After considering your budget, target audience (age, gender, location), and the types of wrestling matches and storylines your target audience enjoys watching, in order to find the right talent for your promotion, the first thing that you need to do is decide the type of wrestlers that you are looking for: Traditional? Hardcore? Men? Women? Young? Experienced? Technical? Quick and agile? Once you know what types of wrestlers would fit the vision of your promotion, it will be much easier to look for and find the talent that you need. And no matter what that vision is, it’s important that the vision is clear. This will help you to identify the right types of wrestlers for your promotion and to create a roster that is complementary and balanced.
When you begin your search, talk with other promoters (who can recommend wrestlers based on their own personal experiences with them), attend shows so that you scout talent, and use social media to do additional scouting and so that you can connect with wrestlers all over the world and announce that you are looking to book talent. An experienced wrestling writer can also provide you with valuable insights into the talent that is available.
If you want talented wrestlers who draw well to wrestle on your shows long-term, you're going to have to give them more than a handshake, a hot dog, a pizza, a pack of cigarettes, or gas money after wrestling for you. Even if a wrestler loves what they're doing, they have bills to pay, just like you do. Pay them- even a small amount will do. But also keep in mind that if you pay the wrestlers what they are worth, you will see them stay and make your promotion more successful. And this will also help you stand out from other promotions, attracting the interest of the best wrestlers available.
Before booking a talent, try to find out about their backstage reputation. If the talent has a lot of heat with promoters and other talents, booking them could result in a toxic backstage environment for your promotion, physical fights backstage, your promotion's image being damaged, and perhaps even experiencing the talent no-showing your events. Overall, this talent may cause many problems for you, and most likely would not be worth booking, even if they are a good draw. I would take a wrestler who is lesser known and has a good backstage reputation over one who is a top draw and gets in fights and arguments in every promotion they work in.
Also, while I think it's a good idea to hire talent for your promotion that you personally enjoy watching, keep in mind that when you are booking matches, your goal is to book the talent and make the matches that your fans would pay to see and would enjoy watching, not you. Your taste is only one amongst many others, and If you create a card based on the matches that you want to see, in the end you would have a show that you enjoyed, but did not draw well and mostly was not enjoyed by the fans in attendance.
If you're struggling to find and hire the right talent for your promotion, I can help. I offer consulting services to help wrestling promotions find and book the best talent available. I can help you identify your needs, network with other wrestling professionals, use social media to find new talent for your promotion, and help you evaluate potential candidates and assess whether they are a good fit for your promotion. I also offer consulting services to help wrestling promotions with other aspects of their business, such as branding, marketing, promotion, and event planning. Contact me at info@harold-williams.com
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