AWE laying foundation for future

The first two shows out of the gate have the wrestling world abuzz about AWE. Drawing a sellout crowd of 1,300 to its first show in Waynesboro, Va., was one thing. Putting 1,100 butts in seats and selling out its next show in Palmyra, Va., 50 miles from a nationally-known company in Richmond that drew a smaller crowd that same night, is yet another.

“I know it’s going to take time, but my patience is wearing thin. We’ve been building this thing for two years,” said Marvin Ward, the founder and driving force behind Awesome Wrestling Entertainment, who has been promoting shows in Virginia since a charity event that he put on in 2001, but is now aiming at building a national company in AWE.

The AWE product is being aimed at small- and medium-sized markets overlooked by the other two national brand companies. What sets AWE apart from the others is the company’s focus on quality in the ring and production values on par with what fans have come to expect at house shows put on by the big boys.

“The lighting, sound and production sets us apart. People can say, The wrestling product, what you do in the ring, is all that matters. Not anymore. People have been spoiled. They’re used to what WWE brings to big arenas. The lighting, the sound, the video screen,” Ward said.

“We bring that. You saw that with our first show. That’s not something that people in small markets are used to in shows in their hometowns. We’re bringing to these size markets the kind of production values that people are used to seeing in the big arenas. That’s our drawing card,” Ward said.

There is no shortage of talent on the open market, Ward and AWE have been snatching up some of the top free agents on the market, including Carlito, Jimmy Yang, and a host of newcomers added to the roster this week highlighted by Shad Gaspar, a former tag-team contender who was in the national headlines following a controversial arrest in Ohio on a jaywalking charge that was captured on video and shared with the world by TMZ.

The focus is on young talent and is heavy on cruiserweights. “Fans, I think, are tired of the same old same old. They want something fresh. And I’m hoping that we can come in and give them something that makes them go, Wow, that is the change that we were looking for,” Ward said.

AWE is also readying itself for its first training camp set to begin in April. The goal is to build for AWE what WWE did for Ohio Valley Wrestling and what WCW had in its famed Power Plant, which Ward trained in before a brief run in WCW that was cut short by injuries.

“We’ve gone through an intense process of talent acquisition and development,” Ward said. “We scouted talent, checked their work. I bet you that in 26 months we went through 100 people just to pull 10 good candidates to build around. Now we bring in guys like Carlito and Jimmy and Sonjay (Dutt), people that have already established their credibility, to get these guys over. So that people are like, Wow, Micah Fletcher, I can’t believe it, last night he beat Carlito.”

Fletcher, Jamin Olivencia, Mohammad Akbar, Alex Silva – those are the names of the future in AWE.

“We’re going to build talent from the ground up. Take the first year and teach fans the psychology of wrestling. Tell a story, build a storyline,” Ward said. “That doesn’t seem to be the focus anymore in wrestling. A guy hits another guy in the head with a chair one week, they’re wrestling on pay-per-view the next week, and then they move on to the next thing. I want storylines. I want something where people will follow us and be able to build with us the storylines for months, and fans have to come see it when it comes to their town.”

Staying power – that’s what Ward is aiming at.

“Our goal for AWE is getting people to stand up and take notice,” Ward said. “Once people know who you are, then we gain the exposure for sponsorship endorsements and a network TV deal. Once we do this, there will be no stopping us. Because the wrestling is going to speak for itself. It will be AWEsome.”