We’ve talked before about the importance of paying wrestlers what they deserve.
And I stand by that—100%.
If a man or woman laces up their boots, travels the miles, and does their job professionally, they deserve to be paid. No questions asked.
But today, I want to tell you about the only time in all my years in this business that I refused to pay a wrestler.
And it wasn’t done lightly.
A Town That Treated Us Right
We were running shows in a local school gym—a town that had been very good to us.
I’m talking about a place where we once drew over 700 people. We always drew large crowds there. In independent wrestling, especially in Eastern Kentucky, that’s something special. That’s a town you protect. That’s a town you respect.
You don’t take chances there.
You don’t gamble with their trust.
Strike One: Late Arrival
I had a guy booked that night I’d used many times before.
Truth be told, I’d had issues with him in the past—nothing major, mostly petty stuff. Enough to be annoying, but not enough to cut ties.
So I kept bringing him in.
That was my first mistake.
That night, he shows up late.
Not a good start.
In this business, being late doesn’t just affect you—it affects the locker room, the card, and the promoter trying to hold everything together.
Strike one.
Strike Two: Disrespecting the Environment
We were in a school.
And I made it very clear to everyone in the locker room:
Keep it G-rated. Respect the venue. Respect the crowd.
This wasn’t a bar show. This wasn’t a late-night crowd.
Families were there. Kids were there.
So what does he do?
He goes out for a promo… and starts gyrating his hips in a perverted manner.
Right there in front of a school crowd.
I should have fired him on the spot. Right then. Right in front of everybody.
But I didn’t.
That was my second mistake.
Strike two.
Strike Three: A Felony in the Main Event
Then came the moment that crossed the line completely.
Not only was I the promoter, I was the ring announcer.
He comes out for his match…
…carrying a United States Postal Service mailbox, post and all.
Not a prop.
Not a gimmick.
An actual mailbox.
For reasons unknown to this day, he had stolen it on the way to the show.
Let that sink in.
That’s not just unprofessional—that’s a felony.
At that moment, it was over.
I can't remember what we did for the match now, it's been too many years. But I do remember that I fired him on the spot.
The Pay Window Conversation
Afterward, he came to me asking for his pay.
I told him no.
Flat out.
Why?
Because at that point, he hadn’t just had a bad night—
he had:
- Shown up late
- Disrespected the venue and the audience
- Put my promotion at legal risk - and committed a felony!
Three strikes. And then some.
I wasn’t about to reward that behavior with money.
When Reality Set In
Then came something I didn’t expect.
He started crying.
Literally.
Saying he didn’t have gas money to get home… and he was three hours away.
And I told him the truth:
“You should have thought about that before you pulled the shenanigans you did tonight.”
I also made it clear—if he didn’t leave immediately, I would call the police over the mailbox.
He left.
Unhappy. Broke. And fired.
The Aftermath
And here’s the part that still sticks with me…
He didn’t just hurt himself.
He hurt the business.
That town—one that had supported us, packed the building, and treated us right—never recovered from that night.
We went back one more time.
Instead of 700 people…
We had maybe 30 or 40.
And that was the end of it.
We were never invited back.
The Lesson Promoters Need to Understand
This business is built on trust.
- Trust with your fans
- Trust with your venues
- Trust with your community
And all it takes is one person, on one night, making one bad decision, to tear that down.
Was I Justified?
I believe I was.
Because paying him would have sent the wrong message:
That you can disrespect the business…
endanger a promotion…
and still get rewarded for it.
And that’s not a message I was willing to send.
Final Thought
Pay your talent.
Treat them right.
But never forget—respect goes both ways.
And the moment that respect is broken…
Everything else can fall apart with it.
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