How To Market Yourself As A Pro Wrestler

So you want to be a Pro Wrestler…

So you have decided… “I want to be a Pro Wrestler!” “I’m going to win championships!” “I’m going to be famous”…

But How?

Sure, you’ve been a gym rat for years now. You’ve been chugging on protein shakes and downing countless supplements. You might even say “Man, I’m way better than John Cena if given the chance.” You might be right but something is in the way, training, experience and the proper marketing. Just like any business, you don’t just aim to provide the best services. You want to be known and you want to be big. This is where marketing yourself comes in play. Behind every famous wrestler, there are marketing and promoting skills from the promotion and from the wrestler themselves.  

So the big question is: “How Do I Sell Myself as a Pro Wrestler?”

More often than not, pro wrestlers and those who aspire to be one, already have the passion and talent for the craft by the time they decide to get into wrestling. Hundreds or even thousands of names have been out there, but only quite a handful is making it big in the industry. You may be asking yourselves, how can a pro wrestler get their name out there in that long queue of other aspiring wrestlers waiting to get inside the ring on the big stage.

Nothing comes easy in the industry of pro wrestling. The slow process for progress can be quite a tough opponent. It’s not a matter of winning by three taps and your hand being raised by a marketing referee. It takes patience and a great deal of perseverance to get yourself out there. To name a few, here are some tips from ProWrestlingCareers.com on how to market yourself as a pro wrestler.

1. Come Up With a Good Name & Gimmick

• This is your main weapon. People will remember you by your name so choose wisely.
• Go with a name that’s catchy and easy to remember.
• Your gimmick is your character – think about who you are and amplify it 1000 times or think about something completely different that you feel will connect with your audience

2. Self-Promote

• Self-promote harder than anyone you know to bring fans to the shows so that there’s more people in the crowd!
• Use the power of social media.  Create social media profiles as your pro wrestling persona and start to follow promoters and pro wrestling fans in the areas you want to work.
• Encourage your friends to invite people to watch your matches and support the independent pro wrestling shows you work.

3. Invest

• You need to have financial commitment. This is the money you have to spend promoting yourself. This comes in the form of traditional marketing like business cards and a website, but don’t stop there.   
• You also need to pay for bad ass professional promotional photos for you to give away at first to get your name out there and also sell to fans.
• Get t-shirts done to sell at your merchandise table.  Take some time to put some thought into your graphic design and hire a professional if it’s not in your talent skill set to design.
• If it fits your character, giveaway novelty items is a great way to market yourself to the crowd. For example, like John Cena, you could enter the ring wearing a cap with your name/logo on it and toss it in the crowd once you’re in the ring. Everyone loves souvenirs and you just made yourself memorable to the fans!

4. Time & Travel

• You have to invest enormous amount of your time into this journey.  Nothing happens overnight.  From presenting yourself to promoters and getting the materials ready to getting better at your craft and performing in front of a pro wrestling audience, this is not a clock in and clock out type of career.
• Travel to places that hold wrestling events to help strengthen your network, watch other talent and talk to the promoter of shows you want to work.  Take bookings in places you want to work for more experience.

5. Network

• We strongly suggest that you attend as many shows as possible (even if you’re not going to be in a match).
• Offer to help set up the ring at shows.  Do little things that make a big difference.
• Help out pro wrestling events and those event organizers will remember your name (sooner or later you may get yourself a match on the card).

6.  Be Professional

• Though this is not a 9-5 job, treat it like a career.  Dress appropriately arriving to and from the locker room, even if no one else is doing it.  Respect the promoter, those you work with in the ring, other crew members and the fans.  There will be times that others are not as professional as you are, that doesn’t mean stop being professional too.  Hold yourself to a higher standard.

These are just some ways that will help you in marketing yourself. The key to this is to dedicate as many resources as possible for your journey to greatness. Many famous wrestlers have fought at least one or two matches for free or low pay for the sake of experience. You should try that too, but continue to get better with education in the ring and promotion. At the end of the day, it all comes down to getting your name out there and that’s always where you should start.