WWE Champion Cody Rhodes discussed his advice for wrestlers on the independent scene in an interview with The Flagrant.
“The biggest thing you have to do, and it’s the same today, you can’t out-price yourself on the independents. I noticed guys would come from WWE, and this promoter might have 200 seats to sell. They’re all $20 or $30 and they’re going to get something from the table if they have a merchandise element. I’d see guys price themselves at $4500 a show. If one guy prices himself at $4500, over three days, unless you have a sponsor or there are all these loopholes you can find. I didn’t want to be that guy because I knew they won’t bring me back. I also can’t price myself too low.
There were some shows I did for free. There were some I would do for $1500 and some for $750. It was all over the map. The point was, they were going to have such a good time, I’m not going to be involved in your storyline so you don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to do so much with them at the end of the night and the meet and greet that you’ll keep me coming, so I’ll always stay booked. It’s one of the things I hate the most about modern indie wrestling, the inflation. The money is now huge in our game, so guys are saying, ‘I need first class and six grand.’ There are 200 people. Take a look at the room. It was far beneath where I was at WWE as far as the bag, but if you hustle, you will find a lot of money.”
You can check out the complete interview below:
(quote courtesy of Jeremy Lambert)
