With their debut show "Setting The Pace" set to run Sept 27th in Bolton, SPRY Wrestling has already generated a great deal of interest among Ontario Indy Wrestling insiders and fans. OWIE.ca founder Gordo, the wizard of id, talked with SPRY promoters Danny Petsis and Amanda Kinnear to learn more about the GTA's newest promotion... How and why SPRY Wrestling came to be and their plans to forge SPRY's own place in the Ontario Indy scene...
OWIE: Hi Danny, I appreciate you taking a moment to talk to OWIE today. I guess the first and most obvious question I gotta ask is one a lot of fans have asked me... SPRY Wrestling - Does that stand for anything specific?
DANNY PETSIS: I've heard the same thing. Many people have asked me and a few of the talent have actually posted on their MySpace or any website that they have as an acronym. It doesn't actually stand for anything in particular like UWA or WWE would. It means nimble, quick, agile... even powerful. You can use it in a sentence as a powerful type of word. Basically I'm branding myself as a word, not an acronym.
OWIE: Right... Well, that's not often done in Ontario.
DANNY PETSIS: We definitely want to catch the eye of new fans and even the old fans. A word like that is something you can brand yourself with in a new generation of wrestling.
OWIE: Well it's unique, that's for sure.
DANNY PETSIS: When thinking about a name there's so many things going around... XWE... Xtreme Wrestling Something. It sounds cool but We didn't want to be known as a blood sport... every match a backyard match. Sure, every now and then you can have a ladder match when it means something; or a cage match when it means something in a feud. It's got to have a story and build up. Ya can't just throw them all in there randomly.
OWIE: A lot of promotions do.
DANNY PETSIS: We're talking about a fast paced professional wrestling that we want the SPRY promotion to be.
OWIE: You definitely announced your debut with a certain degree of professionalism and fanfare; you've got a seriously kick-ass website going on already... and what I'm hearing, you made a pretty sizeable investment to purchase equipment from the former UWA Hardcore. Is that correct?
DANNY PETSIS: That is correct. Yes.
OWIE: What all did that deal include? Was it just the ring?
DANNY PETSIS: No, it was pretty much the whole shebang. Everything but their lighting truss which I do have a contact for... for the future shows but it's basically their staging, their sound, lighting, the ring, the guardrails, all 350 chairs - everything.
OWIE: That's a large investment; more than most feds that have started up in Ontario. How long has this been in the works? How long have you been planning this?
DANNY PETSIS: As soon as I heard it was up for sale. I think it was the GP Tournament. I contacted Jon and we've been working from there.
OWIE: Do you have experience running shows before Dan?
DANNY PETSIS: I've never actually run a show before but I went to school at George Brown College to basically get my diploma in special events so I've planned many events in the past.
OWIE: I see, so this is not a whim then. You believe you can make a viable product and survive in the Ontario Indy atmosphere that exists right now?
DANNY PETSIS: Definitely. Yes.
OWIE: And do you have a game plan for a few shows ahead? Have you planned out a whole year? What can fans expect that way?
DANNY PETSIS: I haven't actually planned out the whole year but I do have planned at least 5 or 6 months down the road in terms of roster, storylines, any talent that the Ontario indy fans would love to see that they haven't seen for awhile or that they've never seen.
OWIE: Well, it is a pretty volatile market as you know... UWA Hardcore, whose equipment you bought closed their doors as mysteriously as they've ever done anything... CWR is in limbo - another GTA fed. There's a lot of guys who have tried to hit that market and failed. Are you counting on your roster, your production to carry you through? Do you think you can make it in Toronto?
DANNY PETSIS: I definitely think we can make it in Toronto but it's not only Toronto... I plan on expanding in the future to other markets as well.
OWIE: I gotta ask... did the venue come with that package for all that equipment because you guys are running in UWA's old venue are you not?
