Crowbar Claims He Was Bullied In ECW Locker Room For Pursuing An Education
Veteran indie wrestler Crowbar was recently a guest on our WINCLY podcast. During his chat with Wrestling Inc. managing editor Nick Hausman, Crowbar explained the importance for independent wrestlers to have other sources of revenue.
A veteran of over 25 years, Crowbar is one of the few wrestlers to have wrestled matches in WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA and ROH. He also has a degree in physical therapy, so he is prepared for life after he steps out of the ring. He revealed that he was bullied in the locker room for pursuing his degree, but he is proud that it never deterred him from getting it.
"If you want me to be frank really, I'm at the point where I don't care anymore. Most of those guys s**t on me for studying in the back of the locker room. People talked s**t when I was in ECW because I would bring my books and I would study. I would go do indie shows and I would be doing homework, and they mocked me. I don't wish ill upon them, I wish success on everyone, but I knew the business was finite, that it ends someday," Crowbar said. "For me it's not over, but it's not my way of life, it's not my career, it's not how I make money right now. But I can say 80-90 percent of guys gave me s**t for it, and I hold my head up high and I think I'm better off than 95 percent of them. And I'm not saying that to be snarky, but I took a lot of s**t for years, everyone looked down upon me trying to do both, and I'm in a much better place for it right now."
Crowbar was also asked about some of the differences he sees between current wrestlers and superstars of the past. He said he's happy to see much less prescription drug abuse among wrestlers, and to see an increase in wrestlers pursuing side jobs and educations. He said the greatest advice he can offer to young wrestlers is to find a way to prepare themselves for life after wrestling.
"You really see a lot less prescription drug abuse, which is great. The newer generation seemed to have learned from the guys from the past and all their downfalls. You see a lot less drug use, guys go out and they tear it up a whole lot less because wherever you go there's a cellphone with a camera. Guys used to do some stupid stuff and there was no accountability, now wherever you go there's a cellphone and a camera waiting to record you doing something stupid. But you do hear of a lot more guys that are doing online classes or they have a side job, and you have to," he said. "They'll ask me in the locker room, and I'm going back 10 years, 'Do you have any advice?' And I always say, 'What else are you doing besides this? Because there's gonna come a day when this is gone. If you want to support yourself or if you want to support a family on an indie wrestler's salary, it's not gonna happen.' You'll meet all kinds of guys on the indies that claim they're killing it and making all kinds of money. If you find me that guy that says he's killing it on indie wrestling, that he's bringing in all kinds of money, I'll look him in the face and say, 'You're a liar, because you are, because it doesn't happen.' It's a passion project, it's something you do to work up to the next level. But if you talk to anybody that says they're killing it on the indie circuit, they're lying to you."
Crowbar and Rescue Mania just concluded their most recent set of tapings for their upcoming YouTube series.
Subscribe to Wrestling Inc Audio on iTunes to get the latest episodes of the WINCLY as soon as they are released. You can listen to the WINCLY episode featuring Crowbar, as well as Gail Kim and Brian Cage, in the embedded player below: