I kind of hate that there's enough material out there for me to work with that the concept of a "Bad Wrestling Posters" blog could turn into a recurring series of blogs. Then again, I kind of like it because even though I am going to spend a majority of the time nit-picking other people's flaws (serving as host to people who want to complain is what the Internet is for, after all - the part that's not for porn and cat videos, obviously), I'm going to spend at least part of the time by talking about efforts made by federations and individuals who are publishing some really high-quality material when it comes to poster art.
Case in point, the poster below for Firestar Pro Wrestling's June 2014 event, "Path to Glory".
I dig this poster a whole heck of a lot because it's very unique, or at least it is to my eyes. The talent are featured, front and center, with clear, high quality images of each competitor. The logo for the event makes for an attention-getting visual that's also effective in delivering information as the date, location, and address are all there. The color choices make for an easy-to-read layout that doesn't make a viewer have to struggle to find out any pertinent details. It's a great poster and FSPW should be commended for having the wherewithal to treat their product so professionally as to promote it with this kind of work.
Next, we have another strong presentation, this time from WrestleForce. This poster represents their upcoming June event, "Meltdown".
As much as I like this poster for how it succeeds in getting the point across, there is one big issue I've got with it and it is something that I have noticed seems to be a recurring matter with WF's posters. Do you see how the images of the wrestlers look kind of washed out, as if the pixels have been overly smoothed? It's an effect generated by a number of filters that are available in programs like Photoshop. I don't know why anyone would do that, except to either try and put their own spin on how a poster should look or to try and cover up what might be construed as shoddy stock photos. In this situation I think it's the former instead of the latter because I've seen a majority of those images used elsewhere and they most certainly are not shoddy.
The image above is actually the second one I've seen for Meltdown. The first was even more guilty (Guiltier?) of filter abuse. They made Vordell Walker (upper-right) look like Martian Manhunter, for crying out loud, and Bob Keller's face (middle-right) is just plain odd.
The next two posters are another set of examples of what a "tweener" is when it comes to wrestling posters not being entirely bad yet not being all that great either. They come to us from High Volume Pro Wrestling and the North Carolina Wrestling Association.
I am of the opinion that using text to inform your audience that someone is a former this or a current that is an absolute waste. Why? Two reasons: 1) If the talent in question is a current star or legitimate legend, wrestling fans probably already know who they are, and 2) it doesn't make any sense to me to promote talent by using the fact that they got fired from some other company. In some cases, talent are let go not because of budget cuts but because they did something illegal or otherwise against the wishes of the promoter. That would be like me applying for a job at Google after I'd been fired from Yahoo for making all the links in ads redirect to a sub-Reddit about 2 Girls 1 Cup fan fiction.
Before we move to the next poster I want you to retain the image above of "The Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant. Hold it where you have it, now move on to the poster below.
Hairstyles change and beards can be shaved but the point I'm trying to make here is that the Jimmy Valiant you see on these posters is not the Jimmy Valiant you'll see at these events. Likewise, Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton have a few more miles on them than they did when the photos used in these posters were taken (Kevin Sullivan actually doesn't look that different, so I won't pick on him). Here is a photo with Valiant, Gibson, and Morton was taken earlier this year.
Pictured left to right are: Ricky Morton, Jimmy Valiant, George South, and Robert Gibson. Do their appearances make them any less able to work a crowd? No, absolutely not. Be that as it may, what bothers me is that promoters use 20 year old photos to promote talent. The thing is, even though it bugs me I get why they do it. You'll never find a more obvious form of promotion via nostalgia than in the confines of pro wrestling. Fans adore their heroes because, in their eyes, the Rock 'N Roll Express are still the Ricky & Robert they grew up watching.
I've already picked on High Volume Pro Wrestling once in this entry and I'm going to do it again. This is the poster for their May 10th event.
What is the deal with all the lens flare effects? Much like the filters used in the WrestleForce posters, these lens flares are out of control. I could see one on the promotion's logo because it looks like it might be a legitimately reflective surface but the rest are just there I assume because whoever designed this thought it would look cool. It's not cool, at all. You know who can use excessive lens flare and get away with it? JJ Abrams, because he's brilliant and rich. You know who can't get away with excessive lens flare? You, because you put them where they have no rightful reason to be!