DANNY PETSIS: (Laughs) No, the venue didn't come in the package. We're looking to grasp those fans as well and possibly some news ones so... with the branding of the the new roster, the market and even the old roster, we're trying to expand as far as we can.
OWIE: Well the roster certainly looks like something fans have been asking to see for a long time; a blend of UWA Hardcore and other Ontario Indy stars. You've got former UWA guys like Josh Prohibition, Drew Gulak, Garrett Graves, Sabian... and you've got guys from Ontario indy too - the always excitable Cody Deaner, Asylum, Xtremo... and a mix of young guys and veterans as well, so you've covered the spectrum with your roster.
DANNY PETSIS: You've always gotta listen to the fans. I've been going to UWA Hardcore for so many years now and they were always looking for new talent to mix it up and I've even read online a couple posts that say it's a great mix of talent; keep it fresh all the time with this new talent and that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to market ourselves, not just with the old UWA fans, but trying to build in Bolton, in Toronto and out west.
OWIE: It's a stacked talent roster but one has to ask, Danny... You've got a lot of the old UWA Hardcore guys. You've got their old equipment. You're running this first show in their old venue... I've had people contacting me wondering if Joe & Jon are behind this. Are they connected in any way at all with SPRY Wrestling?
DANNY PETSIS: They are not connected in any way with SPRY Wrestling. They obviously have given me guidance and support with the purchase, and any questions I might have leading up to the show but aside from that, it's not a UWA or Jon & Joe product.
OWIE: Ok, I'm glad you cleared that up because a lot of people were wondering about that... however, the comparisons of your product to UWA are inevitable...
DANNY PETSIS: Definitely, that's why we're trying to... I won't say steer clear of it but at least right now run with it and then yield to our new product.
OWIE: So, basically... it's not going to be so divergent perhaps from their style to begin with? Is that what you're saying?
DANNY PETSIS: In a way that's what I'm saying but (Laughs) at the same time, not.
OWIE: So... you believe you're going to put something out there that's unique but with a familiar enough base to capture both the UWA Hardcore fans and the Ontario Indy at-large fans?
DANNY PETSIS: Yes.
OWIE: Did you check out other Ontario indy shows? You watched UWA for a long time, what about some of the other product that's out there?
DANNY PETSIS: I've watched LLW for awhile too. Aside from that, going live, just those two promotions and PWA out in Kitchener but other than that, it's everything online. The online community is a great tool to check out indy wrestling.
OWIE: You guys have a good website fans should check out; lots of information and it has a forum opening up now. I assume you're going to keep your eyes on that to see first hand what the feedback is from fans.
DANNY PETSIS: We have two moderators on that; my webmaster and myself and we may have a third person helping with that as well.
OWIE: You have your first show coming up. Sept. 27th in Bolton, at the Fairgrounds...
DANNY PETSIS: In the Presidents Building, yes.
OWIE: What's up after that?
DANNY PETSIS: The next show details haven't been officially released but I will say that we do have the Fairgrounds booked in Oct.
OWIE: I imagine you've given some thought to merchandise as well. You didn't have that fancy logo designed for nothing, I'm sure.
DANNY PETSIS: Yes we do have some plans for merchandise. Actually, if you go the forum, my webmaster has posted 3 different types of t-shirts.
OWIE: And those will be available at the first event?
DANNY PETSIS: They will be available, yes.
OWIE: I assume it's being filmed...
DANNY PETSIS: It will be filmed... and then edited by myself and of course we'll have to overdub commentary and the promo of the next event. We're going to be opening up an online store in the next couple weeks.
OWIE: So a lot of exciting stuff and you've been very busy.
DANNY PETSIS: Yes, keepin' busy with all this stuff and of course, we have to think about the future too.
OWIE: The Main Event of this show on the 27th has to be considered an Ontario Indy Dream Match... the one and only Cody Deaner vs the one and only Josh Prohibition. Wow.
DANNY PETSIS: That's been brewing in my head for awhile... ever since I thought about purchasing the equipment.
