Gabe Sapolsky blogs on the events of the last week

Submitted By Nick Noel on 02/06/10

This past week or so sucked. I'm not going to lie and try to put some kind of positive spin on it. It was just plain ugly. I'll even go so far as to say it was the worst time I've ever had at this job since I started in late 2001. However, last Thursday night while I was driving everything just hit me. Learn from it, Let it go, get up, dust yourself off and move forward. On Friday morning I woke up and felt great, refreshed even. I'm going to write a short little piece in this blog and then I'm done with it. I am a trusting person until I'm given a reason not to trust someone. 95% of the time that trust pays off as there are a lot of good, honorable people in independent wrestling. I like to think I have good instincts when dealing with people. I have worked on verbal agreements since 2002. When a man looks me in the eye and assures me of something repeatedly, I take his word on it. I don't advertise anyone or anything until I am 100% confident that they are committed. I take advertising something very seriously. I know when you buy a ticket to a show that you are spending your leisure time and money on us. You deserve to get what is promised to you. Now things happen. Planes don't take off. Wrestlers get injured. There are circumstances beyond our control when it is just not possible to deliver what was advertised. However, if it is humanly possible to make a show, I expect people to keep their word, especially when they have made countless promises and assurances to me spanning several months. Especially when they have expressed such a strong desire to move on from their old company and help build something new and have done this time and time again over months in many different ways. The one thing I was shocked about was some of the feedback I saw around the Internet. There were people saying "oh it's independent wrestling and this happens" or "verbal agreements mean nothing." I just don't see how people can be so accepting of this. You pay money to see what is advertised. You get in your car, drive sometimes a far distance, give us your Friday or Saturday night, you deserve what is advertised unless it is impossible to deliver. When you buy a ticket to an event I am a part of it is my duty to do everything I can to deliver what is advertised. It is the least we owe you, the paying consumer. For you to be accepting of anything less is absolutely mind-boggling to me. You deserve much more than that. The trust between me and you is just as important to me as the trust between me and the wrestlers. That trust is built on delivering what you pay to see. The issue this past week wasn't a wrestler moving on and signing a new contract with another promotion. I've never kept talent from moving on and making money or exploring opportunities. I know my place in the food chain. The issue was finishing up the dates a talent let himself be advertised for. That is all that can and should be expected. Even WWE, which could squash any independent promotion like an ant including DGUSA and EVOLVE, makes sure its wrestlers keep their word and finish advertised dates. That's something I always respected about this corporate giant. Finally, I do want to thank TNA for doing the right thing by the fans and letting The Young Bucks work the DGUSA shows in Phoenix. Now I've said my piece. That's it. It's over with. It's in the past. I learned from it and will be better in the future. The focus is now on EVOLVE on March 13th in Rahway, NJ and Dragon Gate USA's first doubleshot on March 26th & 27th in Phoenix. March is going to be a heck of a month. I started working on new lineups last night and we have some exciting stuff in store for you. If TNA didn't pull the talent in 2004 there would never have been Generation Next. If Steve Corino made the Chicago booking there never would have been the five star Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk match, which in turn led to my favorite all time moment when Austin Aries defeated Joe for the belt two months later in Philly. It isn't about what happened in the past now, it's about what you make of it for the future. I promise you the future is going to be very exciting and memorable. We are fired up as Sean Casey and Tommy Rich like to say. :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! All your favorite stars such as Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Harley Race, Andre the Giant, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Booker T, & countless others! We've also got the Divas! 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