Article I did on the CZW license issue

[LucharesuFan619 0]

CZW Locker Room is a Haven for Politics and Corruption, says Former-Employees

 

Published on Saturday, October 2, 2004 by LucharesuFan619

 

Over the last seven months, Combat Zone Wrestling's talent relations have gone from bad to worse, according to several former-employees of the company, and even – up until a few weeks ago – a current one. In February 2004, I detailed in an article for ObsessedWithWrestling.com how the departures from the promotion of Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere (collectively known as The Backseat Boyz) was "just one of many of [CZW promoter John Zandig's] communicational faults with his talent." However, judging by some incidents of late, Zandig's failure to communicate effectively with his employees has only gone further downhill.

 

As I noted in my original article, one of the reasons leading to The Backseat Boyz's abrupt exit from CZW was that Zandig used his political power to pull them from the February 7, 2004 WORLD-1 show at Viking Hall (now known as “Alhambra Theater”) in Philadelphia, PA. Even though both Acid and Kashmere confirmed the accuracy of this report in their most recent RF Video shoot interview, they weren't the only wrestlers who Zandig attempted to prevent from working that same WORLD-1 show.

 

On Saturday, April 17, 2004, I had the opportunity to conduct a shoot interview with Rockin Rebel, who – up until recently – held CZW’s promoter’s license. According to Rebel, Zandig tried to prohibit both he and then-CZW wrestler "Tough Enough" Greg Matthews from competing on both the February 6 AND the February 7 WORLD-1 shows. At the time, Rebel & Matthews – collectively known as "Rebel's Army" – were the CZW Tag Team Champions, which Rebel credited as the likely reason for Zandig’s not wanting them to compete for WORLD-1. This despite the facts that:

 

1. Rebel's Army wasn't planning on defending the CZW tag titles on the WORLD-1 shows and 2. that Zandig has had no problem in the past letting wrestlers compete on other promotion's events while they held CZW championships (such as Sonjay Dutt competing on TNA Wrestling, which has a far larger audience than WORLD-1).

 

That is one of a number of results that have stemmed from the ego-driven booking of CZW’s product over the past year or so. In their aforementioned shoot interview for RF Video, The Backseat Boyz noted that one of the many reasons that they left CZW was that Zandig was acting disrespectful towards them. Rebel echoed a similar sentiment and even furthermore, stated that this was a prevalent feeling throughout the CZW locker room at the time of our interview (and it seems to still be present there).

 

Yet this wasn’t always the case in CZW. According to Rebel, Zandig was – when he first met him around 2000 – a relatively cordial guy, who was willing to take advice from veterans like Rebel. However, those impressions later entirely flip-flopped, to the point that Rebel told me in April that he was very dissatisfied with how Zandig was treating him and how CZW was being run, and that consequently Rebel was consequently on the verge of also quitting the promotion, just like The Backseat Boyz.

 

Rebel pointed out to me that – in his opinion – Zandig lacked the tools necessary to effectively operate a wrestling promotion. As an example, he cited how CZW's attendance at the time of our interview was substantially lower than it was at the same time the previous year, and how as a result the organization was losing money at an unhealthy rate. Even when CZW brought in big-name stars like New Jack, Justin Credible, and Sabu, its attendance paled in comparison to what it was a year and a half ago. When Rebel – a more than 15-year veteran of the sport – would try to give him advice about topics such as attendance, Zandig refused to even give him the courtesy of listening.

 

As a result, the professionalism at the CZW offices was at an all-time low earlier this year, according to Rebel. Absolutely minimal effort was put into producing the promotion's weekly "Fake You! TV" program (which – coincidence or not – stopped airing a few months after the interview was filmed). In their RF Video shoot interview, The Backseat Boyz also brought up how Zandig would book students from the CZW training school on many of the promotion's shows (a tendency that Zandig still follows), despite the fact that most of these students lacked most of the basics the basics of wrestling technique.

 

Wrestler Jimmy Jacobs also implied that there is a lack of communication between Zandig and his workers, when I spoke to him. Jacobs and his real-life and storyline girlfriend, Becky Bayless, quit CZW a few months ago due to an incident where rookie wrestler Sabian touched Bayless' BUTT during a CZW match, and shortly thereafter lambasted Jacobs on the Internet. When I asked him if Zandig could've stepped up to the plate and took initiative in relation to the Sabian situation in a more appropriate manner, Jacobs responded:

 

"For sure. Sabian did something stupid. If that had happened at ROH or IWA-MS, business would have gotten taken care of correctly. I have no doubt."

