00:00.00 bizzyweb So we're talking about how there's so much going on in the back and all of this impromp to physicality that goes into putting on a match and then there's all sorts startling on the front end of the building where the fans are so there's the Merch. There's the food. Seeding and ah, everybody's getting a piece of it to be There seems like the trust you have to have in the organization and the the overall being of the thing has to be pretty high for it to work right. 00:37.74 Mark McDowell Right? Ah this everybody has their own piece of the the business in the the pie and you build trust over the years of you know just doing those business and putting those shows together so you got to make sure that everybody's doing their part and trusting that they're they're doing it essentially. Um, as far as between the promoters and the wrestlers over the years some guys are more dependable than others like you said there's different ranges where people do it full time and some people are doing it on the weekends or whatever and they have other obligations and stuff. And sometimes you run it to where their daughter's sick or they've got to work over time or or some of that particular nature and they're not able to to go to your show and some people give you 48 24 hours notice and some people give you 5 minutes notice so over the time you kind of. Build reputations. How dependable they are or certain things. Obviously we're all people we understand that things come up but the show does does go on and not necessarily. We totally understand why per why wrestler a had to do this particular thing and not make your show. But. Same time you got to make sure you got dependable. So it's kind of like we understand and we don't hold you fault for anything but we can't depend on you to be here so we have to book rest or b instead so things like that do come up but you're understanding and stuff you know that the world's not going to end either. You know. 02:04.45 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Hey. 02:11.32 Mark McDowell But you still got to put on a show together and make sure you got enough people to do so. 02:14.16 bizzyweb So what you're wrestling is especially is something that's built very much on reputation because there's this old school idea of K fabe that you mentioned earlier. 02:22.84 Mark McDowell Absolutely. 02:29.10 bizzyweb The bad guys were on one side. The good guys were on the other side they they all knew each other and behind the curtain. Everything was fine but out the real world you had to pretend that he really didn't like the other guys and so that's where that. Ah. 02:39.79 Mark McDowell Right? And you see a little bit. 02:44.57 bizzyweb That underscoring of of reputation management still holds true right. 02:47.99 Mark McDowell Right? And you'll see that during intermissions of whatnot you're gonna not go see some while you shouldn't see it somebody that just beat the heck out of each other for twelve fifteen minutes and all of a sudden. They're both hanging out at the merch table sharing a hot dog and tried to sell a t-shirt you know so. 03:01.20 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Um, if if if. 03:03.13 bizzyweb Yeah, yeah, yeah. 03:06.11 Mark McDowell You still you still got to keep that keep the magic alive sort of speak makes you feel a younger generation. 03:09.29 bizzyweb So I know you you guys are coming out. Yeah I know you I know you you guys are coming out of of covid and your heyday how many shows were you running a year 03:22.24 Mark McDowell We're in the average of Twenty Plus 2025 shows a year between our monthly show in des moines and then if we're doing a show outside of des moines or we're doing a paid show a festival. School celebration any sort of thing like that so that kind of doubles up which a lot of those page shows were kind of what we depended on to help pay for our normal des moines shows as well. Even though that you're hoping every show is successful and and financially successful. But. 03:48.47 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb He. 03:50.29 bizzyweb How much. 03:57.30 bizzyweb Yeah, yeah, what? what's one of the the the best memories you have from not as ah as a business owner of something that just was just really extraordinary that happened in the ring. 04:13.83 Mark McDowell Oh man, Um, as a promoter probably the best show feeling that we had was for a local high school that was doing a fundraiser for their local wrestling. So. 04:15.84 bizzyweb Just. 04:31.21 Mark McDowell And the whole community came in and filled that stadium or ah, um, gymnasium there's there's probably little over five hundred people or so but there's all bunch of kids. They're all enthusiastic all very happy to be there and I believe they raised over. 04:50.44 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Wow! awesome. 04:50.65 Mark McDowell Ah, $17000 I think for that resting room. So but was very much fun and even on the flip side. There was a a local kid down south in Iowa that was had lost his leg to to a form of cancer so we were able to book ah zach goan. 04:54.57 bizzyweb That's amazing. 05:09.52 Mark McDowell Which was a 1 leggged wrestler that went through the same thing and he was a kid and he came and wrestled and he won the belt and got the picture with the kid and know the whole family community was there and that was very much ah, a good a feel good moment type of scenario mom. 05:24.34 bizzyweb So 20 times a year in in before the pandemic you were promoting booking putting out money for arenas just for god's sake chair rental. 