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| Is he overextending himself? Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
What is wrestling? According to the rash of new promotions sprouting up, it’s fun, awesome, respect, heart, and art. Each company has a similar roster to each other, and all of them are stocked with Chikara talent. There’s some variance, but on the surface, it seems like it’s Chikara branching out from their red delicious apples to sell Granny Smith, McIntosh, honeycrisp, gala, and Fuji varieties. Sure, some of the flavor and texture profiles are different, but what you’re still getting is an apple.
I’ve heard complaints about these promotions that it feels like a cookie-cutter venture, and that Mike Quackenbush is stumbling with his main company in their creative department. Doing all these ancillary promotions might dilute the quality of the entire family. They are valid concerns. I don’t think anyone should ever aspire to do more than they can handle. We don’t know what Quack is able or unable to take on as a workload, so it’s really speculation on anyone’s behalf as to whether this is too much. Plus, I assume that at least with Wrestling Is Respect and Wrestling Is Heart, Quack will have some help from Delirious and Billy Roc respectively.
But regardless of those concerns, I think the Wrestling Is promotions are a good idea for a few reasons. Full disclosure first, I have to admit that I am a bit of a Chikara apologist. You might think that kind of bias is bad, but at the same time, I have yet to be majorly let down by anything they’ve done. It’s only human nature.
That all being said, the first thing is that it provides a local presence in areas where Chikara no longer visits several times a year. The company has blown up to become a national/continental promotion, referenced by multiple visits to Chicago, Indiana, Canada, and the South last year and scheduled tour dates in Florida, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and California this year. More dates in “exotic” locations mean fewer dates in home bases like Massachusetts, the Lehigh Valley, and New Jersey. Those are home base markets for the company, and regardless of how far and wide your reach becomes, you should never forget about the people who got you to the dance in the first place. While they’re not Chikara cards, they have distinct Chikara flavor with familiar wrestlers operating in similar characters. They’re like the Pei Wei Asian Diner to the main company’s PF Chang’s, to make a culinary comparison.
Second, it’s a great place for wrestlers to gain seasoning. Whether they’re veterans like Quack or newcomers like PJ O’Rourke and Juan Francisco de Coronado, additional dates to ply one’s craft are never a bad thing to have. Furthermore, for guys like O’Rourke and Coronado, these companies could be evaluation tools to see if they have the stuff to join the main Chikara roster. Much like FCW and NXT were/are local means for WWE fans in Florida and on YouTube to get familiarized with future talent there, the Wrestling Is movement can serve as a fine developmental system for Chikara faithful in core areas, not just for new wrestlers, but for new feuds and stories. Is there any coincidence that the main feud in 2012 for Wrestling Is Fun was Quack against Mark Angelosetti? The answer is yes only if you don’t think Angelosetti isn’t the next big rudo in Chikara’s future (and I happen to think you’d be insane if happen to believe he’s a flash in the pan).
Finally and most importantly to Quack but least importantly to us is that these promotions will more than likely be profitable. Wrestling shows are about making money, obviously, and if Quack didn’t think he couldn’t sell tickets in those areas, he wouldn’t be running these promotions. There’s a demand for that kind of wrestling, and Quack is the supplier.
So yeah, I’m very much at ease with these Wrestling Is promotions. Then again, I also dig Chikara’s creative direction right now, so if you’re looking for a fire and brimstone condemnation of this idea, then you’re looking in the wrong place. Besides, more wrestling is a good thing, right? Especially when it involves talented and creative minds and bodies. I wouldn’t be too worried about all of this, at least just yet.
I’ve heard complaints about these promotions that it feels like a cookie-cutter venture, and that Mike Quackenbush is stumbling with his main company in their creative department. Doing all these ancillary promotions might dilute the quality of the entire family. They are valid concerns. I don’t think anyone should ever aspire to do more than they can handle. We don’t know what Quack is able or unable to take on as a workload, so it’s really speculation on anyone’s behalf as to whether this is too much. Plus, I assume that at least with Wrestling Is Respect and Wrestling Is Heart, Quack will have some help from Delirious and Billy Roc respectively.
But regardless of those concerns, I think the Wrestling Is promotions are a good idea for a few reasons. Full disclosure first, I have to admit that I am a bit of a Chikara apologist. You might think that kind of bias is bad, but at the same time, I have yet to be majorly let down by anything they’ve done. It’s only human nature.
That all being said, the first thing is that it provides a local presence in areas where Chikara no longer visits several times a year. The company has blown up to become a national/continental promotion, referenced by multiple visits to Chicago, Indiana, Canada, and the South last year and scheduled tour dates in Florida, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and California this year. More dates in “exotic” locations mean fewer dates in home bases like Massachusetts, the Lehigh Valley, and New Jersey. Those are home base markets for the company, and regardless of how far and wide your reach becomes, you should never forget about the people who got you to the dance in the first place. While they’re not Chikara cards, they have distinct Chikara flavor with familiar wrestlers operating in similar characters. They’re like the Pei Wei Asian Diner to the main company’s PF Chang’s, to make a culinary comparison.
Second, it’s a great place for wrestlers to gain seasoning. Whether they’re veterans like Quack or newcomers like PJ O’Rourke and Juan Francisco de Coronado, additional dates to ply one’s craft are never a bad thing to have. Furthermore, for guys like O’Rourke and Coronado, these companies could be evaluation tools to see if they have the stuff to join the main Chikara roster. Much like FCW and NXT were/are local means for WWE fans in Florida and on YouTube to get familiarized with future talent there, the Wrestling Is movement can serve as a fine developmental system for Chikara faithful in core areas, not just for new wrestlers, but for new feuds and stories. Is there any coincidence that the main feud in 2012 for Wrestling Is Fun was Quack against Mark Angelosetti? The answer is yes only if you don’t think Angelosetti isn’t the next big rudo in Chikara’s future (and I happen to think you’d be insane if happen to believe he’s a flash in the pan).
Finally and most importantly to Quack but least importantly to us is that these promotions will more than likely be profitable. Wrestling shows are about making money, obviously, and if Quack didn’t think he couldn’t sell tickets in those areas, he wouldn’t be running these promotions. There’s a demand for that kind of wrestling, and Quack is the supplier.
So yeah, I’m very much at ease with these Wrestling Is promotions. Then again, I also dig Chikara’s creative direction right now, so if you’re looking for a fire and brimstone condemnation of this idea, then you’re looking in the wrong place. Besides, more wrestling is a good thing, right? Especially when it involves talented and creative minds and bodies. I wouldn’t be too worried about all of this, at least just yet.