 

On Wednesday, September 15, though, Zandig’s policies exploded in his face, as Rebel disassociated himself with CZW and in the process pulled his athletic license from their future shows at Alhambra Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Shortly after the story broke on the Internet, Rebel and his wife issued a public statement on RockinRebel.com, part of which read:

 

“Plain and simple this is a result of CZW's own actions, at times they can be a liability and neither I or my wife wish to take that risk any longer or be a part of it…[We] have tried for a very long time to make things work, we have had talks with John about certain concerns and have given CZW every opportunity to work with us.”

 

The reason for the sudden change in policy was that a mother (who made the mistake of bringing her young children to a CZW show) complained to the commission about an incident on CZW’s September 11 event at the building, where a valet for Canadian wrestler Sexxxy Eddie appeared in the ring in scantily clad fashion. This was just one of many complaints that the Philadelphia State Athletic Commission has received regarding CZW’s product.

 

About a year ago (September 13, 2003, to be exact) on a show at the then-Viking Hall, CZW crossed the line of decency, according to many observers. The main event – scheduled to be Zandig vs. The Messiah – degenerated into an all-out, multi-person brawl, as the heel Hi-V faction attacked Zandig and hung him in the center of the ring, using meat hooks to stick into his shoulders. The incident sparked outrage across the Internet, with fans, journalists, and wrestlers alike accusing CZW of crossing the barrier of tastelessness and showcasing a downright appalling spectacle.

 

Rebel stated in a recent phone interview with Backseat Boy and former-CZW wrestler Johnny Kashmere that on that particular night (back in September 2003), Zandig only told Rebel, Rebel’s wife, and Philadelphia State Athletic Commissioner Frank Talent part of what was going to transpire, and that consequently there ended up being “more birthday surprises for everybody else because he didn’t tell us everything that was goin’ on.”

 

As a result of Zandig’s actions, Rebel and his wife had to spend $500 of their own money on a lawyer to help them deal with Philadelphia State Athletic Commission representative Greg Sirb, who – because of the 9/13 hanging incident – was threatening to confiscate Rebel’s promoter’s license. After supposedly intense discussions, Rebel convinced Sirb to allow CZW to continue to run in Viking Hall, but warned him that nothing like that better happen again.

 

As far as the 9/11 incident goes, a couple of Internet fans have reasoned that there shouldn’t have been such a problem with the woman’s actions, seeing as how Jasmin St. Claire and The Blue Meanie’s 3PW promotion (which also uses Rebel’s license to operate in Alhambra Theater) has featured “wet t-shirt contests” on its shows. However, there’s a difference – according to Rebel – in how 3PW and how CZW approach such a segment:

 

“If 3PW does a wet t-shirt contest, they tell everybody what they’re doing, from start to finish of the show, and they tell everybody ahead of time. John – you know – he wants to give everyone a surprise and tell everybody at the last minute what the hell’s goin’ on.”

 

In the instance on 9/11, however, the female’s pasties were removed, which caused – Rebel said – “a city ordinance [to be] broken with nudity for minors.” The mother who complained to Greg Sirb about the incident threatened to contact the District Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, saying that “this girl pulled her pants down and showed her ass, and they got to see a part of her…frontal area (breasts).”

 

And that wasn’t even the only problem on CZW’s 9/11/04 show. A flaming table spot in a match between Necro Butcher and Wifebeater also broke a local law, apparently, something that Rebel indicated in the Kashmere interview happened far too frequently on CZW events.

 

Even more interesting is Rebel’s statement – in regards to both of these incidents – that CZW (Zandig, more specifically) “knew exactly what they were doing. They totally deceived my wife. See, I found out through the grapevine that [the stripping and fire incident were] were all planned before the show, that they were gonna’ distract my wife, that they were gonna’ distract Frank Talent, and they were gonnna’ distract the doctor, so nobody saw what was goin’ on.”

 

Each time that CZW “would break the rules” of the athletic commission, Rebel would “have to be the angel to cover their @$$ all the time.” (Kashmere conceded that he’s “definitely seen that happen on many occasions” during his tenure with CZW.) The breasts/BUTT-baring incident a few Saturdays ago was the final straw with the Philadelphia State Athletic Commission. Rebel stated firmly to Kashmere that he “gave [Zandig] months, months, months of fair warning…and told ‘em…‘Any more bullsh*t [and CZW’s run at Viking Hall is] all over.’”

