My, how the talent pool has fallen...

[joshloveswrestling]

After looking over the rankings for the month, I realize that So Cal is in dire need of talent. Oh well, I still have my favorites. But not sure if this is a strong year for Southern California talent wise. Of course Joey Ryan and The Young Bucks are some of my favorites. And I am a fan of Scott Lost too, but then have him as the #1 guy in So Cal? Just from the past wrestlers that have came and gone, it seems like the talent pool is dwindling. Opinions?

[UnbiasedVoice]

Originally Posted by joshloveswrestling

After looking over the rankings for the month, I realize that So Cal is in dire need of talent. Oh well, I still have my favorites. But not sure if this is a strong year for Southern California talent wise. Of course Joey Ryan and The Young Bucks are some of my favorites. And I am a fan of Scott Lost too, but then have him as the #1 guy in So Cal? Just from the past wrestlers that have came and gone, it seems like the talent pool is dwindling. Opinions?

I don't think that the talent pool has dwindled. I think that not enough people are looking at the other promotions in the areas besides PWG. Now I don't want what I say to be misconstrued, I truly enjoy PWG. I think that they have a tremendous product and great wrestlers. But what I'm saying is that there is way more to SoCal wrestling than just PWG. The EWF and the School of Hard Knocks produces great talent like "Top Shelf" Jeremy Jaeger, "Zero Gravity" Chris Kadillak and, while not a rookie, Liger Rivera, who is getting a chance to shine in AWS after being a long time EWF wrestler. AWS also has a crop of new talent that has been training over there as well. SoCal Pro has their own roster in their area too and once HPW begins to run again, they utilize their own talent too. Of coure the mainstays of SoCal are Joey Ryan, The Young Bucks, Scott Lost and others and they work all over the area and the country and deserve all the recognition in the world. But just keep in mind that the talent pool is always growing and yes, while many have come and gone, there always more guys to come and fill the void

[Benjamin Tomas]

I am a fan of Scott Lost too, but then have him as the #1 guy in So Cal?

Scott Lost has been one of the top guys for quite sometime, it's just it took a bit of time for people to notice.

[BurningHeart]

Just give it some time, and the talent pool will fill up again. Some of the top talent are training people so they are being taught how to be good workers. Whether they apply it, we'll see.......

[evilpaz]

Just based off of what I've seen at both AWS and EWF, I think it's safe to say that SoCal will be loaded with fresh new talent coming out of the woodworks in about 4 to 6 months from now.

[BurningHeart]

They will definitely have prove themselves as L.A. can be close minded when it comes to new talent.

[lizflame]

From my vantage point as a promoter who uses both american style wrestlers and Lucha talent SoCal is brimming with talent. A few of the guys are in Japan or Mexico right now like Rocky Romero, Aaron Aguilera and Machine Gun Anderson but there are still plenty if talented guys here like T.J. Perkins, Los Luchas (Zokre and Phoenix Star) and TON of great lucha talent.

[joshloveswrestling]

Originally Posted by lizflame

From my vantage point as a promoter who uses both american style wrestlers and Lucha talent SoCal is brimming with talent. A few of the guys are in Japan or Mexico right now like Rocky Romero, Aaron Aguilera and Machine Gun Anderson but there are still plenty if talented guys here like T.J. Perkins, Los Luchas (Zokre and Phoenix Star) and TON of great lucha talent.

Yes you're right, maybe the lack of a guy like Romero on the smaller shows (AWS or EWF ) every now and then hurts a little. Anderson was one of my favorites, I wish he'd come back to So Cal. Los Luchas are awesome, at times, because they can be very iffy, like they were at the Mach 1 show. I couldn't believe what I was watching. You can tell that TJ knows what he is doing in the ring, but he needs a Joey Ryan to heel against him for me to not be bored by him. Opinions on guys that are on the rise????

[Benjamin Tomas]

Here is a little something people need to think about. It is just going over the obvious for those long time SoCal wrestling fans, but for the newbies, it may come as a shock to you. We here in So Cal are more blessed than many appreciate. When you think of the number of legit feds there are, which showcase workers who have real training(some more than others), it is mindblowing. We have AWS, Mach 1, PWG, WPW, EPIC, EWF, PWA, NWPW, SoCal Pro, HDCW, Lucha Va Voom, LLII, and I'm sure I am leaving someone out. We have WWE coming through on a regular basis, and the rumor is that in November TNA is gonna have a show in Anaheim. We also have WestCoast Wrestling Company getting ready to launch. Dragon Gate is coming. For all these feds to sell tickets and draw fans, we must have a fairly deep talent pool. Some even run on the same day, and they all draw fans.

