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On August 24th and August 25th, Turnbuckle Promotions (promoted by Jason Blaustein) ran what was being called a "mega event" with a list of almost every who's who in pro wrestling.
The event is currently stirring up a lot of debate on the Turnbuckle Message Board as well as other sites.
I also helped plug the show by posting their press releases on WrestlingClothesline.com as well as out message board. I figured with several other sites heavilly plugging the event, as well as several vendors announced and OnlineCOA.com on board (see their headaches below), I may as well give them some free publicity. In addition, I offered up some items to be raffled off in their charity auction/raffle. I also did a 10 Questions With interview with the promoter, Jason Blaustein, at his request. (You can read that interview here). Did I have my doubts? Sure. However, why not give him the benefit of the doubt. Did I question why ANYONE with his experience would attempt to run a FIRST show with a ridiculously large amount of talent, in an area that was basically uncharted waters? Yes. Was I right in my doubts? So far, all signs point to yes.
Below is the short winded recap of my Turnbuckle experience, along with everything I have been told, heard, etc. thus far.
Here is the link to Mike Johnson's full report on Turnbuckle Promotions
convention on the PWI website. Mike attended the event on Friday http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=26233&p=1
Here is the link for Jason Blaustein (Promoter) myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/knicksfan23
since the Turnbuckle page has been taken down.
In addition to the emails and IMs I have received (some of which are posted below) I have sent out emails to several vendors inviting them to give their comments, positive or negative, about the event. I also publically invited (and have since done so via an email) Jason Blaustien to do a follow up interview to address any issues that may have taken place at the event or as a result of it.
Due to unforseen circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to attend the event on Friday. I emailed Jason on Wednesday to let him know and to find out if it would be too late to bring the raffle items on Saturday. He replied that Saturday would not be too late.
By 11am on Friday, I was already receiving emails and IMs from fans that were not happy. Jesse Ventura was already announced as a no show and many fans wanted refunds.
By noon I was hearing of fire marshalls being at the venue due to over crowding. I was most interested in this since several of the IMs and emails I had received said that there were only 100 or so fans at the event. How could there be crowd problems if there were only 100 fans? Evidentally, the venue had a very small capacity.
The first email I received stated:
"My friends and I went to the Turnbuckle show on Friday. To say the show was a clusterf would be an understatement.
We arrived around noon and there was a gathering of people outside.
The line outside led to a line inside where you had to wait to pick up
or purchase your tickets. After that, there was yet another line to get
into one room and, that's right, yet another one to get into the room
where the wrestlers were.
While entering we did notice a sign that stated that Jesse Ventura canceled
due to "illness".
Once inside, there was even less organization. VIPs and General Admission ticket holders were mixed together. Non VIP guests were mixed in with VIP guests. Guests that were previously announced as VIP guests suddenly were not. The list goes on and on. Of course, as soon as we found out where a wrestler was, and headed that way, they were usually moved. (most notably, Jeff Jarrett, who's line ran smoothly with seemingly no problems at all. Granted, Jarrett was not brought in by Blaustein but by K and S).
I won't go into the issue with Photo Ops and being told by a staffer that "they didn't want to try and fetch the camera".
At this point, the Fire Marshall came in again and threatened to shut the show down. Some wrestlers were told to stop signing and were moved from the room. Some wrestlers started egging on the crowd, some of whom were no chanting.
By now it was just ridiculous. The signing times could have been disregarded since none of them began or ended on time. At close to 6:45pm VIPs were let in for the last signing time. The line moved (and this is no exaggeration) at about 10 feet and hour.
Wrestlers were split up for the final session. Again, most of the talent announced for earlier times were now at this one. Of course, to complicate matters, Billy Graham and Lita, who were both NON VIP guests, were in the same room as the VIP guests. This only made matters worse.
Most of the wrestlers were confused, annoyed, and frustrated. Several were apologizing to fans for the ridiculousness of the event. Some were simply pissed. The wrestlers were never told that their signing times were switched so they had no clue what was going on when.
Word then began spreading that no refunds would be given for autographs or photo ops not used. If that's the case, wait for a ton of lawsuits to start piling in.
I won't even get into the attitude problem or ego Jason seemed to have and gave to many of the fans.
- Angel M.
This email was followed by several (who asked not to be reprinted) that stated the same things (just not in such a nice way).
Another email simply stated:
"Out of all the guests only Ventura, Jasmin, and Sika no showed.
All the talent was angry and it didn't make for the greatest experience."
I headed out to Lynbrook on Saturday morning, with the "crew". When I arrived, I waited outside for about 45 minutes. When we got to the door and no one had a clue who I was or what I was talking about as far as the donations for the raffle go, I asked if Jason was around and was told he was "busy". So, instead of going through the hassle or aggravation, we left.
Evan Ginzburg, publicist for the event sent me the following:
As someone who co-promoted a far smaller convention two years ago
- The Valiant Brothers Reunion in Carteret- with a "mere" 10
or so celebrity guests, I can certainly attest to just how complex running
a legends show is.
You need to (in no particular order here): track down and then contact
talent. Negotiate a price. Buy the airlines tix. Design and print fliers,
posters, tickets, programs, T-shirts, etc. Make hotel reservations. Purchase
the photos/merchandise and try to figure out quantities that are not too
large and not too small as each item adds to the tab. Arrange airport
and hotel pick-ups and drop-offs. Get the guests fed and try to keep them
happy. Set up tables. Hire and arrange adequate security. Manage lines.
