𝟭. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗥 Promoters can stop booking wrestlers because of no-shows, late arrivals, unsafe work, poor communication, backstage problems, or expectations that were not met. Sometimes the reason is creative direction, budget, roster fit, or scheduling. A quiet phone does not tell you which one it is. Review what you can control, ask for useful feedback once, and keep your professional standards high. Protect your safety and boundaries while you do it. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 You may not get a formal explanation when a promotion stops contacting you. That makes it easy to guess and difficult to know what to change. Your reputation grows through what people experience when they work with you. Clear communication, dependable preparation, safe work, and respectful conduct all help. This is Reputation work. The aim is to become someone people can trust while recognizing that some booking decisions are outside your control. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 Blaming every missed booking on politics keeps you from noticing problems you could fix. Blaming yourself for every missed booking can be just as misleading. Look at the evidence. Were you on time? Did you communicate? Did you follow the agreed plan? Did you protect your opponent? Did the promotion have a place for your character and room in the budget? An honest review gives you something useful to work on. Guessing at everyone's motives usually does not. 𝟰. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗧 Every booking involves two performances. The one in the ring is what the fans see. The other includes your communication before the show, arrival, preparation, conduct backstage, treatment of the crew, promotion of the event, and follow-through afterward. Your match matters. So does everything people need from you to make that match happen smoothly. Evaluate both after each show. Keep the standards specific enough that you can act on them at your next booking. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣-𝗕𝗬-𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 1: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴 Confirm the date, venue, arrival time, rate, and responsibilities. Plan the trip, bring your gear and backups, and be ready when you are needed.

𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦. The envelope was thin. I knew it before I even opened it. You get a feel for it after a while — the weight of it, the way it folds. This one had maybe two bills in it. Three if I was lucky. I was in the locker room after a show in 2002. Sweaty. Tired. Five-hour drive home ahead of me. I peeled back the flap and counted it out on the bench next to me. Twenty dollars. I sat there for a minute just... staring at it. Not angry. Not surprised. Just quiet. Because here's the thing nobody tells you when you fall in love with pro wrestling: The business doesn't love you back. Not automatically. Not just because you showed up. I'd been doing this since 1997. I knew the grind. I accepted the grind. But that night, sitting in that locker room with $20 and a long drive home, something shifted in my head. Is this the ceiling? Is this just... what this is? And the honest answer — the one I didn't want to admit — was yes. If I kept doing what I was doing, this WAS the ceiling. Not because I wasn't talented enough. Not because I didn't work hard enough. But because nobody had ever taught me the business side of this business. I knew how to work a crowd. I knew how to take bumps. I knew how to sell. What I didn't know: - How to build a brand that promoters remembered - How to create income that didn't depend on who booked me that weekend - How to think about my career like a business instead of a hobby with bumps That $20 payday wasn't a failure. It was a wake-up call. That night is part of why I eventually sat down and wrote The Pro Wrestling Laws of Success. Not because I had all the answers. But because I'd learned enough of the hard ones — the $20 kind — that I felt like I owed it to every wrestler still sitting in that locker room staring at a thin envelope. The book is the foundation of everything I'm building inside Pro Wrestling Skool. And speaking of that — the paid membership is coming. Founders' Special pricing will go to our community members first, before anyone else. That's you. Stay close.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗥 Set your rate around your experience, the value you bring to the show, and the real cost of getting there and doing the work. There is no single rate that fits every independent wrestler or promotion. Your market, travel, responsibilities, and ability to help the show all matter. Know your number. Explain it clearly. Aim for bookings that cover your costs, and make any exception a clear choice you can afford. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 This is Revenue at its most basic: getting paid for your work. A number that ignores a promotion's budget or the value you currently bring can make an agreement harder to reach. A number that ignores your own costs can leave you paying out of pocket for every booking. The goal is a rate you can explain and a booking that makes sense for both sides. Keep learning, keep improving, and review your price as your work and demand grow. