Constructive Criticism

I am a firm believer in constructive criticism. The key word in that sentence is "constructive." Constructive means it is meant to be helpful, not harmful. "Your cookies suck" is not constructive. "These cookies are very sweet. If you make them with a little less sugar, they'd be perfect." is constructive. A problem(sweetness) is presented in a non-insulting manner. A solution(less sugar) is then suggested and a compliment(to near-perfect cookies) is even issued.

Wrestlers are actually really good at constructive criticism. We watch each others' matches and try to give advice when we think something can be done better. We also give due acknowledgement when a match is good.

I have learned through constructive criticism that I tend to move too slowly. My moves often don't have enough "snap." When I watch my matches back, I see that they're right. I've been working at it; trying to make things look more authentic. I've found a number of moves that I can pull off convincingly and have tried to weed out the ones that don't work.

This could come off sounding like I'm being hard on myself. I'm not. Improving doesn't just help me. It helps every worker I get in the ring with. We have to work together. No one wants to have the shitty match on the show. A good wrestler can "carry" a less skilled one to a respectable match, but it's in everybody's benefit if the guys involved are skilled enough to not need such a handicap. The only way you get better is with practice, experience, and taking advice.

Part of this is learning to look at your matches objectively. You know what the moves are supposed to look like. You also know when the crowd is silent. It's OK to not be happy with a poorly executed move or a match that gets no reaction. The idea is not to allow yourself to be depressed about it. Figure out what you could have done differently. Save that knowledge for next time and try again.

Don't get in the habit of just picking apart your matches either. Make note of what works. The Patriot had me lay my confederate flag over him during a match and I got some of the most genuine heat I have ever gotten. I plan on using that more often now. Draping your opponent in their enemies' flag is really insulting, and the crowd knows it. Here is that match. The flag part comes at about 15:03.

The idea is to improve, not to beat yourself up when things go wrong. Sometimes you WILL be the shitty match on the card. Sometimes you will be told, directly or indirectly, that you were the shitty match of the night. I've been there more than I would have liked to have been. But when I have the shitty match, I figure out why it was so bad and I strive to make my next match the best match of the night. And I listen to every bit of advice I get.

Respect experience.
Respect knowledge.
Respect others.
Respect yourself.