Try to keep free autographs to a minimum as that's your bread and butter.
And, of course, publicize the event.
So what I'm saying is that as someone whose done this but on a far, far
smaller level, I know the unbelievable stress and pressure of it. Multiply
what we did for the Valiant Reunion times 6 (or 60 or so guests this weekend)
and you have a very difficult first time event.
So just realize that when most promoters go into it, it's because
they love wrestling with all their heart. This convention may ultimately
have been less than flawless, but the promoter's intentions were most
certainly honorable.
Evan Ginzburg
I have a ton of questions for Jason and honestly hope he takes me up on the offer for a follow up interview.
An open invitation stands to any fans, talent, vendors, Jason Blaustein, or anyone else involved with the event to contact me and give their side of the story. I will be more than happy to post any comments, good or bad, sent to me in an attempt to enlighten the readers of WrestlingClothesline.com on all of the events that took place at the convention this weekend.
Feel free to email me, Brett, at WresClothesline@aol.com
I just received the following email from Marti Funk, wife of Dory Funk Jr., both of whom were at the convention this weekend.
"hey Brett, right now Dory is on the phone, so I am speaking
for us both, it was a great week end, the only thing they might be guilty
of is to much success, they had more folks show on Friday than they expected,
and in all honesty the fans were not as cooperative as they should have
been and the only unhappy vendors were the bores that no one wanted to
do business with, vendors and fans who did good business know how nice
it was, they might be better to have a bigger building area next time
but they had a fabulous show and treated the talent with the most respect
and we can only praise Jason Blaustein and Scott Epstein / there were
a number of talents who were not on the menu for pay but were given a
nice place to sell from as a courtesy / our hats off to the promoters
and it was a BLAST!!! /
best wishes
Marti and Dory "
More Feedback (updated 8/27):
My open invitation to Jason Blaustein still stands. He is more than welcome
to do a follow up interview to the one he did prior to the event. While
my email has gone unanswered, it seems he has responded to at least one
person who contacted him.
The following is courtesy Stephen Tompson:
Paypal did nothing as far as my claim (suprise), but that prick Blaustein
did respond to my email. Here's what I sent him and what he sent me back:
From Buyer: Stephen Thompson
Your convention was not great, many of the talent that you had listed
as VIP guests were all of a sudden not VIP guests. You did have your own
personal friends cut the line. It happened during the Superstar Billy
Graham signing. You are a liar, you did not deliever as promised and i'm
looking in to taking legal action against you
From Seller: Jason Blaustein on 8/27/2007 09:20 PDT
I delivered what was promised and I am not a fraud, liar, cheat, or con-artist.
I put on the greatest wrestling convention and delivered. The talent showed
up and signed. I had no personal friends cut in. You got your tickets,
your autographs. It is not my fault bad weather made me force to do a
schedule change. No refund will be given on a show that took place.
From Buyer: Stephen Thompson on 8/27/2007 08:08 PDT
Jason, I purchased two VIP plus tickets to your Turnbuckle promotions
convention. Needless to say, the VIP tickets did not deliever what was
promised in the description. First of all, with the VIP plus, and VIP
tickets, we WERE TOLD we would be able to go thru the line first before
the general admission people. That did not happen. Your incompetent security
for the event not only let general admission people go thru the line before
VIP and VIP plus ticket holders, they also let people that were "personal
friends of yours" Because of this, my wife and I both missed out
on getting autographs and pictures of several of the guests, that you
promised we would get being a VIP ticket holder. You are a fraud, a liar,
a cheat, and a con artist. I am demanding a full refund for both of my
VIP tickets, because you did not deliever on what was promised in the
package.
This guy Blaustein is the biggest jackoff there is. If he thinks that
this was the greatest convention ever, he must be as retarded as he looks.
I say that we as the fans who feel we were ripped off do not let this
die. File claims with paypal, look into legal action, bombard the fuck
out of him with phone calls and emails. Do not let this little bastard
get off the hook. In case any of you don't have it, here is his contact
info
Contacts:
Promoter: Jason Blaustein
Telephone: 570-775-1783
Fax: 570-775-1784
Cell: 516-924-2791
Email: jasonblaustein@gmail.com
www.turnbucklepromotions.com
Booker: Scott Epstein
Cell: 516-707-8075
scott@publicityman.com
www.publicityman.com
Publicist: Evan Ginzburg
Evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com
www.evanginzburg.com
www.wrestlingthenandnow.com
Cactusb, feel free to post this on your site, we need to get the word
out that this Blaustein kid is nothing but a fraud.
-------
A Tale of 2 Shows
Warning, this is a long one.
Here are my thoughts regarding the two big shows this weekend in New York/
Jersey, Turnbuckle Promotions and LOTR.
I will start with LOTR, since that is an easier show to analyze. I have
been a loyal LOTR fan since Terence Brennan's first show. As a result,
I have a great VIP number. I always enjoy Terence's shows because you
always get what you expect. He lines you up by your VIP #, he run a smooth
line, the signings start on time, he offers for sale great quality 8x10s
of all talent appearing. It is a worry free type of show for me.
