From Jeff Richards: Looking at some of the great booking minds on the independent scene, two hours up the road from me is Brad Stu...
From Jeff Richards:
Looking at some of the great booking minds on the independent scene, two hours up the road from me is Brad Stutts. Starting his career in CWF Mid-Atlantic as a manager, Stutts has taken the reigns of this fledgling organization and gone gung-ho. He has a not so simple formula he transcribes to, and some of the matches this group promotes are simply top-notch. Let's listen in on Stutt's philosophy, career goals, and what he sees as the future of N.C. wrestling.........
JR: How did you get into booking from the managerial side of wrestling?
Stutts: It's something I've always wanted to do -- when I was a kid I was much more interested in putting together line-ups with my action figures than I was actually playing with them and acting out the matches. I just wanted to see who could go where and what finish could lead to what return. Truthfully I've re-booked pretty much every card I've ever seen or been on in my head. I like to deconstruct it and ask myself how I would've done it differently or what could've been more efficient. That's not to say I necessarily think I could've done it better; it's just a little mental exercise I've always done driving home from the show or during the week when I should've been paying attention in work or school.
As for getting to actually do it in real life, it was just kind of was bestowed to me by CWF management. They knew I always wanted to do it. Guys had kind of poked fun at me for years for making suggestions on and pitching ideas for damn near everything every week. So when the incumbent decided he'd had his fill of it and sought out a replacement, I was just kind of the natural one to do it because they knew I was familiar with everyone, that I would adhere to the standards set by the company and that I had everyone's best interests at heart. Even having been with the company 8 years by that point there were some growing pains but honestly it's been pretty smooth sailing for a long time now.
JR: What would you say is the hardest thing a booker has to deal with backstage before a show?
Stutts: It's not one specific thing because it could be literally anything. Our 3rd biggest show of the year is in June and this year at about 5 PM, some guys were running the ropes and working out in the ring when a piece of the wielding popped off, so essentially a whole side of the ring was broken. The June show is basically what everything substantial in the first six months of the year builds to and we had a great advance so obviously didnt want to have to cancel or postpone. So everyone who has any connections is scrambling, calling anyone we could think of who might have a ring available on virtually no advanced notice. Complicating matters further, we had a cage match slated for the main event, so ideally it needed to be an 18-foot ring to accommodate the 18-foot cage. Huge thanks to the Wrestlecade crew who came to our rescue and saved the show for us. That's just one example of the type of thing that can come up out of nowhere on the day of the show. Someone who is vital to the show could have their travel delayed or a family emergency or get called in to work their shoot job or any number of things. On the day of the show you have to think on your feet in preparation for ANY Murphy's law situation that could arise.
JR: You have also transitioned into a play by play and a commentator for groups like OMEGA and PWX. How do you find time to juggle everything?
Stutts: To be frank, I don't really have a lot of hobbies or passions outside the business, so it's not that hard when it's all you want to do. I've told people before that I wouldn't take a shoot job that paid $1,000,000 a year if it meant I could never be involved in wrestling again because if I had $1,000,000 the first thing I'd think about is what I could do for CWF, my friends and the local wrestling scene with that money. This is all I've ever been truly passionate about or wanted to do with my life, so just the money with that stipulation wouldn't fulfill me as much as making magic in this crazy art form does.
JR: In terms of watching other groups' wrestling and maybe even some of the older promotions, how much time would you say is spent each week on other shows/events/etc.?
Stutts: I am online all the time seeking out footage of other promotions. I watch a little bit of modern independent stuff but not much - for the most part I am seeking out stuff like territory TV from the 80's or the WWF and WCW syndicated shows from the 80's and 90's. Nothing against the modern groups but for personal enjoyment I like the older style and for professional inspiration I think it's best to learn from people who made their living doing this which unfortunately just isn't true of most modern independents. Although even if I don't watch hours and hours of their shows, I DO feel it’s important to maintain a familiarity with everyone's product who I'd consider to be a contemporary to keep up with what's going on where and with whom.
JR: We know that Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett owe a great deal of gratitude to CWF for opportunities, and they are both quite humble guys. How proud of them are you for how much they have accomplished in such a short amount of time?
Stutts: Incredibly proud. Both have honed their craft with a tireless work ethic. To see the progression in both from even 2 years ago is astonishing. They both work as hard as anyone I've ever personally met who wants to be good at this. Both are in the gym or the in the ring constantly and coupled with both having great minds for wrestling AND both being blessed with freakish athleticism, they are the real deal. Anyone who assumes either of them is one-dimensional in any way is going to really have their eyes opened when they see EVERYTHING these kids can do.
JR: Working with Coach Gemini (Jeff Rudd) has to be rewarding. He was my best friend for nine straight years and has a brilliant mind for the business. What one thing has he taught you that you value more than other tidbits of his invaluable advice?
Stutts: Jeff is the Godfather of anyone who has ever worked closely in the CWF organization. In one way or another he taught all of us and mentored all of us even if he didn't train us per se. There are teachings and philosophies of his that I utilize daily, both personally and professionally, but the most important is probably to maintain a positive mental attitude. He told me one time that even if times are hard, things aren't going your way at all and you only have ten dollars to your name, that's still better than five. For whatever reason that always stuck with me, and I always try to keep a positive mental attitude no matter what's going on.