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 Pricing mistakes go in both directions. One wrestler names a rate without understanding the show or being able to explain their value. Another says “whatever you can pay” without checking what the trip will cost, then goes home frustrated. Do the thinking before the conversation. A clear rate, travel policy, and description of what is included make it easier for a promoter to budget and easier for you to decide whether the booking works. 𝟰. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗧 Your rate is a math problem plus a value statement. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘩: look at travel, food, lodging when needed, and a reasonable allowance for gear upkeep and other booking costs. Separate the money coming in from the costs going out. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦: what do you add to the show? Consider your in-ring work, safety, reliability, character, experience, and proven ability to connect with fans. Follower count alone does not show how many people will buy tickets. Use real evidence where you have it. Reach and Reputation help support Revenue when they translate into something a promotion can use. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣-𝗕𝗬-𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥. I still have a day job. Go ahead. Let that sink in. The guy running a wrestling promotion, a training academy, a fitness center, and a digital community for wrestlers... Still. Has. A. Day. Job. And before you close this post — hear me out. Because this is the most important thing I'll ever tell you about building a wrestling career. Back in 2002, I sat down in my boss's office at the auto parts department and told him I was staying. Not quitting. Staying. I'd been wrestling since 1997. Five years of driving hours for $20 paydays. Five years of bumps, bruises, and broken promises from promoters who couldn't fill a bingo hall. I loved this business with everything I had. But the math didn't lie. Wrestling wasn't paying the bills. And I had a family depending on me. Most guys in that situation quit wrestling. I refused to quit wrestling. So I kept the job — and I kept building. Here's what nobody tells you about having a day job AND a wrestling career: The stability isn't a weakness. It's a weapon. When I launched New Ohio Wrestling in 2015, I didn't have to take bad sponsor deals because I was desperate. When I started Pro Wrestling Skool, I didn't have to rush a half-baked product to market because I needed the cash. When I started building the Academy, I could afford to do it RIGHT instead of doing it fast. The day job bought me OPTIONS. And options are everything in this business. Now here's why I'm telling you this today. I've been quietly building something for this community. A full membership experience inside Pro Wrestling Skool — courses, tools, resources, and a community of wrestlers who are serious about building real careers. It's coming soon. And when it drops, Founders will get special pricing. If you're already here in this community, you're already ahead. You'll be the first to know. You'll get the best deal. That's the reward for showing up early. But before that drops — I want you to start where I had to figure everything out the hard way.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗥 A wrestling promo kit needs eight things: a professional photo, a short bio and character description, a 2 to 3 minute highlight video, a promo clip, your available dates, your travel range, your rate, and your contact and social links. Put all of it behind one link a promoter can open on their phone. The kit's job is simple: make it easy to review your work and easy to contact you. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 Your promo kit is your storefront. A clean kit shows that you take the business as seriously as the wrestling. A messy kit creates questions before the promoter even gets to your footage. This is Reputation in a link. Your presentation helps a promoter understand who you are, where you fit on a card, and whether you are ready to do business. Build the kit before you send the pitch. Give yourself the best chance to be judged on your actual work. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 Sending too much can be as unhelpful as sending almost nothing. A full 20-minute match with no explanation makes someone hunt for the useful parts. A blurry photo does not help them picture you on a show poster. “Check my Instagram” leaves the work with the promoter. Choose your strongest material and make it easy to find. You are giving someone a useful first look, with more footage available if they ask for it. 𝟰. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗜𝗧 Think like the promoter opening your link on their phone between errands. They need answers to three questions: - Can this person work? Your highlight video gives them a starting point - Who are they? Your photo, bio, and character description explain that - Is booking them straightforward? Your dates, rate, travel range, and contact information answer that Use a one-minute scan as a practical test. Can someone quickly find those answers without opening six different messages? 𝟱. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣-𝗕𝗬-𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱 1: 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 In gear. In character. A clean background or ring setting. This may become the photo a promotion uses on its poster, so choose one that represents you well and that you have permission to use.