Opinion

“Passion Is The Reason You’re Not Making It”

Published

5 years ago

October 20, 2018

Jared Ganem

You want to know why successful people aren’t making in the business? Passion. That’s right, I said it.

“Whoa!!! Hold it right there! What?!”

Yes. I know. The Number 1 thing everyone says you need to make it in the business is PASSION. Whether you’re a fan, a reporter, a journalist, a talent, a performer, whether you’re watching an interview, you hear it ALL the time.

“You’ve got to have PASSION” to make it.”

And you know what? I agree.

“WHAT? You just said it’s holding great guys back.”

It is. Because the word “Passion” has drifted so far away from what it really means in the eyes of talent.

Have you ever played the telephone game in elementary school? You whisper a message in the first persons ear, and then everyone has to whisper it down the line, and then by the last person, it’s a TOTALLY different message. Remember that?

Yeah. That’s what’s happened to passion. You want to know why?

Because the word “PASSION” has gotten collapsed into a totally different meaning. As a matter of fact, you want to know why so many people get stuck? Because Passion has MULTIPLE meanings.

Here’s ONE of the meanings, and this is the one that makes most sense for guys in the business…

“Passion: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.”

But you want to know the other 3 definitions of the same word? That are actually ranked higher above the one I just mentioned?

SUFFERING
EMOITONS DISTINGUISHED FROM REASON
The Suffering of Christ the Night before his Death.

The very word passion, in 2018, implies SUFFERING, RABID EMOTION without REASON, and DEATH.

So you hear all these people saying “You got to have passion for the business!” Which on the surface means, “You have to have a desire for this business.”

But what you get is a whole bunch of really well meaning talents who literally take it to mean, “I HAVE TO SUFFER FOREVER, HOPE SOMEONE DISCOVERS ME, AND IF I SUFFER ENOUGH IN SILENCE, WAITING, MAYBE SOMEONE WILL THROW ME A BONE, TAKE PITY, AND OFFER ME A SPOT TO BECOME FAMOUS.”

It’s tragic.

There was a GREAT interaction, and it was so small it might have gone unnoticed. But I wanted to point it out to you now. On Twitter, Tyler Breeze makes a comment that says, “At some point, opportunity has to come… right?” I don’t want to mind read what’s going through Tyler Breeze’s thoughts – I think just what he wrote is enough to be self explanatory.

Here’s the interesting thing…

Cody Rhodes responds to him. Arguable the most successful independently contracted talent of the modern era. He responds to Tyler Breezes comments, and goes, “NO, FRIEND! YOU HAVE TO SEIZE IT.”

No. You have to go out and seize it friend. https://t.co/HHuQHH7D9N

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) October 16, 2018

I want you to take a look at Tyler Breeze’s career right now. And it’s no knock on him. He’s a very talented guy. Just look at his relative spot right now compared to his talent.

Now look at Cody’s spot. Did Cody once have a similar, maybe slightly better, yet still underutilized spot on the WWE main roster?

Are they in two totally different UNIVERSES right now? No pun intended.

And just take a look at those tweets. Just take a wild guess. They’re both talented. They’re both in great shape. They’re both good at what they do. What’s the difference?

Look at the tweets again…

Who’s hoping “Passion” is going to pay off?
Who’s hoping “opportunity” will find him if he just works hard enough and keeps his head down?
Who is GETTING opportunity by taking it?

Passion isn’t enough. It’s the biggest lie that a talent can believe in these days.

I’m going to take it one step further to say “Passion for the Business without Measured, Focused Action, is Delusion.”

You’ve got to be passionate about what you do, or else why do it?

…but where does the line cross from being Healthy Passionate, to disproportionate, unhealthy passionate? Both from a fan perspective, and from a talent perspective.

And by the way, what are guys so afraid of? I know, it’s their dream job, they don’t want to get heat, they don’t want to get fired…

But what’s the alternative?

Stick around for a while, say you’re passionate, never get your true worth or recognition, then get released after a while and be unsatisfied with your career? Yet try to tell yourself you had a great run, but it was politics? Or you could have been more, but the stars didn’t align? And then you end up selling your 8×10’s at a local show saying, “Formerly on TV?”

What’s so wrong with taking a chance and betting on your own career?

It worked out TREMENDOUSLY for Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks. You just have to be smart and you have to be a plan.

I interviewed the former head of WWE Talent Development for a special seminar for my coaching clients in my program “Double Your Bookings.”

He goes, “I don’t know what all of these guys are suffering for. Suffering for what? We are in a predetermined sport where the object is to fake throw your opponent into ropes and pretend to bounce off.”

They’re suffering because of lack of perspective.

The greats were passionate about this business, of course – but they were just as passionate about putting food on their family’s tables. They treated wrestling as if they were grown men going to a job.

It seems as though a lot of guys today, even more so than treating it like a grown men going to a job, treat it more like star struck fans who can’t believe they actually made it, so they try not to rock the boat just hoping the opportunity doesn’t go away.