OWIE: It's a match representative of what fans have wanted in Ontario for the last 3 or 4 years and that's someone from the top of UWA Hardcore's roster going up against one of Ontario Indy's legends. Now with UWA faded from the scene, Spry is already making a splash... I don't think I've seen any other new federation generate that much exposure and discussion before its first show since the debut of Stranglehold.
DANNY PETSIS: I've heard that too, from many fans since I booked Cody Deaner. They wanted him to be in UWA for the longest time. Going as a fan you see what you would want to see in the future if you ever did own a promotion and that's what I'm putting together.
OWIE: It certainly seems that way. Now, are these guys going to be your core group of guys you build storylines around? Are we going to see other guys come and go to keep fans guessing?
DANNY PETSIS: The roster you see right now... I don't wanna say is the definite core... there are many more to come that'll all be in there as a core SPRY promotion roster. As you can see, there are no tag matches on the card. We're looking to build a tag team division; that's why were bringing in more guys to build more on our strong core roster. The guys you see right now are our singles roster... There will be a tag team division coming soon.
OWIE: More to come in... you know, some indy promotions bring in names, former WWE stars, current TNA stars or guys like Castagnoli or Hallowicked that are known to fans who follow indy wrestling through the internet or dvd. Is that something you would consider down the road? Have you thought about that at all?
DANNY PETSIS: I've definitely thought about that, yes and to maybe name off a few... I've looked into RVD...
OWIE: Rob Van Dam... Wow. I think any wrestling promotion that could put Van Dam into the ring would have exposure far beyond their local base.
DANNY PETSIS: And Mick Foley.
OWIE: And Mick Foley? Well... he's available right now. He'd be great for a first year anniversary show. Too bad it's not your first anniversary right now... but don't you think that's risky, to bring him or any big name in even four or five shows into it? Unless of course your company has been insanely successful.
DANNY PETSIS: It's a huge risk to do something like that early and, like you said, he would be great for a first year anniversary show. I just wanted to inquire and see what working with somebody like that would be like and build a little relationship to lead up to a year from now.
OWIE: Sure, sure... and that's something solid to do; test the waters and see what it's like out there.
DANNY PETSIS: Sure, exactly.
OWIE: So no Mick Foley on the debut show... I see you've got some women on the roster... Jennifer Blake who was arguably the hottest woman rookie of the last 2 years and the new hottest rookie, PJ Tyler. That's exciting to see.
DANNY PETSIS: I know it's happened before, 2 maybe 3 times but we'd like to see it happen again.
OWIE: Well the last one I saw was in PWX and those two ladies kicked ass!
DANNY PETSIS: They kick ass wherever they go.
OWIE: The whole card looks interesting to me and I'm looking forward to seeing it. Now... fans can buy tickets... um, how, exactly?
DANNY PETSIS: Fans can reserve tickets online at www.sprywrestling.com or email tickets@sprywrestling.com
OWIE: Ok...
DANNY PETSIS: Or you can just pick up tickets at the door. We're trying to work out where you can buy tickets at Williams Coffee & Pub but for now you can just email or pick up at the door.
OWIE: Danny, I appreciate your candor while talking to me today. I gotta tell ya, I haven't had this many requests for info about a fed starting up since Stranglehold. A lot of people are wondering what's going on and your roster has certainly gotten everybody's attention.
DANNY PETSIS: I also want to put out there that there's a lot of young guys who have contacted me and I want to bring them to the promotion and build them and basically put their foot in the door like UWA did with so many other young guys when they started.
OWIE: You never know where you're gonna build your next homegrown superstar from.
DANNY PETSIS: That's right, you never know where you're gonna land a Josh Prohibition or an MDogg20.
OWIE: Are you gonna introduce titles right away or is that down the road?
DANNY PETSIS: What I'm looking to do is actually build storylines, build wrestlers, build characters and down the road we will have championship belts. You don't want to just give them away at the first or second show. (Pauses) I'm wondering if you'd mind talking with Amanda Kinnear too... She's in charge of our Facebook Group and more.
