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Post by tankisfreemason on Jun 19, 2019 16:17:51 GMT -5
I forgot who it was, but I remember a little while back someone tweeting or saying in an interview something along the lines of taking advantage of wrestlers and keeping them locked down like Pillman Jr. I really wish I could remember the source.
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Post by The Dark Order Inferno on Jun 19, 2019 17:06:57 GMT -5
Someone really needs to start cataloguing this crap, putting it all in one place for indie talent to see so they know what and where to avoid, and what not to agree to.
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Post by octopus on Jun 19, 2019 22:07:57 GMT -5
I forgot who it was, but I remember a little while back someone tweeting or saying in an interview something along the lines of taking advantage of wrestlers and keeping them locked down like Pillman Jr. I really wish I could remember the source. Teddy wants out apparently too. He barely promotes MLW when interviewed. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2019 10:46:55 GMT -5
Someone really needs to start cataloguing this crap, putting it all in one place for indie talent to see so they know what and where to avoid, and what not to agree to. If they aren't OK with being paid $150 per match, they can say no. I don't see people's outrage here. It's not like they signed anything they didn't know the details of before signing it. Most guys on the indies would love to be paid $150 per match, instead of $30. If $150 is too little, they can say "no." To complain about being paid $150, when they agreed they should be paid $150, is idiotic. |
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Post by timelimitdraw on Jun 20, 2019 12:00:57 GMT -5
You don't have to sign a contract just because you're offered one. Chris Jericho didn't sign a WWF deal in 1996 because he knew that coming in with a bunch of good workers in bad gimmicks (Freddie Joe Floyd, T.L. Hopper, The Goon, etc.) would ruin the upward trajectory of his career.
Last year, they were thrilled to sign those deals with MLW. They willingly signed contracts of their own volition. Nobody was upset until AEW came along and they started competing with WWE for talent, driving salaries up for free agents. It also applies to other promotions as well. How many folks want out of the Impact deals that they willingly signed last year? (Set aside the seemingly ever-increasing amount of WWE wrestlers who want out of their current deals - Matt Riddle and Rey Misterio Jr. may not have signed deals with WWE if they'd known AEW was coming soon.)
I'm sorry that they're not being paid well, but this isn't a Lucha Underground situation where they're basically being held indefinitely because MGM and El Rey Network can't figure out whether or not the show's being renewed. They made the choice to sign with a promotion that only runs 1-2 events a month and doesn't guarantee a decent payday. The bright spot? At least MLW seems to be okay with contracted talent also working for AEW, the most notable being MJF, which can net them more money and more exposure.
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Post by Natural Born Farmer on Jun 20, 2019 13:31:15 GMT -5
Wasn’t Daga or Rush recently offered a 300k deal by MLW? Not even that big a star in the United States. Figured they must have some solid backing, so it’s unfortunate to hear this.
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Post by Natural Born Farmer on Jun 20, 2019 13:32:31 GMT -5
If it's a bad contract, then don't sign the contract. I don't understand the difficulty in this logic. Companies have exploited workers for years based on things like "It's rude to discuss your salary" and "You have to pay your dues." A lot of people don't KNOW they have a bad contract. That’s what an agent is for. Either hire one or do the research yourself. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2019 15:05:11 GMT -5
Companies have exploited workers for years based on things like "It's rude to discuss your salary" and "You have to pay your dues." A lot of people don't KNOW they have a bad contract. That’s what an agent is for. Either hire one or do the research yourself. If you think an agent is a realistic option on an independent level, I don't think you understand how little money is in this field. This would be like suggesting local theater actors get an agent. |
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Post by Natural Born Farmer on Jun 20, 2019 15:19:17 GMT -5
That’s what an agent is for. Either hire one or do the research yourself. If you think an agent is a realistic option on an independent level, I don't think you understand how little money is in this field. This would be like suggesting local theater actors get an agent. So in a thread complaining about low pay, you are suggesting that the reason they shouldn’t get someone to advocate for them is because there just isn’t any money to go around? Seems a bit like an ourouborous to me |
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Jun 20, 2019 15:54:17 GMT -5
If you think an agent is a realistic option on an independent level, I don't think you understand how little money is in this field. This would be like suggesting local theater actors get an agent. So in a thread complaining about low pay, you are suggesting that the reason they shouldn’t get someone to advocate for them is because there just isn’t any money to go around? Seems a bit like an ourouborous to me Yeah, it is, the industry is ultraf***ed. That doesn't mean 'agent up' will solve problems. Everyone is expendable and from the very moment you arrive at wrestling school you are very aware of that. Here in Quebec July 1st is 'moving day' for cultural reasons not worth getting into, when a lot of people will move and where a lot of leases start or expire on, so if you have a truck, you can make some really good side money if you have friends or family who are moving. I have one such friend who was training in wrestling school, at the point where he was main eventing a student show and being battle royal warm bodies on regular shows, but otherwise working security on shows, which is not a paid gig but something you're expected to do in the process of paying them to teach you how to wrestle. He couldn't turn down the money of helping some family move and had to miss working security for a show, and that pretty much killed him off and he found himself in unbooked purgatory from then until the following winter when he gave up on it. He was utterly replaceable and if he didn't make this gig he was paying to be a part of his top priority, he was dropped. There's something to be said for not signing the shit contract, but a lot more to be said for a culture reinforcing the idea that you've got to get f***ed and put up with all the bullshit and expectations of wrestling being your topmost priority to even catch a whiff of upward mobility. Those contracts still pay better than a lot of other independent gigs would, which is horrible, and if you miss the boat on this deal you're out your only chance because someone else will happily get f***ed to have their shot instead. There will always be someone else. Freelance fields like wrestling are a race to the bottom that will always benefit the companies playing with power and taking advantage of the shitty conditions, and having an agent on a personal level will do nothing but drive offers away and cost you money. Nobody can individually change the whole structure of the business and its pay, the pressure has to come from wrestlers collectively and from the fans not supporting somewhere that's f***ing over their wrestlers. "Oh, well why did he sign a contract for so little money?" is the response the system wants and putting personal responsibility onto the person who got taken advantage of benefits nobody except those taking advantage. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2019 19:45:03 GMT -5
If you think an agent is a realistic option on an independent level, I don't think you understand how little money is in this field. This would be like suggesting local theater actors get an agent. So in a thread complaining about low pay, you are suggesting that the reason they shouldn’t get someone to advocate for them is because there just isn’t any money to go around? Seems a bit like an ourouborous to me I'm saying acting like it's a super obvious solution that everyone had the means to do is a mistake. Workers need to educate themselves, call out bad deals, warn their coworkers and not settle for shit. Promoters need to stop offering them garbage. And yes, that means less promoters should put on shows unless they have reasonable pay. |
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Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Jun 20, 2019 19:48:42 GMT -5
If it's a bad contract, then don't sign the contract. I don't understand the difficulty in this logic. I keep saying wrestlers need lawyers going over any contract that touches their hands. I understand it can be expensive but it’s obviously worth it in the long run. I’m not saying they don’t deserve a liveable wage. A lot of these cats are young. Even terrible deals sound good when you have nothing better available and don’t know about industry standards because you just don’t have that experience. Don’t matter how crafty you think you are, it’s almost guaranteed you will get f***ed if you don’t seek professional counsel |
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