. I can only live in hope that the majority of the audience were too polite to walk out as myself and my two friends did, and I really do wish failure upon your current enterprise because I believe the world will be a better place without it. Please grow up and realise that everything you do is influencing someone else, and stop being such horrible f*ckers.

Thanks for reading,

Mother Duck

ftw_rep wrote: »

First of all I'd like to thank everyone that attended the event last night! And to those of you who were offended by the show or any of the content, I do sincerely apologize. No one on the roster is bigoted, racist or homophobic but some may have gotten carried away and to those offended by it, Please Accept My Apologies. It was addressed backstage and will continue to be addressed for future shows! I appreciate the feed back and I hope that those of you that did enjoy the show will continue to support FTW!

Hi there,

Glad to see this being addressed. I'd posted my comments above before I saw this, and I think I will leave them there because they are still a valid representation of the show last night.

I appreciate your apology and the fact that people got carried away. Still it was a step too far for me too enjoy, but thanks again for responding.

All the best,

MD