No different this time. I arrived around 8:30 a.m. (my only complaint
is that parking is a little tight in the Radisson parking lot so you have
to get there early). By 9:00ish, they began selling great quality 8x10s
of all wrestlers appearing for $ 3.00 each. Unlike some other shows that
I have been to, you can count on being able to purchase an 8x10 by all
wrestlers appearing. I walked in to the convention room, quickly purchased
a photo opp and autograph (and received a free 8x10 to be signed) with
Giant Silva. Definitely a sweet photo opp, how could it not be when you
are under 6 feet tall and and you stand next to Giant Silva. Props to
Ward for bringing him in.
At just about 9:15 am, they lined us up for the first block, which started
just about 9:30. It was a long weekend so I may mix up who was in what
block but I think the 1st block was Tatanka, Beverly Brothers, Nord, Luger,
Bass, Heenan and Poffo. All the guys were very cool with me, I have no
complaints about their attitudes or anything else. I was through with
the block by 9:45 ish. I then got on Mombo's line for the Garea/ Martel
signing. I am a big fan of Mombo's and had a great time at his show in
June. I got numerous things signed by both Tony and Rick, as well as a
photo opp with them. Mombo cut me a little bit of a break price wise which
is always appreciated (Thanks Mombo). I then walked the floor, eventually
getting a photo opp and 8x10 of Francine (courtesy of Bill Paley, another
great guy to deal with). After grabbing a quick sandwich in the bar, I
got ready for signing panel #2. First, I waited a while for Ivory, who's
line was definitely on the slow side, since she was ultra friendly with
everyone. After waiting for guys who presented her with flowers and other
presents to finally move along, I got my photo opp and 8x10 with her.
Time to line up for panel #2, around 1:00 ish. The signing started promptly
and consisted of Bret, Davis, Goldust, Brandi, Orton, Vader and Traci
Brooks. Another great panel, all of who was very friendly and had great
attitudes. Bret was not listening to an ipod when I went through the line.
I cannot compliment enough the way LOTR runs their shows. They show loyalty
and awesome customer service to the VIPs. The GA's can moan and complain
all they want (although I don't think there were any real complaints about
this show, other than Anvil missing his flights) but we pay more as a
VIP and we are taken care of because of that. I appreciate the loyalty
that is shown to me by LOTR and in return, I am always very fast to buy
my ticket for the next show.
Everything moved swiftly, the guests were really friendly, great vendor
guests, 8x10s to purchase- just a really smooth show. I wholeheartedly
recommend an LOTR show to anyone. Those that cannot put aside their petty
gripes or grievances with the promotor wind up missing out on what might
be the most enjoyable wrestling conventions in this area.
Which brings us to Turnbuckle. I have read some of the posts regarding
this show and aside from a few issues I have with the show, I will not
going to come down hard on Jason Blaustein. Keep reading the post and
you will see why.
I attended Turnbuckle on Friday. Arrived early, at approximately 8:15
am, and there were already about 20 people there. At the registration
desk, they began lining us up close to 9:00 by VIP number. I was a VIP
Plus # in the top 20 so I had a decent spot on line. I had already received
my pass in the mail, however, I needed to pick up all the 8x10s that were
included.
Here is a major problem that I have and I had it with NWA Fanfest as well.
Poor Jason Blaustein's father had to individually pick out every 8x10
for each person as they approached the registration desk. He had to pick
out 30 8x10s for VIP Plus #1, then another 30 8x10s for VIP Plus #2, then
so on and so on. What have we learned from these shows? The registration
time can so easily be cut down if packages of the 8x10s were prepared
ahead of time. When I show up, I should be able to say VIP #15 or whatever,
and receive an envelope or packet filled with all of the 8x10s as well
as additional autograph tickets or non VIP materials that I ordered. Placing
the 8x10s in an envelope is mindless work that could have done far in
advance. It would really make the registration process so much easier
and quicker for everyone. No one learns from this though and I don't know
why.
Rather than go step by step through my day at Turnbuckle, I will summarize
the situation. Here are my problems with the show.
1) The lines moved extra slow, but I think that was because people were
spending too much time talking with the wrestlers and getting extra items
signed which they did not pay for. I pre-ordered numerous extra items
however I did not really have to, since no one ever checked. I am sure
that people took advantage of this.
2) The quality of the 8x10s included with the VIP pass were not the greatest
of quality-definitely usable but some of the 8x10s seemed blurred a little-
not the stellar quality I had hoped for.
3) I already discussed how they could have improved registration.
4) The venue was obviously a problem, with their limits on the # of people
that could enter. That caused serious problems with lines to get into
rooms, the fire inspectors, etc. At one point, after the first signing,
I wanted to go to the car to get my stuff for the 2nd signing, only to
be told I could not get back in. Instead, I would have to wait on a line
of about 30 people and they would let in 1 person for every one person
who left the building. I was also told no VIP preference, I had to get
to the end of the line.
This caused great concern for me, since I had a lot of figs, books, magazines
and posters for the 2nd and 3rd signing and needed to get to the car but
if I did, I might never get back in. I took the chance though, went out
to the car, got my stuff for both signings, since I was not going to leave
the building again, and waited on line. At this point, I called Jason
on his cell phone to explain the situation (I left a message). Whether
it was ever received I don't know, however, they did start to move VIP's
outside to the front of the line so my wait outside was minimal.
Of course, this meant that I now had to lug around 3 bags plus worth of
stuff for the rest of the day, and it is not easy to go through these
panels with so much stuff. This also clogs the line, no question. There
was just nothing you could do about it.
