Welcome to my world

Hello everyone! Welcome to my little piece of the world wide web. For some time I've been asked by many to write about my involvement in pro wrestling. For some reason lots of folks (fans and non-fans) thinks that I have the most unusual job on earth...a pro wrestling promoter. In today's entry I'll take you on a trip on the way back machine...back to the Summer of 1988 and the first card I promoted to the "Sold Out" April 4 event in Newark, NJ.

In 1988 I was still in High School. I have always been around pro wrestling since as long as I could remember. I attended my first event in the early '80s at the Grand Olympic Auditorium then my family moved "East" and I started going to the San Bernardino Arena. In the Mid-80s, the McMahon expansion started and his cards were moved to the Los Angeles Sports Arena and The National Orange Show Pavilion.

At the Olympic, without a doubt, my favorite person was Fred Blassie! I'd sit and watch him chew and gnaw on his man's head until it bled. I remember ring announcer Jimmy Lennon and watching TV commentator "Judo" Gene LaBell. I also remember meeting Jesse Hernandez for the first time at the Olympic and then again in San Bernardino and my long relationship with Karl Lauer began at those buildings too. Anyhow, I could go on and on and I guess there is a lot of time to reflect in future entries, so back to the subject at hand...ME!

My first event was a total flop. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn't. I contacted a local "Outlaw" group (Note: The word Outlaw in pro wrestling back then had the same definition as Backyard Wrestling today, wish I would have known that) and boy did they take me for all I was worth (yes, that night I lost it all $2,400). I promoted in the Fontana High School gym and drew maybe 60 people; mostly friends and family. The talent on the program was all local, some good, most not. The big stand out was the late Louis Spicolli. That night I felt horrible because I could not pay anyone. You see, some of the people I went into business with went into business for themselves! The money was stolen and I was left high and dry, but that did not stop me, nope! I made good to most of all the talent (see some didn't want to see or talk to me) and that night ended up being the night I truly figured out what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do as a career. Also that night I produced my first pro wrestling TV show. I proudly have those 3/4" tapes in the archive. I have not looked at them in a while, but I think I will here soon. I will try and grab some screen captures to share!

I would not promote another event for almost 10 years later, you see I learned quick that you can't earn a living in pro wrestling, so I turned to my other passion; television. From the early 1990's to today television or video production has supported me, but these days pro wrestling is a damn good runner up!

In 1997 I started a production company in Springfield, MO. I was working as a producer and director for a local TV station and after 4 years I decided to leave and venture out on my own. At that time I was a "smoker", now I wasn't a chain smoker or anything, but I did enjoy "finer tobacco" like $15.00 cigars and $200 pipes, ya you can be a $100 millionaire in Springfield and at times I lived like I was one too. So one day at "Just for Him" (http://justforhim.com) I met Chris Hansen, Greg Young and Stuart Stokes, they seemed to have the same interests as me and they or should I say GREG YOUNG (Greg and I still work side by side today) convinced me to cash in my stocks and start a production company. In a few weeks Marquee Multimedia, Inc. was formed. For a while we were riding high, "Just for him" became a client and we were helping to revolutionize the media world in Springfield and I thought:

"Maybe this is a good time to revisit the pro wrestling thing?"

Within weeks from me saying this I was the Founder of World Legion Wrestling and was business partners with Harley Race, Gordon Solie, the Marquee Boys and Karl Lauer. I had learned a lot in my time in Missouri and since leaving California I had still been involved in the "wrestling scene", so we ran for a bit, produced some wonderful television (that aired on a dozen or so TV stations up and down the Mississippi) and befriended a host of new talent. during this time I also started working with the WWF and WCW around Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas and I even made a few trips to Power Pro Wrestling in Memphis. Also at this time I became a Member of the National Wrestling Alliance® for the first time allowing me to meet Howard Brody, Ed Chuman, Dennis Carluzzo, Jim Cornette, Doug Gilbert and a host of others. It was Solie who wanted us to be with the NWA. I can recall Race not being warm to the idea, but I really loved Solie so my vote went that way, but the NWA relationship did not last too long because Brody booted me out with something that had to do with the NWA World Title and Dan Severn. In early 2000 I moved back home and the Race family assumed the promotion. I thought I was "over" wrestling at that point, but boy was I wrong!

I was back home for only a few months and working for Disney when I got a call from Al Issics (you longtime internet fans should remember Al. He was the editor of scoopswrestling.com) and he told me to go to Santa Ana and meet up with Rick Bassman. As I remember it Al said:

"Dave, do you know where Santa Ana is? There is this place called the Galaxy Theatre and a guy named Bassman who has a deal with the WWF. I think they could use you, especially your TV skills."

