Column – The Brotherhood – Nikita Allanov

Professional Wrestling is not what it used to be.

Back in the old days, there was a governing body over the sport – it was the National Wrestling Alliance. The NWA was a very important tool for promoters of independent wrestling. It provided a structure to the renationalized sport, but in a mafia-esque way. NWA members were promoters that had bought into the NWA’s ideals of a territory system, and acted as barons over a territory. Although a wrestler could be blacklisted for actions against the organization’s wishes (which was illegal), the NWA provided an order to the mad world of professional wrestling.

In general, under the watch of the NWA, wrestlers were allowed to move from territory to territory, making money and moving up and down the ladder or success. A handful of wrestlers were able to “barnstorm” – meaning they were able to book their own dates regardless of territory. Select top draws such as Andre the Giant could get away with this. Most wrestlers broke into the business in one territory, and then would go to other areas as their opportunities increased, and then moved on when another money-making opportunity popped up.

Please keep in mind however, that at the same time, there was no free agency in professional sports in the United States. Baseball and football players had contracts and reserve clauses, and were bound to teams, who dictated their pay. Wrestlers were unique, in that they were able to go where they money was. As long as you honored your dates and gave notice, you could leave a territory at anytime. Wrestlers were true independent contractors.

We all know the story of how in the 1980′s, Vince McMahon and Jim Crockett Jr. both attempted to take their promotions national, and the territories went out of business (The WWF putting the territories out of business is somewhat of a half-truth). By the mid-1990s, there were two major companies in the US/Canada – McMahon’s WWF, and the company that Crockett sold off, WCW. There became a boom of independent wrestling that only increased when the wrestling boom happened. WWE and WCW programming was the king of cable, ECW attempted to go national, and a number of strong independent companies thrived.

With all of this boom, came the eventual implosion. WCW went out of business – sold to Vince McMahon. ECW went bankrupt, and the assets were bought by McMahon. And, while a number of companies have popped up, no real competition has been fostered for the WWE machine. The WWE machine, which was able to grow and expand in large part due to McMahon setting up a barnstorming national promotion that paid very little attention to the rules and regulations of state athletic commissions. McMahon made his money off of “sports entertainment”, not athletic contests.

McMahon was the first promoter to admit that wrestling matches were exhibition in nature, and not contests. He did this to avoid regulations by athletic commissions. Prior to this, promoters and wrestlers pointed to the sanctioning state athletic commissions as a way to legitimize wrestling – could wrestling matches possibly be fixed, if the state governed it? In turn, athletic commission appointments were generally cushy posts for influential people within promoting circles.

But, when the territories dried up, a funny thing happened – the athletic commissions stopped having lucrative gates from wrestling events. Rather than having gates from wrestling events every night of the week in different towns drawing a few thousand fans, suddenly WWE, at most, came to town four times a year with a live event. Athletic commissions suddenly had no source of revenue.

As independent promotions popped up in the 1990s, so did the practice of athletic commissions shutting down unlicensed outlaw wrestling shows. As the wrestling boom caused an increase in professional wrestling, so came the increase in individuals wanting to be pro wrestlers. Which was followed by people wanting to be rich wrestling promoters. Many athletic commissions suddenly had to devote resources to shutting down these shows, or stop regulating professional wrestling. Many chose another path – keep licensing fees and gate taxes to remain relevant and to acquire money, but to do as little as possible.

History will show that the regulation of wrestling as it is now in most states, is full of bureaucratic red tape. Most athletic commissions do very little to regulate promoters. Most do even less to regulate wrestlers. Most do nothing but collect taxes.

While most major sports leagues and organizations experienced their athletes uniting into labor unions throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, professional wrestling did not. With the collapse of a territorial system, with only one major company existing in the United States, and the lack of a labor union for wrestlers, the sport has began to crumble right before our eyes. These days, you can buy a ring, gear and everything you need to have a wrestling show on the internet. For a few hundred bucks or less, even you could promote a wrestling event.

Over the past few months, another wrestler and I have had many meaningful conversations regarding what can be done about our sport. After much discussion, we actually started researching the subject, and asking questions. Did you know the Ohio Athletic Commission keeps track of what wrestling cards are taking place within the state via WrestleOhio.com? Did you know that the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission sanctioned over 300 wrestling cards in 2009, but doesn’t have any record of how many licensed promoters operate in their state? Did you know that neither state licenses wrestlers? Over the next few days, months, and years, I am going to begin writing more and more about what we have began to call the “Brotherhood of Professional Wrestlers” – an attempt at getting something organized to regulate our sport the correct way.

If I told you ten years ago that there would be only one major wrestling promotion in the United States, you would have thought I was crazy. If I told you that UFC would be doing bigger numbers on television and pay-per-view than wrestling, you would have thought me crazy. However, it is reality. What will happen to this sport, that I and so many others love so dear, if we continue to let it be destroyed by people that should be buying tickets for events actually participating in the sport, and ruining it? No state or national commission or body or law is going to save professional wrestling. Wrestlers and promoters and the fans are going to be the ones to step up and do what is best for what we love.

For the Betterment, Education, and Future of Professional Wrestling. To provide resources, support, and affect change within the industry of professional wrestling. To advocate change within regulating bodies for fair and equal representation for those who compete within professional wrestling.

To read more about Nikita Allanov, or to leave feedback on this column, check out his official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/nikitaallanov.