I felt bad for some of the vendors, since the lines moved so slow and
you only had 20 or so people in the room most of the times, they did not
get the traffic I am sure they hoped for.
5) Security was horrible. They were not on the same page with Steve from
K&S, who was trying to run this thing.
Those issues aside, I have no other problems with the show. I got every
item that I wanted signed, and I got photos with every wrestler that I
wanted. Was it a long day? Absolutely. I didn't finish the day until about
9:30 p.m. But can you really expect to meet 45- 50 wrestlers and think
you are going to breeze your way through the lines. Did the GA's really
think they could run in, meet Bruno, take a photo opp with Billy Graham
and get right out? If you did, you are delusional. Even the shows with
minimal talent appearaing move slowly. What would you expect from a show
of this magnitude?
Let me describe some of the many positives of the day:
1) As far as I was concerned, Jason Blaustein was very accessible throughout
the entire day. He absolutely did right by me throughout the day. Whether
it was by phone (which he answered at least 2x) or in person, if I needed
something, I tracked him down and he took care of it for me. He attended
to everything I brought to his attention. For example, signing panel #2,
I got my autographs and photo opps, and me and my 2 friends were hesitant
to leave the room because Scott had repeatedly told me for the last hour
that Dory Funk was due to arrive in the signing room in 5 minutes. We
didn't want to miss Dory but felt bad that we were keeping other people
from entering the room. We knew that once we left the room, we were not
getting back in. So, of course, as soon as we left the room, within 5
minutes, Dory Funk entered the room for signing. Although Scott assured
me that Dory would sign into the 2nd session, I believed that he would
take off when his brother left. So I tracked down Jason, explained that
that we really needed him to get us into that room, and he did. We got
our autographs and photo opps with Dory, which we very well might have
missed out on.
Here is an example to a lot of you. Rather than sit back and complain
that you did not get your autos or photo opps after the fact, try to do
something about it at the time. If you were a VIP, Jason would have done
his best to take care of you if you had approached him. If you did not
approach him, you very well would have missed out and that could have
probably been avoided.
This brings me to another point. Jason for months said buy the VIP Plus,
don't buy GA, he couldn't guarantee anything for GA's. He explained the
numbering system, that VIP Plus would have better #s than VIPs. Listen,
we have all been to these shows. We all know that you need to have a good
VIP # for shows that consist of only 10- 20 wrestlers. With a show of
40+, or course there will be line issues. You should have spent the extra
$$$ and bought the VIP Plus. If you did, and tracked Jason down throughout
the day, he would have made sure you were taken care of. I know he did
so with me, I am sure he would have done so with others too.
I also want to note that Jason's parents were extremely nice and helpful
to me. His mom spent some time talking with me and Ray D. about ways to
improve on the show and the lines. She was very interested in hearing
our opinions.
2) Steve from K&S, who was hired to run the show was awesome. Big
time props ands thanks to Steve, who made it his job to look out for the
VIP's. He made sure to line us up by number and made sure to look out
for us during the signings. He was the one most people complained to and
he dealt with everyone with respect. He also had to deal with the event's
pain in the neck security staff, who had bad attitudes. I personally thank
Steve for looking out for me. K and S always seems to do a great job at
these signings, as I can attest from Mombo's last show and Greg Price's
last show. The K & S signing of Jeff Jarrett and the Killer Bee's
went exceptionally smooth, from this fan's point of view. I can't praise
enough the job that they do. Ken and the other guy who I didn't know ran
a great signing, the line was quick and smooth and you got some great
bang for your buck for some rare guests. Thanks again guys.
3) The talent was very fan friendly. It is hard to single out specific
wrestlers, although to me, Mick Foley, Al Snow and Ivan Putski seemed
the most gregarious. The other wrestlers were great though, I don't mean
to imply otherwise. I bought Jimmy Valiant's book from him and it looks
to be a great read. All wrestlers signed whatever you put in front of
them (except Sid, although that was really my fault and not his). The
WolfPack must have been tired when I got to them, as they weren't in the
best of moods. I can't blame them because by that time of day, I think
everyone was tired.
4) The food they brought in was great.
5) Great event poster which looks awesome with most wrestler's signature
on it.
6) The vendors were great. I bought some hard to find figs, got the new
Hall/Nash 2 pack from Ringside at a discounted price and it was amazing
to have it signed at the show. It apparently won't be released for a few
weeks yet. I also bought the Funk/Foley/Sabu 3 pack for $25 and was able
to get it signed by the guys during the show. Props again also to TuCold
Video, for their great selections.
I know Scott Epstein is being praised as a savior of the show. I can't
agree or disagree, because I did not really come into contact with him,
and on the occasions that I did, he did not do anything to help me out,
only to tell me "Don't worry, this will be taken care of, etc."
However, he did not really DO anything to help me out. Example being the
Dory Funk signing I mentioned earlier. Scott told me he would extend the
signing, but it was Jason who actually personally made sure I got to meet
Dory.
In the final signing, when I finished in the Billy Graham room and went
into the WolfPack room, security told me we had to get on a very long
line. However, Jason made sure that we were brought to the front of the
line. Once again, this is another example of Jason looking out for us.