For the sake of comparison, I recently went on vacation to Denver, Colorado. I posted tons of buellitins on myspace asking about indy wrestling in the Denver area. I contacted guys from that part of the country, like Tony Kozina. I found a somewhat legit fed that wasn't running while I was there, and a handful of others who sent me pictures of guys under trees in the park and dudes jumping off rooftops. I'm talking about shows that even Mr. California would be embarassed to appear on.

Given those facts, I almost find it insulting to suggest all the wrestlers in SoCal are somehow not up to what someone thinks they should be. At Mach 1 this weekend, they had so much talent that Scorpio Sky, a nationally known superstar, was in the opening match. In places like Denver, they would kill for a guy like Sky to fly in, work their main event, and probably school the top guy in their fed before "doing the honors." We got him in the FIRST MATCH, while the all the BiG Pro students were still outside smoking cigarettes.

Hell, in a lot of places the fans would kill to see a guy like Johnny Goodtime, who is another underrated talent who works openers at AWS.So anyway, this stupid rant was to stick up for the SoCal wrestlers, the promoters, and everyone else who bust their asses to entertain the fans, and deserve better than to be labled as having a "shallow talent pool."

I'd rather see 100% Cali trained talent like Scott Lost than Necro Butcher any day of the week. But that's just my opinion.

[Impartial]

First off Ben, I would like to thank you for always telling it like it is with no sugar coating. There is no doubt there SoCal still has plenty of talent to pull from at any time to put on a good show. Scorpio Sky has always been a talented singles wrestler and it is about time he is getting the opportunity to excel. Although I already said it before, I do not think people realize how really good TJ Perkins and Scott Lost are because one can not appreciate the more technical side of wrestling. Sure they might not be flashy with the mic like Joey Ryan (who can still garner heat better than anyone regardless if there is a crowd of 20 or 300), but their talent and respect for the pure wrestling side of the business is unmatched. Ryan Taylor is another person that one could fit into this category.

Who knows what type of year the Human Tornardo would have had in PWG and else where had he not gotten hurt. One cannot forget how much the Young Bucks have improved in the last 18 months and deserving winning last years Tag Team honors. Not to mention the Cutler Brothers who had reign as AWS tag champs recently and have had some stand out matches. TJ Perkins is also one half of rather two new talented teams (one with Hook Bomberry and the other with Liger Rivera) of which has led him to tag team gold in the EWF.

Liger Rivera (co-holder of the EWF tag titles with TJ) has been impressive in recent months in both singles and tag team matches. One individual who I expect a lot from in the near future is Jeremy Jeager, who although he has only been wrestling for a little over a year acts like he is a veteran. The recent heat he got at the last EWF show was amazing, and hopefully he will be able soon be able to showcase his talents throughout Socal. While we are on the topic of working a crowd, very few have recently had the success of working one better (maybe with the exception of Joey Ryan) than Sonny Sampson. Sonny has been always known as a character, but I feel that over the last year he has developed so much overall as a complete wrestler and I still feel that his match with Ichiawa last weekend was match of the night.

The is some underrated talent that I think should receive some dues as well. Talent such as Brandon Gatson, Hook Bomberry, Terex, Dan Korburt, and Vizzion. Everybody loves the Mullet!

Some more impressive young talent that I expect to see great things from are Chris Kadillak, Espirtual Infernal, Aiden Riley, and Mondo Vega. Many people might know Mondo Vega primarily for his referee work, however the man can some talent behind the mic and can get a crowd reaction better than most wrestlers in SoCal. I got to meet some of the BigPro students at the recent Mach One show this past weekend and although I did not get to see them work a match, I did like what I saw in how respectful they were to the veterans and other workers at the show, and for the one's that stayed, how focused they seemed to be in observing the matches as a learning experience. Although I have not been able to make it down to San Diego for a show in a while, I have heard there is some strong talent there as well.

I am sure I left a few things out, however I am at work and I need to start doing what I get paid to do. Rankings are a nice to look at and I am sure that each individual who is ranked deserves a ranking, but I do not base my attendence at a show on rankings.

