-The new opening song is good, I like it, nice idea to get something fresh. Positive points!

-I love the commentary team being moved back from ring side, and I thought they did a reasonably good job. Positive points!

-The surprise announcement of two 4-way matches to determine an opponent for Rollins at Summerslam to decide the first ever WWE Universal Champion (RAW champ) was good. I liked it,and I liked all the wrestlers picked to be in the matches. Positive Points!

-First Four way was excellent, one of the best matches of the night, and Balor winning was refreshing, and gave me some hope! Positive Points!

-I loved seeing Britt Baker, what a surprise. Of course she had to be squashed by the most over rated performer I've seen in the WWE in some time. Points lost for this crap.
-The Golden Truth is idiotic, and the little segment with Sasha was horrid. Points lost for this crap.

-Second 4 way was good, but no where near as good as the first, and Roman going over made it even worse, and no, I don't hate Roman. I hate his current story line, and this match told that stupid story. The wrestling was good enough for me to call it a split. No positive point, and no points lost....sort of whatever.

-New Day Segment...stupid, lame, dumb, all the typical New Day drivel, but thank you to The Club for making it somewhat fun at the end. Much like the last match, I won't give or take away points. Call it a wash.

-Neville vs Curtis Axel- Just a match to bring Neville back, whom I like, a lot. The match was average at best. Why in the hell would you actually announce a wrestler as "irrelevant?" A little points lost just for that idiocy.

-Charlotte vs Sasha for the Women's title....WOW...I mean the match of the night! A true 5 star classic that had everything you'd ever want in a match and should have been the main event. I can't say enough positive things about this. Amazing stuff, absolutely wrestling done right in every way. DAMN!

-Strowman vs the Pa indy guy- Congrats to the indy guy a lot of my wrestling friends seem to know well, but this was just stupid and pointless. I understand wanting to squash some nobody, rather than a WWE star, but come on. I think it was more about not exposing Strowman against a better opponent. Points lost for this one.

-Enzo and Cass are cool, I can even handle them repeating the same exact stuff every single week, because they have something, they do. However, they get to face those idiots The Shining Stars? WHYYYYYY? Points lost here just because the Shining Stars are beyond horrible in every way possible. No, just no.

-Main Event, Balor vs Reigns was good, nothing amazing performance wise honestly, but I was so thrilled, and shocked at the outcome that an average match earns positive points here. Balor vs Reigns for the new Universal title should be money, and that's awesome!

So looking at it honestly, even though they did give me HOPE, in the end, there were...

6 segments that I scored positively
5 segments I scored negatively
2 segments I said were a wash
​
If I scored just based on that, the show would earn a 6/10 from me. However, the women's match was sooo good, and Roman jobbing CLEAN to Balor will make me give this show a 7/10. That said, it was the best RAW I've seen in ages. Here is hoping Smackdown tops it.

$500k being an indie guy.
Don't tell me it's impossible because it's not.
This is quick and dirty. This is a guide. But I felt I had to write it. Please use it as a guide; not a textbook. I'm not perfect. I'm sure there are misspellings. Bear with me.
However - I've been called out. Challenged. Called a "con-man" because I've actually tried to make us responsible for earning $500k in wrestling.


Here's your guide. For free.


I don't usually divulge this. Not because it's a secret. It's because it's not new information. If you read my posts I've described it as exceedingly boring.
PLEASE NOTE: It takes a LOT of hard work and a SPECIAL person to do this. You will cry. You will be hurt. You will doubt yourself. You will also come out a winner if you can follow the plan.


A few things I'll mention.


1. You can do this with ANY part-time job. But you've all asked me how to make money in wrestling. And wrestling can accelerate your income exponentially.
1a. YOU MUST GET GOOD AT BEING A PRO WRESTLER AND BE THE BEST YOU.
1b. The first year or two - You may have to increase your hours at your "regular" job or take another one part-time to help finance your wrestling. Remember this is a calculated move to help transition you into wrestling as a really good part-time job or full-time job.


2. You MUST invest wisely and think LONG-TERM. You can't buy stock in a Ukrainian field hockey team and expect to be okay. This is a "get-rich slow" plan.


3. This isn't for everybody. It will take sacrifice, persistence, constant improvement, and determination. You will have to hustle.


4. This also isn't a perfect system and my financial advice won't be 100% accurate. But I'll show you, even if my margin of error is off by some, you'll have something to show financially for your wrestling.


Okay, here we go.