I understand everyone's complaints about the lines moving slowly, not
getting certain autographs or photo opportunities. You know what though,
at these things, you have to be proactive and not reactive. If you are
a GA holder, you had to have expected this. If you were a VIP, you should
have made something happen for yourself. And I agree that in some instances,
it was impossible to get a Polaroid of a certain wrestler or 2 taken by
the staff. However, that is why you bring your own camera, just in case.
Again, you have to make thing happen for yourself. Otherwise, you will
miss out.
Where else, for any other signing I ever attend, will I be able to say
that in 1 day I met, took photos with, and got many things signed by Superstar
Graham, Bruno, Rocky Johnson, Atlas, Sid, Dillon, Christian, Al Snow,
Mick Foley, Sabu, Dan Severn, Dawn Marie, Talia Madison, Hurricane, Lita,
Nash, Hall, X-Pac, Dibiase, Virgil, Putski, Santana, Afa, Samu, Albano,
Rikishi, Jimmy and Johnny Valiant, Rosie, Spike, Russo, Jannetty, Tanaka,
Beefcake, the Funk Brothers, Hemme, Baby Doll, Luna, Goldilocks, Ariel,
the Killer Bees and Jeff Jarrett?
That is a ridiculous number of people to meet in 1 day. Was it a very
long day? Yes. Was there some stress involved? Of course. But in the end,
I got everything I wanted out of the day. No Jesse? Okay, I didn't expect
him to appear anyway. Missing out on Sika and Jasmine, when you look at
what was advertised, was not the end of the world. In the end, I feel
that Jason delivered what he advertised. I understand that other people
feel they got screwed. From my point of view, in the end, I was satisfied
with what I got out of the show and I am glad that I attended.
From NYC Mike
-------------------
Jason approached my company and requested that we
come to the show and do the authentications. Knowing that was a new fan
base and location for us, we were reluctant to travel to New York.
Jason and I traded several emails discussing a reduced fee to do all of
his authentications which were going to number into the thousands. We
gave him a VERY reduced rate based on part of the show being a benefit
and the hope of moving into a new market area. Since Jason had told me
we would be doing thousands for him, I wasn't concerned with doing any
for the public however I would need to have sufficient staff to do all
of what he requested of us. I wasn't too concerned that the corner we
were stuck in offered virtually no opportunity for customers to reach
us. The line was pushed right up against my table, no one could have reached
us if they wanted to.
I spoke to Jason three times Friday and was finally told he would bring
us items Saturday morning. I spoke to his mommy Saturday morning when
she told us she had taken over the show because as she put it " the
men had their chance and fucked it up" and she told me she would
talk to Jason and find out what he was going to do. I spoke to her again
at 1 and she said Jason had no recollection of telling me he would have
us do anything for him. I went and talked to Jason and he tried to tell
me he was too tied up to talk and he would send me a few pieces to do
later. I packed up our signs so my guy could start back home with the.
I flew in with two other people and had two guys drive up with our equipment
so I didn't have to mess with it as luggage. While sitting there waiting
for Jason to bring us a few pieces, they came and took our table for Vince
Russo.
I'm out over 15 hundred bucks for this event.
Google my company name and see if you find anything but good things. We
are a very respected company in the authentication business. I do not
usually say anything negative about anyone we have worked for and I can
tell you all honestly that we are always invited back to work again after
a show.
I certainly hope Jason is not representative of the wrestling community
for I feel he was not honest in his dealings with me. I can tell you I
met a number of very nice people and we incredibly impressed with the
interaction of the wrestlers with their fans. I hope they made out better
than I did. I did talk to a couple of people at the hotel and TGI Fridays
including wrestlers and I understand they had similar issues with the
show and shared my impression of Jason.
DuWayne from Onlinecoa.com
Below is the correspondence that took place between OnlineCOA and Jason:
----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Blaustein
To: onlinecoa@att.net
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 8:37 AM
Subject: august 24-25 sports memorabilia show
Dear Online COA,
My name is Jason Blaustein and I am running one of the biggest wrestling
and sports memorabilia shows on Long Island ever on August 24-25 at Sportime
in Lynbrook, NY. It is a charitable event to raise money for Brave Hearts
of St. Francis Hospital. See attached letter. I am looking for an authenticator
to appear at the show to authenticate both items signed at the event as
well as submissions.
Please view my website at: www.turnbucklepromotions.com You can also read
my official press release at: http://wrestlingfigs.com/inner2.php?id=4729&page_id=1
Thank You,
Jason Blaustein
President,
Turnbuckle Promotions Inc
----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Blaustein
To: onlinecoa@att.net
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: august 24-25 sports memorabilia show
I can do your deal with buying it out right, however, funds are very limited
right now and I am waiting for ticket sales. I don't think I cna pay on
arrival, but after the first day of the show, then definitely. I know
I will need 100 of each guy which is 4000. However, I can't pay on arrival,
since most funds come in at the door. LMK what you think. If we can agree
on that I can sell the certification processes on my site, If more then
4000 are sold, we will work accordingly, by me adding 1.50 per certification.
On 7/9/07, onlinecoa@att.net < onlinecoa@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
Hi Jason,
We were never really sure how many certifications we were looking at until
now.
We will do YOUR 500 items for $1 each, but other dealers at your show
wil have to pay our normal wholesale price of $1.50 so we can cover our
expenses. Our cards and stickers cost us about $.50 per certification,
and there is a LOT of work that goes into each certification that no one
really has much of an appreciation for so our wholesale cost of $1.50
is already low all things considered.