JR: If you were not booking for CWF Mid-Atlantic, where else would you want to work?
Stutts: I've been pretty blessed to go most everywhere I want to go. It would drive me absolutely insane, maybe to the point of cynicism, to not be a part of PWX or OMEGA seeing as they put on these killer shows with amazing talent so close to me but thankfully they both thought enough of what I bring to the table to have me on board. I got to be a part of WrestleCade for the first time last year and hope I get invited back for 2015 as that was a very positive experience with a first-class group. If I wasn't SO tied to CWF, I might have tried to branch out a little more over the years to Wildside, Memphis or Chikara as I've always been fascinated by all three, but I have no regrets spending so much time and effort to try and build the CWF brand. No place I'd rather be.
JR: Each year you lay out the Weaver Cup Tournament, and it looks like it gets harder each year to plot. What events on the CWF roster are the toughest to gauge and how much time goes into planning out the Battlecades, CWF Rumbles, etc.?
Stutts: At times the Weaver Cup feels like the bane of my existence and while that's an overstatement it IS very challenging. But I do feel one of the reasons the people in charge thought I'd make a good booker is they knew I respected what they had tried to create before me and that even if something like the Weaver Cup drove me crazy I'd never even consider getting rid of a tradition like that they started, and they're right. The thing that makes it challenging is it boxes in certain guys to certain spots on certain nights, so you no longer have the luxury of putting them wherever they might fit best on that night's line-up as they HAVE to have their tournament match on this particular night because it effects this and that later on in the tournament.
The big nights of the year for CWF Mid-Atlantic are the anniversary show Battlecade in December, the annual 30-man Rumble in October, Ultimate Survivor in November, Absolute Justice in June, and Weaver Cup Finals Night in August. During January-May we experiment with different concepts for big shows such as the all junior heavyweight card and the two night tag-team tournament we did for the first time last year, but those big 5 are set every year. Typically speaking, when the anniversary show rolls around in December, I like to already have an idea of what the top match will be on NEXT year's Battlecade. I think it's only happened once (Arik Royal vs. Ray Kandrack in 2012) where the match that I had in mind to close the show a year out actually was the main event, but I still like to have the idea a year out despite the nature of the business necessitating constant changes and re-workings.
I've never spoken this openly about the process before, but typically speaking I start formulating ideas for June's Absolute Justice in January, as once Battlecade is done I can start focusing on where the big picture stuff is headed for June. By the time we get there I know where I want the Weaver and maybe even the Rumble to go if schedules match up favorably. Certainly by Finals Night I'm thinking about the Rumble and inevitably Battlecade after it. For instance we’re talking about this on August 18, 2015, 11 days away from this year's Weaver Cup Finals Night, and the past 7-10 days have been the first real think sessions about firm Rumble plans for this October. Survivor is basically the easiest of the big shows to book since it's all multiple man tag matches of various types, and it's placed directly between Rumble and Battlecade intentionally so that you can just kind of slot everyone against whoever they have issue with coming out of the Rumble and then structure the show so that it furthers those issues heading into Battlecade.
JR: What up-and-comers on the independent scene should we be looking for and hearing about shortly?
Stutts: North Carolina is so blessed with talent right now. Chet Sterling is gonna be the man here one day. Jesse Adler is not even out of high school yet, but he's a great athlete and constantly developing his persona and presentation. If Adler and Chet stay the course they are on, they'll be the heir apparents to Drew and Trevor when their time comes. Roy Wilkins is a 10-year vet, but he is CRIMINALLY underrated. He may not necessarily be the complete package as far as a super marketable look or charisma on the microphone, but in between the ropes he's the best wrestler in North Carolina and deserves to be with PWX and OMEGA. In the same regard, Lance Lude doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves. Smith Garrett and Darius Lockhart are fantastic prospects who are still learning. Chris Lea is a great ambassador for our business and connects to the crowd whether they know him or are seeing him for the first time. Ethan Case and Elijah Evans IV are top rate and two my favorite guys to watch right now. Billy Brash is someone I want to see a lot more of.
JR: Brad, we want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. I often say you are the hardest working man I personally know in the business. For someone planning to start their own promotion, what free advice would you give them?
Stutts: Thanks for that. I just try to have my effort match the efforts of those around me. It takes a team and the crew at CWF are the most selfless team of individuals I've ever worked with. As for advice, I'd say partner with as many various entities as you can like other shows in the area, local media, restaurants, civic groups, schools, churches, youth ball teams, etc. to promote the event. Don't bloat the show -- no matter how many good guys you have access to or how genius you think your matchmaking is no one wants to be there for four and a half hours. You'll ruin an otherwise good show by running too long AND you'll blow your budget booking so many people.
Beyond that some simple Jeff Rudd wisdom that's become my philosophy and helped keep CWF in business for 15+ years: have fun and try not to lose too much money.
