Post by Darin Zion on Nov 6, 2023 11:48:30 GMT -5
“It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve spoken here. Part of me wonders if I shouldn’t turn the lights back on to this place. Sure, I’d give it a new coat of paint and come up with my own brand. There’s a part of me that really wants to watch the wrestling world burn to the ground again. Maybe burn down a bridge or two and spit on the faces of friends and enemies alike who’ve helped me in this business. I thrive on marching to the beat of my own drum.
But that isn’t maturity. I’d be failing to read the room—reacting to the cycle of emotions I’ve felt for the past few months. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about those either but here I am; standing in front of a camera. Pouring my heart out into the world.
Truthfully, I am leaving this as vague as possible. To those that read it and understand the plight behind this—you know who you are. To those that don’t—it’s best you just offer your thoughts, prayers, positive vibes—whatever make you be you.
Here goes:
It’s been brought to my attention that there’s some hidden bidding war over my exclusivity and loyalty. I know it shocks the hell out of me too. I’m at the twilight of my career in this sport. I’m an upper mid carder at best that honestly doesn’t mind helping get the new talent over. Truth be told, I thought exclusivity only pertained to Hall of Famers and Main Eventers. It’s been a long time since I felt like I had value.
To be honest with you all, I fuckin’ thought about putting on a mask and still wrestling as El Amor Real. Just seemed like a PRIME opportunity on HOW I should handle these issues.
But honestly, it’s time to be selfish. Time to draw the boundary line and officially establish the DARIN ZION BRAND publicly. Why? Because truthfully this is one of the toughest decisions in my life. I’m not getting any younger and to be honest; my time’s ticking in this hobby. And I’m getting some real offers I’d been waiting for past 10 years to see. But it’s coming at the cost of my own personal branding image.
So first before we get into the nitty, gritty details of that previous statement—let’s establish the line.
1. The Darin Zion Brand is for everyone. PERIOD! That’s the fuckin’ point of this sport—bringing people together. My brand is something I established back in 2003 in this sport. I own my branding in perpetuity. My name and likeness do not belong to anyone period. It’s not a PWX thing, a Boardwalk thing, a 4CW thing, or any other promotions. It’s solely the work of me. It’s inclusive. I won’t work for idiots that use blatant slurs like the R word or shit like that. You may personally not like the flavor of the month the Darin Zion brand brings. That’s on you, fam. The Darin Zion brand is meant for everyone to try. It’s meant for everyone enjoy that wants to enjoy it. And if you don’t want the Darin Zion Brand in your promotion the way it is and want to tweak it. Sorry! I’m a loyal motherfucker who is crazy as shit. It also means I can work for whoever the fuck I want to work with going forward and do whatever crazy storylines I want to do.
2. The Darin Zion Brand is consistent. I may not show my best effort, but I will show up every show. I’m not going to no show or screw you over (unless you break rule #1 and use a slur). If something changes, there’s going to be transparency across the fucking board. Rather parties like it or not. I believe in offering the highest honor, highest consistency. I’ve run fuckin’ companies in this sport and I didn’t like it when individuals left me high and dry. So we will have sit down conversations.
3. The Darin Zion Brand is LOVE. If we need to separate due to my brand and your brand not meshing ever (minus Rule #1’s break)—it’ll be quiet. I’ll show you respect. There’s to be NO SHITTY SIDE DRAMA involving Promotion X and Promotion Y. Leave me out of it. Maybe Promotion X had protected my back while I navigated some of the most emotionally trying times in my life for 10 years. Maybe Promotion Y donated to my Honeymoon fund. I’m not gonna screw either side of that coin. You show me love; I show you just as much love. There’s going to be no disrespecting of the people I like. Don’t flaunt your cool little cheap shots to me. I’m fuckin’ Switzerland unless a promotion is using blatant slurs.
4. The Darin Zion Brand is about REDEMPTION and CHANGE. Some of you won’t like this rule and that’s fine. But here’s the deal – there’s no grudges here. If you want to hold a grudge with me. Fine! We can continue to sit on opposite sides of the company and bring our talents together. But I’m not holding a grudge on anyone. People make mistakes. And like I stated in rule #1, accountability must be taken. But it’s not going to always be permanent. People do change sometimes. Not everyone does, but some grow and learn to understand some great life lessons. If I see change in people I’ve had issues with…I may establish a business relationship. I’ve been in this business 15 years and guess what? Life’s too short.
