Posted by Jack Lord on October 14, 2009, 3:57 pm, in reply to "Re: gotta question"
The State of Alabama has recently re-opened the State Athletic Commission to enforce regulations on both professional wrestling and boxing. It has not been funded since the late 1970's. The new Commission members are currently meeting to set standards and rules to encompass both sports.
From what I understand, the first order of business for wrestling is to have all promoters licensed, which will include proof of insurance from each one before they are allowed to present any events after a yet to be determined date.
The other order of business will be the licensing of all wrestlers, referees, announcers, etc. (basically, anyone who works for a promotion will have to be licensed). I've heard that that fee could be anywhere from $50 to $100 per person per year, but I don't know if that is the fee for sure.
I have wrestled in several states that require wrestlers to be licensed (Kentucky, Mississippi, California, New York, South Carolina are a few). There are athletic commissions set up in every state, though my understanding from a friend in the WWE, is that only about 20 enforce the licensing by the wrestlers themselves. The other states just concentrate on enforcing the promoters to pay taxes.
Setting standards for our industry will help both our wrestlers, promoters and fans to have a better product.
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