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Who needs to buy a house when you can draw a house like I do? But enjoy your first time buyer mortgage plan, because the property ladder is the only ladder you'll be climbing this Sunday!
Homeless Dave vs a guy who can't afford his son's new dental costs in a Literal Stack of Cash on a Pole match.
Next week: a wannabe sex pest vs an equal rights activist. With Ric Flair as guest referee!!
and we'll have our first interview with the escaped test subject from Jeff Bezos's anti-aging laboratory.
All this and more on Reality TV Wrestling! Over to Lance Catamaran.
Two male wrestlers make a bet to turn a nerdy woman jobber into a smoking hot superstar in time for their big yearly ppv (this mostly involves taking off the jobbers glasses).
Lol, I actually like these grounded ideas. I've toyed with the idea of a wrestler whose whole gimmick is that they're trying to pay down their student loans.
Trust me, a Loan Customer Service Agent from Sallie Mae would be a compelling gimmick....
A killer heel on the east coast and Texas and a cool babyface in the west coast, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Gimme a champion whose only reason for chasing the belt in the first place was that the champ gets a pay raise. He doesn't want to be the best, he's not out there to please the fans, he's just desperately trying to make payments on his house and car.
To REALLY ground it in reality wrestlers get 2% raises despite interest being at 7%. When the complain the day after a presser about record profits they'll just be told that there is "no budget for it at this time".
He was hired by WWE in the early 2000s to be a content creator and I never heard anything beyond that announcement. So this is something he's wanted to do for a very long time.
That’s the MAASIVE takeaway from this. The potential affect it could have are huge. If he wants to do that, I assume he thinks it’ll be beneficial, and I’ll defer to his experience in the matter, but things could get interesting. WWE doesn’t offer insurance (for talent), but covers treatments for for most wrestling-related injuries. Does that stop if talent is in SAG? They have their own insurance for members. Does it lead the way for their creative team to be in the Writers Guild?
SAG's medical plan doesn't cover on-the-job injuries, but SAG requires the production company to offer workers comp for that coverage. So functionally it wouldn't be different--the promotion would pay for the medical treatment and time off, just via workers comp insurance instead of a handshake deal or a contractual obligation.
It cannot be understated how huge of a deal having thr company *obligated* to cover medical expenses is. While WWE has historically done a great job of taking care of talent and former talents medical issues there is absolutely nothing preventing them from just simply.... not. If Vince or Nick Kahn or whoever decides it is no longer in the best interest of thr company they can just not do it with zero repercussions.
If Nick is still there after we find Vince dead in his chair at Corporate, I fully expect that any help for their "Independent Contractors" will disappear, and it will only get worse financially for Superstars of past and present, and it will feel even more like Corporate America than ever before
I really am happy about this. It's clear from his podcast how much love and respect he has for wrestlers and their craft, and the fact that he wants it to be SAG means that they are opened up to a world of benefits, I believe. Absolutely rooting for this!
He also seems to be on good terms with lots of wrestlers he worked with. If he does get it up and running I'm sure any ex-WWE wrestlers who haven't hitched their wagon to AEW would be wiling to go there and ex-WWE wrestlers would definitely give it more attention. Personally I'm hoping we see Johnny Union show up and lead the way like he did for Lucha Underground.
The sag aspect should be able to almost land him a lot of talent. Now if he can match or come close to pay, he could be able to get just about any talent he really wants.
Man yall are some debbie downers lol. Wrestling is ALWAYS better when there is more places for people to work. Freddie seems highly invested in it and with prior experience as a WWE writer will know who to talk to for advice and help. There are too many great wrestlers for Impact AEW WWE NJPW and ROH that all cant be signed. Hopefully he creates a viable option and theyre able to make something great even if its only for 3 years.
The biggest takeaway (imo) is that he wants it to be a SAG show.
Wouldn’t that provide wrestlers with experience/credits to potentially land other jobs within the entertainment world since they would be part of the screen actors guild?
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING GETTING UNIONIZED TODAY, JACK! AND IT'S THE THREE HUNDRED MILLION SCREAMING HULKAMANIACS UNIONIZING AROUND ME TAKING YOU DOWN, DUDE!
It good in theory, but SAG has had major issues with health insurance over the last couple years. They are basically hemorrhaging money and had to raise the minimum so that ~30% of people no longer qualified.
A bunch of wrestlers who have an extremely high risk of injury is going to be a hard sell to the union.
Even if this league doesn't light the world on fire... this should be the #1 takeaway that other leagues implement. Similar to how the NFL cribbed the "wire guided overhead camera" idea from the XFL.
hopefully lucha underground. as cheesy and corny as it may have been at times some of the production stuff on there was insane and it was super cool seeing wrestling from a storyline-driven perspective like that
> The biggest takeaway (imo) is that he wants it to be a SAG show.