5. The Darin Zion Brand is about Accountability. Look I am annoying to a T. I get it. I love talking to people too much. Sometimes I need to shut up. Let’s work on finding a way to tell me to check out. I’m getting better now that life has changed for me. But if I make a mistake, let’s fix it together to make sure the light bulb works instead of short circuiting every two weeks. That’s just fuckin’ annoying to everyone. Stop means Stop. Also if I am not upholding these values, call me out so I can grow.
I think these five starting rules are a great way to encompass how myself and my brand work personally. It’s a great way to establish the accountability metrics for me and promotions I work for going forward.
Now for the next portion of this:
If you want me to break these metrics—you’d better back the fuckin’ Brinks truck up. Seriously I’m willing to wrap up my career on top. I’m willing to come to the table and open up discussions. But the bare minimum offers I’ll open for 2024 Exclusivity are as follows:
1. Hall of Fame Induction
2. A World Title Reign attempt (strict regiment to build towards it, like we establish thresholds and shit)
3. One guaranteed PPV main event singles match.
4. A Spot on the illuminati permanently…serious one. Not funny joking shit. SERIOUS one.
5. Public IC recognition of my loyalty/treating me like an adoptive son.
6. I get to amicably end things and offer other solutions aka freedom to spread myself out.
These aren’t negotiable if I am going to sell my brand out. These are the terms. Otherwise if it ain’t gonna be something we work towards permanently and you think I’m a body—let’s be real. Lower midcard guys on true wrestling shows outside WWE/AEW – they work a multitude of positions on the card. They hold multiple jobs because $100K barely scratches the surface of expenses. When they get bigger – they typically subtly say shit like this to work their way up. This is that, just a bit more extreme.
Hope this helps people understand where I am coming from now on. If people don’t like it; welp, sorry. Nothing personal. I don’t hate you. But after 2023’s life changes outside this hobby of mine; I gotta establish some boundaries to help ensure YOUR BRAND and MY BRAND are both protected. This is purely a business decision.
And if this continues from all angles—here’s my warning. You’re 1 second away from midnight. I will personally step away from all parties—I will press the button. I will turn these lights back on and I will do my own fuckin’ thing and give this place a fresh coat of paint. I’m tired of the shit. It’s why I stopped running. If I am gonna be down in the troughs wallowing in dirt and shit; I’ll just do my own fuckin’ thing.
I’m not gonna beat this dead horse again either. Here’s the rules. Either enjoy Darin Zion or don’t. The choice is yours.”
But that isn’t maturity. I’d be failing to read the room—reacting to the cycle of emotions I’ve felt for the past few months. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about those either but here I am; standing in front of a camera. Pouring my heart out into the world.
Truthfully, I am leaving this as vague as possible. To those that read it and understand the plight behind this—you know who you are. To those that don’t—it’s best you just offer your thoughts, prayers, positive vibes—whatever make you be you.
Here goes:
It’s been brought to my attention that there’s some hidden bidding war over my exclusivity and loyalty. I know it shocks the hell out of me too. I’m at the twilight of my career in this sport. I’m an upper mid carder at best that honestly doesn’t mind helping get the new talent over. Truth be told, I thought exclusivity only pertained to Hall of Famers and Main Eventers. It’s been a long time since I felt like I had value.
To be honest with you all, I fuckin’ thought about putting on a mask and still wrestling as El Amor Real. Just seemed like a PRIME opportunity on HOW I should handle these issues.
But honestly, it’s time to be selfish. Time to draw the boundary line and officially establish the DARIN ZION BRAND publicly. Why? Because truthfully this is one of the toughest decisions in my life. I’m not getting any younger and to be honest; my time’s ticking in this hobby. And I’m getting some real offers I’d been waiting for past 10 years to see. But it’s coming at the cost of my own personal branding image.
So first before we get into the nitty, gritty details of that previous statement—let’s establish the line.
1. The Darin Zion Brand is for everyone. PERIOD! That’s the fuckin’ point of this sport—bringing people together. My brand is something I established back in 2003 in this sport. I own my branding in perpetuity. My name and likeness do not belong to anyone period. It’s not a PWX thing, a Boardwalk thing, a 4CW thing, or any other promotions. It’s solely the work of me. It’s inclusive. I won’t work for idiots that use blatant slurs like the R word or shit like that. You may personally not like the flavor of the month the Darin Zion brand brings. That’s on you, fam. The Darin Zion brand is meant for everyone to try. It’s meant for everyone enjoy that wants to enjoy it. And if you don’t want the Darin Zion Brand in your promotion the way it is and want to tweak it. Sorry! I’m a loyal motherfucker who is crazy as shit. It also means I can work for whoever the fuck I want to work with going forward and do whatever crazy storylines I want to do.