[dvsmike]

As someone who is assisting in training the students at the School of Hard Knocks and has been in and out of the scene for the last 12yrs...So cal's talent pool is and has been fairly deep.I garner it to the fact that California is considered the epicenter of entertainment.Actors,Rockstars,models and wrestlers alike have come to the mecca of entertainment to get exposure...they don't go to Charlotte..You don't hear"lets go to Iowa and get famous"...its all about LA!!

The new crop of students that are in training now have tons of potential...Right now we are seeing a wave of cruiserweights coming through but the couple of big men that are training will be dominant forces once they are ready.Espiritu Infernal,Jeremy Jaeger and Kadillak are turning out impressive matches as of late and improve everytime.I especially like how quickly Kadillak has adapted.Aiden Riley and Lucky O'Shea are gonna really shape out the talent pool for the women.

Add along to that all of our pro's who have been in the scene for sometime....I don't believe for a second our talent pool is dwindling.

Oh and I was there for Sonny's match against Stalker and I was thoroughly entertained.Sonny started out overdoing it but for the circumstances i understand.But he settled in after a couple minutes and it was definitly one for the highlight reels

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Tomas

We got him in the FIRST MATCH, while the all the BiG Pro students were still outside smoking cigarettes.

Ben, I can assure you that if I was at that show, I would not have been outside smokin'. I'm not sure who them dudes were but I can assure you it wouldn't have been me.

[roadhouse]

Beer,cigs,and wrestling,imagine that!!!Is that you Tank,see you on the 20th!!!!

[gurentai_pt1]

I think part of the problem isn't the talent itself, but there's really no group of young talent that's "bustin down the door" and/or if there is, they aren't being promoted right. I guess the climate in wrestling right now doesn't allow for it either, but still it's not existant. I hate to keep bringing up the past as if to say "it used to be so much better", but having groups of recognizable guys did make the scene exciting.

Examples: 1. When XPW came out, relatively uknown local guys suddenly were known by everyone. Type of wrestling and wrestling skills aside, you can't argue that they weren't promoted well. Most everyone in Socal knew Webb, Messiah, Jimmy, Supreme, Kaosetc within months of XPW starting. This style of promotion has been copied by many since XPW, but bleeding for the sake of bleeding with sh*tty unskilled promoting (ahem Mr. California) backing it will not cut it. This is where what Kleinrock/XPW did is underrated. Of course, they had lots of porn money to do it, but still.

2. Revpro Gen 1&2. Again, little known to anyone outside the 20 JPN wrestling fans that went to the dojo, they were uknown. When they got known, they were ridiculed by other wrestlers. Still they ended up running shit because they kept doing new shit that noone else could do and built characters. Generation 2 (Scorpio, Bosh) were also promoted very well.

The above examples also got people who didn't give a fuck a about indy wrestling, to give a fuck.

What I'm suggesting to the new crew and their promoters is to do something intelligent, professional, cool, and NEW; so it will stir up some excitement and more people will give a shit again. It will also make for much more interesting topics.

What's pathetic to see is opening up SCU and seeing the same old tired "New promotion!" ads and attempted hyping of guys by the new crews. Nothing original in over half a decade and everything is a bush league joke. Of course people are going to stick to what they know like AWS and PWG. Why should they give a shit about you?

[Chimaera]

I know most of the people on here who do the rankings and such dont get an opportunity to drive down to the San diego area, mainly cus its a drive lol, but I would really recommend people to take one weekend and drive down to either SoCal Pro or New Wave. There is a whole batch of talented guys down there that do not get the credit or exposure on the boards as they should be.

For example, Ricky Mandel, SoCal Crazy,Adam Pearce, The Ballards, Johnny Goodtime, Evan Jelik, Ric Ellis, Aerial Star, Alex Saint just to name a few. Again, I know most of the people on this board have no idea who some of these guys are and again it's completely understandable (it's a bitch of a drive). But the SO~CAL scene does not necesarily mean Los Angeles Area.

A few months ago, Ricky Mandel went up against Adam Pearce...and MAN I NEARLY CREAMED MY POWER RANGER-ESQUE STRETCHY PANTS while watching the match...It seriously had those watching the match think that just maybe Ricky was going to beat Pearce. BUT, it was not ranked, nor mentioned by anyone on the socaluncensored.com board...