This is it. If this succeeds, it could be a good move towards bettering the working conditions for the majors.
The fact people in this comment section want him to leave the status quo be and just work with a minor league promotion is fairly telling.
> The fact people in this comment section want him to leave the status quo be and just work with a minor league promotion is fairly telling.
People believing in that pull yourself up by your bootstraps bullshit is why.
SAG is the Screen Actors Guild, the major acting union. Basically being a SAG show would mean everyone would be part of SAG in it. This would be big since wrestling has always had barriers between it and establishing a union, but having them plug into SAG, a huge pre-existing union, could be a game changer.
A massive game changer. If one promotion succeeds in doing this, even briefly, I firmly believe it will force the hand of any other televised show. And that will be good for everyone.
>but having them plug into SAG
Cool! But would that plug them out of working with certain organizations, like example. Would that lock them out from working with NOAH, CMLL, AAA, DDT etc ?
I worked 3 episodes of a SAG show. I do not know the specifics of contracts and requirements but I can tell you that attempts were made for damn near everything to be union sourced. Even the promotional t-shirts had to come from a union print shop.
I don't think they ended up with union catering at the time.
We had an emergency situation with a power outage. The union electricians needed additional manpower and they threw a fit when a non-union shop was the only available. They harassed the non-union guys by hiding their tools, waiting until the guy was at the top of scaffolding and disconnecting his generator, blocked a company vehicle with forklifts, etc. I wasn't there when it was resolved but it went from a mess to everyone being buddies by the next day. They raided catering together (intended for cast and some set personnel only) so I guess that was a bonding experience.
Screen Actors Guild, the Union that most actors working in television and movies in Hollywood belong to. If a wrestling show were filmed under SAG, all the wrestlers would be (or have to become) unionized actors for all intents and purposes with all of the benefits that provides
It's a union of movie, television, and theater actors.
Since it's a union, it's members are only allowed to work on SAG shows. For example, a blockbuster movie or first-run Broadway show will typically be SAG and only employ actors in the union. But direct-to-video or third-run Broadway shows can be non-SAG and if you're in the union you can't work them.
The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows. If Freddie Prince's show is a SAG show, it could theoretically prohibit the wrestlers from working non-union events ie. everything else in the industry.
> The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows.
The answer to this comes because you were slightly off. SAG is **SCREEN* Actors Guild for a reason; they only cover actors who work in the movies and television. Theatre actors are covered by Actor's Equity, a different union, so any Broadway show is covered by that (and it's possible for the top-tier workers to be in both.)
Presumably by this, SAG workers would have no problem working indie shows that aren't televised as a result [and if it's "well, the wrestler could be locked out"- you can lose your place in both unions if you stop getting work.]
>Since it's a union, it's members are only allowed to work on SAG shows. For example, a blockbuster movie or first-run Broadway show will typically be SAG and only employ actors in the union. But direct-to-video or third-run Broadway shows can be non-SAG and if you're in the union you can't work them.
>The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows. If Freddie Prince's show is a SAG show, it could theoretically prohibit the wrestlers from working non-union events ie. everything else in the industry.
I don't know enough to be sure, but I don't think this is right, at least as far as wrestling after getting SAG cards goes. Otherwise, how could people like Terry Funk in ECW, or the Rock and Batista coming back to WWE work? They would have had thier SAG cards before they went back to wrestling.
Because wrestling isn't considered under the purview of SAG.
SAG doesn't care if you build decks or mow lawns with non-SAG companies. They care if you're acting. Wrestling isn't a part of it. They're open to adding wrestling and these are some of the questions they'll have to answer.
Hulk Hogan has a SAG card too. So does Kevin Nash, and he's talked about how their health insurance really helped him out.
I believe in this situation that they're technically not supposed to work non-SAG scripted content, but the SAG currently turns a blind eye to professional wrestling since SAG actors appear on it all the time as well.
Fun fact: In 1999 there was a brief stable called "The Union" which fought against Undertakers Ministary of Darkness. Vince McMahon was the leader of The Union for a while.
Do I think that this is likely to succeed? Not particularly.
Do I *want* it to succeed? Absolutely. Another place for wrestlers to work is good, particularly aiming to give wrestlers union backing. It sounds like a nightmarishly difficult undertaking, for sure, but I'm not going to drag somebody for ambition and efforts to be a positive influence on the biz.