05:41.24 Mark McDowell Right? Sometimes I'll get to. 05:43.30 bizzyweb Ah, break bringing guys bringing guys in um, like like on average once every two and a half three weeks that's it that's a ton of work. 05:55.28 Mark McDowell Oh yeah, for sure I mean and we all most of us all have 40 hour jobs you know, chain to the desk during there and rush and do whatever you could do your lunch hour and and then after work do what you had to do to get it done. 06:10.77 bizzyweb Just so you did all that just because you love it. 06:12.85 Mark McDowell Yeah. 06:19.55 Mark McDowell In essence I guess just being part of something being. You know you're not just stuck to the average 40 hour work working for the man type of thing and something a little different brings you to other places you won't wouldn't necessarily ah go to or meet people. You wouldn't necessarily meet and. And sometimes meet some of your your childhood heroes and stuff. So it's ah it's very much ah some very extra to your life that it brings but great enjoyment when you're making all those little kids happy and their parents happy and just putting on a good successful show and. Everybody leaving happy and having a good time is very much a good, a fun feeling and and wrestling when you have everybody and to palm your hand in a match. It's very much like a drug That's why you see a 70 year old Rick flair still wrestling until he dies because it's very very much addictive and it's very hard to give up. And in your mind you know I'm turning 48 this year but you still feel like you're 18 your deep your knees will disagree with you here and there you know, but it's it's up the very very very much hard to give up. 07:23.67 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb If. 07:24.68 bizzyweb Um, ah. 07:28.17 bizzyweb What are some people you've gotten to work with over the years that were childhood heroes for you I mean besides me. 07:37.43 Mark McDowell Um, I you know the time that we did met with Perry Saron was a very fun time seeing some of them. Um I spent some time with the axl gin duggan that I always remember meeting Rick Flair Mick Foley Kurt angle um, spend some time with the dinner out with Ricky Morton hear some of the stories that he had you know I've I've met quite a few of them and I'm very fortunate to have done so is about the only one I think I haven't really met with Holk Hogan which was my ultimate hero back back in the day but maybe one day went down to shop 1 time and. Didn't catch up with them unfortunately. But ah, but it's great realizing you know they're all just they put on the same pant leg as you do you know in the morning when you're getting dressed but some of the stories they have are very extraordinary to be able to listen to. So. 08:29.10 bizzyweb Oh absolutely. So I I know you as ah as one of the good ones and in as a promoter where your words good if you tell somebody that you're gonna you come to the show. You're gonna get X amount of money you're gonna give them an envelope with X amount of money. 08:30.82 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Um. 08:46.32 bizzyweb What is some some of the ways that promotions go bad if your word isn't good. 08:51.23 Mark McDowell Um, there is a couple scenarios that comes to mind down South I think it was just a young kid that probably could really could consider it a fan. He he might have been a promoter by name. But. 09:07.59 bizzyweb Um, thank you. 09:07.86 Mark McDowell He did have the skills to bebel accomplish that or the funding to be able to accomplish that and he had a show. He didn't have a ring he was renting it and I think they came in and ah he didn't realize that the ring wouldn't fit in the venue that he had booked so he was unable to use a ring so he was. 09:15.65 bizzyweb Me. 09:22.30 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Oh no. 09:26.73 Mark McDowell Didn't have ring for his show and then he I think the biggest name he had come in in was abyss from impact at the time and a bunch of ah the the local guys that were veterans. 09:31.30 bizzyweb Sure yeah, which is just for those people who don't don't don't know Abys isn't world wrestling entertainment level talent but he's a known guy and he's he's a serious that's a serious name. 09:43.91 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Are you. 09:49.76 Mark McDowell And so short story short didn to have a ring. He didn't have money to pay guys after he paid the ring and it just snowballed from there and I think he had presallls or something like that too. So he did that So his name went complete mud and then he cut the. To do some shows afterwards and he contacted us for the ringing and it pretty much turns that you have to prepay for everything because nobody trusts that you're going to have the money afterwards or even do a show so quickly people got the message and they stopped taking bookings I think probably maybe the. 10:21.41 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb And. 10:25.98 Mark McDowell Other extreme of that it may be like ah an Ian Rotten that used to run down south I think he had a big kind of like a hardcore type scenario shows and he built up a bad reputation of maybe not paying people or not putting people in. Safe safe environments and such and so I think people still work for him because he had a name by egg you work the Ecw way back when here and there and people just kind of became a running joke type of scenario. But. 10:46.82 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb And. 10:59.90 bizzyweb So he was more out of the blood blood and guts kind of thing. 11:04.00 Mark McDowell He was just not very good practs like putting go fund me things up there to try to get money for shows again or stuff like that. Just not not very reputable and I don't think people eventually just didn't want work for it. You. 11:14.70 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Hey. 11:18.93 bizzyweb You mentioned that you started with three X W as a trainee you guys still do training right. 