Is it time to quit?

Is it time to call it quits?

In January, 2006 I started the San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene at www.saindywrestlingscene.blogspot.com. My primary goal at that time were to provide a resource where local wrestling fans could find access to information on upcoming and recent wrestling shows. I also wanted to give recognition to the performers who took risks to entertain the fans. When I started, I was aware of 3 local promotions; River City Wrestling, Texas Wrestling Entertainment and American Championship wrestling. Over the last 4 years, the number of promotions has grown to double digits.

In those 4 years, the state of indy wrestling has changed locally, as has the SA Indy Wrestling Scene. My involvement in Indy Wrestling has also changed. I began working as a ring announcer, first for Anarchy Championship Wrestling and later for Southern Championship Wrestling. Despite my involvement with those companies, I have tried to remain unbiased on the webpage in my coverage of the local shows. Convincing some that I am unbiased hasn’t been easy. Truth is, I do enjoy working for these shows and I do consider them each to be exceptional promotions for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy attending other promotions’ shows. Nor does it mean that I am any less supportive of wrestlers who work for other promotions.

Recently, some promotions have stopped cooperating with me in my efforts to publicize their shows and to publish their results. One promotion removed me from their myspace friends list and will not respond to my attempts to contact them. Another promotion, I am told, has instructed their workers not to communicate with me or provide results for shows that I am unable to attend. Two other promotions won’t respond to my attempts to get information. Clearly I am unable to provide full coverage of the local wrestling scene under such circumstances.

On top of this, Myspace has ceased to be as useful as they once were in aiding me in my goals. Bulletins no longer provide easy access to information. The Calendar function has been disabled for all practical purposes. Links to external sites (such as my own www.saindywrestlingscene.blogspot.com) are subject to being denied as “spam.” In short Myspace doesn’t meet my needs if I wish to continue. I have no Facebook account at this time, and Twitter is less than useless.

So between my commitments to ACW and SCW, and the obstacles presented by some of the other promotions, and the difficulties presented by Myspace, I am facing a decision concerning the future of the San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene.

Several times in the past I have run into obstacles that lead me to consider discontinuing the SA Indy Wrestling Scene. In those cases, I was discouraged and upset with the direction things were going. This time around I find that I am not so much discouraged, but actually feeling good about the situation. I have accomplished a great deal and find myself in a position I could not have imagined four and a half years ago. Despite the negatives, I see much positive in the local wrestling and the potential for good is tremendous. If some promotions don’t see the benefits provided, it doesn’t bother me as it once did.

With this in mind, expect to see some changes in how I cover the local wrestling scene. My myspace profile will no longer be a primary focal point. If the only reason you are on my friends list is to connect with my SAIndyWrestlingScene project, you might want to consider deleting me. I will still post results of shows that I attend to www.saindywrestlingscene.blogspot.com and should someone send me results or news relevant to the area wrestling scene, I will post that as well. I won’t chase promotions for the information if they are not willing to send me without my nagging them. Since I cannot follow some promotions, I will be forced to remove their champions from my roll-call of champions.

I strongly encourage anyone involved in local wrestling, be they fans, workers or promoters to sign up and actively participate in the message board at www.wrestletexasforum.proboards.com to help in spreading the news and joining in the discussion.

It’s been a fun ride, and the journey will continue, just not in the same way. You will still see me at shows, maybe not as many as before, but if you do see me there, its because I want to be there, not because I have to be there.

I want to thank some people who have helped, encouraged and motivated me during the past years of this project. First off, Brandon Oliver and River City Wrestling who rekindled my interest in wrestling during the Fall of 2005 and have always shown me the highest of respect. Next, I want to thank Dusty Wolfe who suggested I be brought into the business as a ring announcer for ACW, ICW and SCW. I thank Darin Childs, Rachel Summerlyn and Jacob Ladder who have given me the playground to perform and showed the patience to allow me to grow into the job. I also thank Don Holding and Sandy Hearn who have made me part of the SCW family and allowed me to remain through all the challenges they have faced and continue to face. I also want to thank Rudy Boy Gonzalez of TWE, who has challenged me to hold myself to the same high standards I expected from others and has motivated me to want to be more than just a fan with a webpage. The list of others who have helped me and shown me more respect than I may have earned is far too long to print here, but I assure you all, I am aware and am indebted to you all.

Now, let’s see where the next step leads.