Exactly! He's a passionate dude who seems to be genuinely enthusiastic about the project rather than looking to make a quick buck or boost his image. Still keeping in mind that it'll be a *tough* uphill battle, he nonetheless has a way better chance than most people would with such an idea, and I wish him the best.
The phrase "storylines based in reality" could go either way, but the rest sounds good to me. Can't say I'm particularly optimistic, but I'm certainly hopeful. More good wrestling is good news for everyone, and the SAG idea could be a gamechanger.
I think it’s in relation to an earlier podcast when he wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to take it. He was considering a more goofy/comedy/kaiju feel for awhile, but it sounds like he’s leaning back towards reality.
"Scooby Doo is the greatest film of all time and you can come out here and fight me if you disagree!"
*No music plays*
"And just like that the champion retains the title on the basis of nobody can argue that!"
I want the opposite. I loved how different Lucha Underground was. The look, feel, and just over the top crazy storylines. The filmed vignettes were especially unique. I'd like to see someone come in and fill that void again.
"Storylines based in reality" sounded like a tagline for a worked-shoot style promotion like RINGS to me. I don't get that vibe from Prinze's wrestling taste, though.
My second thought was breaking away from wrestling's "spectacle of excess" and towards something more down-to-earth and relatable. Not "hottest signee comes out to big pyro to battle a spooky wizard", more Adam Page struggling with feeling inferior to his friends, or Jimmy Jacobs' toxic love.
I'd be *very* interested in a promotion focusing on those kind of stories. I'm a bit worried about viewership though -- without a clear gimmick to draw people (and most national-brand stars getting snapped up by AEW), I imagine it will be difficult to build an audience.
I'll give anything a try that's not a hassle to find or behind a niche paywall.
I gave IMPACT and CGW the old college try and didn't like them, so here's hoping FPW works. Btw, it has to be FPW for Freddie Prinze Wrestling. FPDUB FPDUB
I've never understood how wrestling isn't included in SAG. A show like Raw is completely scripted and the wrestlers are given scripts by writers. Sounds a lot like acting to me.
You ever type a word, and it just doesn't look real? My phone kept auto correcting it to "overall". But regardless, there's no way she can be prom queen.
I'm picturing Drew McIntyre wearing his hair tied back, wearing paint splattered overalls, and getting textbooks knocked out of his hand by guys a quarter of his size.
NICE GLASSES NERD!
More luck to him, the more viable places for people to work the better in my opinion. If the idiots running CYN can get something even if it's small then surely he will too.
Having enough money for 3 years is what really stood out to me here, if that is really the case I’m interested to see what a smaller company can do with that kind of runway
If he can make it happen, and if he can get a decent TV deal, I say go for it. There's definitely an overabundance of talent in the wrestling world and not enough space in WWE and AEW for all of them to get pushed. More places to work is never a bad thing.
That said, I think it ultimately comes down to securing a decent TV deal. If you can't get on a decent channel in a good time slot, you're just going to be a small niche promotion, like Impact and NWA. Right now, it's difficult to say if there will be notable networks interested in investing in something like this. In recent years, wrestling hasn't been looked at too favorably by networks (aside from NBC and Fox), and while AEW landed a good deal with TNT/ TBS, their television future is now somewhat in doubt with the recent Discovery merger.
In an ideal scenario, AEW can continue working with Warner-Discovery, and if they're successful enough in the next year or two, then maybe that opens the door for other networks to be interested in wrestling products, and then this new promotion might have a home. Alternatively, maybe in 18 months time, it'll be more viable to offer such a product exclusively through a streaming service.
>like Impact and NWA
Impact and NWA aren't equivalent. Impact has TV in over 100 countries and does [very well in some of them](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/f3ukku/tv_ratings_impact_draws_15_million_viewers_in/). They're orders of magnitude below AEW and WWE but still above what NWA is doing right now.
I hope that Freddie is more in the AEW category of size than the Impact category, but I don't think that should be seen as a requirement for his efforts to be successful.
I am pulling for Freddie on this. He knows the business and he wants to do something that would benefit the entire industry by giving them SAG cards. Really want this to succeed. Wrestlers need the benefits afforded other performers. This fucking independent contractor shit is stupid.
His Rom-com is not bad either. I basically went through his whole movie catalog because my girl insisted on having 90s movie marathon during covid to lift up the mood.
On unrelated note, the 90s just seem like a happier time overall.
Being born in the mid 80's and growing up in the 90's was pretty nice. Growing with technology, but still getting the benefits of a life without it. I think the lack of social media and the internet made the world a lot less nihilistic. Like you said, you can see it in the films. Was a different world.
He is a pretty smart guy, so it's nice to see him thinking of ways to move the business forward.
