Dazzlers Corner: Duty Of Care In Australian Wrestling
I have been asked to give my story on due care from a wrestling promotion to it’s workers. Before l start l want to point out some things. As a former wrestler/ promoter l love this crazy business, l want to learn as much about it as I can even now as l am approaching 65. I have watched every episode of Dark Side of the Ring and other documentaries on our business and l am shocked and disgusted by how the business was run back in the hey days and every promoter back then was guilty of not looking after their workers.
The open drug and alcohol use, the racism, the verbal , physical and sexual abuse , the bullying. it was all out in the open to see. What shocked me though is that some of the former wrestlers interviewed would laugh when talking about it as if they were proud of it. They should be ashamed of themselves and the promoters should have been held responsible and imprisoned.
Now getting to Australia from my time as a 16/17 year old getting into the business. It was very common in my early days to see wrestlers drinking booze and smoking in the dressing rooms before a show some even smoked disgusting cigars which stunk. Yes there was verbal and physical abuse but if you complained you were out.
On my very first show we worked at a club which didn’t have a dressing room or shower so we had to use the managers office and l was shocked and disgusted by one of the wrestlers doing a vile act and then another one joined in, most of the guys laughed but then the manager of the club walked in and saw this disgusting act and was repulsed by what he saw and sacked the promotion, the show went on but wrestling never went back to that venue. Now the promoter should have sacked both wrestlers on the spot but didn’t.
Certain promoters that l worked for over the years would allow wrestlers to work when so obviously everyone that were drunk, only once l refused to wrestle a guy as he was that drunk he could hardly stand up and he had pissed himself, the promoter just switched the matches around, to me he should not have been allowed to work and should have been sacked on the spot. In the dressing rooms l personally have been verbally and physically abused and had homophobic slurs against me and no promoters ever said a thing.
When l started promoting in 1991 l wanted to change things l wanted to make this business a safe one to work in, l established a strong set of rules and if you didn’t follow them you were out. I made all wrestlers come to the shows dressed in casual clothes, not shorts and thongs. No drinking alcohol backstage , no smoking backstage. If anyone turned up drunk they were off the show, if they didn’t do what they were told they were off the show. I had a couple of guys who were bullies and l had words with them and gave them verbal warnings, one went to far and nearly caused us to lose one of our clubs so l had no choice but to sack him and never use him again, the other one l had to give him 3 months out and l spoke with him every week and he came back and was a great worker and a great person.
I personally believe that every promotion has full responsibility to protect it’s workers especially when they are young new workers coming into the business. If you are bringing in workers from other promotions or other countries do your research on them and when you meet them for the first time explain your rules to them. If they don’t like it don’t use them. In today’s climate with privacy laws you can’t ask a person about their past criminal behavior, but there’s alot of speculation going around about a certain person just simply don’t take the risk as it will harm your promotion in the long run. In this business we should always have each others back.
When I trained guys and started promoting once l realised that they had a love passion and respect for this business they became like family to me. My house was their safe space, l tried to teach them not only about wrestling but life in general. I have been out of the business for 25 years and I am still in touch with most of the guys l taught.
Even now when I go to watch shows as a fan l will chat to the workers and offer advice and ideas to them. Even different promoters who promote today I have had phone conversations with them offering words of encouragement and support and I have offered advice, if they take it or not it’s up to them.
Features. Ken ‘Dazzler’ Dunlop was a professional wrestler here in Australia from 1978-2000. A former promoter and referee Ken is also the author of ‘Inside My Squared Circle’ the first ever autobiography by an Australian professional wrestler. Ken covers history features for us here at PWdownunder.com while also touching on topics like concussions, injuries’, insurance and promoting in Aussie wrestling.