There are a few things to consider, I know what I'm about to say is repetitive,
but it spells out a few options and ways we can work together better I
think - at least in the future (this show or perhaps after this show).
Based on the current forecast of 2000 certifications (or more), we can
renegotiate our deal for this show if you want - it's totally up to you.
Normally, the dealers (theoretically you in this case) work out a wholesale
price for X amount of certifications based on a forecast of how many certifications
you/we plan to do at your event. After that, theoretically, you control
everything - you set the price to the dealers, you set the price to the
public and we all collectively take our chances based on that deal. For
example, (here's where I start getting repetitive) say we agreed to do
2000 pieces at $1.50 each. You could in turn charge what ever you wanted
to your dealers, and you could charge what ever you wanted to the public,
but we would expect to be paid our normal wholesale price for 2000 certifications
at $1.50 too. Conversely, you would collect the profit from the certifications
done to the public, and you would collect profit for whatever you decided
to charge the dealers since you would essentially control the costs. In
the end, most dealers get all of their things done for free plus they
make a profit from t he other dealers and the public. READ: You *should*
make money by having us at your event.
Most show promoters (like you) charge their dealers $2.00 per certification
at wholesale, and $4 to the public, so there is profit to be made by you
from the start, and that profit would normally be sufficient to pay for
all of the things you want to get certified and more. In some cases, the
show promoters offer our service for FREE as an incentive, but they build
in the $1.50 into their autograph price (but I wouldn't recommend that
for this show).
This show was basically different from the start because we were pretty
much "on our own" and at our own risk so to speak (and that's
OK). Because we set it up that way initially, we were basically *hoping*
to do 500-1000 or so certifications to the public. That is fairly realistic
we all think. When we first spoke, it didn't seem like there were going
to be dealers there that were wanting to get things certified, but now,
if we're talking about 2000 pieces, that sort of changes things.
For one thing, if we're talking about 2000 certifications, DuWayne will
need more help. Right now, only he (and his teenage daughter) were planning
to come up based on our expectations of 500 to 1000 certifications. Two
people can handle that, but it's a lot of work even for 2 people. As I
said earlier, NYC is a new place for us to work and we really don't have
a good feel for how business will be there and we won't until we do your
show once and get some exposure there. We have no reason to suspect it
won't be good, but this is our first job there, and this is our first
show with wrestlers, so it's totally new business.
I know this is totally repetitive Jason, but here are a couple things
to think about:
Assume you're planning on doing 2000 certs (that's great!). If you were
to agree to pay us $1.50 per cert for 2000 certs ($3000 total). You can
set the wholesale/retail prices to what ever you think it should be. Our
normal price of $4 is geared towards a Washington, DC crowd, not a NYC
crowd - you could probably raise the price to $5 to the NYC public and
it wouldn't matter. If we conservatively did 250 certifications to the
public at $5 each for both days, most of the $3000 would be covered with
that alone. If you charged your dealers $1.75 for wholesale certifications
you would make a quarter on each one of those, or raise the wholesale
price to $2 and you would make $.50 on each cert we did for other dealers.
If you did that, you can get your 500 pcs done for free and still make
a profit.
That's basically how most of the show promoters work with us for NFL,
MLB, Hockey and NBA shows.
We can set something like that up, OR.....
We can leave everything alone as it is and I'll charge YOU $1 per cert
for YOUR items, and other dealers will have to pay the normal $1.50 wholesale
price per signature, and our price to the public will remain at $4. Regardless,
I need to send up another person with DuWayne I think.
Please let me know what you think Jason.
THANKS,
Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Blaustein
To: onlinecoa@att.net
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 8:19 AM
Subject: Re: august 24-25 sports memorabilia show
for the wholesale price per signature, is there anyway for me to square
off on $1 per signature or even less. I need over 2000 items with your
coa..
On 7/9/07, Jason Blaustein <jasonblaustein@gmail.com> wrote:
Ok cool, how are you going to be able to witness everyone signing at one
time? we have about 8-12 guests at one time. P.S. thank you for telling
other people down in DC about my event. I have people coming in worldwide.
On 7/9/07, onlinecoa@att.net <onlinecoa@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
Hi Jason,
Sorry for not responding sooner, we've been up in DC working on a show
with 40 guests and I'm just now getting back into my office. The prices
for autograph certifications are as follows:
Public $4 per signature
Dealers/Wholesale $1.50 per signature.
Please ask everyone who may be interested to check out an item and see
what they will get:
Please ask anyone to enter item No. 28100, the password for that item
is csacsa (csacsa entered in lower case letters).
They will receive a detailed textual description of the item, 7 photos
of the autograph guest signing that day (with our sign behind the guest),
a 15-20 second video, and a close-up digital photo of the signature on
their item, and the ownership history will reflect them as the owner.
In the case of a dealer, they will be given a DEFAULT password, for example,
you could tell me you want your password to be "wrestling" or
anything you want. When you (or any other dealer) sells the item to an
individual or even another dealer, they will be able to transfer the ownership
of the item at no additional cost. (transfer the item to their name that
is).
I can explain more if you need more information on how everything works
and also to make sure everyone who wants to use us understands what
they're buying.
Also, DuWayne Potter (Co-Owner) will be coming up. I will have DuWayne
follow-up with flight and hotel reservation information, but all of that
has been taken care of Jason. I'm just not sure about the specific times/dates.