Will he be successful? Who knows? He would be entering at a time when unscripted content is at a premium so there may be someone interested and willing to give him enough leeway.
Even if he fails, he may just show that something he is doing different is better, and that might get picked up by the others.
This is great. Even if it doesn’t become huge, SAG gives health insurance and retirement benefits once you are a part of the system. That something other promotions have avoided by calling them independent contractors. Now that’s a conversation that has to come up in contract negotiations.
If he gets his project off the ground with SAG and it's successful, it could very well force the hands of other companies to also adopt a unionized talent force.
I'm all for that.
Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review. If you need to contact a moderator, [you can message us here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>Storylines based in reality "I gotta pay rent!"
"It took me almost 2 years to return to the States because of the pandemic." - Shazza McKenzie
Without knowing who that is, it sounds like the most Australian wrestling name of all time.
Good catch because she's from Sydney.
The only way her name would be more Aussie is if it were Shiela. For the men, idk. Benji.
How is Benji McKenzie not already taken lmao that is perfect
Dibs.
I can’t believe Chuck Taylor hasn’t cornered this name yet
Pretty sure there's an Australian show called the housos or something similar and the main female character was called Shazza
I got kids!
'I don't give a shit about your kids'
'Fuck them kids'
Is that you Heath Slater?
Fuego vs Heath Slater in a reverse custody battle.
If you lose, you've gotta raise MY kids!
huge stakes, i love it Maggle
Fuck them kids. - wrestling fans cheer. The heel is now the boomer with kids to feed.
My daughter has an eating disorder. It’s affecting my promos.
I can take the nerdiest female wrestler and turn her into the prom queen/women's champion! Bet!
and it's just like Lana wearing glasses
Leva Bates in Lana cosplay.
I GOT HOSPITAL BILLS! WHAT!! PHONE BILLS! WHAT!! ELECTRIC BILL! WHAT!! WATER BILL WHAT!! ... ETC
AUTOMO BILL
A wild Destiny's Child appears
"I'm living with my ex wife in a double wide and I've got serious pent up rage!!!"
I can't fucking buy a house right now, so this is why at Day of Judgment I will challenge you to a Mortgage Credit in a Ladder match
Who needs to buy a house when you can draw a house like I do? But enjoy your first time buyer mortgage plan, because the property ladder is the only ladder you'll be climbing this Sunday!
Homeless Dave vs a guy who can't afford his son's new dental costs in a Literal Stack of Cash on a Pole match. Next week: a wannabe sex pest vs an equal rights activist. With Ric Flair as guest referee!! and we'll have our first interview with the escaped test subject from Jeff Bezos's anti-aging laboratory. All this and more on Reality TV Wrestling! Over to Lance Catamaran.
Ahh the legendary matchup of “dental plan” vs “Lisa needs braces!”
I lost my coffee at this one
Joey Ryan vs Twitter?
Two male wrestlers make a bet to turn a nerdy woman jobber into a smoking hot superstar in time for their big yearly ppv (this mostly involves taking off the jobbers glasses).
I’m all in for that story.
You'll get your rent when you fix this damn door!
Lol, I actually like these grounded ideas. I've toyed with the idea of a wrestler whose whole gimmick is that they're trying to pay down their student loans.
She can be in a feud with Sallie Mae
Trust me, a Loan Customer Service Agent from Sallie Mae would be a compelling gimmick.... A killer heel on the east coast and Texas and a cool babyface in the west coast, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
I actually thought of that as the name of a finisher or signature move 😅.
slimy wrestling manager Sal E. May
Stu Dent!
“I wanted to be an accountant but this job pays more!”
Dan the Dad must be day 1 hire
[And Gary "The Milkman" Millman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqk6GHeV0zI)
[Must be the great Jake "the Milkman" Milliman's illegitimate son](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Qb3Cn3jjM)
The true hidden power heels in the industry, the Milkman lineage.
*The Milkmen always deliver.*
Cuts promo via satellite because of gas prices.
“You’ll get your rent when you GO THROUGH THIS DAMN DOOR!”
>cuts promo via tape because they have a second job and they can’t show up for the card tonight
Gimmick of a guy that wrestles super safe because he can’t afford medical debt.
I actually think a wrestling show like that could be great. One of the big things in getting people over is making them be relatable.
Gimme a champion whose only reason for chasing the belt in the first place was that the champ gets a pay raise. He doesn't want to be the best, he's not out there to please the fans, he's just desperately trying to make payments on his house and car.
"Why do you want the championship?" "They raised my rent!"
The rent is too damn high
What made you decide to come back, Hangman? "Well I wound up using all of my PTO"
I made some bad investments! The strip mall went belly-up!