 

And now it is over, at least as it relates to Rebel’s affiliation with CZW. Rebel – who obtained Nate Hatred his spot in the promotion – will continue to regularly wrestle for the Philadelphia area independents such as 3PW, ROH, PWU (Acid and Kashmere’s new promotion), and CCW, only CZW – from now on – will no longer be included on his list of employers.

 

As he insisted to Kashmere in the much publicized interview, it’s no exaggeration to claim that Rebel stepped up to the plate for CZW countless times. Last December at CZW’s annual Cage of Death supercard, he broke kayfabe and made a speech to the fans, asking for them to talk to him if they had any issues with the appropriateness of CZW’s product, instead of calling the athletic commission (since it had already been inundated by CZW-related complaints). However, according to Rebel, Zandig never showed any thanks for what Rebel did – he “never got a Christmas present from the guy for helping out.”

 

Then, a couple days after Kashmere’s initial conversation with Rebel, the Backseat Boy conducted a followup interview with Rebel, which can be heard in full at ProWrestlingUnplugged.com. Rebel indicated to the listeners – just as he did to me in our April interview – that he had warned Zandig for months that CZW’s over-the-top antics were getting far too numerous, and that if his license was taken away, then CZW would find itself in a difficult predicament if it wished to continue holding shows in Viking Hall:

 

“I gave them months, months, months of fair warning, you know, and told ‘em, you know, any more bullsh*t, [our run in Viking Hall is] all over.”

 

Yet John Zandig never took any of these hints. Instead of keeping his insolence centered toward Rebel, it multiplied towards a number of other CZW wrestlers. As I reported many times before, “Doomsday” Danny Rose and Greg Matthews’s departure had nothing to do with creative problem (as Mike Johnson reported on PWInsider.com) and everything to do with their being tired of Zandig’s rude treatment of them (Rebel verified this fact in his second ProWrestlingUnplugged.com interview). The specific reason that Rebel gave me for Matthews’ fallout with CZW was that he “was tired of dealing with John’s sh*t.” The Backseat Boyz’ departures from CZW also were based for the most part on heat that Zandig initiated with them.

 

However, unlike those four (among others who quit CZW for similar reasons) Rebel remained patient and tried to give the situation some time to develop. He emphasized in the second Kashmere interview that when Sirb was threatening to seize his license after Zandig’s hanging incident, “I could have walked away from it and not fought for CZW to keep them going because it would’ve been over for good back then.” Instead, though, Rebel displayed “loyalty – I…stuck it out with them, tryin’ to be the nice guy that I am, business-wise.” However, when the sh*t recently hit the fan, Rebel knew that it was time to step down from CZW. When I interviewed him in April, I got the gist that he had been unendingly patient with Zandig, yet had gotten anything but constant disrespect in return.

 

As of now, the political influence in CZW’s locker room is as prevalent as ever, especially after Smart Mark Video head Mike Burns resigned from his booking position in CZW this past August because he got tired of the promotion’s locker room politics. That left Zandig as CZW’s sole booker, which isn’t a good sign when one considers his history of talent relations with both homegrown wrestlers and big-name workers. Rebel indicated to me in April that CZW’s political situation (he specifically mentioned Zandig’s name as a significant source of the turmoil) at the time was preventing the physically smaller wrestlers – such as Derek Frazier and Chri$ Ca$h – to be elevated to the upper level of the card, despite being substantially over with the CZW fans.

 

Zandig has also failed to endear himself to many CZW non-regulars who could’ve used their name value to garner CZW a great deal of publicity. For instance, during a tag team match in January 2004, the CZW boss used a staple gun on the side of New Jack’s head, without ever approving the spot with the former-ECW Tag Team Champion beforehand. Then, when Jack retaliated with some legitimate punches, Zandig unleashed an unusually stiff chairshot onto Jack’s head, leaving a monstrous welt. That incident effectively abruptly ended CZW’s dealings with New Jack and his storyline in the promotion.

 

Similarly, Sabu almost didn’t agree to compete for CZW earlier this year, due to some past issues between himself and Zandig. The heat between those two stems back to a public shoot interview Sabu did at the Insane Clown Posse’s “Gathering of the Juggalos” convention in 2002. There, Sabu explained that he wasn’t fond of Zandig’s repeated insinuations over the years that he and Sabu were best friends, when in fact they had never even met one another. Two years earlier in mid-2000, negotiations with Terry Funk (perhaps the potentially biggest draw in CZW’s history) ended before they even started, thanks to Zandig never fulfilling the agreement to pay “The Funker” in advance for a proposed CZW/Big Japan interpromotional Pay-Per-View.

