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Ticket Sellers
Hey, did anybody see the Giants game last Thursday? It was on in place of Smackdown, so judging by that show’s ratings lately, you didn’t- but there was a neat moment in the third quarter. Some guy came in from the stands (he was there with a bunch of his buddies), put on some football gear, and quarterbacked a few plays. It was amazing! Sure, he wasn’t a pro football player (he did play in college, though), never went to any kind of football camp, and looked terrible out there, but a couple of his buddies were cheering like crazy! Never mind that he could barely move out of the pocket, had no idea what the plays were, and stumbled all over the field- he got to play!
Why? Because he was there with a bunch of his buddies, and he sold a lot of tickets to the game.
Didn’t see the game? Well, the next night on Broadway, someone sitting in the Orchestra seats of The Producers got out of their seat and played Max Bialystock in the second act. Apparently the guy managed to sell most of the Orchestra seats to a few friends and family, so this was his “reward.” It wasn’t a reward for the audience, though- he didn’t know any of the lines, didn’t know how to sing very well, got laughed at by the rest of the audience, and clearly embarrassed the rest of the cast and crew because he never worked on Broadway in any capacity prior to running on stage, but he was ON BROADWAY.
OK- none of that happened. But are you getting the idea?
What were just described were extreme examples, of course, but when you hear the term “ticket seller” in the indys, those are just some of the initial reactions that come to mind. And they’re not all accurate.
It’s a concept that you won’t see outside of professional wrestling for the most part, but ticket sellers are increasingly becoming a part of the indy scene. Men and women left and right are getting on indy shows solely because they sold a number of tickets. It sounds very cut and dry, but in some cases, it isn’t.
Ticket sellers are not part of a new concept. They’ve been around for quite a while in the professional wrestling business. For example, Harley Lewis potatoed the lungs out of two ticket sellers at the only NWA 2000 show ever run, in Vinelands, NJ back in 1998. According to one of the referees at the show, they “sold their tickets, so now they’re going to be introduced to the world of professional wrestling.”
Ouch.
They’re a bane or a boon to the wrestling business, depending on whom you’re talking to. Promoters naturally love them, since they’re “profit” by the simple fact that they bring in money to the promotion. Some workers aren’t too fond of them, since many “ticket sellers” are untrained and expose the business, either willfully or through ignorance or incompetence. Fans are indifferent for the most part because a casual fan would have no idea who sold tickets to get on the show and who didn’t. The “smart” fans (like such a thing really exists- every fan is a mark no matter who or what they know) see them either as a joke or a necessary component of the business.
On the surface, being a “ticket seller” immediately brings a bad connotation. But peel away that surface like an onion, and there are many layers. Like an onion, some will make you cry. But some, like an onion, can add to something else. The best example of that is, of course, the “profit.” Instant and easy money. If someone sells 40/30/20/whatever tickets, they get a spot on the show. For someone desperate to be a part of the wrestling business, this is a great way to jump right into things, even (and especially) if they’re not trained to be a part of the wrestling business. Unfortunately, this is the biggest stereotype about ticket sellers, and it’s dead on accurate. After all, most stereotypes are based on actual characteristics or circumstances- hence the two fictional examples at the beginning of the column.
The worst-case scenario for defining a ticket seller is that simple stereotype: An untrained person who manages to get a spot on an indy card simply because they sold a few tickets. Untrained workers could be a subject for another column, but the inherent danger of using untrained workers has been seen time and again in the indys. Even if you’re putting them in with someone who is trained- hell, ESPECIALLY if you’re putting them in with someone who is trained, you’re running a great risk of ruining at least two careers, one through ineptitude and another through the results of that ineptitude.
And tossing them in with another ticket seller isn’t the answer, either- Ace Darling in his Ask the Expert folder on the Clothesline message boards mentioned one of the funniest things he’d ever seen was a “ticket seller battle royal.” Based on his descriptions of people being dropped on their heads and fumbled spot after spot, one can only shudder at how the match looked. It’s doubtful that’s the impression those guys were hoping for when they went out there. And Ace isn’t alone, either.
For a few fine examples of wrestling promoters, they even make similar ticket selling demands on students in their wrestling schools. Deplorable? Sure- why not cut them off at the knees while you’re at it? Better to just tell them, “I realize you’ve spent a few grand getting me to teach you the ropes, but even that is just not good enough. For you to be on one of MY shows, you have to sell X amount of tickets.” There are plenty of ways to get yourself into the wrestling business in some capacity- that shouldn’t be one of them.
It doesn’t stop there with some promoters. Tossing out ticket sellers to have a match just to have another match on the card is not helping the ticket seller or the promotion. If the ticket sellers are constantly used in matches against each other, they’re not advancing, they’re not learning, and they’re just being used. If one of the workers happens to be a breakout performer, maybe has some actual training and saw this as a quick way to enter the business, they’re doing themselves a disservice by not getting the opportunity to work with someone else. The promoter isn’t giving them that chance, and no other promoter is going to use them because of the stigmata they have of being…a “ticket seller.” Therefore there’s no way the worker or the promoter can gauge if the worker is bringing in new fans based solely on their ability to perform and entertain.
