The Importance Of A Good Snack Bar to A Winning Wrestling Event

I have complained often and vociferously about the lack of onions for my hot dogs at wrestling shows. In fact, I have verbalized that preference so regularly that it has become more of a running gag than an actual fact. Truth be told though, "onions for my hot dogs" has become a metaphor for, "have a well rounded snack bar at your wrestling show," and that simple rule can make the difference between a good show and a great show.

Wrestling promotions are very modularized profit centers. Ticket sales produce the majority of any individual show's income. The price of admission is calculated to strike a balance between the need of fans to find cheap, high quality entertainment, and the need of the promoter to meet and cover all expenses to the point of turning a profit after having done so.

Raffles, such as 50/50 pot or special prize raffles are another potential source of income where profit ensues if the intake is more than the outgo. Prizes donated by a gimmick vendor such as myself or the young fellow who sells action figures can reduce overhead for a raffle all the way to zero, creating a guaranteed profit center.

Promotion oriented gimmicks such as buttons, tee shirts, hats, coffee cups and etc are another excellent profit center, but are overhead intense since they involve the purchase of specially designed goods with no real assurance of a return.

With the exception of ticket sales, a promotion can live without all of the above, but there is one profit center without which a promotion cannot expect to draw fans more than once. Without exception, every promotion needs a snack bar. And it had better be a good one.

Fans almost universally come hungry to wrestling. They hunger for excitement. They hunger for diversity (different kinds of wrestling), and they hunger for good food.

The Ultimate Cafe comes to mind as one of the best snack bars in Gulf Coast Wrestling. Not only good hot dogs are served, but fresh hamburgers, nachos and a variety of different snack foods enough to please any palate. Their food is HOT, first and foremost. It comes with a well stocked condiment table that is easily accessible, and yes, there are onions for the hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as relish and other goodies. Fans come to Ultimate Wrestling knowing that supper awaits, that food is inexpensive and that it is created safely and enthusiastically.

I recall an SPW show in Defuniak Springs where the snack bar served barbecue sandwiches so elegant I bought 4 of them. On the same menu was served a honey mustard chicken sandwich that Linda took an instant liking to. Erick ate three of them. The SPW snack bar is like that. They serve hot chocolate, which I drink by the quart when it is cold, and maintain an ample supply of candy bars, which I should not be buying but which I do anyhow, and, of course, hot dogs with onions diced into little cubes of flavor that make everything OK when I am starving.

AWF Chipley serves both hot dogs and hamburgers (the latter pre-prepared) along with popcorn (a favorite of mine) and uniquely, cup soda, rather than can soda. One recent show they opened the snack bar to much fanfare (ribbing me) about onions. On that particular night my hunger was a hamburger hunger and I bought several, which I generously populated with onions. Later on, when Linda got her hot dogs, she predictably ordered them sans onions. When I declined onions for her hot dogs, the ribbing stepped up tenfold. It was all in fun, but more seriously, that snack bar had what I needed for the evening, including several different of my favorite candy bars and a variety of chips.

Kind and quality of snack bar food affects my mood. If I am hungry, I am not as "into" the show as I would be after a good hot dog. There are several ways for a promotion to maximize the "snack bar experience." One way is to offer more than one variation on hot dogs. Chili dogs are tasty, especially with onions, but messy and run the risk of spilling chili on one's shirt. Cheese dogs offer a unique variation. Chili cheese dogs with onions or (please excuse the expression) ultimate dogs offer a meal on a bun. Starting at a dollar basic dog (charging more for basic dog turns me off right away), a snack bar might add ingredients at 50 cents per: starting with chili, then adding grated Cheddar for the cheese. Just like that, a promotion has a $2 hot dog that I, as an average fan would buy in multiples.

It is said that an army travels on its stomach. I submit that an audience of wrestling fans does also. A well stocked snack bar operated by personable individuals will reap solid profits for the promotion, profits which can be plowed back into payroll for wrestlers and support staff, and the "special of the month" next month at the snack bar.

Be creative, be inventive, be personable at your snack bar and you will reap rewards. Fail to provide a good snack bar and fans' stomachs will not be the only thing grumbling.

Snack bars can makes a difference.

DSPW - The Crowd Was Small, But Their Heart Was Big

Every seat in the house was a front row seat, Friday, May 1st at Dirty South Pro Wrestling's Pensacola, FL show, the first of the new summer season.

Shown (left), Evergreen McQueen, one of Alabama's many giant wrestlers, encourages his opponent over tyhe top rope to eliminate him from competition during a match early in the evening.

Running head to head with Ultimate was a decision forced on DSPW officials by circumstance. There simply was no other date available and former management genuinely thought they could pull it off.

But, as anybody pinning DJ Pringle quickly discovers, "down" is not always "out." DSPW continues it's underdog struggle to remain viable against formidible foes in the P'Cola / Brewton theater.

Competiton for folks' entertainment dollar is ferocious. Festivals, racing, kid and teen sports continually eat away at promotions' bottom line. Can DSPW draw a viable crowd Saturday May 16th at the Alabama National Guard Armory in Brewton, Al?

I say yes. Will it be a good show?

Yes again.