11:27.86 Mark McDowell Um, we do. We haven't the last couple years because pandemic and some other stuff and it's very much a a commitment and it's to couple of times a week for pretty much your old Saturdays and everything and as. I've gotten busier and and family has gotten busier. It would probably take a lot for me to get back into training again but never say never you know and you still have to come up with facilities and stuff like that and right now ah trainings. Pretty decent in Iowa, especially when you have current Ww's star um well I name is Tyler block but Seth Rawlins and the debt the bucharyy and they have ah classes booked up every every eight weeks and they got a nice crossfit facility and stuff like that. So. That's kind of harder to compete with but but we we still did and we still produce quality wrestlers that still wrestle all over the midwest now. So we're very proud of our our program but it's it's a very much a big commitment outside all the commitments that you have other. 12:33.13 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb A. 12:34.99 Mark McDowell W reststling yourself and and running a promotion and and working family itself so you definitely definitely need to set up the time in the program to be able to do it correctly. Some people just take your money and put you in a ring and telling you to wrestle some of the other than. Create ah a broke of foundation somebody else has to fix down the line if they want to actually continue and and be able to be trusted as a rustler in the midwest. 12:58.90 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Right. 13:01.60 bizzyweb Or little ah literally a broken anything at that point so you from the business standpoint If if if your words not good. 13:04.20 Mark McDowell Right. 13:14.80 bizzyweb Pro Wrestling is a great way to lose a lot of money fast. 13:15.76 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb So. 13:18.89 Mark McDowell Oh for sure on either end I mean it's very much a a gold sink if you will even even ah right now with AeW and Tony Khan which is considered probably the second biggest promotion here in the United States I don't know. 13:35.89 Mark McDowell They projected to make any money like several years into it you know and since they like these new football you know xfls and stuff like that while I'm predicting that they're not making any money in the first 3 or 4 years. But obviously at that level the money is a lot bigger than what we're talking at an independent level. But It's very much it takes a lot of money to be able to do anything and the returns definitely not guaranteed. 14:01.25 bizzyweb What are some of the things that you've learned from owning the wrestling business and being in the wrestling business and that have translated into your your day job your 40 hour a week job. 14:16.83 Mark McDowell Um, I've actually learned that wrestling is almost more real than dealing with real business people. We always said wrestling with carny or whatnot but dealing with some of these other people you. 14:21.91 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb He. 14:31.38 Mark McDowell Quickly learn that maybe that's not the case but um, but as ah as a professional my real job I work in procuring ah raw materials and I do planning and scheduling and and engineering for an envelope manufacturer so reaching out and doing little. Working with little to nothing in the wrestling has learned as trans over bringing savings to my real job I I think I saved 200% last year of our daily of our yearly savings goal into that. So bringing some of that stinginess and and. You know, looking out and trying to find the best deals whatnot has really kind of came over and you know dealing and talking trying to convince somebody that wrestling is a good idea in their venue or their town or their school has transitioned into into the sales aspect of my job as well. And just dealing with people and dealing with all sorts of situations learning to be flexible and not committing to 1 thing and turning around and turning it into a good thing you know and thinking on your feet and just being constantly ah moving and evolving I think. It really translates well into the business world. 15:49.70 bizzyweb Awesome! Well, ah thank you so much for joining us. Dave did you have any questions you wanted to? yeah. 15:54.45 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb This this has all been fascinating and I think especially on the last round when we were just talking about the things that you brought into your your corporate world the entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to read and know and perform with other people at a high level. Has got to be a huge leg up in anything that you do so I'm super excited to have Matt you Mark and thank you for joining us today. 16:21.41 Mark McDowell Is my pleasure got a lot of fun. 16:23.19 bizzyweb If people wanted to come to a 3 x w show. How do they find you online. 16:31.99 Mark McDowell We have a website through xrestling.com and then you can also find this under 3 x wrestling Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube and all all those social media platforms. We have a presence saying. Ah. 16:48.29 Mark McDowell And we were very much looking forward to ah, starting out the year and we start off with bang with 2 big shows already and we look forward to getting back into a monthly monthly. Ah timetable and we can have fun again. 16:58.92 bizzyweb Well let let's let's promote but let's make sure we promote your next show When's your next big show. Where is it. 17:07.24 Mark McDowell Um, unfortunately we don't have a a confirmed date yet. But we're looking right about March area at Woolies in Des Moines it's a nice, really cool music venue and we've we had a band in that first show and it went wover really? well. So I think we're gonna continue the entertainment during the intermission with. 17:11.29 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Perfect. 17:24.61 Mark McDowell With music as well. Bring back that rock and wrestling angle again. 17:27.58 Dave Meyer_ BizzyWeb Love it. 17:27.68 bizzyweb Love it. Mark Mad dog thank you so much for joining us and keep dialing it in buddy. 17:36.59 Mark McDowell Sounds good.