Just when you think you have seen it all, heard it all, done it all in SL. Guess what? You haven’t. I’m talking to the tens of thousands of you out there who have never observed a wrestling match in SL. Premier Wrestling has elevated this contact sport to an art form seldom seen anywhere on the Grid today. Their uniquely modern treatment of a sport that is as old as mankind is truly worth your time to see.
The owners Vince Aftermath and Trey Steele-Legendary™ (DrNeurotic Resident) have combined experience of almost 20 years in SL wrestling. The Chief Operating Officer, Jasmine Tryce, has also been in SL wrestling for over 5 years. Recently I had the very real pleasure of meeting these folks, along with Premier wrestler Shereif “The Ace” and they shared with me some of the reasons for the success enjoyed by Premier Wrestling in SecondLife.
Josh Bellic (JB): How long have you been involved with Premier Wrestling in SL?
Vince Aftermath (VA): I've been involved with Premier since the very beginning which was about a year ago. Trey Steele and I sat down together in real life and said “Let's do it”. While I was away for while dealing with the real world I had a tremendous amount of support from so many of my friends who wanted me to return in some way shape or form. Some of you reading this may know me from the VAW days when I was the owner there. I believe when VAW was around it changed the game in many areas. We created the first Fan Interaction HUD and we were the only federation at the time to travel from Sim to Sim for almost an entire year all around Second Life. Now I’m back...Trey and I came back into the game with a different perspective on how SL Wrestling could be presented, taking our craft to a whole new level!
JB: I understand there are several wrestling Sims in SL. How is what you have here any different from all the other wrestling venues out there?
Shereif “The Ace” (SA): Most wrestling shows are live shows only, fans go watch live. Premier wrestling is different that its main focus is its YouTube channel. We still have fans come and watch but with a limit of 15 tickets per show, every show we do is fully taped and uploaded online for our wider range fans to watch. Also a major difference is that we are the only federation that pays its staff and wrestlers per show
JB: You limit your ticket sales for events to only 15 people? Why is that?
Jasmine Tryce (JT): We only limit each episode show to fifteen people because we want to keep the lag down to a minimum so the wrestlers can perform their matches to the best of their ability, without being hindered by the monster called lag. We also do what is called a “House Show”. This is a show we usually have off-sim and sponsor land. This is to help them not only bring traffic to their land but it also helps up get the word out about SL wrestling and Premier in general. Anyone can have a show at their land for a small fee, they just need to get in contact with me.
SA: Since our priority is on the quality of the videos.. we don't want the sim or the performers to lag when too many fans attend at same time. You said we limit it to 15, but it's more like we removed the limit all together and upload to YouTube so even 100 or 200 can watch without any lag issues.
JB: How can our readers learn of upcoming events?
VA: YouTube is our main network so please please please Subscribe. You can also follow us on our Website. So why are we pushing YouTube? By being on YouTube we are able to capture many fans across the world and not just in Second Life. This allows us to not only show them what Premier Wrestling can do but can also show everyone just how powerful the Second Life engine is. By doing this more people will come into SL for the first time wanting to participate in what Second Life has to offer. That is a good thing Josh!
JB: Vince, who would you say is the greatest wrestler of all SL Time?
VA: I'm not entirely sure, that is a very interesting question. There are three things that make a good wrestler into a star. First, you have to have the look..meaning that you have to stand out from the crowd. Second, is voicing... You connect better with the fans when you are able to talk and show your emotion. A lot of people use text while calling out their foe but that doesn't have the same effect as voicing. Last but not least is in-ring performance. Back in the day it wasn't such a big deal. Everyone had the same moveset for the most part but now, thanks to Team Wildfire and specifically the Prime Hud, you are able to do things that at one point seemed impossible to do in Second Life. If you have two out of three of these, you are on your way to becoming a huge star in the Second Life Wrestling business.
JB: Are there prizes for winning? And if so, who funds those prizes?
Trey Steele (DrNeurotic Resident) (TS): The prize for winning, is well.. You move up in standings. Each match you compete in could put you closer to the ultimate prize, the World Heavyweight Championship for the men and the Women's Championship for the women.
SA: Winning or losing doesn’t matter in our business, it's not a competition, it's a performance. We all work together (some in backstage and some in ring) to make the perfect show come to life every week so fans can enjoy it. Everyone who works gets paid by Premier Wrestling. We have partners sponsoring us in return for getting promoted on our shows, on our social medias and in our videos. We can even go throw a show on their lands to bring them traffic.
JB: In RL Wrestling, it is widely assumed that the matches are all "fixed" and the winner is usually the one with the most elaborate costume. So, your secret is safe with me (and our 30,000 viewers each month)....Are the results of Premier Wrestling Matches "pre-determined"?
VA: Haha. Well there is only one way to find out. To all 30,000 of you reading this we are always hiring. We are always looking for that next star that is ready to make an impact in Premier Wrestling. If anyone wants to know, including you, Josh, sign up and tell me how your first match goes. Hahaha.
JT: Well, let me ask you this? Would a magician tell you how he does his tricks? SecondLife Wrestling is an art form. It is a sport, it is also a skill that people work very hard to hone and perfect. Wrestlers work tirelessly to perfect their match and make it look flawless. They do it by hard work and dedication - Upgrading their moves, working on their ring skills and their presence. Are the results of Premier Wrestling matches pre-determined you ask? I ask you: Does it really matter as long as the fans are enjoying what they are seeing and having fun at the shows?
TS: Pre-determined?! I tell you what.. You step into the ring with me and I'll let you decide if its pre-determined or not. Lol
JB: Thanks for that generous offer Trey, but I think I will take a “pain-check” on that, if its OK with you. Anything else you guys would like to share with our SLE Readers?
JT: Join our in world group and go to a live house show and judge for yourselves. I think you will like what you see and if you would like to get involved we are always looking for wrestlers commentators, valets and also now extras for our shows. So if you would like to join the fastest growing wrestling federation in SecondLife, please IM me Jasmine Tryce and I can let you know how. And also check us out on YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter and our in world fan group. Thank you for your time.
If someone is interested to be a premier partner they go to this website:
secondlife:///app/group/b1f4bade-86fe-6411-5332-1775958bc075/about
So, there you have it folks. Premier Wrestling! Now available on a YouTube channel near you
SURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elston/97/184/23
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