So the meeting was set and I went and met up with Bassman and Roger LeBlanc in a weird office atop the Galaxy. I remember that day I met a very young Samoa Joe and a very large man named Brett (I would later know him as "Schwag.") The meeting went well and Bassman hired me to produce and direct his TV. In my time with UPW I met a lot of people who are the backbone of my operation today. I directed John Cena (Prototype then), a Russian named Staz, Chris Daniels, Frank Kazarian, The Havana Pitbulls, Heidenrich, Aaron Aguilera, RVD, The Hardy Boys, Nathan Jones, HHH...man the list goes on and on. Worked with Bruce Prichard on shooting, talked with Jim Ross and Paul Bearer about management. I also met Kevin Quinn, Jon Ian, Rick Knox, Joe Schmoe, Chris Bell, Todd Kennely and really so many more!

Boy is this ever long. I never intended to write this much, but since I started guess I should finish.

From there I went to work for Xtreme Associates AKA XPW. Now, this is a chapter in itself! You see my thoughts of pro wrestling was nothing like what XPW was doing at the time. I never directed blood baths before, not was I accustomed to hardcore at all! Remember I was NWA or 'rasslin to the bone! I was there for a little over a year and I'd be lying if I said that was not a fantastic ride...so much crazy stuff happened in those offices. Out of that time came relationships with Kevin Kleinrock, Ryan Katz, Webb, Gay Mike and Kaos. It was neat to see people I knew at WWF and WCW on XPW cards, I was just very confused and well again, Xtreme is its own entry! Maybe after the XPW reunion "Cold Day in Hell" I will reflect a little closer on my time directing XPW.

After XPW left pro wrestling again to work in Creative for Saturn Films, Inc. a production company owned by actor Nicholas Cage. But, during this time I felt "something" was missing from my life. After a year or so I went back to Disney saying good bye to Hollywood and again after a few short months back with Disney pro wrestling rear's its ugly head.

Inoki Sports Management, Inc. came my way via Samoa Joe and Joe Schmoe. They operated an exclusive pro wrestling/MMA school in Santa Monica. It was funded by New Japan Pro Wrestling and I was hired as Director of Business Development. I was placed in charge of "running the dojo" and creating business opportunities for NJPW in the States. My first "big thing" was negotiating a video license with WWE for NJPW footage to be used in the Chris Benoit DVD. After that deal I was made a Vice President of the company and I started to get into a groove that was exciting. I started recruiting new talent and signed the first NJPW/TNA talent trade agreement. Our training facility was considered one of the best in the US and I was very proud of that. I also started playing with the idea of local television again and the thought that we were going to start running more cards in SoCal (to this point we were only doing one or two a year with the highlight being the Best of American Super Jr.'s) but that failed because the TV people we were in bed with just didn't understand pro wrestling, go figure. This is when the NWA re-entered my life on account of Mr. Inoki. He was the NWA Member in Japan and I knew that the NWA brand would help us at the Dojo, so I became his Proxy to the LLC. Some time after that I was told that I was going to start running small cards on Sundays. At first I was excited because I know this would be a selling point to get "outsiders" to come and stay and train with us and that concept worked for a while. We had guys from all over the world live at the Dojo. The Dojo also became a place for production too! We rented the place to MTV several times, all of the training for Nacho Libre was done there and we almost had The Rock too. After about a year of Sunday Dojo events, the whole crew became sour to the idea. They were not working at all and new influences were everywhere and in my mind not good influences either. In time all of us left the Dojo, but great things were in our future, but we didn't know it!

In 2006, I joined the NWA as the Member in California. I had the bug to promote and I was lucky that John Rivera believed in me. We incorporated NWA Pro Wrestling, Inc. and at that time we were still working with Inoki. That year NJPW was not going to fund the annual Super Jr. show, so Rivera and I ponied up and did. We stagged it at the El Monte High School and the production was great! We light the thing, had the multi camera switch set up and I was on cloud 9! The show was a great one. The wrestling was outstanding. The only real problem was that like most low budget events we didn't have enough money to advertise, so the draw was low. I think all total we had 300 something paid. Not bad...but not good either. That night after that tournament, while driving home, I knew I could do something bigger and "do something" with the NWA brand. I had a great stable of stars lead by a guy I found in Nashville, TN, Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson and I knew, just knew with the right people around me we could blow the NWA name up. I'm so great full to Rivera too, he was very supportive and positive...he could have walked away.

I was underfunded (as usual) and again luck came my way, this time in the way of Kleinrock. He was now the VP of Big Vision Entertainment and they were going to start distributing more pro wrestling to retail stores. I jumped at the chance to work with Kevin again and I started shooting and directing many of Big Vision projects. Kleinrock kept me alive during those times and the highlight was producing and directing the Eddie Guerrero Memorial show in Denver (that is also an entry for later) and that is where LUCHA came back into my life...REAL LUCHA! The other project that Kleinrock and I did was a series of shows under the name of SoCal Championship Wrestling. I did not understand the format at all, but went along with it. We had death matches, classic matches, you name it and we shot it. Later I realized that those cards were tests for Wrestling Society X and Kleinrock sold the idea to MTV!

Back to NWA Pro Wrestling...the promotion was gearing up and I acquired a booking agent, Chris MacNeill out of Las Vegas. He was a retired Comedy Agent and represented Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. He took us to a whole new level - ARENAS!

Our first event was to be a NWA/TNA card in Lowell, MA. We were booked in the Paul Tsongas Arena, a 10 thousand plus seat area and I wanted to do it up with a BANG! So I booked TNA talent and though we were going to be a hit. Well things went south and problems began with TNA. So I pressed on, TNA pulled their talent, but I wasn't too worried cause I knew I would have at least our World Champion...in the end TNA sued me and I ran the show with NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett Vs. Christian Cage. That was the last time I worked hand and hand with them and at the same time I was to promote a card in association with Boyd Gaming, Inc. and their Orleans Arena property and that too was to be an NWA/TNA Mega Card, but with no TNA what is a promoter to do? LUCHA TO THE RESCUE!

I'm going to skip Liberty States Wrestling out of New Jersey for a the moment, but will return to the subject soon!

I have never been a fan of Mexican Lucha. I want to make that clear, but over the last few years it has grown on me. All of my experiences with Lucha was bad. Vampiro had used me several times in Mexico to direct TV for TeleVisa (I broke the color barrier there and I'm MEXICAN TOO) and that was a horrible time, I made a trip to Mexico once to work out a deal with local promoters to become NWA members and that went south (I even got Mario Savoldi to join me...he still hates me for that one) anyways, all things Lucha was bad to me, but I did remember the Eddie Memorial and how there were a lot of people and the recent FCW events at the Olympic...Lucha was my key. I went into my first Orleans meeting and said:

"Forget about TNA! I have something that will sell...it's Mexican Lucha Libre."

All the suits at the Casino wasn't amused. I can remember Orleans VP Steve Stallsworth not looking too happy. He was expecting Spike TV wrestlers and I'm throwing SUPER PORKY at him. After about an hour or so, I get them to agree to an "International Tag Team Tournament" something called "La Copa de Lucha!" I made up the name on the spot, it sold and we drew well over 3,000 people and I did three more Orleans dates not to mention dozens more in major venues across the US.

NWA Pro Wrestling was doing great. I shot all the cards but one, Houston. In a match that pitted "The Real American Heroes" Karl Anderson and Joey Ryan (they were on a Pro American campaign) against TJ Perkins and Ultimo Dragon, the Heroes and Manager Vanderpyle said a few choice words to the almost 5,000 all Hispanic crowd and started a full blown RIOT! This would have made beautiful television. The Heroes were forced to leave the ring and it took me and 8 others to get them back. The Houston Police Officers did not lift a finger to help and that left Ultimo and TJ in the ring. Referee Joe Furrer was knocked out by a rock and the Ring Announcer Andy Schmitz covered him as more rocks and dirt started to fly. I was forced by the building owners to stop the show. I grabbed Jesse Hernandez (who at times works as a Lucha Producer for us) wearing his referee gear and we tore threw the massive, irate crowd, made it to the ring and I told Jesse to start counting. He was puzzled, so I started to count, he continued and looked over at TJ and Ultimo just sitting on the mat, Jesse got to 10 and counted them out, the people started yelling that they had til 20 (lucha rules) and Ultimo grabbed the microphone and told me to re-start the match and to get the Americans back out; I wanted to kill him for that! Anyhow, we took an intermission, got the ring cleared and got the building to let us go straight to the Santo Main Event. Man was that a mad night and I don't have any of it on tape...

Today, the NWA is re-building. We ended our relationship with TNA and got out property back. We stagged an international World title tournament (that's going to be a great entry), crowned a new Champion in Adam Pearce, promoted more arena cards, launched a new TV series on the Dish Network, brought in three major promoters in New Japan, IWA- PR and Blue Demon in Mexico, we toured Australia and well, just two days ago we signed Sid Vicious to a multi-date contract that starts April 18th in Lincoln, RI (for tickets www.twinriver.com). I'm dedicated to making the NWA into the international powerhouse it once was. I have a lot of help doing that too and I am very happy to have so many talented people working with me. I am also very pleased with the positive reaction to the wrestling community, fans seem to like what we are producing. I don't want people to think that we are resting on any type of laurels. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we know our role in the pro wrestling industry. I know what the NWA is now and what I intend it to be in maybe 10 more years. I'm taking one day at a time. Thanks for reading and I promise that future blogs won't be this long.