What’s up Haters! You’re local overexposed host of the Rosas Report, Ray Rosas here. Today, I step away from the microphone to the keyboard to bring you Ray Cal’s View. I must admit it is way more difficult to write an article then record a podcast. I do like to mix it up from time to time. Some of you may remember that the Rosas Report first started as a weekly blog on RayRosas.com. But enough about me let’s talk about SoCal Wrestling!
Is SoCal Better or Worse?
It has been about 5 months or so since my love letter to SoCal Wrestling. (You can read it here if you forgot. http://socaluncensored.com/2015/11/06/get-it-together-or-get-out-of-the-way-ray-rosas/) So has anything changed? Better or Worse? I feel like people are more aware now than before. As time went on I didn’t realize how many people felt the same way. It feels like small strides have been made. Slow progress is still progress right?
I’ve noticed a few things in the last few months. While AWS and Santinos have taken hiatuses, a few new companies have popped up with a few more planning to open up shop. This isn’t always a good thing. A similar situation happened a few years ago with a bunch of new companies that came to change the game but most if not all quickly closed. Wrestling is tough business. It really is a sink or swim environment. You have to admire wrestling promotions like SoCal Pro with their 9 year anniversary show coming up and EWF with an astounding 20 years of consistent shows.
A few weeks ago I sarcastically posted about opening a wrestling promotion so I can book me and my friends that don’t get booked anywhere else. It clearly was a joke but for a while that was the status quo for SoCal. “You won’t let me play on the team? Fine, I’ll start my own team.” It takes a hell of a lot of work to promote a wrestling show and a lot of people don’t realize that. SoCal wrestlers shouldn’t worry about running shows to get work. They should be concentrating on trying to branch out of the scene and/or comfort zone to get work.
Booking 101
I was recently asked for advice on getting bookings. A wrestler asked me what the best way to ask for bookings is. I replied “Just ask. Introduce yourself. Tell them a little bit about yourself and ask if they have any spots on their shows in the next couple of weeks. What are they going tell you ‘No’ and not book you? They aren’t booking you anyway.” The great Wayne Gretzky said it best, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” It’s kind of like the hottest girl in high school staying home on prom night because everyone was too intimidated to ask her out.
The best way shows get better is if talent gets better and talent gets better with more experiences. Good and Bad. Even if you have a god-awful match or have a terrible disagreement with a promotion or promoter that is still a learning experience. And remember no matter how good you may think you are, you can always be better. Keep training, keep working out and never settle. You should always strive to be better because sooner or later someone from underneath who may have more motivation is going to pass you by.
I’ve been watching some old EWF footage of my matches from 2010/2011 and I’ve damn near rolled my eyes out of my head. Trust me, when a lot of you younger wrestlers look back on your earlier matches, you’ll feel the same way. Some things just don’t age well and you’ll be watching some of your earlier work and wonder what you were thinking. I did.
We’re all a work in progress, just like the scene. We’re still a long way from our goals but I know we’re making strides in the right direction. Thanks for reading.
Upcoming SoCal Events
EWF “Tale as Old as Time” in Covina, April 1 @ 8:00 PM
UEW “Annihilation” in East Los Angeles, April 2 @ 7:00 PM
MWF Lucha Libre in Los Angeles, April 2 @ 8:00 PM
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The views and opinions expressed in Jay Cal’s View are those solely of the author. These views do not necessarily reflect the views of the website. As always please email Jay Cal with any questions, comments, or concern.