Friday, May 18, 2012

Thoughts On Wrestling In Birmingham

I must say that since I got Direct TV a couple of years ago, I have been able to watch wrestling more than ever. On Sports Time Ohio, I have been watching Pro Wrestling Ohio, now called Prime Wrestling, then Lucha Libre on Galavision when AAA was on, now with CMLL. Of course there is the old Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, Impact, and here in Birmingham, GCW on TV 21. Living in Birmingham, Alabama though gives me a problem. WWE has not been here for a couple of years now, and when they do come, it is a Smackdown, not a RAW show. Impact has not been to Birmingham as of yet. Prime Wrestling in in Ohio, so I have no hard feelings with them. But the thing that hurts me the most is the GCW promotion. 

The have a TV time slot in the Birmingham, Alabama market. They have a super cool storyline going (GCW vs The Underground), and some of the best wrestling going right now. But where do they hold their shows? The first Saturday of the month is in Palmerdale, the last Saturday of the month is in Pell City! The closest they have come to Birmingham was in Bessemer! Bessemer? Really? Really? Really?!!!! You have a TV show on a Birmingham TV station, but you cannot hold a show in Birmingham? What is wrong with Birmingham? Is there not a big enough place to hold your overflow crowd of 100? I am sure that if you look hard enough that you can find a place to set up a ring in Birmingham so that the fans who want to see the action, which is great, don't have to travel all the way to Palmerdale, of Pell City. 

Or am I wrong on this? Even Ring of Honor has said that they intend to have shows in the markets that cover them. So Birmingham may soon have an ROH show. But GCW is in Alabama already, on a Birmingham TV station, in the Birmingham market. But can't hold a show in the city limits of Birmingham! WOW! I mean...WOW!! So the people of Palmerdale and the fans of Pell City are the ones enjoying the fruits of GCW's labor, but it is the Birmingham fans who are watching the TV side of things. Wake up GCW! Birmingham, Alabama demands pro wrestling and we demand it now!