OWIE: Sure, bring her on...
AMANDA KINNEAR: Hi Gordo, How are you?
OWIE: Hi Amanda. I'd say "fine" but I'd be lying. I'm a tired old wizard. (Laughs) I'm guessing Danny has introduced us because you are more to SPRY Wrestling than the Facebook Group administrator... Plus he's been saying "we" a lot.
AMANDA KINNEAR: (Laughs) Yes, I'm more involved with SPRY than hosting the Facebook Group. I think with the way the business has begun to develop with Danny and myself is... he really has the experience with the wrestling and the storylines and character where I can contribute in other areas of the business. We have two different strengths we can bring together and work as a team to build a solid promotion. Both of us are promoting SPRY Wrestling; we both put our time and effort into it. We're working towards it together.
OWIE: Well it's always good to have someone you can trust to be your partner. You mentioned your time and effort - did you put money into it too?
AMANDA KINNEAR: Yes I did. It's a dream so it's a financial effort between the two of us as well. I'm definitely going to be there supporting and going through the decisions with Danny because we're doing it together and my financial interest is in there so it's my investment and my company too.
OWIE: I see, and what kind of background do you have that brought you to Ontario Indy wrestling and this venture, SPRY Wrestling?
AMANDA KINNEAR: Danny got me into the scene a little while ago and I've been visiting UWA shows and whatnot. My experience has begun to grow quickly in the last couple of months with our venture with SPRY... trying to get the fans out, the promoting types of things and letting him take care of the storylines because I don't have very much experience with that.
OWIE: So, Danny, you're booking then?
DANNY PETSIS: Yep, I'm booking.
OWIE: Now... I assume this is a family friendly product?... an all ages show?
DANNY PETSIS: Yes it is... an all ages show
OWIE: And the company focus will be on the live product first?
AMANDA KINNEAR: Yes, definitely emphasize the live entertainment. We want the people that are there live to have maximum enjoyment. It's not about 'oh we're gonna make this dvd and it's gonna sell'. It's about ensuring the people there enjoy it.
DANNY PETSIS: And it's not the same on dvd. I've purchased so many dvds and it's so much different than being there live.
OWIE: Nothing kicks ass like being there live, that's for sure.
AMANDA KINNEAR: And that's something we want the SPRY name to reflect. We want the fans to know it's not a UWA or a WWE or a ROH... it's something different, something refreshing and I love that people are trying to explore and talk about what it might represent.
OWIE: Amanda, You've certainly done a good job on the Facebook Group and you guys have presented SPRY very well since you started but I'm wondering... and this isn't to rain on anybody's parade, but... there are examples in the past of people investing a lot of money - The League invested a bundle and a huge amount of energy and work... they ran one show and poof! Gone. Other promising feds have come and gone; The Union, IWA-OAPW, CWR, Brand X... all either gone or in limbo. For whatever reason, these feds didn't last. Are you guys prepared to face that fire if it happens?
AMANDA KINNEAR: For sure. I think for our first show we're trying to show fans what we're all about. I think they're already starting to catch on to this new idea; this new promotion. Obviously we're going to have to work very hard and we're hoping all the fans come out and support this first show but if for any reason it doesn't turn out as well as we hoped then we're gonna have to try again for the next month. It is a big investment and if it doesn't work out the first time we're gonna have to give it a second try and a third try. This is what we want to do and we're both really solid in this decision so I think that it's important that we just give it our all. Troubled times may come and we may have to work harder than we ever anticipated but we're both up to keeping it and working as hard as we can to succeed.
OWIE: And that's exactly the attitude you need to succeed. I'm going to be looking very closely at the first event crowd to see if many of the people who have been calling for this type of line-up are there because you guys are promising to deliver exactly that.