I respect the hell out of weekend warriors. But this is more for guys/girls who want to work 100 matches a year. It's possible to do this. HUSTLE.


To do this, we're going to have to travel and wrestle. A lot. You are going to suffer some losses in the beginning. I'm going to assume a $30 payoff but you're going to work at least. twice in a weekend from now on. 

--First thing - get a your mind around you being a business and how you are the guardian of it. AND I REPEAT - GET AWESOME AT BEING A PRO WRESTLER. Practice constantly. Study the greats. See who's making money now and how they're doing it. What's YOUR version of what they're doing?

--Pick up double shots when you can. If you can work 4 shows a weekend, do it. I will not take them into consideration in my examples but it helps you get to your goal faster. 

--WATCH YOUR EXPENSES LIKE A HAWK. Especially in the beginning. Always travel with at least one person in the car, preferably all 4 seats should be filled up. Your gas price goes from $2.40/gal to 60¢/gal with 4 guys. Remember, your job from now on is to come home with as much money as you can. Make and being your food. Stop as few times as possible to avoid temptation. 

--You can buy color copies at Staples for 60¢ apiece and probably cheaper online. You can immediately sell them for $5. And you will. 

--Get shirts done as soon as possible. People love t-shirts. You can get them for $6-8 sometimes cheaper and sell them for $20. 

--Do all the LEGAL BUSINESS stuff. Declare yourself a sole proprietorship. Write down all your miles traveled. Keep track of all expenses on the road.


YOU ASK: WHY CANT YOU JUST DO THIS ALL UNDER THE TABLE LIKE ALWAYS?


--Because you will be investing on paper and also the tax benefits you will enjoy your first couple of years as you get your business off the ground will help you greatly. I'm telling you to drive every week for wrestling. You could easily be driving 20,30,40 thousand miles a year. As long as you track it legally, you can write all those miles off. And a lot of other stuff, as well. Again, I'm not an accountant but you should save all of your receipts. 

--I never said you would stay at the $30 payoffs. Since you're getting good at wrestling, the payoffs should increase slightly on a consistent basis. Plus, you're traveling everywhere so you're proving your worth. I would say it's not a stretch to increase your payoffs from an average of $30 to an average of $50/show in a year. You can sell two pictures a show and one shirt a show on average. So that's $80 a show now almost immediately. $160 a weekend if you only do two shows a weekend. But it won't stay that way. You should, provided you're getting good at what you do, should have that cranked up to $100 a show pretty darn soon so that's $200 a weekend. Many (MANY) guys have done better so I'm keeping your average at $200 gross on a weekend.


So I'm going to assume you did what I told you and you're working 2 shows a weekend. Remember, you're good at pro wrestling and your business. So you slowly start increasing your income. Slowly. 1-2 pics a night turns into 3-5. One shirt every two shows turns into one shirt per show. This is important as the paydays will stay relatively the same, but the merch sales can go up. Get a following. Offer them online. My first 2 dozen shirts were sold online. Track your sales. See what sells better and do more of it. 
So now your income has increased. You're now almost immediately making more money. 

Right now, I'm asking you to invest every cent you earn in wrestling. Even if you didn't CLEAR $200 on a weekend, I'm asking you to put that in a good strong mutual fund. You should, with some smart advice, get 8% on your money. 

This is where your part-time job floats you for a few years while you're working on making that $200 pure profit. You WILL run negative for a year or two. That's okay. MAKE SURE YOU WRITE DOWN ALL YOUR MILES AND EXPENSES AND KEEP RECEIPTS. You can show a loss to the IRS legally for 3 years. You won't need that much time. The money you spend in the beginning will come back to you at tax time. Again: I'm not an accountant but it DOES work this way. 

--So now you're investing $200 a weekend (conservatively) every week. I'll even give you two weeks vacation! I say conservatively because I haven't factored in you doing ANY better than $200 a weekend the first year. If you're getting good at being a wrestler you can SMASH these numbers. But let's keep it at $200 for the first year. 
$200 x 50 weekends =$10,000

Now, let's say you get a tiny bit better and make an extra $50 a weekend $25 a show) for the next ten years. 

Year 2: $250 x 50 =$12500
Year 3: $300 x 50 =$15000
Year 4: $350 x 50 =$17500
Year 5: $400 x 50 =$20000
Year 6: $450 x 50 =$22500
Year 7: $500 x 50 =$25000
Year 8: $550 x 50 =$27500
Year 9: $600 x 50 =$30000
Year 10: $650 x 50 =$32500


After 11 years, if you invest well (not genius levels of investing here - just well) in a solid mutual fund with a good track record getting 8% interest, you'll have approx $511,000.


