Ridiculous new rules for wrestling in Georgia

[Jingus 0]

I posted this at Loss's board, but I figured more people really needed to see it. The link to the official crap about this is here.

 

 

Remember the stories about Georgia trying to create new athletic commission rules to oversee wrestling? Well, they're here. I understand how they feel the need to take action since Benoit lived there and all, but these rules show either a very shallow knowledge of pro graps, or it's a calculated attempt to put wrestling out of business forever in that state.

 

 

 

Some of the highlights:

 

-a "surety bond" of at least $10,000 must be filed before each and every show

 

-the commission gets paid 5% of all ticket sales

 

-a doctor, two EMTs, and an ambulance must be on hand at all times throughout the show; the promotion has to pay for it all

 

-no blading or any other sort of cutting themselves, I assume this includes stuff like hardcore deathmatches

 

-nobody under the age of 18 can work on the show, and everyone under 18 in the bulding must be accompanied by a guardian

 

-the commission may send a representative to monitor the show, and the promotion must pay them $100

 

-all card changes and/or substitutions must be announced both in writing at the ticket window and by the ring announcer before the first match; anyone who wants a refund because of changes is entitled to one

 

-the wrestlers can't verbally threaten the crowd

 

-no brawling in the crowd, all wrestling must be in or around the ring

 

-Dress codes! Every wrestler's gear must be "clean", wrestlers "may wear two pairs of trunks, one on top of the other", and there's some weird restrictions on boots. Wrestlers are forbidden to have grease or lotion on their bodies, and must trim their fingernails. The commission representative can disqualify a wrestler and stop the match if these conditions aren't perfect.

 

-The promotion must provide professional heavy-duty barricades, at their own expense.

 

-60 minute time limits for every match. Exceptions have to be cleared by the commission.

 

-Every match winner will be determined by pinfalls, either one or 2/3. Submissions and other methods of winning are not addressed. According to the rules, to be pinned a wrestler must have his shoulders down for exactly three seconds, and the referee signals a pinfall by slapping the mat once like in amateur wrestling.

 

-Heels rejoice: you now have a 10-count instead of a 5 to break illegal holds.

 

-The rope break rules are now like MMA, where the clock is stopped while both contestants stand up and return to the middle of the ring.

 

-Covering the nose and mouth simultaneously is banned. WTF?

 

-Wrestlers are forbidden to use any "unsportsmanlike or physically dangerous conduct". Sorry heels, no rejoicing.

 

-Blading is still illegal (yes, they mention this again), but they specifically say that FAKE BLOOD~! is okay.

 

-Using any foreign object or prop of any kind requires getting approval from the commission ahead of time, including the dreaded FAKE BLOOD~!.

 

-Double-teaming in tag matches is strictly forbidden and grounds for immediate DQ. Tag ropes are required.

 

-Managers and valets are allowed... as long as they stay "outside the ring enclosure", that is, NOT AT RINGSIDE.

 

-If anyone or anything gets fucked up, it's all the promoter's fault.

 

 

The rules are precisely set down to define exactly what is allowed to happen, and it appears that straight-up singles or tag matches are the only kind allowed, with pinfalls or DQs being the only way to end a match, countouts and submissions aren't mentioned. It says nothing about three-ways, ladder matches, six-man-or-bigger tags, battle royals, or any kind of gimmick match at all, from a simple no-DQ on down.

 

So, question: was this set up by some geriatric idiots who fondly look back upon the golden days of wrestling in the 50s, or is this a blatant attempt to keep any professional wrestling show to ever run in the state of Georgia again?

 

 

EDIT: oh yeah, this hasn't officially passed yet, the final hearing is on December 18th. Any written correspondance about the subject must be received before December 11th.

[Hawk 34 0]

There were like 4 things I did agree on (Doctor/EMT requirement, card change announcement, no under 18 year old working, crowd brawling) but the rest was great for a laugh. I'm shocked they didn't list "mandatory drug screening" and "background checks" as a ruling.

[Diamonddust 0]

If this were an angle, it would be great, especially for an authority figure.

 

[Guest RyechnaiaSobaka]

I think your subtitle basically sums it up. Pro wrestling in Georgia is over. These rules are absolutely ridiculous and do nothing, absolutely nothing, to clean up the business in any way that it arguably ought to be cleaned up.

 

You read this stuff and you almost think they don't realize that it's a work.

[The Buzz 0]

Almost makes me worry what other states might try to adopt something similar as a way to eliminate pro-wrestling, which is what I see this as. Not as a way to police it like it appears to be.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

That read like the kayfabe NWA rules from back in the day. I'm surprised they didn't say "no closed fists" and "no biting" as well.