AMANDA KINNEAR: And that's similar to what Danny told you earlier. He's been looking at it for a long time as a fan and now he's building it the way he always would have wanted to see it if he had the opportunity to have his own promotion and now we do. We're definitely looking for what the fans are interested in as well as making matches that people might not put together themselves. We're looking to use some former UWA guys and other guys to mix and match and try and keep everybody happy.
OWIE: One of the biggest complaints from Ontario Indy fans is that all the cards look the same... they all use the same guys. They can't make that claim about your first line-up at all.
AMANDA KINNEAR: That's right and we've got some new guys coming in as well; Tyler Tirva and Josh Alexander... we have some other new names we're going to stick in there as well as some surprises. All the fans can come out to the show and watch for those faces that haven't been announced...
OWIE: I certainly like surprises
DANNY PETSIS: And Gordo, if you do see a match that's similar to other promotions there's gonna be a surprise or two included in that.
OWIE: Well, there's nothing wrong about seeing Jennifer Blake and PJ Tyler hook it up again. There are a few people I could name that it doesn't matter how many times they've fought or where they've fought, they're always worth seeing again because it's never the same. They're such pros that they deliver a different match every time.
DANNY PETSIS: Exactly.
AMANDA KINNEAR: That's what we're looking for... those wrestlers who will give us their all every time. They're not just there to work the promotion and get their money; they're there to please the fans and give it all they've got because I know, especially on the indy scene, you have to push it and really work to make those fans love you. We're looking for those wrestlers who are really dedicated to the indy wrestling scene and the fans as well.
OWIE: Let's talk about that for a second because I've had lots of emails and messages from indy wrestlers asking "Gordo, how can I get on the first show?" "How can I get into SPRY Wrestling?" So what would you say to these aspiring wrestlers? What does it take? I'm sure you don't want to be deluged with "Hey uh.. uh...can you uh... like, book me on your show?"
AMANDA KINNEAR: We've had a ton of people contact us and say "I'd really like to be a part of your first show"... Danny knew who he wanted as soon as we knew we had a hold of this. We've had lots of people asking for a place on the first show but obviously we can't put everybody on it. (Laughs)
OWIE: What should wrestlers looking to get into SPRY do to be considered for a spot on the roster?
AMANDA KINNEAR: The way to show us that you want to be there... send us promo pictures... show us that you're interested... if you have dvds we'd love to see them because we'd like to think all wrestlers are fantastic but we need to see that. We don't want to give our fans just anybody who emailed us looking to get booked. We need to know the fans will be happy with their performances.
DANNY PETSIS: When you do email us with information, we'd like to see your credentials. A dvd would be great for us to see your matches because not everything is online. The new up-and-coming, I'd like to see what they're like... put them in a match, you know, put their foot in the door.
AMANDA KINNEAR: Like Danny said, you never know where you're gonna find your next Josh Prohibition or MDogg20 so we're definately willing to give those guys a shot... they just have to prove to us that they can perform for us and give us the best of their ability. And they can prove that with a dvd, credentials and promo pics so we can assess their skills and see if they're right for the SPRY roster.
OWIE: And they can contact you through the SPRY website?
DANNY PETSIS: Yes, they can email me directly through the contact on the SPRY website for further info on how to submit their information.
OWIE: Ok, great. Now, what about sponsors? A lot of the successful Ontario promotions use sponsors... have you guys utilized that at all or looked into it?
AMANDA KINNEAR: That's gonna come along a little while after the first show. We need to show people what we can do - what we're giving and delivering. You can't expect people to just give you sponsors. When we're able to prove to them what the promotion is all about and how it goes we definitely be looking into that and see how it goes.
OWIE: what about advertising... what kind of advertising have you done... how many different formats did you hit?
