Source: MLW, Various
Former WCW,WWF,TNA,ECW pro wrestler Shane Douglas was recently on MLW radio. He discussed a variety of topics, and according to many online recaps he went on a TNA rant that shows an amazing lack of understanding about economics. The rant according to the recaps:
“After Dixie Carter did her show Hardcore Justice and paid the guys a ridiculous sum of money, $250 to go out there and do what we do better than most people do, that to me was just so disrespectful. For somebody who has been born and raised in a billion dollar household with a silver spoon in her mouth and up her backside, to ask guys to go out there and do that, for that little bit of money and then when it did better than any pay-per-view event in the last five years, didn’t even offer so much as an extra penny on top of it.”
I said then and I stand by it, shame on you Dixie Carter that you’d expect anybody to do that in this day and age. At the same time she pays Ric Flair, 62, 63 years old, $35,000 a night. 60 year old Hulk Hogan, $75,000 a night and then somehow figures that these guys that come from ECW just don’t have any value or worth at all. I plan on disproving that.”
First let me say, I am not entirely sure he said that, that is a recap, second I’m not sure if the $250 figure is entirely accurate either.
If the figure is indeed true, that means these gentlemen felt this was a fair amount for their services. No one was forced. If this is indeed what they were paid, it’s because the economics demanded it. While I am a huge fan of many of those guys, there is no way in the world you could justify paying anyone more than what they can demand on the open market and run a successful business.
Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan do several things that their pay justifies above the per show return. Having those two men on the roster opens up licensing and television contracts that unfortunately Balls Mahoney and Sabu never will. Not a slight on those men, but a hard reality. I can guarantee you if Hogan and Flair would lace up their boots for $250 that is what they would get paid.
Dixie is a businesswoman, not a charity chairperson. If she spent money on respect rather than return of investment she would be doing a disservice to their backers and the people who depend on TNA for their livelihood.
How long is Shane Douglas going to make angry public rants about Ric Flair?
If he still has a grievance with the man (however that started, I don’t know), couldn’t he call Flair up, get in contact with him, work it out like adults? And if it doesn’t work out, just drop it, go on his merry way and move on?
Does that happen, ever, in professional wrestling? I guess the problem is this is technically happening outside professional wrestling. I’m so tired of guys quitting (Scott Steiner for example) and then unprofessionally going on a verbal public tirade about their former employers and co-workers. Remember when GenMe left TNA? They handled it professionally. Why do these kids have more class than Scott Steiner? Are they just not jaded yet? Is it the enormous gap between how much roids Steiner is on vs. their own lacking supply?
It’s all pretty bonkers to me. Shane Douglas should get back into the business somehow, or he should try to find contentment doing something else. The in between world where he keeps his name out there by bashing people are still active in the business, it just isn’t doing him any favors.
I see a pattern though about Flair and Hogan. Guys who used to work with them, and I think this is especially true of Hulk, guys who used to work with them a long time ago don’t usually have much nice to say. It’s a lot about Hulk’s selfishness. But people who work with him now–they talk about what a team player he is, how positive his outlook is, what a credit he is to the business. I think he’s changed.
I don’t know any of these people, obviously, I’m just a fan, and I don’t pretend any different. But I think these squabbling wrestling personalities would do well to step out of the boots of their larger than life characters and grow up a bit.
Good points, Dylan. I have no idea what goes on in someone’s head like a Scott Steiner or, in this case, a Shane Douglas. It’s just beyond stupid. And for all of the professionalism that they bash other personalities for not having, they don’t show a drop of it themselves – at all.
You made a lot of excellent points.
Shane Douglas is a solid wrestler but his attitude is horrible. No one is going to want to work with someone who runs to the dirt sheets or radio every time they get upset. Shane Douglas isn’t bringing in enough money to overlook his big mouth. I’ve never bought a dvd or ordered a ppv because of Shane Douglas.
Just to piggyback off your GenMe example. Remember when they were trying to get in WWE and were paired with Booker T and Goldust. Both those guys railed against the two brothers. GenMe wasn’t negative and didn’t go into defense or attack mode. They may have cracked a few jokes at themselves. Overall they were lighthearted and I think they apologized.
Goldust and Booker T came off really arrogant. I remember firing off an angry letter to Booker. lol
I guess the difference is that guys like GenMe just want to wrestle and have fun. They don’t think the world owes them anything unlike the Scott Steiners and Shane Douglases of the world.
And for that reason, I will always bypass a Scott Steiner or Shane Douglas for an autograph from someone like Amazing Red or GenMe.
I’ve heard this before from Shane Douglas.
Right account now. I’ve heard this before from Shane Douglas. He went on this little tirade right after Hard Justice which was close to 2 years ago. I had to scroll up just to make sure I wasn’t reading an old article.
I think $250 is a paltry sum of money for what they subject their bodies to and based on their experience but they agreed to the price before they stepped in the ring.
So if they were fine with $250 then why should I be upset about it?
Dixie offered $250 and these grown men accepted $250. If the price was too low then they should have renegotiated THEN instead of him ranting about it now.
He needs to quit being a baby about it and just suck it up. If he can’t trust himself to negotiate business contracts then he need to hire someone who can.
He can take the Buff Bagwell route and get his mom to do it.