Join DSPW for a brand new event and let's help Mickey create a success show in brewton on May 16th.

The Lollipop Kidd Brings Advanced Math To Wrestling

Gladiators of the squared circle come in all sizes. Not one to be left out, The Lollipop Kidd, 1/2 of the DSPW Tag Team of "So Fabulous" comes in an alternate size and color, namely pink.

Hailing from "An alternate universe near you," Kidd's main reason for entering the rough and tumble world of pro wrestling is to "explore relational physics and meet some cool girls."

"Relational physics is, of course, the study of objects in motion and at rest," Says Kidd. "An object at rest tends to stay at rest until a force compells it to move."

He adds, "A body in motion tends to remain in motion unless an opposing force greater than that motion is applied."

That force tends to be any opponent who sees Kidd dressed like a pink Lollipop in the center of a wrestling ring.

As for meeting cool girls, well that part was easy, as So Fabulous was legally adoped by every female at DSPW Pensacola last Friday, none of whom could resist squeezing cheeks and uttering phrases like "HOW adorable," and "I wish that mean wrestler would stop throwing them on the FLOOR!.

So Fabulous will be appearing at DSPW Brewton's National Guard Armory Show on May 16th.

Kidd says, "See you there, Sweetie," but I am not sure to whom he is speaking.

Chris Tighe, The Wahoo Tournament, And How Easy It Is To Become A Cowboy

Chris Tighe Offers himself as "The Definition of Technician. It sometimes seems arrogant when he represents in this fashion, but there is a somewhat overlooked truth to who this journeman wrestler sees him as, and like it or not, that truth is that he actually is "The Definition of Technician."

Watch Chris Tighe at a New Heights or AWF show (two promotions that consistantly book him) and you will discover that whomever he comes up against seriously has their hands full. Sure he struts and poses and preens and promises, as do all self-absorbed heel wrestlers, but Tighe has the stuff to back up the bluff. He has a bag of tricks that makes a magician look empty handed. And he is absolutely fearless, which in turn makes him nearly impossible to beat. Somehow though, impossible becomes possible as opponents often come up with counter-tricks themselves, that trump Chris cold, much to his frustration. Thus, it is not unreasonable to see him sitting in the middle of the armory floor, crying crocodile tears of pure frustration becaus a tag partner has let him down or an opponent has checkmated one of his favorite moves.

Looking to the upper left (photo) you see Chris hugh-jumping an opponent, literally leaping to an advantage. His unpredictibility encourages other wrestlers to be wary about dismissing him over issues like size, for example. In wrestling, size does matter, but if you are a human buzz saw like Chris Tighe, it becomes a "tree thing." The bigger you are, the harder your fall - and if that opponent falls on Chris, than 1-2-3, he's outta there, but ready to bounce back for a winning try the next match.

Next time you see Chris Tighe wrestle, pay close attention to facial expression, body language and "low spots" where lesser wrestlers shy away from close contact. You will see a Chris Tighe whose mat skills are equal to his high flight courage and recklessness.

"The Definition of Technician" is a huge entertainment package in a pint sized container. Your favorite wrestler make get very banged up before he finally beats Chris Tighe.

The American Wrestling Federation out of Chipley, Florida held its 3rd Annual Wahoo McDaniel Memorial Tournament in the Florida National Guard Armory on Friday, May 1st, to much ado and fanfare.

You will want to click on the picture to the left for a blowup of a montage of Indywrestlingfan action photos of unparalleled excellence.

Steve Armstrong won this year's trophy, much to the joy of the fans.

Marty Jannetty VS Mr Fantasy (as seen in the montage) got everybody's blood pumping and Mountain Man VS Terry Ryker was a memorable battle between titains.

But it was Dandy Jack VS The Dog Pound, with Mountain Man as his partner that really set a precident for unbelievability. First of all, when Dandy Jack is stripped to his skivvies for combat, it seems like he might be helpless in the ring. That is a misconception. He actually busted some moves on his geratric canine opponents, and stirred them somewhat to caution and care, especially when they saw 6 foot nine inch 500 pound Mountain Man available for tagging.

Oof.

I would run away too. MM is formidible.

But then, the old skinny Dog Pound Guy who used to be a weatherman (the radar kind, not the militant kind) slipped the much loved Alabama backwoodsman 5 100 bills and I'll be dipped in honey and called a Bee if MOuntain Man didn't abandon Dandy Jack to the cruelty of fate and the indecency of the howling mad tag team in the ring.

They stomped a mudhole in Dandy Jack and led him off in chains, destined to be some kinda slave, the details of which I missed because I was eating a hot dog with onions and the crunching drowned out the bad guys' post match promo.

It was a satisfying show, one during which I sold 11 cowboy hats, furthering my quest to turn all wrestlers into guitar strumming cowpokes.

If you missed this one, you should be able to get a video of it at a later show.

How GREAT it was to see Lil Bub, also known as IndyWrestlingFan back behind a still camera at a show. He takes great pictures which I "borrow" at every opportunity and sometimes forget to credit him with.

I wish that fans would appreciate him when they see him. He is working tirelessly for everyone's benefit.

Next week... New Heights Wrestling In Florala Alabama.

Hope to see you there.