I don't think that the talent pool has demished in "SoCal", I simply feel that it is building somewhere else other than Los Angeles.

EWF has amazing talent as does SoCal Pro and New Wave. I recommend some of the people on the board go and check out the San Diego scene..it is WAY different than it is here in Los Angeles.

*cheap plug* GO TO SOCAL PRO THIS SATURDAY!!!!!! SHAZAM!

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by roadhouse

Beer,cigs,and wrestling,imagine that!!!Is that you Tank,see you on the 20th!!!!

Alcohol and Drug-Free Buddy!!! See you in September my friend.

[CHRISLYONZ]

WELL MACH1 WAS A REALLY GOOD SHOW WITH SOME AMAZING TALENT. THE BEST MATCH IN MY OPINION WAS THAT TAG BETWEEN THE CUTLERS AND LOS LUCHAS. I ALSO ENJOYED THE RED TORNADO MATCH WITH NEMISES.. GREAT PSYCHOLOGY WITH A MIXTURE OF TWO DIFFERENT STYLES. I AM PROUD TO CALL MYSELF A BiG PRO STUDENT AND WORKER FOR BATTLEGROUND PRO WRESTLING. A NON-SMOKER AND SOCIAL DRINKER. AND MOST OF ALL, A FAN OF PRO WRESTLING. THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY ARE ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINIONS, MY FATHER FOUGHT FOR THAT RIGHT. SO I JUST WANNA SAY DONT JUDGE THOSE FOR WHO THEY ARE OUTSIDE THE RING, BUT APPRECIATE THE WORK THEY WILL DO INSIDE THE SQUARED CIRCLE. BEN, YOUR STILL MY HERO LOL AND ALSO THANK YOU TO JOHN IAN FOR INVITING US DOWN TO CHECK IT OUT... KUDOS GUYS !

[dvsmike]

[QUOTE=gurentai_pt1]I think part of the problem isn't the talent itself, but there's really no group of young talent that's "bustin down the door" and/or if there is, they aren't being promoted right. I guess the climate in wrestling right now doesn't allow for it either, but still it's not existant. I hate to keep bringing up the past as if to say "it used to be so much better", but having groups of recognizable guys did make the scene exciting.

Examples: 1. When XPW came out, relatively uknown local guys suddenly were known by everyone. Type of wrestling and wrestling skills aside, you can't argue that they weren't promoted well. Most everyone in Socal knew Webb, Messiah, Jimmy, Supreme, Kaosetc within months of XPW starting. This style of promotion has been copied by many since XPW, but bleeding for the sake of bleeding with sh*tty unskilled promoting (ahem Mr. California) backing it will not cut it. This is where what Kleinrock/XPW did is underrated. Of course, they had lots of porn money to do it, but still.




What I'm suggesting to the new crew and their promoters is to do something intelligent, professional, cool, and NEW; so it will stir up some excitement and more people will give a shit again. It will also make for much more interesting topics.





To get recognized is an issue...There has to be substance to what these guys are doing..not just in the ring but out of it as well...I have to agree and say there has to be self promotion and you have to make your own waves to get people to surf them.We can talk TJ and Sky and Lost and Ryan cuz they are unique and know how to work a crowd.....and i think thats the biggest thing there to touch on for these students and newcomers to learn...working the crowd as well as the match.I train students as well as i have mentioned and I am active in the ring...I am learning about the work of the match to involve the crowd from my opponents i have gone against who have traveled the US and other countries and I have to say the NWA presence within the EWF has drastically changed the face of our promotion.I have gone against 3 NWA regualrs and learned so much from them and know that its not about the spots or what fantastic move you pull off but how you involve the crowd and make sense of what you are doing.

So in retrospect,I agree that the new talent is so so and have tons more to learn but with guys like Johnny Goodtime,Sonny Sampson,Joey Ryan,Scorpio Sky,Lil Cholo,TJ Perkins,Scott Lost,Adam Pearce....they are guidance to that type of match and eventually the new crop will pick up on that.....everyone has to work into it and find there comfort zone.