Before I go further I want to say that I can appreciate the next poster for what it is because it has some good features. Much like why freshly pressed grape juice isn't ever going to pass for wine, this poster from Carolina Wrestling Showcase merely lacks the refinement required to become a quality piece of work.
You could take those stock images and make a really good looking poster. I think this is an example of someone having the desire to make a top notch poster but who might not have the tools or training to make something like the ones I've presented from Premiere Wrestling Experience or Firestar Pro Wrestling. Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be to have an idea in your head that you can't express because you need an airbrush and all you've got to work with is a ball-peen hammer. They're on the right track at CWS, so I hope they continue to move onward and upward.
Did you know that pro wrestling posters can suffer from ADD and ADHD? Well, they can - proof of this comes in the form of this poster from Livewire Wrestling's "RECHARGED!" event.
There's just too much going on here, plain and simple. I understand that you want to promote the card but you cannot get every match nor every wrestler under your employ onto a poster. You wind up with something like this where the text runs together and detail in what might otherwise be high quality stock photos is lost. Additionally, for the love of Pete Sampras, do not put dark text on a dark background! This isn't a game of "Where's Waldo?" - we want people to be able to find what we're selling quickly and easily, and you don't facilitate their doing that by making the pertinent details as difficult to read as possible.
I'm going to single out one aspect of the following poster because even though there's way more I could rip to shreds it's the one thing that caught my eye more than anything else. This is a poster for Ring Wars Carolina.
Hangtyme is the RWC heavyweight champion. Hangtyme? From the look of him it's more like Hightyme. I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that guy was at least half-baked when this photo was taken. What you're saying to me, as a fan, by having a guy who looks like this as your champion is that your whole promotion is iffy at best in terms of quality. I don't care if he can work better than CM Punk, Eddie Guerrero, and Arn Anderson combined - he looks like he's stoned and his physique is questionable at best. (Seriously, I don't know that I've ever seen a wrestling poster where everyone on it was wearing a shirt.)
Be advised, from here on out we're dealing with the worst of the worst. It gets pretty bad pretty quick thanks to this poster from All Pro Classic Wrestling for their "Over the Line" event.
Don't look at me, I told you it was going to be bad!
No discernible logo or brand presence - check.
Distorted photos - check.
Randomly spaced chunks of text - check
Word Art - check.
Guy with a mullet holding a replica belt - check.
There's nothing there to be considered redeemable. I don't know who made this or what they made it with but I think a 6 year old with a pair of scissors, some stick glue, and half a pack of Crayons (not fresh ones, the ones that have been mostly used and look like the amputated leftovers of Crayons) could've done a better job.
The next two posters are genetically related. I won't call them twins but they're definitely from the same family tree, a tree that doesn't have that many branches if you catch my meaning.
I have an idea of what promotion the poster above is from (Carolina Christian Championship Wrestling, I want to say) but I'm not absolutely certain so I won't drag them through the mud by name. That's a pet peeve of mine; I feel like every promotion should have a striking logo that is identifiable and that elicits a reaction. Another pet peeve of mine is design decisions that make absolutely zero sense. For example, what the heck is going on in the background of this poster? Is the upper half sand and the lower half a chipped block of ice? I have no idea! Regardless of what it may be, why's it there? What's the point? And why are the wrestlers so tiny? (Nevermind the fact that there are referees featured on a poster.) Those don't look like bad stock photos, there's no reason they should be competing with what I assume are droplets of water. It makes no sense! (Remember my comment about wrestling posters where everyone's wearing a shirt? I think in this instance the one guy who should be wearing a shirt isn't but everyone else is.)
I'm not going to spend much time on the next poster because I have a feeling that the same person made it and the one above. Why? Well...
Same main event. Same poorly cropped image of Rage Davidson. This one makes matters worse because I believe the text running down each side of the poster is information on sponsors. I guess that would be clearer if it were printed in an 11" x 17" or larger format but as is it's not at all legible, so I'm sure those folks are happy that their money went towards getting them that level of exposure.
Last and most definitely least is this poster from Modern Day Warriors Pro Wrestling.
This poster literally makes my eyes hurt. It's like looking into a welder's arc while having sulfuric acid injected underneath your eyelids with a hypodermic needle. Whoever made this should never be allowed to touch a digital camera or a computer ever again lest they unleash something like this upon the world again.
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