# Real Pro Wrestling update



## JDenz (Jan 15, 2004)

BREAKING NEWS: REAL PRO WRESTLING SEEKING TV DEAL AT NATPE, MAJOR TV INDUSTRY CONVENTION 
Submitted by: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor
Posted On 01/15/2004


Every year the National Association of Television Program Executives, better known by its acronym, NATPE, holds a conference aimed at bringing together just about all segments of the television industry. Besides the usual speeches and convention socializing, this is a place where contacts are made, information is exchanged, and sometimes, deals are begun or even consummated. 

This year the NATPE convention, which will be held January 18-20 at the Sands Expo Center and Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, will be very special for wrestling. Among the numerous programmers exhibiting their products and trying to sell their shows will be Real Pro Wrestling. 

According to its press release, reproduced below, Real Pro Wrestling will be seeking to sell 'a fifteen hour, thirteen episode televised series to determine the first true professional wrestling champions since Strangler Lewis held the title in 1923. The series will be offered at NATPE and it will be available to broadcasters for October 2004.' 

Just about all the top networks in the world will be represented at NATPE, so this will be a crucial testing ground for Real Pro Wrestling. 

One early indication that there may be serious interest in Real Pro Wrestling is the Jan. 12 edition of the trade publication Television Week, where Real Pro Wrestling appears on page four. 

A television deal for Real Pro Wrestling would indeed be just what it needs to get off the ground. Stay tuned here for more information on how Real Pro Wrestling fares at NATPE. 

For more on Real Pro Wrestling, go to their website at: 

http://realprowrestling.com/ 




REAL PRO WRESTLING COMES TO TV THE WORLD'S BEST AMATEUR WRESTLER'S TURN PRO 13 WEEK SERIES TO DETERMINE FIRST TRUE CHAMPIONS IN 70 YEARS 

Ashland City, Tennessee---- January 18, 2004) Real Pro Wrestling, Inc. (RPW) today announced that they are organizing a fifteen hour, thirteen episode televised series to determine the first true professional wrestling champions since Strangler Lewis held the title in 1923. The series will be offered at NATPE and it will be available to broadcasters for October 2004. 

Finally the world's best wrestlers can earn a living at what they do best. Up till now the only opportunity for an Olympic medallist to continue there career was to sign up with the WWE. 'That's like Lebron James finishing high school and playing for the Globe Trotters instead of the NBA. Wrestling fans deserve to see their heroes compete against the best in the world in a real match, not an exhibition' said Toby Willis, co-founder and CEO of Real Pro Wrestling, Inc. 

The 13 episode series will kick off with a two hour special where the best wrestlers in the world will be invited to compete in an elimination tournament to determine the RPW champions in seven weight classes ranging from 125 to 250 pounds. The final episode will also be a two hour special. 

RPW wrestling combines Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, the two Olympic sanctioned sports along with elements of Sumo wrestling. The matches are conducted in a specially designed futuristic coliseum which features a raised circular mat to facilitate better camera angles and to afford the live audience a better viewing experience. 

The series will feature matches between Olympic medallists and amateur champions from all over the world, in their professional debuts, before a live audience. Some of the athletes scheduled to participate include; Olympic and World Champion, Rulon Gardner, Olympic Silver Medallists, Matt Lindland, World Cup Champion and World Silver Medallists, Kerry McCoy, World Silver Medallists and 4x NCAA Champion Cael Sanderson, 3x NCAA Champion Stephen Abas, and many more World and Olympic Medallists, hopefuls, NCAA Champions and All-Americans. A special effort will be made to recruit international grapplers. 

RPW has added a number of unique innovations to enhance the viewing experience. The circular mat allows for 360 degree camera angles and aids in covering the close quarters that wrestlers frequently find themselves in as they maneuver for position. A special scoreboard will provide fans with visual feedback during the match. It will total the points scored by the participants thus enabling the spectators to have up-to-the-minute knowledge as to who is winning. A special replay program has been designed to catch the mercurial moves that often decide a match. The replays will be shown in a rotating fashion to offer the full visual breadth of the action. 

âIt's amazing how many former wrestlers there are in the U.S. alone-millions! And when you add in the rest of the world, especially countries like Turkey, Iran, Russia and Greece where it is considered the national pastime you have a huge underserved audience just waiting to tune in,â said Matt Case, co-founder and executive vice president. 

A Sumo rule has been added to the mix of Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling to liven up the competition. A wrestler can score bonus points by pushing his opponent off the ring apron. A longer pin count and submission holds are also under consideration as added elements. 

Each show will contain biographical vignettes about the competitors. Wrestlers come from all walks of life and many of them have truly interesting stories to tell. The late Senator Paul Wellstone and the speaker of the house Dennis Hastert were both former collegiate wrestlers. Other famous and distinguished former wrestlers include; actors/comedians Kirk Douglas, Tom Cruise, Billy Baldwin, Robin Williams, Tony Danza, Ashton Kutcher, Jay Leno, politicians George Stephanopolis, Ari Fleicher, Donald Rumsfeld, business leaders Rocky Aoki (Benihana Restaurants), Scott Beck (Boston Market), James Bigger (Nestle), Ben Bishop (Bethlehem Steel), Dan Cathy (Chick-fil-a), John Filer (Aetna), Stephen Friedman (Goldman Sachs), military leaders ret. Gen. Charles C. Krulak, Rear Admiral William J. McDaniel, George Patton, Al Rushotz, and retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf. 

Negotiations are underway for a team of commentators that will include a major television sports personality as well as a former world champion wrestler or coach for the color commentary. 

The one hour weekly episodes will be comprised of two complete matches of up to ten minutes each in length and highlights from other matches. Special segments concerning the history of the sport, little known facts and explanations of the rules will also punctuate the time between matches, as well the biographical vignettes. 

Real Pro Wrestling, Inc was founded in 2002 by former Northwestern collegiate wrestling teammates, Toby Willis and Matt Case. The company is based in Ashland City, Tennessee, with branch offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. RPW is a television production company and a producer of live events. 

For more on NATPE: www.natpe.org


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## Old Tiger (Jan 15, 2004)

> _Originally posted by JDenz _
> *BREAKING NEWS:
> 
> REAL PRO WRESTLING COMES TO TV THE WORLD'S BEST AMATEUR WRESTLER'S TURN PRO 13 WEEK SERIES TO DETERMINE FIRST TRUE CHAMPIONS IN 70 YEARS
> ...




While I am very happy to see wrestling get all the press and restored popularity that it can, I am dismayed to see the statement above regarding "determining the first true champion since Lewis in 1923".  Ed "strangler" Lewis was a Catch-as -Catch-Can wrestler. He was undefeated from 1914-1940. If the new "Real Pro Wrestling" does not add submissions to their list of acceptable rules they should not even think of relating themselves to the past glory of warriors like Lewis, Stecher, Pesek, Gotch, Burns and the legendary Lou Thesz, just to name a few. Collegiate and Freestyle wrestling are decendents of Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling. Presently I am unaware of anyone competing at any level that has anywhere near the skills,experience or conditioning that Lewis or the others had. If the RPW has matches in which anything except eye gouges and biting are legal, in which there are no time limits and the winner is determined by first two "falls" or when one is unable to continue, then you will be getting close to the world of Ed Lewis.  I wish the RPW the very best, but please, don't attempt to aggrandize your organization by relating yourselves to the great Catch wrestlers of the past.  Please see http://www.ed-lewis.com/ for more info on Ed Lewis.


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