What I’ve particularly found impressive about Femmes Fatales is the production, which is something I think you do best perhaps compared to other independent promotions. From the stage, to the lighting and having titantron/entrance videos for the girls. Do we credit LuFisto for that?
Thanks for the comment, that is really appreciated. We can credit a lot of people for the production value of the show, and LuFisto is for sure a big part of it. She did almost all the entrance videos that we present during the shows. She is pushing a lot for everybody on the main card to have their own entrance video even though this means lots of works for her. Regarding the lighting, we have someone that comes in to take care of it, that knows how to do the maximum with what we use for lighting. The stage is the exact same one nCw uses during their regular events and as a scoop, I can tell you there will be a slight change on October 8th regarding it [the stage]. On my side, I wanted the pink canvas for the ring since the beginning and was happy when we finally got it a year ago. Finally, I want my referees to be different, that’s why they have a long sleeve shirts and bowties, changing the color of the shirts one time per year, which we are also due for on October 8th!
This year you’ve presented three events, up from two last year… does this mean business is going well? Might we see four shows next year?
Actually, we did 3 events last year also. This year, we did four including the Amazones and Titans mixed tournament. For 2012, we should stick with the four shows, so we’d the three regular Femmes Fatales shows and the mixed tag tournament, unless we change our mind. I would like to do a double taping sometimes in the near future… we will see how next year goes!
You’ve brought in great talent such as Madison Eagles, Kong, Hamada etc. Is there anyone you’d like to see in Femmes Fatales that you haven’t booked yet?
There is still a good list of people we would like to have sometime, yes. For sure, legends like Manami Toyota, Aja Kong or Mariko Yoshida, who trained LuFisto while she was in Japan, are on the top of the list. Then, joshis like Ayumi Kurihara, Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kana, and Australian Jessie McKay, for example, would be nice addition. Closer to Montreal, some indy stars like Serena Deeb, Nikki Roxx and Christina Von Eerie are real plausible possibilities. It is mostly a question of budget and timing to make everything work properly. I’d rather wait for good timing than book somebody of that level and not be sure where I want to put them on the show. And I can’t go over the budget I have… Yes, I could book everybody, but I see it as a business and I need to control the budget to make profit and put that money back in the show. Too many people don’t see indy wrestling as a business, and that is the problem for those promotions.
Will Femmes Fatales continue to run in the French-Canadian provinces? Might you expand to running events in other parts of Canada?
We are open to that, yes. Again, it’s mostly a question of timing and contacts. Personally, I would not do that by ourselves. By ourselves, I mean nCw, we would need to have a partnership with a local promotion who we can trust to present those events, wherever that promotion is. We must be realistic and we know it is not possible to make millions with Femmes Fatales, but as for now, as for September 2011, we are not ready to invest money in a project that we are not sure of the possible result if we are working by ourselves. That day will maybe come, but it’s not now. There are already two promotions in the province of Quebec that contacted me to do a Femmes Fatales tourney… this is more plausible for now, but a lot of work still needs to be done.
Canada has produced some of the most successful female talent on television as well as independently. Names such as Trish, Angelina Love and Natalya. What is it about Canadian talent? Something in the water, haha?
We all know that Canada has also some of the best wrestling teachers… Ontarians have Scott D’Amore and Rob Fuego who are great teachers from what everybody I spoke with said. The west have the Harts’ wrestling school, where Natalya is evidently from. The Quebec female wrestlers have the chance to learn from LuFisto. There were and there are some really great gems on the Canadian indy scene and on TV, from Natalya to Nicole Matthews, from Trish Stratus to Portia Perez, from Vivian Vachon to LuFisto. I am honored to be able to work with a lot of those people, and I think I can dream to maybe do an all Canadian show one day with most of those names?
Femmes Fatales is often considered the “Canadian/French-Canadian SHIMMER”. What does Femmes Fatales do similarly and differently from its US counterparts such as SHIMMER and WSU?
I don’t think we can compare any of the three products. Each promotion is run totally differently, in different markets and are doing well the way they are running their own shows. We all want to give our fans a good quality of women’s wrestling and that is our biggest point in common. SHIMMER is different, doing two huge tapings per year and offering dream matches after dream matches on each taping. WSU and FF have pretty much the same concept, but WSU is doing more shows than we do. I am trying to be aware of all that is going on with the women’s indy scene by going to at least one SHIMMER taping per year in Chicago and assisting at least one WSU show per year, which I did again this year in June for the Uncensored Rumble.
What are your thoughts on on those other promotions such as SHIMMER, WSU, EVE in the UK, WILD etc?
SHIMMER has always been a model for us. We always had great support from Dave and Allison and we are grateful for that. I always have fun when I go to those weekends in Chicago. I really think SHIMMER is putting on the best matches possible for female indy wrestling in North America. They have also by far the best roster of any promotion. Madison Eagles is a pure talent and Cheerleader Melissa, who is also a regular for Femmes Fatales, is an amazing wrestler… I could continue that list for a hundred lines!
As for WSU, I would so much like to do the same number of shows they are doing, but for now it’s not possible. I think they have done a good job of building Mercedes Martinez as champion and I can admit that personally Mercedes is one of my favorite female wrestler right now! She has a the total package and I’m still trying to understand how the hell TNA and WWE did not sign that talent!
I have lots of respect for EVE as I also speak often with Dann Read. He is a great guy and I knew the first time I spoke with him that EVE would be a huge success. This will probably be the next all-women’s promotion I will visit, and I need to visit England at the same time!
As for WILD, well, I haven’t seen much but the promoter is writing a lot on Twitter so we know his ambitions. They have not done a full show so far, only a couple of matches in some promotions so it’s hard to say where they are standing right now. Only hope them the best for the future.
I really like ACW in Texas. I think the female division there is quite strong with Rachel Summerlyn, James, Athena, etc. I really would like to see more shows from them!
Would you be interested in working with those promotions to do a joint show?
I am open to everything. Like I said earlier, it’s a question of timing. I really think that a “supershow” with the best of the best and with a good association of promotions might help to bring eyes on women’s wrestling. We just need to all be on the same page on how we want to do it and where we want to go with it.
NEXT: What’s next for Femmes Fatales?
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