2. The Darin Zion Brand is consistent. I may not show my best effort, but I will show up every show. I’m not going to no show or screw you over (unless you break rule #1 and use a slur). If something changes, there’s going to be transparency across the fucking board. Rather parties like it or not. I believe in offering the highest honor, highest consistency. I’ve run fuckin’ companies in this sport and I didn’t like it when individuals left me high and dry. So we will have sit down conversations.
3. The Darin Zion Brand is LOVE. If we need to separate due to my brand and your brand not meshing ever (minus Rule #1’s break)—it’ll be quiet. I’ll show you respect. There’s to be NO SHITTY SIDE DRAMA involving Promotion X and Promotion Y. Leave me out of it. Maybe Promotion X had protected my back while I navigated some of the most emotionally trying times in my life for 10 years. Maybe Promotion Y donated to my Honeymoon fund. I’m not gonna screw either side of that coin. You show me love; I show you just as much love. There’s going to be no disrespecting of the people I like. Don’t flaunt your cool little cheap shots to me. I’m fuckin’ Switzerland unless a promotion is using blatant slurs.
4. The Darin Zion Brand is about REDEMPTION and CHANGE. Some of you won’t like this rule and that’s fine. But here’s the deal – there’s no grudges here. If you want to hold a grudge with me. Fine! We can continue to sit on opposite sides of the company and bring our talents together. But I’m not holding a grudge on anyone. People make mistakes. And like I stated in rule #1, accountability must be taken. But it’s not going to always be permanent. People do change sometimes. Not everyone does, but some grow and learn to understand some great life lessons. If I see change in people I’ve had issues with…I may establish a business relationship. I’ve been in this business 15 years and guess what? Life’s too short.
5. The Darin Zion Brand is about Accountability. Look I am annoying to a T. I get it. I love talking to people too much. Sometimes I need to shut up. Let’s work on finding a way to tell me to check out. I’m getting better now that life has changed for me. But if I make a mistake, let’s fix it together to make sure the light bulb works instead of short circuiting every two weeks. That’s just fuckin’ annoying to everyone. Stop means Stop. Also if I am not upholding these values, call me out so I can grow.
I think these five starting rules are a great way to encompass how myself and my brand work personally. It’s a great way to establish the accountability metrics for me and promotions I work for going forward.
Now for the next portion of this:
If you want me to break these metrics—you’d better back the fuckin’ Brinks truck up. Seriously I’m willing to wrap up my career on top. I’m willing to come to the table and open up discussions. But the bare minimum offers I’ll open for 2024 Exclusivity are as follows:
1. Hall of Fame Induction
2. A World Title Reign attempt (strict regiment to build towards it, like we establish thresholds and shit)
3. One guaranteed PPV main event singles match.
4. A Spot on the illuminati permanently…serious one. Not funny joking shit. SERIOUS one.
5. Public IC recognition of my loyalty/treating me like an adoptive son.
6. I get to amicably end things and offer other solutions aka freedom to spread myself out.
These aren’t negotiable if I am going to sell my brand out. These are the terms. Otherwise if it ain’t gonna be something we work towards permanently and you think I’m a body—let’s be real. Lower midcard guys on true wrestling shows outside WWE/AEW – they work a multitude of positions on the card. They hold multiple jobs because $100K barely scratches the surface of expenses. When they get bigger – they typically subtly say shit like this to work their way up. This is that, just a bit more extreme.
Hope this helps people understand where I am coming from now on. If people don’t like it; welp, sorry. Nothing personal. I don’t hate you. But after 2023’s life changes outside this hobby of mine; I gotta establish some boundaries to help ensure YOUR BRAND and MY BRAND are both protected. This is purely a business decision.
And if this continues from all angles—here’s my warning. You’re 1 second away from midnight. I will personally step away from all parties—I will press the button. I will turn these lights back on and I will do my own fuckin’ thing and give this place a fresh coat of paint. I’m tired of the shit. It’s why I stopped running. If I am gonna be down in the troughs wallowing in dirt and shit; I’ll just do my own fuckin’ thing.
I’m not gonna beat this dead horse again either. Here’s the rules. Either enjoy Darin Zion or don’t. The choice is yours.”