There's grapplin' and then there's wrasslin'. These gentlemen are wrasslin'. You can tell because there's a stripe-clad professional officiating the dispute.
Courtesy photo
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THE RUNDOWN
WHAT: River City Wrestling presents “Payback”
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28
WHERE: Bellaire Baptist Church,116 Clovis
HOW MUCH: $7 until 10 p.m. on April 26; $10 at the door
INFO: rcw-wrestling.com |
Brandon Oliver was always a wrestling fan, so much so that he actually entertained the thought of becoming a professional wrestler.
There was, however, one small problem.
“I'm not the most athletically gifted guy,” he said.
So Oliver turned his sights to another side of the business — the promotional side. That led him to where he is today, owner/promoter of San Antonio's River City Wrestling. The promotion has a live card — titled “Payback” — scheduled for Saturday, April 28, which will feature Total Nonstop Action superstars “Showtime” Eric Young and “Hotstuff” Hernandez.
Oliver started RCW as a part-time promotion in 2002 before upgrading to one or two events per month starting in 2005.
“I always asked myself what it takes to run a successful promotion,” Oliver said. “There was a lot of trial and error.”
After that period of trial and error, Oliver learned a few ways his promotion could thrive.
First, he attempted to secure a well-known wrestler or two for select RCW events. Second, he kept that “well-known” list to one or two to limit payroll expenditures. Finally, he primarily targeted family audiences, hence the reason RCW conducts many of its events at churches.
“We can't only do extreme, hardcore wrestling because that will chase the families away if they see that,” Oliver said. “But you can't just go after families, or it will scare away others. So far, it's been working.”
It must be, as RCW routinely draws more than 300 people to an event. Other independent promotions, on average, draw closer to 100.
RCW also secures the crowds without the benefit of a high-scale advertising budget.
“It's hard because you have to get out there in the community, and it's very grass roots,” Oliver said. “We need people to support us because we run here (in San Antonio) so consistently.”
Of course, it helps when the local wrestlers deliver in the ring.
“The talent always does their end,” Oliver said. “Our guys are good, and when people see real wrestlers having great matches, they might tell their friends.”
Clint Hale | 210SA
‘SHOWTIME' ERIC YOUNG
Height: 6-0
Weight: 225 lbs.
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Finishing move: Neckbreaker
Lowdown: Young's performance for RCW will mark the first time he has worked in Texas. In TNA, Young's gimmick is that of a paranoid yet likeable character who serves as a sort of spokesman for the fans. He has also been co-holder of the TNA tag-team championship on multiple occasions.
‘HOTSTUFF' HERNANDEZ
Height: 6-2
Weight: 295 lbs.
Hometown: Houston
Finishing move: The Cracker Jack
Lowdown: Along with Latin American Exchange teammate Homicide, Hernandez was — up until recently — one-half of the TNA tag-team champions. However, LAX lost the tag-team belts to Team 3D in an “electrified cage match” at the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view on April 15.
Q&A: ‘Hotstuff' Hernandez has something to say. Yes, sir, we're listening
How much do you look forward to wrestling in San Antonio?
The fans are ridiculous. If you tell a good story and back it up with moves and stuff, the fans appreciate what you do in the ring. They're the best fans I've been around, to be honest. I've wrestled all over the U.S. and Japan and Korea, and I just got back from Germany, and those guys don't hold a candle to San Antonio guys. They're respectful, but if you screw up, they'll let you know you screwed up. They make you want to bring your A game every time you're wrestling there. It's a huge adrenaline rush because the fans are so rabid.
How tough is life as an independent wrestler?
I was with TNA (Total Nonstop Action) in '04 and signed a three-year deal, but after three months, they had nothing for me. So I was wrestling in Mexico on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, then I'd come home and unload trucks at Office Max from Wednesday through Friday. I'd go wrestle in Texas on Saturday, and then start the whole cycle over again. I was putting in 50 to 60 hours a week with trucks and travel, and my body was just shot. It was not good travel, an airplane or something like that. It was a bus. And that's for me having one of the top names in Texas, so you can only imagine what it's like with a lot of the other guys that struggle.
Is there ever a point where you think every independent wrestler considers giving it up?
Of course, you start getting up there in age. I have two children, and you can't keep living a dream when you have bills to pay. The average indie wrestler makes $20 to $50 a show, and if you look at everyone's MySpace or Web page, it doesn't say they bag groceries at H-E-B. It says they're a professional wrestler, even though bagging groceries at H-E-B is paying the bills. Their fantasy is making $20 to $50 a night.
Why do you think so many people keep hanging on to that fantasy?
Have you ever played sports before? High school football is big in Texas, and do you remember breaking through the paper sign, when everyone's yelling for you and everyone's excited? It's the same adrenaline rush when you come out of the curtain. They're cheering or booing for you, and no one else. With San Antonio fans, they're so responsive to good wrestling, that if you do stuff they normally don't see, they love that. It makes wrestling in front of 300 or 400 people feel like 10,000.
LAX, your tag team in TNA, is really popular. Are you surprised that you got so popular so fast?
I didn't think it would happen because to be honest, when I came in, they didn't know what to do with us. They wanted the Hispanic crowd, but they didn't know how to do it. So they had us hold signs at the Spanish announce table, and it was going to last a couple of months and be over with. Basically, it came out through luck. We were at the Victory Road pay-per-view, and they needed a filler match. We happened to be it. We realized it was our only chance to get down, or they'd send us home, and we had the best match of the night. Word of mouth spread, and it took off.
What does the future hold for you?
I'm getting up there. I'm 34 right now, and it can't last forever. I'm looking forward to staying on top as long as possible, working on the small things and saving some money. I have to be realistic about it.
Clint Hale | 210SA
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