AMANDA KINNEAR: We're focusing a lot online, it seems to spread very quickly. We also headed out to The EX last weekend. We had a bunch of people handing out flyers there and the downtown area. We've postered and flyerd Bolton to get the people in the area knowing. We've had a lot of people online supporting us and would like to thank the fans who have pledged to support SPRY 100% even though they haven't even seen it yet. Those people have helped us by going out to flyer or spreading the news by word of mouth. And of course we have the SPRY Facebook and MySpace Groups as well and the official SPRY website is now up and running.
OWIE: And, as I said to Danny, it's a very nice looking site.
AMANDA KINNEAR: We have Russel Grigg to thank for that. He's very good - his contact info is on the SPRY site.
DANNY PETSIS: He designed the SPRY logo as well.
OWIE: And a kickass logo it is too. I tell you what, you'll know you're a success when some fan tattoos that logo on their arm.
AMANDA KINNEAR: (Laughs) Well, it would make a great tattoo but we hope to measure our success by more than that.
OWIE: (Laughs) Well one of the first things you have to do is get everybody's attention and you've certainly got the attention and interest of the Ontario Indy community. Let's hope you've gone out in the local neighborhoods - and you said that you had... let's hope you got their attention too because on Sept 27th it's time to deliver the goods. So... you ready?
AMANDA KINNEAR: We're ready.
DANNY PETSIS: Oh yea, I've been ready for a long time... eat, sleep and breathe wrestling.
OWIE: What about working with other Ontario promotions? Lots of times guys help each other out. They lend a ring, they do this, they do that... it usually involves a couple guys from the other promotion coming onto the show. Is that something you want to get involved with or are you guys going to run strictly on your own and sink or swim it's on your ticket?
DANNY PETSIS: Well, our forum is actually open to other indy wrestling promotions. PWA has already posted on there. We're open to them posting on there and spreading the word about their name.
AMANDA KINNEAR: Of course there's the hope that if we posted our shows on their forums they would be receptive to that. For now I think, at least to get our feet wet, and to see how the promotion develops we're gonna do things on our own but we're not going to close off any doors. We're always open to exploring new opportunities.
OWIE: And by doing this interview you're certainly being open and wrestlers, promoters and fans of Ontario indy wrestling know what you're about and what you're planning to do.
AMANDA KINNEAR: I don't think there's a point to trying to keep it secret. There are no secrets anymore.
OWIE: So, once again, you have the Facebook Group going and... and fans can talk to you direct on there Amanda?
AMANDA KINNEAR: Yep, you can talk directly to me; I'm more than willing to speak to fans about SPRY. We're not going to give away all our secrets so don't ask (Laughs) but if you have any questions feel free to contact me through Facebook or on MySpace as well.
OWIE: Ok, let's see... Gee, It seems like you've pretty much got everything set and this is going to be a big show...
AMANDA KINNEAR: We worked real hard on it and really put a lot of time and effort into it trying to make sure it's the great show that everyone's going to expect. I hope the prior fans and all the news fans come out and support us... check out the first show. It'll be a good show... we promise that.
OWIE: And what happens if a hundred people show up?... Still gonna be as good a show as if a thousand had showed up?
AMANDA KINNEAR: Yes. We're out there to show the fans what we can do so if a hundred people show up we're still gonna give are all. If there's a hundred people and they see a great show they're going to tell another hundred people and when those people see the next show, they're gonna tell more people. We believe SPRY is going to catch on... Whether a hundred or a thousand people show up we're gonna give our all.
OWIE: Danny and Amanda, thank you for your time. It was very informative and I look forward to the show. Have you got anything else you'd like to say to the fans before we take off?
DANNY PETSIS: Definitely, check out the website, go on the forums and post your suggestions. There's been so many suggestions already in terms of wrestlers and storylines... and anything like that people would like to see in the future, we're definitely open to listening to all of it.
AMANDA KINNEAR: And we'd really like everyone to come out and check out our show on Sept 27th. It's gonna be a good show with a lot of new faces and a lot of old faces so we look forward to seeing you there.
OWIE: Thank you very much for your time. On behalf of OWIE and the Ontario Indy Community at large... Welcome to the scene.
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