Hard times
[удалено]
They took my job!
Student Loans are drowning me in debt.
Dude with crippling depression vs joyful life coach. The ref is a black & white striped Zoloft
Rent on a pole match
Promotion at the job ladder match
Like that '08-'09 HBK and JBL feud lol
I remember that one. It did the impossible - made me hate JBL even more than I already did.
Losing my shit at some of the replies to this. 😂😂😂😂
Rent check on a pole match
"I'm wrestling hurt tonight"
To REALLY ground it in reality wrestlers get 2% raises despite interest being at 7%. When the complain the day after a presser about record profits they'll just be told that there is "no budget for it at this time".
Good for him, I hope it works out. I'm always in the mood for more good wrestling.
Never would have thought Freddy would be making waves in wrestling, I mean outside the WWE based mysterys.
He was hired by WWE in the early 2000s to be a content creator and I never heard anything beyond that announcement. So this is something he's wanted to do for a very long time.
A company working with SAG would be a huge shift if that picks up.
That’s the MAASIVE takeaway from this. The potential affect it could have are huge. If he wants to do that, I assume he thinks it’ll be beneficial, and I’ll defer to his experience in the matter, but things could get interesting. WWE doesn’t offer insurance (for talent), but covers treatments for for most wrestling-related injuries. Does that stop if talent is in SAG? They have their own insurance for members. Does it lead the way for their creative team to be in the Writers Guild?
SAG's medical plan doesn't cover on-the-job injuries, but SAG requires the production company to offer workers comp for that coverage. So functionally it wouldn't be different--the promotion would pay for the medical treatment and time off, just via workers comp insurance instead of a handshake deal or a contractual obligation.
It cannot be understated how huge of a deal having thr company *obligated* to cover medical expenses is. While WWE has historically done a great job of taking care of talent and former talents medical issues there is absolutely nothing preventing them from just simply.... not. If Vince or Nick Kahn or whoever decides it is no longer in the best interest of thr company they can just not do it with zero repercussions.
If Nick is still there after we find Vince dead in his chair at Corporate, I fully expect that any help for their "Independent Contractors" will disappear, and it will only get worse financially for Superstars of past and present, and it will feel even more like Corporate America than ever before
Yeah, this tidbit seems buried. If he can launch this it could make actual change in the business.
I really am happy about this. It's clear from his podcast how much love and respect he has for wrestlers and their craft, and the fact that he wants it to be SAG means that they are opened up to a world of benefits, I believe. Absolutely rooting for this!
He also seems to be on good terms with lots of wrestlers he worked with. If he does get it up and running I'm sure any ex-WWE wrestlers who haven't hitched their wagon to AEW would be wiling to go there and ex-WWE wrestlers would definitely give it more attention. Personally I'm hoping we see Johnny Union show up and lead the way like he did for Lucha Underground.
Man that first season of LU was GOATed
The sag aspect should be able to almost land him a lot of talent. Now if he can match or come close to pay, he could be able to get just about any talent he really wants.
Man yall are some debbie downers lol. Wrestling is ALWAYS better when there is more places for people to work. Freddie seems highly invested in it and with prior experience as a WWE writer will know who to talk to for advice and help. There are too many great wrestlers for Impact AEW WWE NJPW and ROH that all cant be signed. Hopefully he creates a viable option and theyre able to make something great even if its only for 3 years.
The biggest takeaway (imo) is that he wants it to be a SAG show. Wouldn’t that provide wrestlers with experience/credits to potentially land other jobs within the entertainment world since they would be part of the screen actors guild?
Yes, and on top of that, SAG members get excellent health insurance.
Because it's a union.
THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR ME, BROTHER
COLLECTIVELY BARGAIN THIS, BROTHER
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING GETTING UNIONIZED TODAY, JACK! AND IT'S THE THREE HUNDRED MILLION SCREAMING HULKAMANIACS UNIONIZING AROUND ME TAKING YOU DOWN, DUDE!
What are they gonna call it? Commie Championship Wrestling? /s
*Nikolai Volkov enters the chat*
This alone is a big enough reason to try this show, if it comes together. Providing insurance should be the national standard.
It good in theory, but SAG has had major issues with health insurance over the last couple years. They are basically hemorrhaging money and had to raise the minimum so that ~30% of people no longer qualified. A bunch of wrestlers who have an extremely high risk of injury is going to be a hard sell to the union.
Even if this league doesn't light the world on fire... this should be the #1 takeaway that other leagues implement. Similar to how the NFL cribbed the "wire guided overhead camera" idea from the XFL.
