Not An Evolution Schematic 12.20.08: A Pro Wrestling Union

Posted by Mathew Sforcina on 12.20.2008

As I leave the Opinion Pool, and since this is a time for caring and love, let me express some incredibly negative feelings about why a Pro Wrestling Union is, and will always be, a pipe dream.

Writer's Notes

Well, usually I do a somewhat cheap Xmas Gift list at this time. That, or some stupid little ES about someone obscure, or I flex my creative muscles and do a bit of procrastination.

No wait, I mean precognition.

Regardless, since Top5 has taken the first option, I'm still not fully relaxed for an ES this week no matter how short (next week though, I've got one in mind), and I'm too tired from shopping for creative stuff. However there's been a post a little while ago that has stirred up probably the darkest, most depressing, least cheerful opinion I have about the wrestling scene not involving a plane crash or drug use.

And tis the season after all.



So The Wrestler is making the rounds, and is touted as Oscar worthy for many reasons. And while I haven't seen the film, I've heard nothing but good things about it (outside of some reviewers who haven't watched enough CZW crap to know that a staple gun is quite common). But as part of the press, Darren Aronofsky, the director of the film, has been talking to people, as you do when doing press. One of those people was Alfonso Castillo of Newsday, and during their discussion, the following was said by Darren on the topic of Unions in Wrestling

I think the problem starts with the fact that they're not organized and they're not unionized. That's the main problem. I mean, there's really no reason why these guys are not in SAG. They're as much screen actors as stuntmen. If not more. They're in front of a camera performing and doing stunts, and they should have that protection. That's the only thing that for me came out of it. Why doesn't SAG help get these guys organized? They're on TV performing. Or, if they're not even on TV, the ring is a theater. So they're not just screen actors, they're theater actors. They're performers. They should have insurance and they should have health insurance and they should be protected.

Now, let me state for the record, that I am a good 75-95% pro-Union. I really like unions, I'm one right now. And there is nothing I'd like more than for Pro Wrestling to get a union. It'd be for the most part positive. And to head off any hate mail for me not knowing what I'm talking about, I'm a wrestler, 3 years experience, so I am ‘backstage', OK? I know Wrestling on both sides of the curtain, and on both sides I can see how a Union would help.

But it'll never happen.

Here's why I think it won't.

The Building Blocks Of A Union

At it's core, a Union requires one thing to get going. Not an industry, not a specific cause, not even a flashpoint to start. It needs a certain level of shared respect, of caring for the group, and the goals the group must stand for. You need to have a certain level of seeing the big picture and be willing to sacrifice some amount for the betterment of the group. Sure, in the long run unions are good for you as an individual, but to get one off the ground needs a certain run in period, needs a lot of effort to get the motor running. In order to get what they want in terms of pay and such, others things may have to be sacrificed, stuff that you may want but not all do, or don't have at all, you need to understand that for the good of the whole, some may suffer. And pro wrestlers don't have that.

They (should) have the utmost respect for you when you're in the ring with them, and vice versa. And friendships and relationships are common enough, and ‘most' wrestlers understand that they need to take a hit, lose a feud every once in a while to better the company. But there is such a strict hierarchy in terms of respect and how you act backstage that's a remnant of the past of the industry, coupled with the understandable level of paranoia and politics that goes with the job. While he'll protect him in the ring, you think Batista genuinely cares about Tomko's health? Or vice versa? Or either of them caring beyond basic human values about ‘Dark Angel' Sarah Stock? That's not a knock on them specifically, just picked three names at random, the point is that when everyone below you is gunning for our spot and everyone above you is trying to keep you from taking theirs, a willingness to help them improve their lot is hard to come by.

It's not surprising that for the most part those people pushing the hardest for a Union are either outside the industry or have retired, both have nothing to fear about someone ‘taking' their spot. And I'm neither condemning nor condoning it, I'm merely pointing it out.

The hierarchy issue comes into play here as well, in that wrestlers tend to go in a cycle, start low, maybe rise high, then end up going back down. You thus tend to have, at certain levels of the industry, very young guys and very old guys on the same level. Right now, the younger guys will respect the older ones, the hierarchy of Wrestling kicks in. A union probably won't see it the same way. Unions rarely take stock of these issues, and will tend to want everyone on the same level to be paid the same, and that'll cause problems. And especially have a problem with paying dues.

