Why Does Being Indy Matter?
I just watched a little bit of Smackdown Live, and while I know it's scripted, blah blah blah, I couldn't help but get a little irritated by the Miz's rant about Indy wrestlers. I wasn't sure when the work ended and the shoot began. The Miz was a little too convincing tonight. Regardless, it hit a nerve with me, and that inspired me to write about it.
How many times in your life have you been told that you're not good enough, that others have been picked over you? Yeah, it's part of life, and we have to suck it up and move on, but there's something that we need to look at, and that's at what point in time to you stop waiting for permission to do the things that you love?
It used to be back in the day that there were only three TV networks and that was it. You had to choose. And now, look at the nearly 400 + channels and it came down to this: the power of choice. Someone decided (Fox) that there needed to be more choices... and then came that darn upstart the WB... and HBO... and Cinemax... and so on... and so on...
It's the same in filmmaking... do you know how many scripts are piled up in a reader's office waiting to be read, with writers waiting for someone to greenlight their dream?
A lot of people sit around waiting for their life to happen, or to settle for less than what they truly want out of life. They wait to be blessed by Vince McMahon, or Steve Jobs, Or Oprah, or Steven Spielberg, or whoever's in a place of power... and then and only then, will their dreams come true and that they are somehow validated. That they've finally arrived.
Fuck that.
What I love about Indy Pro Wrestling is that you don't have to be blessed by Vince McMahon to do it. Sure, when you make it to the WWE, the money is good, the gravy train doesn't last forever, and you'll be wished well in your future endeavors. While a few marquee players have a long run, the rest see the revolving door sooner rather than later. What then? Maybe you'll get to be in the Hall of Fame if you were a fan favorite. You get to live "the good life" only so long and then it's back to reality. Your life can be good whether you have five dollars in your pocket or five million dollars in your pocket. It's up to you.
What I love about wrestlers who leave the WWE is that every so often you will hear a story like Cody Rhodes where he realized that if he wanted to call the shots and be the wrestler that he wanted to be, and not be beholden to "the man", he had to take his power back and go Indy. That's where the power lies.. in you taking charge of your life, and not being dependent on anyone else.
But back to the Indy wrestlers. You are the renegades. You are the people who don't wait to be blessed by Vince. You want to entertain crowds and give it 100% no matter how many people are in the audience. Do you wish you could make more money doing it? Oh hell yes! But since tomorrow isn't guaranteed, you know that you can't be waiting for your life to begin... you have to make it happen now. You want to be known for doing what you love now. If Vince calls, great. If not, if you're doing what you love, who the eff cares? This is not a business where you should ever compare yourself to others, but be the best version you can be. This is where you create your own opportunities. This is where you greenlight your life.
I've spent time with Indy wrestlers. They have hearts of gold. Sure there are the occasional jackasses, and there are promoters who disappoint, and there are the injuries that are on your dime, not anyone else's, but it is clear that Indy Wrestlers love what they do otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. It's in their blood. It's part of their DNA.
That's why we created Indy Wrestling Life. To honor those who don't wait for the phone to ring, but who are out there, traveling all over, living their dream, and not letting anyone else dictate what that dream should look like.
If you wake up every day ready to jump out of bed because your vision for your life is so huge, then go for it. Don't ever... and we mean ever let anyone tell you to stay in bed... that it isn't your time. Your time is now. Go for it. Get up and get moving.
