re. Surf Digby's post..

Hey, whaddya know, two of us writing from the same perspective at once!

You're absolutely right about the jobbers having bigger heads than the guys with the real bragging rights; put simply, the jobbers feel like they have to prove themselves; hell, when I was jobbing I did it. There's this ethos, this arrogant attitude you're trained into to stop you from wondering if you're playing for the right reasons these days (no life, no forward direction and not that much money either. Plus it made me hate music for a while). And if every agent and soundman I've met who claimed to have toured with the Rolling Stones had actually done so, Mick, Keef and the boys must have a policy of hiring a fresh crew every gig they've ever played.

Actually, there's another quote that I think is some of the best (unwitting) career advice I've ever encountered for any artist or performer (and wrestler, I guess);

There was a band we had supporting us once who had one of these middle-aged drummers who go on about how they've been professional musicians all their lives, man and boy, yada yada.. he spent ages crowing on about all the jobbing function bands and anonymous cruise ship engagements that had been his career as if he was being interviewed by Melvyn Bragg. Then at the climax of this dreary tale, he said these magic words, which should be written in big red letters, _frame_d, and hung on the bedroom wall of everyone who aspires to turn their passion into their living;

Now, some people might say I've not followed my dream, but I say; I'm forty-five. I've still got time to do my own thing.

Read those words and shudder. You now know what to avoid at all costs.

trace and bike knee pads cost £20 a pair.
second hand american boots can cost £150.
new boots from the company in northampton cost £120
wrestling trunks cost £18 from a company in liverpool.
spending less than £200 to make yourself a lot more makes sense to me.

£150 for second hand boots? I suppose there's shipping to pay on top of that, and the possibility that they'll need re-soling. Oof, no. You don't know who's been sweating in them.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/leigh.bishop1/

From searching around, this seems to be the best place for wrestling boots. They're _base_d in Britain, they're hand-made to your specs and they start at £75. Good work fella's.

Can't seem to find a UK _base_d supplier with the range of knee pads that the US get. The Phaze 101 ones look good, but as the _link_ to the knee pad page doesn't work I can't say much more than that. If you want shin & instep pads to go over your boots, then the Blitz ones are pretty good.

This was on the Observer website a year or so back, and may be of interest:

An actually serious guide to how to behave in the locker room so you won't get a bad reputation



THE GREEN MIZARK'S GUIDE TO PRO WRESTLING LOCKER ROOM ETIQUETTE

Edited by The Green Mizark

Written with the advise and consent of some of the smartest (and not-so-smart) locker room politicans in the business for any and all workers who do not want to end up cutting their careers short due to blatant stupidity.

1. Dress smartly. Show that you have a good physique (and you really should have one if you want to make it in 21st Century pro wrestling), but don't look like you have an attitude about it. Do not look like a reject from backyard wrestling. Have professional looking gear. Looking like a professional is the first step to being a professional.

2. Upon entering the locker room, shake hands with EVERYONE. All workers, road crew, agents, etc. EVERYONE. Janitors, catering crew, ring guys... EVERYONE! There are NO exceptions to this. Introduce yourself. Tell them it is nice/a pleasure/an honor to meet them.

3. DO NOT MARK OUT FOR "SUPERSTARS." Show respect and reverence for their hard work to get to that level. When you and your opponent(s) are working out your match, they will be watching and listening and will probably make suggestions on how to improve your match. Do what they say and thank them for it. If you are working with a superstar above your level, listen to what they tell you first. When they ask for suggestions, give them. If they reject your suggestions, continue to listen to them and do as they say. Follow their lead. They are the ones with stroke.

4. ALWAYS LISTEN TO EVERYTHING FROM EVERYONE!
ALWAYS ASK TO PUT SOMEONE OVER!
WORK YOUR HARDEST!
BUMP AND SELL!

5. DO NOT stand or sit in a corner by yourself. Do not congregate with old friends for a long period of time. Scope out the room and see who is or is not busy. Work the room. Have a conversation, no matter how brief, with as many people as possible.

6. Two things to always remember: (1) No matter how great you think you are, there are people there that really are better than you . (2) The same guys you see on the way up are exactly the same ones you'll see on the way back down.

7. After your match, do not ask everyone that you run into their opinion of your match. You will be told in due time (quickly in most cases) by the boys and the people that do the hiring, firing, and paying.

8. If your match sucked, don't come back to the locker room acting like the world is about to end and throw a temper tantrum. That is petty. If it was a great match, act humble when given praise. Thank anyone for praises and criticisms that they may give you. If you feel like your opponent screwed the match up, keep it to yourself FOREVER. The people in charge will know where the fault lies.
9. Try your best to again shake hands with everyone before you leave. Compliment the other workers on their matches (whether good or not). Thank your opponent for your match. If he/she has put you over, you should have thanked them the second the pinfall was scored. Thank them again for their humility and graciousness in doing the job.

10. You are probably going to get ribbed on by one or more people. Do not take yourself seriously. It is all in good fun unless you have done something to violate rules 1-9 during the day and are a marked man/woman. Some of the people that rib you the hardest may end up being your closest allies when it really counts.

You can buy the Trace knee and elbow pads from www.sportset.com who are _base_d in Bournemouth I believe.

"There are people out there who turn up to every event they're on/backstage for in a suit. Ric Flair for a big name, Andy Hogg for a more local one. "

LMAO, Andy only turns up in a suit because most of the time he's come straight from work where he has to wear a suit!!