My name is Tony Givens. I'm and indy worker from Northeast TN. At 21 years old, I've already compiled 5 years of experience in the wrestling bussiness. While, I realize that 5 years is nothing compared to alot of guys, I have seen my share of things in the last 5 years. When most fans think about the indies, They think about ROH, CZW, 3PW, or any of the NWA promotions out there. But there are hundreds of other Indy promotions in this country. Some promotions, like the one I promote which can be found at www.southernstateswrestling.com (cheap plug), are good promotions, they just are based in smaller markets and don't get a whole lot of coverage. For every good indy promotion out there, there are 5 extremely shitty outlaw promotions. I've probrably been booked on a 100 shows for promotions like this... And I'm sure every worker who has laced up his boots can say the same.

When you walk into a locker room of an extremely shitty outlaw promotion, there are certain prototypical gimmicks that you WILL see... And here is a listing of those gimmicks:

1. "The Patriot"- There is always somebody either doing a straight Patriot rip off gimmick or wearing patriot tights. Most of the time these guys will actually have themselves advertised as "The Patriot".

2. "GI Joe"- On outlaw shows you always have a guy (or guys) wearing army fatigues. Complete with those hard ass combat boots.

3. "Matt & Jeff Rolled into One" - You will always find no less than 10 workers doing the Hardy Boyz gimmick. Complete with pants they bought from the mall.

4. "Biker from Hell" - You always see somebody doing a satanic biker gimmick. Complete with Tattoos and most of the time accompanied by a Biker Slut (see # 6)

5. "Satanist" - For some reason outlaw guys are obessed with Satan and Hell and it reflects in their gimmicks. What gets me is that alot of these guys are babyfaces.

6. "Skanky Slut"- You always see half trained whores that are just there because they are screwing one of the wrestler or one of the wrestlers is trying to screw them.

7. "The Old Timer" - The guy in the outlaw locker room that has worked 20 years doing outlaws shows and has never had a run anyway. The other guys look up to him like a god, even though he never learned to work.

8. "The Tough Guy" - This one is my favorite... It's always the real skinny guy wearing chaps and a leather vest leaning against the wall smoking. He doesn't introduce himself or talk to the other workers. He can't work, he can't fight, but that's ok because he believes his gimmick and thinks that he really is tough.

There are many other outlaw gimmicks, but those are the main ones... Back in the day, every outlaw promotion had their own "Doink the Clown", but that phase has past. I sense that the next big rip off gimmick in the outlaws will be a John Cena type "white rapper/ thug" gimmick.

It's really pathetic because all guys really think that these lame gimmicks are gonna take them somewhere. One day these guys will realize, it's the not the gimmick that is gonna make you or break you, it's you.

Next week, I'll be back talking about some of the worst shows I've ever been on... Until then check out my promotions page, www.southernstateswrestling.com , and thanks for reading.

by Tony Givens..