IWA Takes HUGE Blow

[Phoenix Fury Legdrop 0]

From Dave Prazak's Live Journal...

 

Just got back from the IWA Mid-South show in Plymouth, IN... which was my last. Due to the unfair treatment and subsequent termination of BJ Whitmer on Friday night in Herrin, in combination with money issues and the general direction of things, I, along with Danny Daniels, Brad Bradley, and Kevin Harvey all elected to leave the promotion. It's just not a place we're comfortable working anymore, and I'm sad things have gotten this way.

 

Someone like BJ has been there since 2000, yet was put in a horrible position, and was simply discarded and treated as though he's expendable, and for no reason that is at all justifiable. It should've never happened. He should have never been put in such a position. And it shouldn't ever happen to anyone else. I will not let it happen to me.

 

IWA-MS was a great place for young talent to gain valuable ring experience and pay their dues a few years ago, and it was the opportunities given to us that helped us all improve in our own way and come to realize our potential. There comes a point, however, when it's expected that we be treated with more dignity than the greenhorns who work their way into the promotion, looking to pay such dues.

 

I thank IWA Mid-South for the opportunities and the experiences I've had working there since July of 1997. I learned a great deal there, but it's time to move on.

 

Looking forward to FIPping it up in Crystal River and Bushnell this coming weekend, and then ROH in Dayton and Chicago Ridge the following weekend.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Wow.

 

Not neccessarily a death knell, but to see someone like Prazak leaving is certainly surprising, considering how long he's been involved with the company. I just hope it's not the beginning of something bigger.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

What happened with Whitmer?

[Phoenix Fury Legdrop 0]

Ian Rotten responded on the IWA Mid-South message board...

 

You know folks this is indy wrestling. There is a lot of independent wrestlers out there. In indy wrestling, wrestlers come and go. But with all 4 guys who are in this sitatution, I wish them all the best of luck in the future and nothing but the best. Friday night when I called to check in on the show, I was made aware of a sitatution in which BJ Whitmer refused to do what was asked of him because of his current position with another company. And because of this, I had to set an example that the wrestlers don't run the show and pulled BJ Whitmer off of 3 upcoming shows he had with IWA. This was an action I had to take, to maintain my authority. When I spoke to BJ, he said he felt he was doing what he had to do and he understood I was doing what I had to do. The door is open for BJ to return to IWA sometime in the future if we agree on it. As far as the other 3 who have left the company, they certainly were not treated like "greenhorns" , they were treated the best they could be. And if they can't understand that, during these tough times, then I wish them the best of luck wherever they can go to be treated better. I do the best I can with what I have , and that is all there is to it. I did what I had to do to protect IWA and that is what I will always do. Ian

 

Looks like Whitmer refused to job to the Iron Saints in the originally-scheduled match at the IWA show (Whitmer & Jacobs/Thomasellis) based on the fact that him & Jimmy are the ROH Tag Team Champions.

[JoeDirt 0]

Ouch ouch ouch. This is going to be tough without Prazak helping out.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Well, after reading what Ian said, I'm totally on his side. Why he should have to accomodate ROH storylines into his shows is beyond me. It seems to me that Prazak is far more interested with ROH than the IWA:MS anyway, so he's probably taken offence or something because the almighty ROH Tag Titles aren't being respected. Well, boo hoo. Jacobs and Whitmer were a makeshift team in the first place, right? Since the SCS lost the belts, I can't remember them meaning much to begin with.

 

Plus, apparantly, Dave's been showing up at recent IWA shows wearing ROH and FIP merchandise, which seems a little odd if he's then trying to sell IWA merchandise or talk to fans or whatever.

 

Whitmer's only ever been average at best, no big deal. They don't need Brad Bradley if they team Boz/Trik up (the better two of the trio). No more Danny Daniels? Well, that sucks, but to be honest, I'd be more worried if his students bailed, which hopefully they won't. The other guy is one of the ring announcers I think.

[Guest Evolution]

So I assume that the plan was for the IRON Saints to go over Jacobs & Whitmer, if I'm reading everything right. That means that Ian was kinda incorporating this ROH storyline into IWA. I don't go to IWA shows THAT frequently, but I'm fairly sure since Jimmy's heel turn that he and BJ have not had a ton of interaction that would suggest them to be a team.

 

Even with that in mind, I don't think BJ would've been that seriously affected if he had to job to a team in Herrin of all places. Maybe if it was in Hammond, I could MAYBE see his gripe.

 

Prazak does show up with ROH and FIP merchandise, but he's pretty much the backbone of the IWA message board and the front page. Whitmer isn't a big loss, but I was kinda getting into Brad Bradley. Being close friends with at least one of Danny's students if not the both of them, I can say that it will very likely come down to their choosing whether or not they want to leave with Danny, and considering they love money, they'll probably stick around. Marek and Tyler also work frequently for NWA No Limits, which Danny has heat with as well.

[Slingshot Suplex 0]

What I've been told is that Whitmer didn't have a problem losing to the Iron Saints but he wanted it to be a DQ or CO loss as opposed to the pinfall loss that Ian wanted. Since ROH is Whitmer's main payday, he thought it would make their team and the ROH tag titles look weak so BJ was kinda trying to protect his spot in ROH.

 

As for some of the rest, I was told BJ was fired. Ian claims otherwise obviously.

 

Prazak, Daniels, Bradley and Harvey apparently didn't appreciate that Ian, allegedly , put Whitmer in a position where he had to compromise his ROH status and then fired him ......so they quit in protest I guess. Or maybe it was just the final straw in something that has been building.

 

As for Whitmer, I see him as a Greg Valentine type wrestler. Not flashy but very solid and kinda underrated.

[Guest OSIcon]

I understand where Whitmer was coming from. I am not necesarily sure if I had made the same stand, but I see where he is coming from.

 

That match was clearly put together to capitalize on Whitmer and Jacobs being ROH tag champions. There is little other reason to team those two guys together in IWA-MS and even less reason to have them face the Iron Saints (I could see those two teaming up against two faces that they are feuding against, but not this). It is pretty obvious that Ian wanted the Saints to go over a "credible" tag team to build them up. That's fine, but it is also perfectly reasonable for Whitmer to refuse taking place in a match that is designed to make an IWA-MS team look good at the expense of the ROH champions. You can't blame Whitmer for not wanting IWA-MS to use the championship he holds in another promotion as nothing more than a tool to help out an IWA-MS team.

 

I think had the motives been different, Whitmer might have acted differently. If the match wasn't so random and clearly booked to be an IWA team going over the ROH Champions, it could have been much different. Like I said, Whitmer/Jacobs vs. Two Faces they are feuding against, would have probably been viewed differently.

 

Prazak also said in his entry that he has had problems with being paid and other things, so this seems more like the straw that broke the camel's back. He's working 4-6 shots a month between ROH and FIP which also includes voice over work so he is probably in the best financial position to leave that he's ever been in.