Post by VinceJones on Mar 28, 2012 12:41:29 GMT -5
I've been quiet lately for a few reasons. One is that I've been in the process of getting a better job to
help fund my wrestling habit. But, I've mainly been quiet because I've been too mad at Joey Grunge to really
know what to say. After the financial disasters that our recent shows costs, especially King of the Death Matches.
Mike Miller and I decided that IWA-MS was no longer going to run in Belluve, IL. Since Joey Grunge lives nearby
he approached me about the possibility of running shows himself. Which ended up in the discussion of forming IWA Mid-West.
Once we had reached a financial agreement, we had a contract drawn up and the deal was done. I was furious to find out that
one of the first things Joey did was to put Ian Rotten on the show. I don't know who's idea it was.
But, that doesn't matter, it still happened.
Regardless of what anybody thinks, Ian no longer owns IWA Mid-South. Yes, he was at the shows. Yes, he booked the shows.
However, he was just like everybody else in the locker room. He was brought in to do a specific task. Nothing more.
Ian is not involved in daily operations. And more importantly, he doesn't not handle any money from IWA Mid-South.
Ask any wrestler that was at KOTDM 2011 not only if they got paid the money they asked for, but who paid them. Mike Miller
personally made payroll out of his own pocket. Which went directly from him to the wrestlers. Ian never handled money at the show
or since then at any other shows. That had always been my biggest concern. Ian Rotten may be a lot of things to a lot of people,
but I think some of his biggest critics would have to agree that he knows how to book a good wrestling show. Mike Miller and I
agreed that we needed his expertise in order to have the quality of shows worthy of being called IWA Mid-South. We discussed it
long and hard and agreed that if Ian was to be in voled. Two things had to happen. One, Ian would never handle IWA Mid-South money.
Two, Ian would not wrestle for IWA Mid-South.
Which brings me back to my point of being angry. Joey Grunge knew this agreement, and even though it wasn't in the contract. Mike
Miller and I thought that was to be understood. Regardless that Ian wrestled for IWA Mid-West and not IWA Mid-South. So, technically
Ian didn't wrestle for IWA Mid-South. But, now that's just splitting hairs.
By being "associated with" or "in conjunction with" or however people want to read it. Ian still wrestled.
And now Mike Miller and I are stuck since the contract has already been signed and the franchise fee has been paid.
(Yes, we got paid. Thanks for asking TG.) There's nothing we can do about it right now.
Joey has full rights to promote IWA Mid-West through IWA Mid-South's website. message board, email, whatever as per the agreement.
So, I'm pretty much stuck. I have to allow Joey to use the IWA-MS name. And yet, it seems like he's still going to let Ian wrestle
on his shows.
I realize that nobody will ever be convinced that Ian no longer owns IWA Mid-South. Especially when it's reported that I'm just a front.
Of course, this is coming from someone that hasn't been to a show, or has any first hand knowledge whatsoever. The only "facts" they
have are third handed rumors by people that don't like Ian to begin with. But, of course since you've read it on the internet. It must be true.
I don't know how to convince anybody otherwise. Both me and Mike have very depleted bank accounts that say otherwise.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. I just needed to vent a little. I know all of this will be nit-picked to death and do nothing but cause more BS to
get thrown around. I just wanted to help keep IWA Mid-South alive.
Which would have been better? Do nothing and watch IWA Mid-South disappear or do whatever I could to help bring it back?
It just seems like there isn't any winning move.
To paraphrase WarGames:
(Wrestling is) A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?
help fund my wrestling habit. But, I've mainly been quiet because I've been too mad at Joey Grunge to really
know what to say. After the financial disasters that our recent shows costs, especially King of the Death Matches.
Mike Miller and I decided that IWA-MS was no longer going to run in Belluve, IL. Since Joey Grunge lives nearby
he approached me about the possibility of running shows himself. Which ended up in the discussion of forming IWA Mid-West.
Once we had reached a financial agreement, we had a contract drawn up and the deal was done. I was furious to find out that
one of the first things Joey did was to put Ian Rotten on the show. I don't know who's idea it was.
But, that doesn't matter, it still happened.
Regardless of what anybody thinks, Ian no longer owns IWA Mid-South. Yes, he was at the shows. Yes, he booked the shows.
However, he was just like everybody else in the locker room. He was brought in to do a specific task. Nothing more.
Ian is not involved in daily operations. And more importantly, he doesn't not handle any money from IWA Mid-South.
Ask any wrestler that was at KOTDM 2011 not only if they got paid the money they asked for, but who paid them. Mike Miller
personally made payroll out of his own pocket. Which went directly from him to the wrestlers. Ian never handled money at the show
or since then at any other shows. That had always been my biggest concern. Ian Rotten may be a lot of things to a lot of people,
but I think some of his biggest critics would have to agree that he knows how to book a good wrestling show. Mike Miller and I
agreed that we needed his expertise in order to have the quality of shows worthy of being called IWA Mid-South. We discussed it
long and hard and agreed that if Ian was to be in voled. Two things had to happen. One, Ian would never handle IWA Mid-South money.
Two, Ian would not wrestle for IWA Mid-South.
Which brings me back to my point of being angry. Joey Grunge knew this agreement, and even though it wasn't in the contract. Mike
Miller and I thought that was to be understood. Regardless that Ian wrestled for IWA Mid-West and not IWA Mid-South. So, technically
Ian didn't wrestle for IWA Mid-South. But, now that's just splitting hairs.
By being "associated with" or "in conjunction with" or however people want to read it. Ian still wrestled.
And now Mike Miller and I are stuck since the contract has already been signed and the franchise fee has been paid.
(Yes, we got paid. Thanks for asking TG.) There's nothing we can do about it right now.
Joey has full rights to promote IWA Mid-West through IWA Mid-South's website. message board, email, whatever as per the agreement.
So, I'm pretty much stuck. I have to allow Joey to use the IWA-MS name. And yet, it seems like he's still going to let Ian wrestle
on his shows.
I realize that nobody will ever be convinced that Ian no longer owns IWA Mid-South. Especially when it's reported that I'm just a front.
Of course, this is coming from someone that hasn't been to a show, or has any first hand knowledge whatsoever. The only "facts" they
have are third handed rumors by people that don't like Ian to begin with. But, of course since you've read it on the internet. It must be true.
I don't know how to convince anybody otherwise. Both me and Mike have very depleted bank accounts that say otherwise.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. I just needed to vent a little. I know all of this will be nit-picked to death and do nothing but cause more BS to
get thrown around. I just wanted to help keep IWA Mid-South alive.
Which would have been better? Do nothing and watch IWA Mid-South disappear or do whatever I could to help bring it back?
It just seems like there isn't any winning move.
To paraphrase WarGames:
(Wrestling is) A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?