The promoter always has the advantage with ticket sellers because they can use their leverage as a form of blackmail. “Sure, I’ll put you on the show- just sell X amount of tickets.” Even the worst, untrained, wannabe workers are selling themselves short by going along with this- ideally, workers advance in the wrestling business by getting solid, professional training at a reputable school and earn their bookings through word of mouth, in ring work, and quality out of ring attitude. However, since this is the real world, things don’t often work that way. People are eager to be in the wrestling business, promoters know this, and take advantage of it. By following this train of thought, these workers are now being seen on their ability to sell tickets, not how they work in or out of the ring.
And there are some that can work in and out of the ring- and work well. This is where the “ticket seller” concept can benefit everyone. The best way for a worker or a promoter to view the idea of being a “ticket seller” is to approach it as a form of internship. Of course, interns usually don’t have to pay their way into a temporary position, or any position, within their desired company, but professional wrestling is its own breed of employment. By selling the tickets, the workers are, in a way, playing promoter- getting word out about the show, and selling the product as well as selling themselves. This is of course assuming the “ticket seller” isn’t just asking friends and relatives and is actually going out and hitting the pavement to sell the tickets.
Hopefully by doing this, the “ticket seller” can learn and understand the wrestling business firsthand, just like an intern. Maybe they will also impress the crowd and the promoter (assuming the promoter even watches the match). Then, the “ticket seller” sells tickets and gets people to come to indy shows in the future based on people being interested in seeing them perform, not because they have a big family and/or a couple of friends. “Internship”over.
Then again, if getting a spot on a card to learn and hone your craft can only be done through selling tickets, and it’s happening time and time again- as in over a year, you might want to start looking at another kind of career. If you find yourself constantly getting dumped into battle royals, used in sadistic or humiliating angles that only serve to boost other people’s fragile egos, or getting stiffed constantly by guys who are either tired of working with people they feel didn’t “pay their dues” or tired of working with untrained goofs, definitely look at another career.
There are other ways to do things. Promoters can get that “profit” and if they’re a halfway decent promoter, can use the “ticket seller” in a match where the promoter dictates the outcome and what’s being done in that match- NOT the “ticket seller.” There is NO excuse for someone being allowed to dictate anything in their match just because they sold a few tickets. Promoters can use the “ticket sellers,” put them in a quick match that doesn’t distract or take away from the rest of the card, get that “profit,” and at the same time protect the business by not allowing any man or woman who’s looking for a fast track to getting in the wrestling business get their way because they know a few people.
How? Simple- DON’T INVITE THEM BACK. Even workers who have training can still be poor workers, so that’s not an excuse for not using “ticket sellers.” But using a “ticket seller” who isn’t trained, can’t work, or has a bad rep- or worse, a combination of all three, is just ridiculous. Is the money they’re bringing in really that vital to the promotion when the “ticket seller” is bringing down the entire product, and they’re someone you’re not even trying to get on one of your shows?
Here’s a fast and easy way for a promoter to check out some possible new talent at no cost and to see what the “ticket seller” has to offer. Promotions use workers all the time in all kinds of situations for a one-shot deal, not just in matches. Why not put them in a non-wrestling angle at first to see, if required by the angle, how they bump? Ron Neimi got bumped right off the apron playing a paramedic at an ECWA show- and he wasn’t even trying out for anything. Ring of Honor has its group of ravers. Hell, half the East Coast indy workers have been used on WWF TV at one time or another, playing cops, “fans,” security, obnoxious jerks at a bar (Twiggy Ramirez imbedded half his head into a wall when Mark Henry threw him into it a while back, and Russ and Charlie Haas got to hang out at the Friendly Tap with the aPa about three years ago), or like Inferno or JR Ryder, all of the above.
So there’s one solution. If the promoter doesn’t like what he or she sees, they can cut their losses early. If the promoter is an insecure fool, they’ll just keep burying the business and their own reputations by bringing back and using these poor examples of “ticket sellers” again and again.
Are “ticket sellers” bad for the business? No- as long as they are used properly. Sadly, they often aren’t.
Complaints, comments, questions?? Email Jim
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The comments and statements
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Brett Schwan and the Wrestling
Clothesline (although many times, he comes damn close!). Please
feel free to email HIM with any comments, complaints, etc.
Jim has been watching wrestling for over 20 years and has followed and reported on indy wrestling for over 6 years. He's also a fan of the New York Giants, New York Yankees, St. John's Red Storm basketball, Alabama Crimson Tide football, and the New Jersey Devils, but please don't hold that against him.
Contact Jim at BilJim2@hotmail.com