 

Hope this doesn't get passed, otherwise indy promotions are probably screwed down there.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

No more rasslin' in Georgia by the sounds of it.

[Guest the_last_rites]

the only thing bad about this would be "No more Georgia Dome shows" but then again this aint 97-98 and WCW is dead

[Guest RyechnaiaSobaka]

That read like the kayfabe NWA rules from back in the day.

 

Hence my saying that it seems like they don't realize it's a work.

 

Don't cover the nose and the mouth at the same time? What, is one wrestler going to suffocate the other in the middle of a worked match? Seriously?

[JHawk 0]

The nose and mouth thing is even a kayfabe rule in WWE, so I don't see the big deal with that one.

 

Does the promoter get the surety bond back after the show? Because if not, only Vince can afford that and he'll never pay it.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

A bond implies that, yes, the promoter would get it back.

[Jingus 0]

It's still prohibitively expensive. The majority of independent wrestling companies don't consistently make a profit, in fact they tend to lose money. Check out Ian Rotten's recent "Going out of business" ploy which helped sell an assload of merchandise for IWA Mid-South and pay off some of his debts. I don't think a single indy promoter in the state of Georgia has an extra $10K just lying around, even if they will eventually get it back. Plus, paying for a full security staff, a doctor, two EMTs, and an ambulance would easily run the costs into thousands of dollars per night, and that's before you take into account the talent payroll, building rent, insurance, advertising, all the equipment you need (ring, sound system, ringside barricades, etc).

 

the only thing bad about this would be "No more Georgia Dome shows" but then again this aint 97-98 and WCW is dead

No, that's not the only bad thing. These new rules would effectively make it impossible to run any wrestling show anywhere in the state of Georgia. True, there's no big ROH-style company running there now, but this commission would guarantee that there never will be one in the future either. And there are plenty of mid-level companies which would get fucked in the process: NWA Anarchy would have to close down, and Women's Extreme Wrestling couldn't tape any more PPVs in Atlanta like they have done before.

 

As for the nose-and-mouth thing, Bix pointed out that it could actually be a case of Benoit backlash, with them wanting to avoid anything which seems like smothering a person. Of course, these new rules completely fail to address any of the actual problems which might've led to Benoit snapping in the first place.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

The nose and mouth thing makes a bit of sense. MAYBE somebody might accidently smother someone in a work.

 

What is really stupid, and proves that they don't know wrestling is a work, is this:

 

Double-teaming in tag matches is strictly forbidden and grounds for immediate DQ. Tag ropes are required.

 

...What? They do realize the person in the match isn't ACTUALLY getting beat up by 2 people? ...... What? Also, they realize when a wrestler gets DQ'd, it's because it was scripted that way, don't they? There's no "real" DQs going on in worked matches...

 

Wow.

[Jingus 0]

The plot thickens: Benoit's father's lawyer, Cary Ichter, is one of the five commissioners named on this new board.

[Scroby 0]

I know some of those rules are actually enforced in other states. I worked with a company in WA for two of their shows. The first show was all steel cages, way before TNA started doing a yearly show like that this company did it first, and a lady from the commission had to check out the cage before we could start the show. She literally got inside the ring after we put the cage up and ran her hand over a good portion of the cage to see if the cage would cut her hand.

 

Someone also planned on blading that show and she couldn't know. She even asked if anyone had planned to make themselves bleed and everyone had to tell her no but if she found out someone were going to blade or something the show would have either not happen or would have been shut down.

 

The 2nd show they put on ran really late because the company had to get a ambulance and EMT's before the show started and had to pay them as well and the EMT's/Ambulance didn't show up when they were suppose to so the show started really later than it was suppose to.

[The Buzz 0]

I guess if they outlawed blading in GA, you could always try hardway bleeding if blood was necessary for the match.

[Hawk 34 0]

The 2nd show they put on ran really late because the company had to get a ambulance and EMT's before the show started and had to pay them as well and the EMT's/Ambulance didn't show up when they were suppose to so the show started really later than it was suppose to.

 

There's no excuse not to have EMT's anyways.

[Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0]

-Wrestlers are forbidden to use any "unsportsmanlike or physically dangerous conduct". Sorry heels, no rejoicing.

 

Would that include kicking someone when they are on the mat?

 

Do these people realise that wrestling is a work.

[k thx 0]

I dunno, I'd love to see WWE work a "Georgia Rules" match with the tag rope, 10-count and rope break rules. It'd also been they couldn't bait & switch, which would be nice.

 

I agree that it'll cut down on indy wrestling, and I don't see any reason why other states won't take it up. It makes common sense for them. They've generally got no reason to protect wrestling at the moment, so why not make some extra money out of Vince and shut sown some indys.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

I can't get my head round the change from 5 to 10 seconds on breaking a hold. Even if, you know, WRESTLING WAS REAL, that would be more dangerous, right? Make sure you throttle the guy for 10 seconds! What a bizarre pocket of reality we're exploring here.

