Freddie Prinze Jr. reveals plan to start wrestling promotion in next 18 months
Actor and former WWE creative team member Freddie Prinze Jr. has outlined his plan to start his own pro wrestling promotion in the next 18 months: one that could see him potentially run up to three years while not making money.
The subject was first broached on a recent interview he did on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour. On his Wrestling With Freddie podcast Wednesday, he said he finally wanted to talk more about his dream of doing it.
The promotion has yet to be named.
How it started
The bug to start his own group began when he helped out a friend who was working for an unnamed promotion that was looking to get a TV deal. After meeting with the promoter and understanding the product, Prinze agreed to help make some connections even though he and the promoter came at things from two different philosophies.
After a meeting with The CW, he and the organization parted ways and the group later got a deal according to Prinze. But he said the experience was like being in a dream that he didn’t want to wake up from so he began outlining a plan for his own group.
He began by talking to his accountant who said he needed to start working again so he didn’t need to dip into his savings he built over years when he was acting regularly.
While he fell in love with acting again doing a romantic comedy for Netflix, he talked to podcaster Sam Roberts who suggested he check out GCW. From there, Prinze started doing a deep dive into all kinds of promotions, listening to podcasts from Jim Cornette and wrestlers to understand their philosophies, talking to people involved in the business, and scouting local venues.
The plan
“I started saying I can accelerate the plan or keep the plan as it is, do a few more (movies), and own the space which I believe is the plan I’m going to execute,” he said.
That plan will be to get his fledgling group up and running within 18 months. It could be sooner but that would require Prinze to move to Australia and leave his family for three months, presumably for a high-paying acting job.
Prinze said he has a commercial realtor friend already looking at properties as he hopes to have a full-time home for the group.
He said that the plan was originally to run for two years without needing to make money but now, he joked that he believes he has enough money to run over three years before he has to do another Scooby Doo sequel.
He noted he’s not hiring yet despite getting inquiries from wrestlers, referees and more following the Helwani interview.
While not fully committed to the length of a TV product, he said he is thinking the show will be two hours to start, but doubts he will have a TV contract right away.
His group will have storylines based in reality with men and women getting equal time.
He said he wants his wrestlers to also become Screen Actors Guild members, entitling them to benefits that SAG members get like insurance, medical benefits and retirement plans that entails.
He said he has already begun making investments in the company, recently purchasing an expensive used light kit that is sitting in his storage facility.
He would be looking to bring on a booker as he “can’t book to save his life” but knows what he is good at which is the creative end of things.
Prinze was a member of WWE creative from 2008-09 and 2010-12.