 

To be fair, Zandig recently succeeded in something almost as important as maintaining a healthy locker room atmosphere in CZW – according to Rockin Rebel and Frank Talent, he has obtained his own promoter’s license in Philadelphia, which will allow CZW to continue running shows at the former-Viking Hall. The promotion’s show at the building next Saturday will be the first time that CZW runs in Philly on its own, without using Rebel’s license.

 

Most of the indications point to this being CZW’s last shot at Alhambra Theater before the Philadelphia State Athletic Commission kicks it out of the area (as New Jersey and Delaware has already done to it). This time, if any controversy generates regarding the commission’s regulations and CZW’s compliance with them, the responsibility for preventing action from being taken against CZW will presumably sit on Zandig’s shoulders, now that Rebel is no longer there to soothe things over between CZW and the commission.

 

 

 

The October 9 CZW show, entitled “Let the KAOS Begin,” will be headlined by a long-awaited showdown between former-XPW mainstays The Messiah and “The Rock Superstar” Kaos. Check out CZWWrestling.com for more info.

 

 

 

 

Feel free to post any feedback.

[JoeDirt 0]

Nice read.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Nice article. Too bad something like that happened to Rebel, although I've never met him I've heard a lot of good things from people and from one of my best friends(who used to wrestle) and worked with Rebel. He had nothing but good things to say about him............

 

Zandig will be out of business shortly if he keeps this shit up......

[zyn081 0]

I hear you Kido and agree with you. Shame about the Funkster, he would have fit right into CZW.

[ulfistgut 0]

Examples :

 

(which – coincidence or not – stopped airing a few months after the interview was filmed)

 

Speculatitive bullshit. It stopped airing because an episode was put forward which the TV company refused to air - leading to a decision that the show wasn't worth it anymore. Leaving that out and putting your comment is just shoddy 'journalism'

 

For instance, during a tag team match in January 2004, the CZW boss used a staple gun on the side of New Jack’s head, without ever approving the spot with the former-ECW Tag Team Champion beforehand. Then, when Jack retaliated with some legitimate punches, Zandig unleashed an unusually stiff chairshot onto Jack’s head, leaving a monstrous welt. That incident effectively abruptly ended CZW’s dealings with New Jack and his storyline in the promotion.

 

Whilst something (quite possibly politics) lead to Jack's leaving the promotion you should at least get your facts straight. The fact that New Jack appeared on the show after the one you mentioned suggests that it didn't 'abruptly end CZW's dealings with New Jack'

 

You have some valid points and good research in there but you always seem to mire it with overexagurated inaccuracies.

 

And to offer an alternative argument (whilst I suppose guys who are still with the company are less likely to criticise) but people like Mondo, Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley and others have several times commented how much they like working CZW due to the close locker room atmosphere and so on (admittedly you can still have a close atmosphere and dislike your boss)

[Guest DeputyHawk]

Good read, Lucha. Excellently researched and written as usual.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

As far as the New Jack thing goes, I don't know. What I do know is that according to what he said on Trash Talking Radio (you can hear the interview in full by going to TrashTalkingRadio.com), he emphathized that incident as the reason he stopped working for CZW.

 

As far as the locker room closeness issue - I agree, to a degree. That's kinda my point - at one time, CZW had one of the most closely knit locker rooms on the independent circuit, if not the closest knit. That's what I thought I succeeded in emphasizing when I was talking about my interview with Rebel. At one time these guys were like family, but that's very much changed over the last year and a half or so. As far as Alex Shelley, he's had mixed things to say about CZW - some good and some bad, so I'd be hesitant to include him in the same class as Mondo and Rave.

[LucharesuFan619 0]

A few quick corrections about the article:

 

1. The girl with Sexxy Eddy was a fan. The girl with the pasties was with Blackout.

2. According to Derek Sabato of CZW, the pasties were never removed. I don't know whether that's right or wrong. I made it clear that I was going by what Rebel said. I shouldn't have stated that "the female’s pasties were removed" because I can't confirm that, due to these contradictory reports.

 

I stand by what I said about the political situation in CZW's locker room.

 

Thanks.