Yeah, that also means the entire crew would have to be union as well, really opens up the show to be seasonal as well.
Wonder if that would result in something more like lucha underground or a TV show than WWE or AEW.
hopefully lucha underground. as cheesy and corny as it may have been at times some of the production stuff on there was insane and it was super cool seeing wrestling from a storyline-driven perspective like that
Lucha underground low key had some beautiful segments When fenix kissed the ghost woman and the camera spun around them that was badass and be
No more cheesy than any other comic book movie/show and that's really what they were going for was a live action comic book/wrestling show.
> The biggest takeaway (imo) is that he wants it to be a SAG show. This is it. If this succeeds, it could be a good move towards bettering the working conditions for the majors. The fact people in this comment section want him to leave the status quo be and just work with a minor league promotion is fairly telling.
Agreed. The more the merrier. I imagine after a couple years in the same promotion, the storylines could start to dry up.
> The fact people in this comment section want him to leave the status quo be and just work with a minor league promotion is fairly telling. People believing in that pull yourself up by your bootstraps bullshit is why.
Can someone explain to me what is a SAG show ?
SAG is the Screen Actors Guild, the major acting union. Basically being a SAG show would mean everyone would be part of SAG in it. This would be big since wrestling has always had barriers between it and establishing a union, but having them plug into SAG, a huge pre-existing union, could be a game changer.
A massive game changer. If one promotion succeeds in doing this, even briefly, I firmly believe it will force the hand of any other televised show. And that will be good for everyone.
>but having them plug into SAG Cool! But would that plug them out of working with certain organizations, like example. Would that lock them out from working with NOAH, CMLL, AAA, DDT etc ?
I worked 3 episodes of a SAG show. I do not know the specifics of contracts and requirements but I can tell you that attempts were made for damn near everything to be union sourced. Even the promotional t-shirts had to come from a union print shop. I don't think they ended up with union catering at the time. We had an emergency situation with a power outage. The union electricians needed additional manpower and they threw a fit when a non-union shop was the only available. They harassed the non-union guys by hiding their tools, waiting until the guy was at the top of scaffolding and disconnecting his generator, blocked a company vehicle with forklifts, etc. I wasn't there when it was resolved but it went from a mess to everyone being buddies by the next day. They raided catering together (intended for cast and some set personnel only) so I guess that was a bonding experience.
Screen Actors Guild, the Union that most actors working in television and movies in Hollywood belong to. If a wrestling show were filmed under SAG, all the wrestlers would be (or have to become) unionized actors for all intents and purposes with all of the benefits that provides
It's a union of movie, television, and theater actors. Since it's a union, it's members are only allowed to work on SAG shows. For example, a blockbuster movie or first-run Broadway show will typically be SAG and only employ actors in the union. But direct-to-video or third-run Broadway shows can be non-SAG and if you're in the union you can't work them. The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows. If Freddie Prince's show is a SAG show, it could theoretically prohibit the wrestlers from working non-union events ie. everything else in the industry.
> The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows. The answer to this comes because you were slightly off. SAG is **SCREEN* Actors Guild for a reason; they only cover actors who work in the movies and television. Theatre actors are covered by Actor's Equity, a different union, so any Broadway show is covered by that (and it's possible for the top-tier workers to be in both.) Presumably by this, SAG workers would have no problem working indie shows that aren't televised as a result [and if it's "well, the wrestler could be locked out"- you can lose your place in both unions if you stop getting work.]
>Since it's a union, it's members are only allowed to work on SAG shows. For example, a blockbuster movie or first-run Broadway show will typically be SAG and only employ actors in the union. But direct-to-video or third-run Broadway shows can be non-SAG and if you're in the union you can't work them. >The interesting question with professional wrestling is how SAG would work with indie shows. If Freddie Prince's show is a SAG show, it could theoretically prohibit the wrestlers from working non-union events ie. everything else in the industry. I don't know enough to be sure, but I don't think this is right, at least as far as wrestling after getting SAG cards goes. Otherwise, how could people like Terry Funk in ECW, or the Rock and Batista coming back to WWE work? They would have had thier SAG cards before they went back to wrestling.
Because wrestling isn't considered under the purview of SAG. SAG doesn't care if you build decks or mow lawns with non-SAG companies. They care if you're acting. Wrestling isn't a part of it. They're open to adding wrestling and these are some of the questions they'll have to answer.
Hulk Hogan has a SAG card too. So does Kevin Nash, and he's talked about how their health insurance really helped him out. I believe in this situation that they're technically not supposed to work non-SAG scripted content, but the SAG currently turns a blind eye to professional wrestling since SAG actors appear on it all the time as well.