I'll add your additional wrestler to the list ASAP. Just FYI, we talked
to quite a few people about your show while we were in DC last week-end.
Almost everyone of our customers we spoke to saw your show on our web
site and I know some of our customers are now planning on coming up -
they seemed pretty excited about the whole thing!
Thanks again Jason.
All the best,
Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: Jason Blaustein
To: onlinecoa@att.net
Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2007 6:57 PM
Subject: Re: august 24-25 sports memorabilia show
MIA ST JOHN- IFBA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN ADDED
TO THE SHOW
HOW MUCH IS IT TO CERTIFY ITEMS AT THE SHOW.
A PROMOTER PRICE AND INDIVIDUAL PRICES
DO YOU HAVE FLIGHT CONFIRMATION SO I KNOW WHEN YOUR COMING IN?
-------
Hi, here's my report:
So, after recovering from the stressful, hectic, but fruitful weekend,
I finally worked up the energy to write a report on turnbuckle.
So, a lot has been said, and here's my take.
First off let me address a few things, and then I will give my thoughts on all I met.
Many argue that Jason bit off more than he could chew, and he overbooked, etc etc. Is this true? Perhaps it is, but he did all that to bring one of the best damn line ups you could ever see. Foley, Christian, Bruno, Graham, Wolfpack, Funks, Lita, Sid, Dibiase,Valiants, etc etc. Where else do you get that lineup? Whether you think he did a good job or he bombed, he did what he did with the fans in mind!!
Now, some people who paid for a $175 are complaining they didn't get certain people.
While anyone VIP Plus probably got everyone, I do sympathize with any VIP who didn't get a particular guest cause of lower numbers. However, for $175 look who you did actually get. You probably got the Wolfpack, who stayed till the VERY end both nights and made sure to get everyone. If there were a convention that advertised Hall, Nash, and Waltman, in addition to the other main eventers, mid carders, and divas that you most likely got, and the ones that you missed were not advertised at all, would you still have paid that $175? If your answer is a big YES then you did not get ripped off at all!!
Also, regarding no shows I think everyone can agree that this is one area the show shined. Out of the enormous lineup only THREE did not show up at all!
Jesse Ventura
Romeo
Jasmin St Claire
And out these three:
One was not part of the VIP and got replaced by Foley (who I met 3 times before that but still think was an awesome replacement).
And Jasmin never shows up anywhere.
Now let's asses the chaos of the show, which obviously was the show's biggest downfall (and contrast to LOTR which was 1000 fold more organized). Granted, the show was so disorganized it made lots of people very angry. There's really no defending that aspect of it. However, consider that Turnbuckle isn't unique in that regard. Other wrestling conventions (LOTR excluded) had plenty of major issues and those conventions unlike Jason and turnbuckle had experience under their belt. Doesn't make the situation ok, it just means that there's a much bigger picture here than blaming one person who tried to bring the fans a great line up.
Also, some VIPs complained about being behind GA. As a VIP plus most of
the time I simply moved myself to the way front of the line behind the
last VIP plus. And if anyone had issues I simply flashed my badge. At
one point I wasn't allowed to move to the front of the line. I went up
to Jason, I told him the situation, and he promptly moved me forward.
Overall I would say it was very fruitful for me (thanks in part to my VIP plus status). Yes some moments did suck, example almost missing Dory Funk, and having to talk to the higher ups to be able to unload and load stuff in my car and still be allowed back in, that damn fire code, among other things, but 2 weeks from now I won't remember any of that. I will be appreciating my new pics and autographs and remembering my interaction with everyone.
Lines were slow, and I tried to do my part to speed the line. Among other things, after the first Friday block I did not take pictures with people I met before (even though I PAID for that by having a VIP plus). But I figured all those behind me who never met some of these folks were more important than me getting another photo with Spike Dudley, Dawn Marie, or Bruno Sammartino. And let me say there were quite a few I met. The only ones I met before and took a photo with were Al Snow, Hall, and Waltman. Al Snow because this time I could have a photo of him giving me HEAD (there was no HEAD last time I met him) and Hall and X-Pac because I got a Wolfpack shot with all 3.
To wrap up, I hope that Turnbuckle has another show and that all involved learn from this event.
-------
For those not familiar with the convention, below is the last Press Release that was sent out prior to the event.
TURNBUCKLE PROMOTIONS CONVENTION THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 8/24 &
8/25.
MOUTH OF THE SOUTH JIMMY HART ADDED (8/25).
TAKE THE PLAYSTATION CHALLENGE WITH TOP WRESTLERS (CHECK WEBSITE FOR DETAILS)
THIS WEEKEND AT TURNBUCKLE PROMOTIONS’ SHOW AT SPORTIME OF LYNBROOK,
NEW YORK ON AUGUST 24-25
Don’t miss rare appearance by Jesse Ventura, SuperStar Billy Graham…Outsiders/Wolf
Pack Reunite as Scott Hall (formerly Razor Ramone)/Kevin Nash/Sean Waltman
all appear…Ted Dibiase & Virgil reunite…it’s the biggest
convention of the year and largest ever on Long Island. Check website
for pricing/scheduling.
Special Q&A’s to be announced shortly hosted by noted journalist
Bill Apter.
Due to circumstances beyond our control Roddy Piper, Tully Blanchard,
Greg Valentine and April Hunter will not be appearing.
For bulk orders, mail order for your own items, and any questions you
might have, please call Jason Blaustein at 516-924-2791.
