Andy Quildan discusses getting RevPro through the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Revolution Pro Wrestling was one of many promotions and companies that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020. Prior to the pandemic beginning, RevPro’s last show was March 8th and they returned in August 2020 for their ‘Epic Encounters’ show.
RevPro is back in motion and they recently crowned the 2021 British J Cup tournament winner in ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey. Promotion owner Andy Quildan recently chatted with Martin Bushby on the British Wrestling Experience podcast and reflected on the task of financially getting RevPro through the initial stages of the pandemic.
We [Revolution Pro Wrestling] got some funding. Unfortunately, I was unable to personally get any funding due to being a self-employed Director of a company who couldn’t furlough himself because you know, technically I couldn’t furlough myself. Well I guess I’m employed by my company but I couldn’t furlough myself because I’m a Director and have to, you know, for the company to be able to exist, there has to be a Director in operation so I couldn’t personally get any handouts per se. The wrestling school got some grants which were helpful and without the grants, we wouldn’t have been able to stay open, but it was a standard small business grant. Anyone with properties were able to get [it], with which — and again, in the early part of the pandemic, we were able to get a small grant and when we applied for the wrestling promotion, their two separate companies and when we applied for another grant, we were told that technically, we weren’t mandated to close or the office wasn’t mandated to close so despite the fact that we’re an events organizer and we couldn’t run events, we were still able to have the office open and plan events, therefore we weren’t entitled to that round of funding. So like I said, it was tough and — but I don’t wanna sit here and be like woe is me because if it wasn’t for — for example, the lower interest rate loan, if it wasn’t for the initial grant, if it wasn’t for that stuff then we couldn’t have been able to weather the storm and it wasn’t for being able to defer our last V.A.T. payment or the first V.A.T. payment of the pandemic then we wouldn’t have been able to survive, you know?
The conversation turned over to Andy’s early days in the wrestling business. He once aspired to be a full-time referee and although he had aspirations of being a booker, he never wanted to be a promoter.
So many promoters will just use a trainee wrestler as your referee, because you know, it’s an overlooked role on the show but I was like, you know, ‘I want to be the referee.’ I never wanted to be — don’t get me wrong, I always had aspirations of being a booker. I never, ever, ever wanted to be a promoter. I still don’t want to be a promoter but you know, needs must, right? And I don’t wanna do a number of the jobs that I do but you know, hey, you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to get on and do it.
Over the weekend, Big Damo, the former ‘Killian Dain’ made his return to RevPro and took on Yota Tsuji. It was his first match for the promotion since 2016.
The next episode of the British Wrestling Experience podcast releases on 11/11.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the British Wrestling Experience with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
