Last say on Adam Thornstowe

PRO WRESTLING HERO OF THE WEEK
APW FANS for putting up with my long tirade on Adam Thornstowe at 9/1 Gym Wars

IDIOTS OF THE WEEK
Fresno Promoter - Bryan White
PICTURE WITHHELD FOR OBVIOUS REASONS!
Pro Wrestlers who were so money hungry, they took the gamble on Bryan White and lost




LAST BLOG ON ADAM
I promise this will be the last blog I make on Adam Thornstowe. I am spending way too much time on this guy. First, I blog about my positive experience with him at a recent PCW show. In the blog I describe how he expresses in a very lengthy e-mail to me how he wants to come to APW and wrestle Oliver John.

My next blog involves his appearance in APW and how I still think the guy is a great wrestler and I tell everyone how he had a great match with MPT. I also tell readers how I think he and the RENO SCUM show no class. One example is the photo op he takes by flipping the APW fans off. Again, Adam doesn't understand the APW way of doing things and how our product is about family entertainment. We don't flip off fans, we don't swear at fans etc... He is representing APW when he wears on of our championship belts. In this case, the photo op was of him flipping off fans while wearing the APW WORLDWIDE INTERNET CHAMPIONSHIP BELT. Lots of class Adam! I sometimes go off in tangents in my blogs because I have certain pet peaves about the pro wrestling industry. It pisses me off when people make fun of the APW GARAGE and the fans that sit in the garage for FREE SHOWS. Where else can you get free shows and help the needy by donating canned food and toys. Don't these idiots realize how much talent has been developed with the use of this garage with both Gym Wars shows and one of the top training schools in the country?

I APOLOGIZE TO OUR FANS
For those that attended gym wars, I apologize for going off on a tangent and taking up so much of your valuable time. The show was already starting late and then I go off on a tangent about Adam Thornstowe. The night started out with the need to acknowledge Boot Camp students, trainers and APW wrestlers who just returned from a tour in Portugal while Melissa was on a CHICKFIGHT show in the U.K. I also wanted to acknowledge the hard work Gabe Ramirez does in booking the wrestlers for tours in Japan and Portugal and bookings in Puerto Rico. The Portugal promoters were so happy with the performance of the APW wrestlers, they have invited APW to tour Portugal. Not all details have been worked out other than the tour will probably take place in March 2008. I am sure Gabe will keep everyone informed with dates on the message boards. Isn't APW a great place to be if you are a pro wrestler or a student??

BOOT CAMP ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wanted to bring in the training coaches and students and acknowledge the hard work of FUNDAMENTALS COACH, Dana Lee. The hard work of the PRO CAMP COACHES, J. J. Perez, MPT and Oliver John. We made the official announcement of Scotty Aboot being added to the training coach team. I hated ending everything on such a sour note and bringing up the PWI thing all over again but felt I had to in order to explain the Adam Thornstowe situation.

THE IDIOTS ON NOR CAL MESSAGE BOARDS
When I read on the NorCal boards Adam Thornstowe walked out on GZW for not being paid enough, I had thoughts both ways. First, I thought, if I worked for an idiot like the guy running GZW, I would certainly hold him up for money also. Just when you think there are no more idiots, this Brian White kid pops up with a show in Fresno but that is another blog topic. I dealt with Brian back in the mid 90's and figured it was a lost cause. I could have told everyone in Fresno there would be no show. On the other hand, it is not a good trend to hold up an Indy promoter for money. Indy wrestling is not about money, it is about creating larger opportunities, experience, learning and exposure. I figured it was not true until...

PICK UP THE PHONE ADAM, TURN ON THE COMPUTER
I e-mailed or phoned Adam about 9/1 Gym Wars, he originally told me he was going to wrestle at the Fresno show and I took it as an insult. Adam then told the goof in Fresno that if he couldn't get his money up-front, he wouldn't wrestle. Whether you love or hate Adam, you have to give him credit. He acted more responsibly than some of the wrestlers that ended up making the trip. I laugh because some of the guys booked must have thought they had this money mark promoter in their hip pocket. They make the trip and get stiffed. At least Adam was smart enough to not follow through on that booking but Adam then books himself in Reno and turns his back on APW. At APW, we lay out our booking itinerary months ahead and I wanted Adam to wrestle on 9/1 and not change booking plans. He conveys to me, he must be paid regardless if Gym Wars is a FREE SHOW. Then I ask him how we can get the belt back. I'll pay for FedEx and put it on the APW account - just ship the belt. He says when you guys pay me, you'll see your belt. Here we go, shades of PWI and Donovan Morgan and the Michael Modest era.

