Chair Shots and Other Obstacles, Winning Life's Wrestling Matches.
by
Bobby The Brain Heenan with Steve Anderson
Published by: Sports Publishing, L.L.C.
www.bobbythebrain.com
ISBN: 1-58261-762-7
Frankly, I would suggest not getting into wrestling. I would suggest getting an education. If you're not good scholastically, get a vocation.
I don't know why anyone would get in wrestling except for the glory.
If you are getting into professional wrestling for anything but the money, you're a fool.
Everyone wants to be a booker. It’s about power and controlling things.
There are no benefits in wrestling for the guys, and there should be something for them.
There are a lot of people in the business who think that they're a lot better than they are.
When it comes to professional wrestling, I know nothing else like it, except prostitution. Promoters are pimps in good looking suits, and the wrestlers are the whores.
Just know that you're not going to get anything out of professional wrestling when you are done. There’s no pension. While you're in it, promotion and elevation are hard to come by. There’s little opportunity in the way of commercial endorsements and, if there is, it’s usually not a mainstream product. I wouldn't even suggest backyard wrestling as a way in, because they simply don't know what they are doing. It’s like a kid driving a car at 14, pretending he’s a race car driver. It’s just as dangerous.
I like to be at home with my family and friends more than I ever loved the wrestling business.
If you're pursuing a dream, think about the reality of it. Think about the future of it. If you are athletically inclined, professional football and many other sports provide pensions.
Success in wrestling comes down to the booker liking you, not necessarily the promoter. If I was a promoter and I hired the booker, I'd tell him, you run it. Don't bother me. But maybe my ideas aren't like his. I bring in two guys who I like, and they're not really that talented, but I like them. I will push them down everyone’s throat until people buy tickets or not at all. Some bookers like to do that, because they like the guys and want to make them money, but if you really want to make money, push a guy you don't like who can make you money and send a check to the other guy you like but who is the shits just to stay home.
It’s hard to drink on a plane with a neck brace on. The olives keep getting caught in your throat.
You want to get into wrestling? Buy a ticket!
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Pete Maguire: Obviously The Brain's perspective is from the top of the industry as a lifetime star performer for WWF and WWE. If you want to learn how to wrestling and participate at the Indy level, do it for the fun, the challenge and the camararderie. Be careful in selecting a training school. The industry has it's share of low-lifes and narcissists. But, there are good folks out there, too, so buyer beware!
Cole Crittenden, a Tulsa County Sheriff's deputy and I have joined forces again to re-open the OPW wrestling school. There is a strong public demand to learn our craft! We will meet this opportunity in an environment that is safe and fun. Our values of ethical and moral behavior are the umbrella under which our school will operate.
Unfortunately, some new students want to be part of professional wrestling for unhealthy reasons such as narrcissistic feed, celebrity status leveraging and self-aggrandizement. Individuals with these traits bring a seediness to the class and the promotion that is undesireable. I recall a conversation with my old friend and associate, Cowboy Bill Watts. He said, "Just think of all of the wonderful people you met in the business." I laughed heartily, appreciating his sarcasm. He too, was ripped off by a former partner and had to deal with a talent rooster containing many of the character types previously described.
Cole Crittenden and I have the experience to recognize these seedy characters. They will be removed from our classes early on, swiftly and without subtly!