And it’s real interesting – I coach talent one on one so I can speak from personal experience.

Some will say, “Well Stone Cold has passion.” Because they romanticize the part where Steve Austin had to live in his car and eat tuna. So they mistake “Passion for the business EQUALS starving in your car and eating Tuna.”

But they miss the part where Austin’s passion for the business meant he’s going to step up and succeed by any means necessary and speak up and create his own opportunity. Yes, Stone Cold is a passionate guy… and if Stone Cold stayed quiet in the corner, waiting for an opportunity to come, he would have been stuck as the Ring Master, Ice Dagger, or Chilly McFreeze.

He spoke up.

He took risks.

He took chances.

That’s why Austin happened the way he happened.

I’m happy guys have passion – you’ve got to have it to survive in this business. But if you’re going to mistake passion for, “I’m going to show them how much suffering I can take in silence, and hope for an opportunity to arrive someday,” you’re going to have a hard time making it.

If you want to be successful, model success. And between Cody, The Young Bucks, guys like Austin, The Rock, HHH, all these guys, model the ones that are DOING IT. Not the ones that romanticize “Respect my passion” yet use it as an excuse to stay stuck settling for less than what they’re capable of achieving.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s Good, Bad, & Ugly: WWE Smackdown On FOX (November 3, 2023)

It’s the go-home show for WWE Crown Jewel, and Smackdown is in full force! As is Greg’s Good, Bad, & Ugly review!

Published

1 month ago

November 4, 2023

Greg DeMarco

It’s the go-home show for WWE Crown Jewel, and Smackdown is in full force! As is Greg’s Good, Bad, & Ugly review!

WWE Smackdown On FOX sends us home for the Crown Jewel premium live event, so it has to be strong. But is it? Maybe it’s Good. Possibly it’s Bad? I sure hope it isn’t Ugly.

Let’s find out!

If you haven’t checked out Mitchell’s Results & Review for this episode of Smackdown, go and check it out now!

Good

Roman Reigns & LA Knight In Ring Promo – Last week LA Knight got the better of Roman, so it made sense for Roman to get it all back this week. And he did just that. “Redneck Cosplay of my cousin” was a fantastic line from Roman Reigns, but “I ain’t here to finish something” from LA Knight got a bigger reaction from me. Roman calling himself the megastar was also a phenomenal line. Good stuff all around.
Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory – Kevin Patrick keeping “The 150 million hit man” schtick going for Austin Theory is so great. Milk that for all it’s worth! “What is your issue with Kevin Owens’ face?” “LOOK AT IT, MAN!” Absolutely brilliant shit. “How’s that feel, idiot?” Grayson Waller should be on commentary every week, for every match. And this match, by the way, was really good. Austin Theory has settled into his current role, showing he understands the WWE cycle. And Owens is Owens.
Backstage Series Of Events – We had the Bianca Belair interview where she was attacked by Damage Ctrl, followed by The Street Profits & Bobby Lashley running into Logan Paul and then B-Fab. Flowed well, no issues for me.
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs. Shotzi Blackheart & Charlotte Flair – No surprise that Charlotte Flair was the partner, and no surprise that Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn made an appearance. This was a perfectly fine TV match–didn’t set the world on fire, but also wasn’t Bad or Ugly. This was a step in this story, and an effective one.
The Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook! – Shout out to Sheamus, whose return I look forward to seeing. With Ridge really coming into his own, we’re to the point where all four of these guys range from good to great to fantastic on any given night. Putting Pretty Deadly into any “manly fight” is always guaranteed entertainment. Really, Pretty Deadly in anything is typically guaranteed entertainment. Pretty Deadly picking up the win was not a shock, although I’d have loved to see Butch and Ridge Holland pick up a win here. Given the rules (or lack thereof) of this match, Pretty Deadly basically won clean here.
Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul Crown Jewel Weigh-In – A very effective way to pretape something, which saves time as part of a double taping. It was essentially a go home promo, but done in a different way. I liked it. It also smoothly transitions into the rundown of the card by the commentary team, which I always appreciate.
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley – If you know me, you know that Bianca can be hit or miss for me. She can’t “work with anyone,” but she can definitely work with Bayley. Bayley, of course, is money with anything she does. Both women delivered a main event quality match, and no one should complain that Bianca Belair won. She’s challenging for the Women’s Championship in less than 24 canon hours, so she needs to win. Bayley is a made woman, losing here doesn’t hurt her one bit.
“Just Enough Nick” Nick Aldis Usage – Triple H has done an amazing job of establishing Nick Aldis. Three weeks in and he already “belongs.” Much of that is attributed to how Aldis carries himself. But they are also using him to the right degree. It’s not too much, but it’s also not too little. Adam Pearce could miss two weeks of Raw and when he shows back up, it all makes sense. For Aldis, he needs to be very present, but not overbearing or “shoved down our throats.” They have the right balance.