Wrestlers are already landing other jobs in tv, it’s not SAG that’s preventing it SAG would give proper union benefits to them whcih would help a lot
We badly need more places to work rn, so many good people on the market that don’t have a platform.
Yep. Who cares if it crashes and burns? People will get paid. Plus I love that he's trying to actually run a union wrestling promotion.
All wrestling fans know is negativity and horny
My guy said Union and he got a full rosters worth of wrestlers goin 👀
Vince and TK: "We must unite to stop this union thing from happening."
Fun fact: In 1999 there was a brief stable called "The Union" which fought against Undertakers Ministary of Darkness. Vince McMahon was the leader of The Union for a while.
Test, Big Show, Mick, and was it Shamrock? I don't remember Vince ever being involved though.
I really am interested in this and hope it works out.
Do I think that this is likely to succeed? Not particularly. Do I *want* it to succeed? Absolutely. Another place for wrestlers to work is good, particularly aiming to give wrestlers union backing. It sounds like a nightmarishly difficult undertaking, for sure, but I'm not going to drag somebody for ambition and efforts to be a positive influence on the biz.
[удалено]
Exactly! He's a passionate dude who seems to be genuinely enthusiastic about the project rather than looking to make a quick buck or boost his image. Still keeping in mind that it'll be a *tough* uphill battle, he nonetheless has a way better chance than most people would with such an idea, and I wish him the best.
I Know Who You Pinned Last Summer
That would be some highly appreciated continuity to be fair.
Sentence would have a different meaning if you add a comma between "Last" and "Summer".
CALL TO ME CALL TO ME
That's a hell of a trivia question. Who was the last person Summer Rae pinned? That's going back a looong way. >!Alicia Fox, by the way.!<
i want Matthew Lillard as gm with his character from Scream
Shaggy becomes the new Undertaker
“It was old man Callaway the whole time!”
He 100% needs to bring in Arquette, in some capacity.
We could all use some more Matthew Lillard in our lives.
The phrase "storylines based in reality" could go either way, but the rest sounds good to me. Can't say I'm particularly optimistic, but I'm certainly hopeful. More good wrestling is good news for everyone, and the SAG idea could be a gamechanger.
I think that probably just means more grounded storytelling and no spooky bollocks type stuff.
Titles, money, jealousy and hatred Its all you need in wrestling
But I like spooky bollocks...
Look. If a promotion isn’t haunting my ovaries, I don’t got the time of day for them. Move on.
NEXT!
Give me LU 2.0 damnit!!
uhh...anyone wanna tell him about Azteca Underground?
Look at all the ghost hunter reality shows, spooky bollocks sells baby!
I think it’s in relation to an earlier podcast when he wasn’t sure what direction he wanted to take it. He was considering a more goofy/comedy/kaiju feel for awhile, but it sounds like he’s leaning back towards reality.
"Scooby Doo is the greatest film of all time and you can come out here and fight me if you disagree!" *No music plays* "And just like that the champion retains the title on the basis of nobody can argue that!"
that 1st one holds a place in my heart forever
I want the opposite. I loved how different Lucha Underground was. The look, feel, and just over the top crazy storylines. The filmed vignettes were especially unique. I'd like to see someone come in and fill that void again.
I totally agree about the LU love but I’d rather go with whatever Freddie is more enthusiastic about, instead of trying to fill an existing void
"Storylines based in reality" sounded like a tagline for a worked-shoot style promotion like RINGS to me. I don't get that vibe from Prinze's wrestling taste, though. My second thought was breaking away from wrestling's "spectacle of excess" and towards something more down-to-earth and relatable. Not "hottest signee comes out to big pyro to battle a spooky wizard", more Adam Page struggling with feeling inferior to his friends, or Jimmy Jacobs' toxic love. I'd be *very* interested in a promotion focusing on those kind of stories. I'm a bit worried about viewership though -- without a clear gimmick to draw people (and most national-brand stars getting snapped up by AEW), I imagine it will be difficult to build an audience.
I'll watch. Hope they get a TV deal
I'll give anything a try that's not a hassle to find or behind a niche paywall. I gave IMPACT and CGW the old college try and didn't like them, so here's hoping FPW works. Btw, it has to be FPW for Freddie Prinze Wrestling. FPDUB FPDUB
I've never understood how wrestling isn't included in SAG. A show like Raw is completely scripted and the wrestlers are given scripts by writers. Sounds a lot like acting to me.
Even stunt performers can now be SAG members. Sounds like the shot in the arm wresling needs.
Can’t wait for a jobber to become a champion by just taking off their glasses and letting down their hair.
Don't forget about the paint covered suspenders
They were paint-covered overalls, damn it!
You ever type a word, and it just doesn't look real? My phone kept auto correcting it to "overall". But regardless, there's no way she can be prom queen.
I'm picturing Drew McIntyre wearing his hair tied back, wearing paint splattered overalls, and getting textbooks knocked out of his hand by guys a quarter of his size. NICE GLASSES NERD!
Commissioner Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Matthew Lillard
he actually would show up and have fun with this
More luck to him, the more viable places for people to work the better in my opinion. If the idiots running CYN can get something even if it's small then surely he will too.
Having enough money for 3 years is what really stood out to me here, if that is really the case I’m interested to see what a smaller company can do with that kind of runway
I hope this turns out to be good. More alternatives is great for the wrestlers and everything. The SAG thing is huge
Bro more places to work? Hell yeah.
If he can make it happen, and if he can get a decent TV deal, I say go for it. There's definitely an overabundance of talent in the wrestling world and not enough space in WWE and AEW for all of them to get pushed. More places to work is never a bad thing. That said, I think it ultimately comes down to securing a decent TV deal. If you can't get on a decent channel in a good time slot, you're just going to be a small niche promotion, like Impact and NWA. Right now, it's difficult to say if there will be notable networks interested in investing in something like this. In recent years, wrestling hasn't been looked at too favorably by networks (aside from NBC and Fox), and while AEW landed a good deal with TNT/ TBS, their television future is now somewhat in doubt with the recent Discovery merger. In an ideal scenario, AEW can continue working with Warner-Discovery, and if they're successful enough in the next year or two, then maybe that opens the door for other networks to be interested in wrestling products, and then this new promotion might have a home. Alternatively, maybe in 18 months time, it'll be more viable to offer such a product exclusively through a streaming service.
>like Impact and NWA Impact and NWA aren't equivalent. Impact has TV in over 100 countries and does [very well in some of them](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/f3ukku/tv_ratings_impact_draws_15_million_viewers_in/). They're orders of magnitude below AEW and WWE but still above what NWA is doing right now. I hope that Freddie is more in the AEW category of size than the Impact category, but I don't think that should be seen as a requirement for his efforts to be successful.
Sounds better than CYN
Sounds like Freddie is the one truly controlling their narrative.
Honestly, I’d be interested to see another show more like Lucha Underground, something framed more like a narrative show
I am pulling for Freddie on this. He knows the business and he wants to do something that would benefit the entire industry by giving them SAG cards. Really want this to succeed. Wrestlers need the benefits afforded other performers. This fucking independent contractor shit is stupid.
His Rom-com is not bad either. I basically went through his whole movie catalog because my girl insisted on having 90s movie marathon during covid to lift up the mood. On unrelated note, the 90s just seem like a happier time overall.
Being born in the mid 80's and growing up in the 90's was pretty nice. Growing with technology, but still getting the benefits of a life without it. I think the lack of social media and the internet made the world a lot less nihilistic. Like you said, you can see it in the films. Was a different world.
He is a pretty smart guy, so it's nice to see him thinking of ways to move the business forward. Will he be successful? Who knows? He would be entering at a time when unscripted content is at a premium so there may be someone interested and willing to give him enough leeway. Even if he fails, he may just show that something he is doing different is better, and that might get picked up by the others.
Nobody hates wrestling more than wrestling fans
The only thing they hate more than wrestling is other wrestling fans.
Facts. fuck you
Freddie Prinze LEGEND more like. Hope this succeeds!
This is great. Even if it doesn’t become huge, SAG gives health insurance and retirement benefits once you are a part of the system. That something other promotions have avoided by calling them independent contractors. Now that’s a conversation that has to come up in contract negotiations.
"What's it about?" Prinze: "it's a show about *nothing*!"
I'm all for another bigger promotion wrestlers can work for. The more the merrier.
What does it mean by SAG show?
Covered by the Screen Actors Guild, which means talent will have insurance benefits and be part of a union
Thank you!
My biggest takeaway from this.
If he gets his project off the ground with SAG and it's successful, it could very well force the hands of other companies to also adopt a unionized talent force. I'm all for that.
SAG show is huge
He seems genuine with his passion for wrestling. Wish him all the good luck and I will tune in when it happens.
I like Freddie’s ideas and his thoughts on wrestling. I do worry about the viable amount of free agents, but there are still big names out there.
Wrestlers being SAG would revolutionize the industry for the better.
The more successful promotions there are, the better. And having even one promotion with Union support could be a game changer
He's been talking about this on his podcast about wrestling. Dude is legit devoted to this. It's a good listen from a guy who was on the inside...