The Building Blocks Of The Wrestling Industry

The Wrestling industry is built on the backs of unpaid/low paid scrubs.

Which I mean in the nicest possible way.

Any wrestling company that isn't on PPV (and even a couple of them) has a bunch of trainees, young guys, fans and assorted hangers on that work for the company for free or near enough. They are the guys who set the ring up, post fliers, go on runs for food and drink, and all the other minor things that a wrestling show needs to happen. The next level up from that is rookie wrestlers, who get to carry bags, be the butt of jokes, and get beat up in the ring. It's all part of paying dues, and again, I'm not condoning it, not condemning it.

But that sort of thing a union won't really stand for. I mean, if you exist to improve conditions, working for free or practically is hardly something you're going to let stand. And if you ignore it, then you lose authority when you negotiate. A union exists by having enough of the workforce on their side that the company has to negotiate with them. And if they don't represent the trainees, then that's a credibility issue. And if they DO represent them, and get a better job, then you annoy all those veterans who got that treatment and expect to put others through the same thing since they did the same thing.

It's a messy situation, and a union will have to clear it up. But if you clear it up, you may remove too many of the supports, and the whole thing comes crashing down.

Wrestling Is Not A Normal Job

But all this is mostly problems to be solved, these are issues the union will have to address, and if they are good, they will address them. There are some smart guys out there, most of them for or actively pursuing a union or a classification that will help a union start (see Raven V Vince, although I'm, sure it's called something much less interesting like Class Action Group #54634 V Titan Sports or something). Surely it's just a matter of time before one starts up or, better still, SAG moves in, right?

Not really.

Because wrestling requires a lack of consistency, which a Union insists upon.

What I mean by that is that there is no consensus on what constitutes a push, a main event talent, a good match vs. a bad one, charisma, and all the other dozens of factors that makes up someone's worth to the company, or companies. And in order to make a scale, in order to create a simple sheet that lays it all out, you need to either calculate and work in all those variables, or ignore them completely. And neither of those will work. Sure, you can argue, scale is designed to be the low point and the promoters work up from there, but the minute you bring in a union, which all promoters will be against (I can only assume since it'll eat into their profits, but I'm sure someone will now correct me and tell me how I'm an idiot for not knowing about Cary Silkin's comments or some other minor fed's owner who wants one), they are going to work to the letter of the law, and pay everyone as little as they can, or just go and hire non-union guys to save themselves a heart ache.

And if you create a union and a non-union workforce, you split the industry and end up with 2 half-systems, which is not a desired outcome, surely.

And I can come with probably dozen of questions that seem minor but will tie up a union for ages. Hell-

Do you treat heels and faces the same? Faces take more punishment but heels control the match, how do you compensate them for that?

Do you pay extra for blood? What if it's unintentional?

Do main events get a bonus? What if the last match isn't the main draw?

What constitutes the main draw? Merch sales? Crowd Reaction? Longevity?

When someone gets pushed, do they get paid more, or do you pay more to the guy sacrificing his own popularity to help the other guy?

Can you bring in a non-union overseas talent to work a show with union guys? Hell, can union guys work with non-unions at all?

Promos?

Staying in character outside the arena, does that count as time worked? What about work out time?

Conclusion

Look, let me simplify this, since I'm not sure I'm making a clear argument, since the topic is so murky which is why it won't work.

The promoters won't want it because it'll eat into their profits and possibly into their plans should unions go insane and demand a say in booking.

The older guys won't want it because it'll mean that all the crap they went through to get to where they are now will become obsolete and thus they can't get their own back.

The younger guys won't want it because they will be fearful they'll get suck on crappy contracts and not get more money later on.

Fans won't want it because it'll raise prices.

Overall, most people agree it's a good idea, but no-one really wants it. A Wrestling Union, short of Government Action, will never happen.

Now, some sort of HMO open to Pro Wrestlers without the union part attached, given some legal wrangling, that might just work…