But even if you think this wrestling stuff isn't for you, and quit after the first year. $10000 after 20 years getting 8% is approx. $46k. Something to show from wresting!!


Remember - I haven't factored in anything except you working your ass of and doing great at wrestling on the indie level. You'll be traveling every weekend. It's not for everybody. But I also haven't factored in you catching on with a major promotion paying you MUCH better than a couple hundred bucks a weekend.


But even if you worked once a weekend and applied the same principals, you'd be at approx $250k after 11 years. It's not all the money in the world, but you have something to show.


I'm not a mathematician or an accountant. My numbers may even be off a bit. But the goal is slow, solid, and unshakeable consistency in investing. You will have to really watch your expenses and maximize your profit.


But that's what you would do in a real business, isn't it?


So that's what you are now.


I love you. Here to serve.


Hope you make that half a mil.
​

Unc

On Saturday, July 23rd, at Spooky Nook Sports complex, in Mannheim, Pa. Legacy Wrestling presents Summer Stampede.  In the first match that we will feature here at WDR is an insane Lumberjack Strap Match that will see CZW owner, DJ Hyde take on The Hungarian Monster, Laszlo Arpad. We are calling that match “insane” because that’s exactly what it is. The fact that FANS can purchase leather straps, to act as the lumberjacks of the match, just puts this way over the top. If you aren’t aware, Hyde stormed into Legacy Wrestling months back, promising to fight off Hollywood’s Finest, and Laszlo was the man from the dominate faction to step up and accept that challenge. Since that time, Arpad has wreaked havoc on the entire Legacy roster, often attacking random wrestlers, as well as any opponent he has faced, with a large leather strap, beating them like dogs, as Kevin Murphy, Eddie Smooth, and Andy Vineberg stood around him laughing, and shouting encouragement. Hyde, having had all he could take, dared Arpad to face him in not only a match, but in a lumberjack strap match where the fans would be the lumberjacks!
 
This may sound all well and good, but part of me wonders if Hyde has stopped to consider just how big of a fan base Hollywood’s Finest has in the area in which Legacy runs? While Arpad, Murphy, Smooth, and Vineberg are pretty dastardly, and will stop at nothing to remain on top, the central Pennsylvania fans have grown to like them. In some sick, twisted way, the local fans live vicariously through the faction. That’s the best explanation I have for it, but if Hyde isn’t prepared, he need get so, because many of this matches lumberjacks are going to be out for him, and that may cost him dearly.  

Arpad is also legit. He’s not an American playing a Hungarian. Laszlo is the youngest, and longest reigning Hungarian Championship Wrestling (HCW) champion. He is also a former UWE United States Champion, and 5 Star champion. He trains regularly at the CZW Dojo, and as such is very familiar with Hyde’s ways of operating. There’s also rumors that Laszlo wants to prove to the world that he’s not second fiddle to Hollywood’s Finest golden boy, Eddie Smooth, and facing off against the owner of CZW is a great way to prove that. With is pedigree in wrestling, size, strength, fan support, and surely Vineberg at ringside, Arpad will be a tough man to overcome.
 
Hyde however has wrestled all over the world, and has the same, if not more of an advantage on Arpad in regard to Arpad training at HIS dojo. Word is that Hyde has been studying everything Arpad does there, and is more than prepared. Hyde also wrestles in plenty of death style matches, so will being slapped with leather straps even phase him much at all? Especially by untrained fans that don’t really know how to wield them? Hyde brought many friends from CZW to Legacy with him in the past, so who says some of them won’t be with him on the 23rd? I don’t see Hyde being foolish enough to not counter Hollywood’s Finest tactics.
 
This will be a brutal match between two big, strong, men that legitimately do not like each other. Arpad has a strong faction, determination to prove he’s not his faction’s second pick, and the hometown advantage, but will that be enough to overcome a man as experienced, and calloused as DJ Hyde? Will fans wielding straps even phase Hyde in the least? Does Hyde have someone in his corner, “just in case?” This is just the first match we will breakdown like this for you as we prepare for Legacy Wrestling’s Summer Stampede in just a few weeks. Legacy has developed a strong reputation as something special, so come out and see why that is on Saturday, July 23rd for some Wrestling Done Right.