[k thx 0]

10 seconds allows a wrestler to safely satisfy his anger, leaving him less likely to murder his family.

[Jingus 0]

The 2nd show they put on ran really late because the company had to get a ambulance and EMT's before the show started and had to pay them as well and the EMT's/Ambulance didn't show up when they were suppose to so the show started really later than it was suppose to.

 

There's no excuse not to have EMT's anyways.

Yeah there is. Namely, that the majority of indy promotions in the country would go out of business if that was required. Independent promotions don't have any money in general. I'd say 90% of indies are just tiny feds that most people have never heard of, drawing less than a hundred folks to some National Guard armory somewhere. Big-timers like ROH and its ilk are very much the exception.

[Bix 0]

Too bad for them, then. Don't run wrestling shows if you can't afford safety precautions.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

You get that most indy promotions aren't like real full-time companies, right?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I agree with Bix here. Larry Latham (Moondog Spot) died in the ring a few years ago. I don't remember if an ambulance was present or not. Point is though, there is no reason not to have trained medical personnel on site to handle emergencies. If promotions can't handle it, too bad. After all, weren't we so gung-ho on wrestlers' working conditions recently? Can't have it both ways.

[Jingus 0]

Actually having medics at the show just isn't necessary. If someone gets hurt, they get driven to the hospital. If someone gets REALLY hurt, call an ambulance. And I've worked a few hundred shows, and never once had the experience of needing an ambulance. I know it happens sometimes, but that's in really, really rare cases, like one in a thousand or more. Wrestlers know the risks and willingly accept them, and obviously they're not clamoring for this kind of safety net, so why bother forcing it on them? Hell, do they have doctors standing by for stuff like high school football games? Not at any of the ones I went to, and you'd think that protecting underage kids in a legit contest would be more important than babysitting consenting adults in a choreographed performance.

 

I don't know how much EMTs cost, but it can't be cheap. Doctors and ambulances are probably a LOT more. Require a doctor, two paramedics, and an ambulance, and it's safe to say that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars in expenses. Small promotions simply have no chance of affording that; most of the ones still around barely stay afloat as it is. Forcing restrictions on them like this would cause over 90% of indies to close down. And not just the little armory outlaws, but ones you've heard of. If the Georgia regulations pass, say goodbye to every single independent wrestling federation in that state from NWA Anarchy on down, because none of them are big or profitable enough to afford it.

[Jingus 0]

I agree with Bix here. Larry Latham (Moondog Spot) died in the ring a few years ago. I don't remember if an ambulance was present or not.

I know several people who were there that night. They DID have an ambulance, at least they took him out of there in one. He still died anyway.

 

Point is though, there is no reason not to have trained medical personnel on site to handle emergencies. If promotions can't handle it, too bad. After all, weren't we so gung-ho on wrestlers' working conditions recently? Can't have it both ways.

This isn't improving the business when it puts companies OUT of business. Yes, working conditions need to improve, but with that we're talking about medical benefits and lighter schedules for the big stars who've already made it to national television. Not telling the weekend warriors of the indies that they aren't allowed to wrestle, whether they want to or not, unless they've got some millionaire backing their promotion who can pay for all this crap.

 

Would it be nice to have a full medical team at every wrestling show? Sure. But it's mostly unnecessary, and you can count on your hands the number of promotions in the entire country who can afford it.

[Bix 0]

You get that most indy promotions aren't like real full-time companies, right?

Yes, and...?

 

I understand perfectly that many indy shows aren't even budgeted to gross 1/10th of these new expenses, but the new expenses are all safety-oriented, so I have no problem with it. If a promoter has a problem, he can lobby for a sliding scale based on the size of the show while they're still seeking feedback (asking the commission to drop the rule entirely would come off as callous).

[Guest RyechnaiaSobaka]

I have an idea.

 

Since the promotions have to give this horseshit commission 5% of ticket sales and pay their patronage (there, I said it) "representative" $100 for having him come to the show and potentially stop a match because of some violation, why doesn't this commission hire the EMTs and ambulances and provide them to the promotions?

 

Of course, this would require that the commission actually care about any of this. They don't. They are going to make money off of this. Larry's retard brother will end up getting sent to shows, who are required to pay him $100 to be there, so he can make his rent payment that month. The politicians down there will take the money that is paid into the commission and turn it into a nice little slush fund.

 

Georgia is bullshit. I say we kick it out of the country.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Horseshit commission? Any competent state HAS an athletic commission of some sort, and they serve a useful purpose. It's haggling over the specifics here that's the problem.