Pro Wrestling Live Is Significantly Better Than On TV

“C’est pas gentil” echoed throughout the Verdun Auditorium as I sat there and watched various heels do heel stuff at the TNA Slammiversary event on July 20, 2024.

In that sports arena chant, there were 4000 Quebecois screaming out, “that’s not nice” in french as a legitimate chant. High key it cracked me up. On the other hand, feeling the wave of energy as thousands of people chanted in unison hyping up an incredible display of athletics was a vibe. It’s extremely comparable to when you sing along with a crowd to your favourite song versus watching a music video.

I’m not an avid wrestling fan but I enjoyed it for a year and a half with some intensity. 

My best friend is a giant wrestling fan, and I’ve spent the better part of 19 years listening to indie wrestling news.

On a whim I decided to buy a ticket to this TNA event.

The showmanship of these characters is inspiring to me

Somewhere along the way I got caught up with the idea that my music has to be autobiographical.

Frankly, it doesn’t. That whole narrative is a lie. Representing fake shit is a far ways away from storytelling and creative output. 

My life is hard to sell in musical form without some embellishment. Watching the Mustafa Ali vs Mike Bailey promo I was left realizing, I done fucked up. I need to turn myself into a caricature of myself and make it entertaining. 

To create an effective caricature of oneself requires a deep level of self awareness and ability to keep it real. It also requires understanding what captivates people and what side of your personality to play to.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my facial reactions. People who are successful are bright, warm and inviting. Which is something I need to learn.

I need to embrace my inner wrestling character more.

The event was well organized and ran without a hitch

Everyone involved in the show was there to play their part. 

They knew how long everything should take. They knew when to go fast and when to stretch things out to kill time. There were so many people running around between matches making sure by the time the promo airing was done we were ready for the next match. 

The long lines before the event moved pretty quickly, it was fairly easy to find a seat. The concession stands were pretty machine-shop with it and overall the logistics were handled nicely. Though I learned physical ticket holders blitzed through the line compared to us e-ticket holders. 

The Verdun Auditorium needs some burgers or something. 

The entertainment started around 6:30 PM or so and ran straight through until 11:15 PM. 

Coming from the amateur hour of a lot of local music, this was a sight to behold for me.

The love/hate these wrestlers get live is humbling to see

From what I can tell, Mike Bailey, who’s been wrestling for like 20+ years got his first big name title yesterday. 

By big name, I just equate AEW and TNA as bigger name brands. I guess New Japan is up there, but still when I scanned his wiki it looked like most of his titles were less prestigious than a TNA win. Given homie’s from Laval, seeing the “You deserve it” chant as he held up his belt was tear invoking levels of heartwarming.

Whatever Mike Bailey did over his career, I can learn from it. As artists we need to find a way to capture the imagination of the public. To show people that we are worth loving/hating with the same tenacity.

Maybe we need some heels in Montreal Hip Hop. 

Watching this live show got me inspired. Seeing such over the top showmanship performed with such excellence was worth the small ticket price I paid. It was like 37$ or something.

I encourage you artists out there to go watch other kinds of entertainment and get inspiration to up your game. 

Think bigger.

Live Long and Prosper Everyone