I’ve been in a lot of locker rooms over the years, and there’s something that I’ve really noticed. There are guys and girls who “get it,” and there’s the rest. The ones that “get it” aren’t all that hard to point out. They’re usually the ones signing the autographs, working the upper card (or the highly under-appreciated opening match), and selling out of merch.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

KNOW YOUR ROLE ON THE SHOW.

But most important of all…

KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL!

 What makes you a person that the promoter should put on the show as opposed to someone else? THAT’S that big first step of “getting it”. Are you a guy or girl who just goes out there and does moves that you think are cool? Do you say things in promos just to get a reaction from someone in the back? Then you’re doing it WRONG!

I specifically remember one night that will always stick out in my head; the night that caused me to get the most confused/angry/jealous I’ve been in a long time. I’m not here to name names and hurt feelings, so all names will be changed or omitted for story’s sake. Now before I start, the guys that I am telling this story about are both great guys, hard workers, and extremely wonderful guys to have in the locker room. I’ve since worked with both of these guys on numerous occasions and had an absolute BLAST with them. So, for anyone reading this, this is NOT a personal attack on ANYONE but merely an account of a night from years ago that backs up my blog topic for today. With that aside, let’s get to the nonsense:

 Every year in Waterloo, Iowa there is a talent evaluation with WWE talent scout Jerry Brisco and Jim Ross for any wrestler who wants to sign up and pay the fee (from which proceeds are donated to the amazing Wrestling Museum there in town). For the price of the evaluation, you get a 6 minute match in front of these legends, with their undivided attention.  After all the matches are over they address all the guys together in a small forum. I felt somewhat defeated after my match. Some things didn’t go great and I let it get the better of me and I lost my temper. Even though I was pretty pissy afterwards, I stuck around outside the locker room to watch and cheer on all of my friends who were after me. A few matches went by, and slowly all the other guys started joining me off to the side to observe. Colt Cabana came by, Austin Aries came by, everyone seemed to be pretty supportive, so my mood slowly started improving with each tick of the clock.

 Wrestler A (5’9″ 200ish lbs) vs Wrestler B (6’8″ and 300ish lbs to my estimation) were up next, and I was ready to see what they had in store for everyone. Then…it happened. And to make things worse, it happened with the two guys that I mentioned earlier that I really like. Their match started off at a decent pace. Both guys showed that they can move, and that they have good athletic ability. I started to get a little anxious when it broke down somewhat quickly into punches…I remembered that JR and Brisco had said before that they didn’t like punches when trying to establish heel/babyface roles. Old school mentality. Whatever. So as I’m getting a little anxious for these guys to kick it into the next gear and move on to the good stuff, it was becoming clear that these guys had a different plan of attack.

 Wrestler A was the undersized babyface against B the monster heel. A was firing up after B had been in control. Punch. Punch. Punch. B came back with a knee in the gut. A sells the knee strike, and there was an audible gasp from the people in attendance. B hits the ropes and comes back to A in the middle of the ring and goes for a big boot to A’s face….wait for it…A then ducks under B’s massive leg and…

A PICKS UP B IN A POWERBOMB AND DELIVERS A SPINNING POWERBOMB TO THE NEARLY 7′ GUY HE IS WORKING.

 Not only that…B then kicks out at 2 and they proceed to work more spots….

 B KICKS OUT AT 2 AND THEY PROCEED TO WORK MORE SPOTS!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

 I wish I could tell you what happened after that, but all anyone had to do was look to JR and Brisco, who were sitting at ringside, and see that at that moment they had just lost all interest in the match. They began to idly chat to each other as Brisco was face down in his cell phone. In that one moment, their actions showed what myself, and a lot of other people watching, were feeling. I tried talking with the A and B after the match, and was met with further frustration after they both tried to defend the spot and said it made sense.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!

 My point to them that day is the same point I am making with this blog. After having a guy who is half his size throw him around, then move on and do more stuff…WHAT NOW MAKES HIM SO SPECIAL?!? In that one spot, he lost everything that guys my size would kill for. Size. Intimidation. Mystique. POWER. Gone forever now in the eyes of everyone in that room. GONE. When B enters a room, all eyes are immediately on him; I’ve seen it! B is a charismatic and drawing guy. Fans should fear him. He should be a guy that everyone should see as a threat to anyone he wrestles. Not just a threat to a single match, but to the wrestler’s career!

 When you have size and believability; USE IT! The minute B leaves his feet, it should be a BIG FUCKING DEAL. No drop toe holds, no hip tosses, no doing any rolls, just KILL. I’m not saying every big guy has to be a lumbering monster, but goddamnit guys like B have a chance to be big STARS in an indie wrestling scene where there are almost NONE.

The same goes for EVERYONE in every locker room. Figure out what it is that sets you apart from everyone else and OWN IT!

 Whatever it is that you can do, say, be, etc. to stand out then DO IT! If you’re 6’6″ and 320 lbs, then be that monster who doesn’t move! If you’re 5’5″ but you can do a 630 degree flippity doo dah twisty mcflip, then make that the center of your act! If you’ve got a silver tongue like Jake Roberts, then lay it down! ESPECIALLY if you speak a foreign language! If you’ve got a badass pink mohawk, then show it! I know this sounds a little elementary, but I’ve seen it happen way too many times…The monster wants to flippy mctwist, the small guy wants to powerbomb, and the silver tongued promo guy doesn’t think it’s cool.

Do you want to be a star? Someone that a fan is gonna remember for years to come? Or just be the guy that was in that one match, you know, with that one other guy…

But hey…at least that guy on that message board gave you 4*’s

Matt Ferguson is a professional wrestler originally from Omaha, Nebraska.  He began wrestling in 2005 and is widely considered one of the most talented wrestlers in the Midwest today.   He has wrestled extensively throughout Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.   His wrestling persona Matty Star is a flamboyant showman that is hated by crowds everywhere.    He currently resides in Des Moines, Iowa.