Promotion is happening and I think the door has been busted open...its just a matter of weeding through crap to find the diamonds

[TheDuggler]

dvsmike made some very good points. i want to expand it a little bit more because this is a very good thread.

ok, so, we got the talent. the problem isnt the talent pool at all. so cal right now is a hotbed of eager young guys just waiting to make their name known! i mean we have so many feds in so cal right now some shows are actually thrown on the same day! And you say we dont have talent? The talent is fucking healthy as well right now.

whats not healthy is the lack of bringing something NEW to the plate!! why not giving these new guys some unique gimmicks that no one has ever seen before? howabout creative storylines that will hook people in to watch your product? storylines that will raise the value of the worker and his popularity?

isnt it about making money? like isnt this about attracting new fans into the magical world we love known as pro wrestling? or is everyone just waiting until wrestling is popular again?

marketing is poor. i mean,whats the difference between mach1 and, oh i dunno, new wave? aside from different matches and talent, why should i go see one over the other? and why should i as a fan, spend an afternoon or night watching these shows?

i know feds arent exactly in competition right now, but come on, what makes each fed unique?

im not a huge fan of ewf, but i could tell you what to expect from them. same with pwg. same with aws. same with epic. they are distinctive feds that have a different feel and crowd when you go to one of their shows.

i know these feds dont have access to a tv time slot, but fuck, we have a free powerful media known as the internet that not too many feds are using!

why not make music videos that shows people what your fed is all about? cool vids that hype up the shows and action? not just some stupid cookie fucking cutter flyer that would look exactly the same if you just swapped the fed names

fucking eh, TRY MORE!! TRY HARDER!! THERE IS NO EXCUSE TO WHY WE ARENT DRAWING HUGE CROWDS LIKE BEFORE!!

PWG draws an average of what? 400? 500 people? impressive but shit, how long have they been drawing that crowd? if they are the shit that makes you fuckin nerds cream your jeans so much why aren't they drawing closer to 800-1000 people now?! what fucking marketing plan do they have?! ARE THEY TRYING TO REACH NEW FANS? ARE THEY LISTENING TO THE FANS THEY HAVE NOW?!

Of course they are, but they're fans nut over each card they put out. why try harder when the people come on this fucking board and say "Oh! PWG is throwing a show "Animal KRACKERZ!" and its GOING TO BE THE SHIT!"

"oh fuck yeah! i'm gonna go do whatever douchey thing i have to do that day and then go!"

"fuck yeah! my fat ass will be there taking up 2 seats for sure!"

"without a doubt, if my fucking mom doesn't give me a ride to that show, i swear, i'm rippin her ovaries out!!"

and yeah, the cards are quite impressive, ill admit. but i say that as a wrestling fan who know these guys already and know what kind of shit they could do. howabout mr. wrestling is fake who doesn't give a shit who super dragon is? or chicks who think wrestling is for fucking nerds?! Why not try to make something that appeals to them? show them wrestling isnt stupid, isnt gay, and give these workers who are trying there hardest to make something of themselves and risk there bodies for so little money some more people to cheer for them? I mean, shit!

even pwg like, as a wrestling fan, how many fucking matches have to have 100 near falls?! after a while i get fucking pissed off. no this match isnt awesome, its bullshit. that guy should have been pinned after the second finisher atleast!!

and guys, why dont you throw out ideas? this board just isnt for feds to post there show cards and results, its for you to throw out ideas!! ask for something new damnit!

AND PROMOTERS LISTEN TO THEM AND FUCKING TRY!!

like what the fuck would you like to see? what would make you more excited as a fan? what would make your non wrestling friends watch wrestling?

thats all I gotta say for now. but before i go, i will post up a response from you nerds already to save one of you dicks who will probably say this the trouble

"Whatever, mr. first post!"

and im out.

[roadhouse]

You make alot of sense who ever you are,I agree,the feds are here to make money,cut the shit,it's the truth!!!!How about a monsters battle royal,280lbs. and over all particpants,promote the females and book them alot more,SoCal gals(current wrestlers)are very hot,besides the wrestling aspect of things.shit I have always wanted to do a cheeseburger on a pole match,just for shits and kicks,to arose people's curiousity,just have an all cruiserweights battle royal,hair vs hair matches,etc.,it really gets more butts in seats,we can go on and on,and I know a lot of these matches have been used before,just think different(new promotions,I am not a promoter,but just a thought),EWF,AWS,WPW,PWG have survived for so long.I just want to see some of these new promotions to prosper.Your seeing the same matches,just at different promotions.Give some of the new bloods a shot(cheap plug)!!!!!