BAD

Solo Sikoa & John Cena In Ring Promo – John Cena, lost voice and all, completely buries Solo Sikoa. He “cooks” Solo, as promised. And, as Cena does, he makes Solo look like crap. Bargain Basement Tazz Rip Off? C’mon man, you’re better than that. But here’s the real problem: what happens if Solo loses? Cena made him look like a loser, and then proves that he is? Solo has to win this match. If he doesn’t, and Cena is gone, then Solo is left out in the cold. And you don’t want to do that to Solo Sikoa at this point of his career.

UGLY

Misstep for Theory – Referencing Halloween as if it hadn’t already happened. You can edit this episode–c’mon, man!
Kevin Owens’ Crotch Chop – C’mon, man! We’re better than crotch chops in 2023.

The Verdict

Good – 8
Bad – 1
Ugly – 2

In all honesty this was a damn good show. Milwaukee showed out considering they’d already seen 2 hours of Smackdown before this was taped. Good on them, and good on WWE for a great go home show for Crown Jewel.

Interesting of note – the pictures for this show that are posted to the WWE website are uploaded in the order the matches and segments were recorded, not the order in which they aired. Just a little tidbit that I found interesting.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

News

Greg DeMarco’s Wrestling Ratings Report: Monday Night Raw (10/30/2023) & WWE NXT (10/31/2023)

Greg DeMarco takes a look at your Monday and Tuesday night TV ratings. What do they mean? Do they matter?

Published

1 month ago

November 2, 2023

Greg DeMarco

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 Carmelo Hayes Ilja Dragunov

Greg DeMarco takes a look at your Monday and Tuesday night TV ratings. What do they mean? Do they matter?

Settle in for a look at this week’s ratings for WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2! Both were up against some stiff competition–let’s see how they fared!

WWE Monday Night Raw (October 30, 2023)

Hour #1 – 1.466 million viewers, .44 demo rating, #6 for the night on cable
Hour #2 – 1.450 million viewers, .46 demo rating #5 for the night on cable
Hour #3 – 1.256 million viewers, .39 demo rating, #8 for the night on cable

WWE Monday Night Raw for October 30, 2023 faced some stiff competition on Monday night. You had Monday Night Football as normal–which aired on both ESPN and ABC–along with the usual peripheral shows (Monday Night Football Postgame, Monday Night Football Kickoff, SportsCenter, and the Monday Night Countdown, which factored into the Top 10). 6.851 million people watched Monday Night Football on ESPN, a number that more than doubles when you factor in ABC.

What does it all mean? It means that outside of Monday Night Football–on cable–WWE Monday Night Raw was the top rated show. If you take away all things NFL, Raw finishes #1, #2, and #3 for the night. Viewership did drop off for our 3, but that’s the 10 PM hour that sees kids go to bed and people checking on the Monday Night Football and World Series games.

Speaking of which, that’s another factor to consider–the World Series! 8.126 million people watched the World Series on FOX (not really that good), with another 8.356 million watching Monday Night Football on ABC (yes, more than the World Series) for a decent-at-best Lions vs Raiders match-up.

In summary, it was another successful night for WWE Monday Night Raw, which was the go-home edition of the program. You can check out my Good Bad & Ugly look at Monday’s Raw, where I gave the show an overall “Good” rating. Haven’t watched yet? Give Mitchell’s live coverage a read.

Listen to this week’s edition of Bandwagon Nerds!

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 (October 31, 2023)

Entire Broadcast – 674 thousand viewers, .20 demo rating, #6 for the night on cable

WWE NXT (Halloween Havoc Night 2) for October 31, 2023, had to deal with a myriad of external factors this week. First is the most obvious–it was Halloween! Many people had plans, Trick-Or-Treat escapades and more. That right there will be a detriment to any ratings results. Add in two live NBA games, each drawing over a million viewers for TNT. Combine it all together and WWE NXT was the top rated program that wasn’t sports programming on TNT or ESPN. Hell, the entire Top 12 consisted of ESPN and TNT sports programming, plus NXT.

It’s easy to call this a failure since viewership was lost week over week. But that’s very shortsighted. The fact remains that NXT was among the most watched programming for the night, holding its own against live sports and sports-peripheral programming. If you’re WWE and USA Network, you’re nothing but happy with these results.

NXT, of course, featured the second week of Halloween Havoc, headlined by Ilja Dragunov defending the NXT Championship against Carmelo Hayes in the third match of their trilogy. Along with that you had The Creed Brothers in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares (Chairs) match with Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo, Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in the finals of the Women’s Breakout Tournament, and much more.

I’d call the Tuesday program a ratings success. My Good, Bad, & Ugly review of NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 is available here, where I called it “Good” overall. If you haven’t seen the show yet, check out Mitchell’s play-by-play.

As the weeks roll on, I will compile some historical data and look more about week-over-week (and beyond) patterns in all of my ratings reports.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!