THE PWI STORY
Okay, I must give those not familiar with the PWI story what went down. APW trained Michael Modest and Donovan Morgan for FREE in exchange for 15% of any major bookings we got for them. When Donovan left APW to put us out of business and start a company run by the boys for the boys, those contracts disappeared. He left in such a hurry, he forgot to get his final paycheck. He tells everyone I stiffed him with his final pay. He takes the APW WORLDWIDE INTERNET BELT and the next thing we know, the belt is for sale on E-Bay. I am picturing this scenario all over again. We also had one of the tag-team belts missing and it never turned up and we had to sell the one belt we had and order two new belts. I wasn't going to go through this bullshit again. Adam asks to take the belt with him for some photo ops. Heck, I am hoping he doesn't do something stupid like defend it on one of those backyard wrestling shows in northern California but I tell Adam to take the belt. Now, he misses the 9/1 Gym Wars, has our belt and wants to get paid for Gym Wars. I am trying to get in touch with Adam and he is not returning my calls or e-mails. He obviously doesn't pay too close attention to the Internet and doesn't know Marlon is behind bars. APW took action! I would have taken action with Donovan Morgan! Instead, we paid Donovan his final check and got the belt back. Unfortunately, we don't owe Adam anything and we don't make it a practice to pay wrestlers at Gym Wars when there is no ticket revenue. We pay very nicely at house shows. In the Internet world, APW has always been known not to pay but yet, we have always paid our wrestlers better than any Indy promoter while understanding this is Indy wrestling.

USING THE INTERNET TO COMMUNICATE
You don't respond to e-mail, blogs or phone messages, then it is time to take it public. That is why I ranted at the 9/1 Gym Wars. I apologize to those that were there and I apologize for taking so much of your valuable time in reading this blog but the Adam Thornstowe thing is a sore spot with me. All I ask is be professional and return the belt. Come wrestle for APW and you'll reap the benefits but there is no pay, salary or whatever you want to call it at Gym Wars. The house shows are what they are. There is pay but don't expect to earn a living at weekend Indy wrestling when that is not what the Indy level is about. Pro Wrestlers surely can't expect to pay their training fees elsewhere and then come wrestle for APW and reap the benefits as if they had paid like all of our students and graduates. That is not going to happen. We will book you on the shows, book you on tours, try to get you to another level, make you part of our family but you must pay your dues and you certainly can't expect to reap more benefits than an APW graduate without paying some dues. As much as I like Adam Thornstowe as a wrestler and as much as he can contribute to the students at the APW Boot Camp, we are not going to put you on a pedestal above APW graduates. We'd love to have you in APW. I don't feel comfortable taking this to a public forumn but we have to communicate somehow since you don't respond to my e-mails or phone calls. I like you Adam. I think you are a very good wrestler. I don't even have a problem with all the spiked hair and all the wierdos you choose to hang around with. I do have a problem with wrestlers wanting to make lots of money at this level and I especially have a problem with people that take something that doesn't belong to them. Many people have worked hard and volunteered their time so that APW could pay for our championship belts.

NOT BEGGING, JUST ASKING AND DEMANDING

Please come wrestle for APW.

We aren't asking you to be nice to the fans, we really feel you can go places in APW but it won't come at the expense of alienating APW wrestlers that were graduates and have paid their dues. Guys like MPT and Scooty Aboot and Oliver John have fit in nicely and are part of our family. I'll even give you that match you talked about in your e-mail against Oliver John.

If you choose not to return to APW, good luck with all your future pro wrestling endeavors but RETURN THE FRICKING BELT or you too may see sing sing just like Marlon!