Note: Nora Greenwald (formerly Molly Holly), Mouth of the South Jimmy
Hart & Larry Zybysko Saturday only. Don’t you dare miss them.
Listen to our guests TALK about this great event!
Listen to massive Teddy “The Tank” Reade talk about the event
by clicking on this link:
http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el080807.mp3
Listen to Rocky’s TONY”Duke” BURTON and HANDSOME JIMMY
VALIANT talk about the event by clicking on this link:
http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el081507.mp3
Listen to JASMINE ST. CLAIRE & SID EUDY talk about this great event
on Evan Ginzburg’s Legends Radio 8/1 edition with Dr. Mike Lano by
clicking on this link http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/tnrnetwork/~5/140509622/el080107.mp3
Listen to Goldylocks talk about this huge event on Evan Ginzburg’s
Legends Radio by clicking this link: http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el062007.mp3
Listen to Mia St. John talk about the event by clicking on this link:
http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el071107.mp3
Listen to Nora Greenwald (formerly Molly Holly) talk about the event by
clicking on this link:
http://www.riotradionetwork.com/shows/el072507.mp3
Sportime of Lynbrook 175 Merrick Road
Lynbrook, NY 11563
HOURS: FRIDAY AUGUST 24 10AM-10PM
SATURDAY AUGUST 25 10AM-9PM
MOST WRESTLERS ARE APPEARING BOTH DAYS. CHECK WEBSITE FOR DETAILS. PLEASE
CONTACT US FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE.
Contacts:
Promoter: Jason Blaustein
Telephone: 570-775-1783
Fax: 570-775-1784
Cell: 516-924-2791
Email: jasonblaustein@gmail.com
www.turnbucklepromotions.com
Booker: Scott Epstein
Cell: 516-707-8075
scott@publicityman.com
www.publicityman.com
Publicist: Evan Ginzburg
Evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com
www.evanginzburg.com
www.wrestlingthenandnow.com
New York, NY (June 9, 2007)-
There are mere conventions…and then there are mega-events.
And Turnbuckle Promotions’ August 24-25 show is just too big for
one day.
Legendary guests include Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Fatu Aka
Rikishi, SuperStar Billy Graham, Scott Hall, Sid Eudy, Christian Cage,
Kevin Nash, The Funk Brothers, noted film director Barry Blaustein (Beyond
the Mat), The Valiant Brothers Reunion of Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny
and Captain Lou Albano, Vince Russo, Ivan Putski, JJ Dillon, Larry Zybysko
(Saturday only), Tito Santana, Doink, Romeo Roselli, Bruno Sammartino,
Al Snow, Afa the Samoan, Brutus Beefcake, Bill Apter, Rocky Johnson, Sean
Waltman, Sika the Samoan, Samu, Tony Atlas (Friday only), Marty Jannetty,
Al Snow, Ted Dibiase & Virgil , Pat Tanaka, Matt Anoai AKA Rosey,
Teddy “The Tank” Reade, Jeff Jarrett (presented by K&S-
Friday only), the Killer Bees (Friday only), Dan Severn, acting great
Tony Burton, Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart all set to appear.
Do you love the beautiful ladies of TV, wrestling and boxing? Traci Bingham,
Brande Roderick, Chanel Ryan, Gail Kim, Nora Greenwald (Sat. only), Ms.
Nicole Bass, Luna Vachon, Amy Dumas (AKA Lita- Friday only), Boxing champ
Mia St. John, Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, Christy Hemme, Missy Hyatt,
Goldylocks, Dawn Marie, Talia Madison, Shelly Martinez, Jasmine St. Claire,
Daffney (presented by Highspots) & Baby Doll (presented by K&S)
are already scheduled to grace the event.
Admission is only $5 in advance ($10 day of show). VIP Plus Tickets are
now available in limited quantities at $300 each in advance ($325 at door).
VIP Plus Tickets include top priority in line for both days (individually
numbered), 8X10s of everyone for autographing (and one item of your choice),
a Polaroid with each guest, JJ Dillon’s book, a Beyond the Mat poster
and the official event poster. Basic VIP Tickets are $175 in advance ($200
at door) and includes admission to both days’ events and autographs
and Polaroids with each guest. If you don’t have PayPal, but would
like to use your credit card, please call us at 516-924-2791.
For immediate assistance regarding VIP Tickets, autograph tickets and
table rentals please call Scott Epstein at 516-707-8075.
Also of note, there will be several auctions, including a 1 on 1 wrestling
clinic with Brother Runt (formerly known as Spike Dudley). There will
be a raffle and silent auction in which proceeds will be donated to Brave
Hearts of St. Francis Hospital. Turnbuckle Promotions would like to thank
all of its proud sponsors including the National Gym Association.
And you can listen to many of these superstars as they appear on Evan
Ginzburg’s Legends Radio- heard each and every Wednesday from 8-10PM
EST. on www.riotradionetwork.com and archived 24/7 at www.evanginzburg.com
and www.wrestlingthenandnow.com message board.
With literally dozens of top names, and the top wrestling vendors in the
country, this is a once in a lifetime event not to be missed. Mark August
24th and 25th on your calendar and buy your tickets today. Log onto www.turnbucklepromotions.com
for all our updates and don’t you dare miss the Turnbuckle Promotions
super show at Sportime in Lynbrook, Long Island.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
