That noted, many people still may not understand the larger goal of RPW. While we are taking one step at a time, it is important to have a clear final goal and divide this journey into feasible steps. This goal is what we call "final status." It is the vision of what wrestling could and should be.
What we think is best, is for our pro league season to be divided into two parts, the domestic and the international. Ideally this domestic, or national season, would best be from February to April. During these three months, the teams would compete in weekly duals. The team national championships and individual national championships would then be in April.
The second part of the season would start with the US team trials. This would then be followed by Team USA competing in duals with other national teams. This international portion of the wrestling calendar would then culminate with the World Cup for the team championships, and the World Championships for the individual championships. Of course, every four years the Olympics would take the place of the World Championships.
This duality can be implemented by other countries too. RPW would be the North American League, possibly even including Canada and Cuba. There could also be a European League, a Middle Eastern League, and Russian League, a Chinese League, even a few Asian or Pacific Rim leagues. Since pro leagues are now becoming reality in many of these areas, this vision is not that unreasonable.
The countries also already have national teams and the international season is not that different from what already exists. Of course the World and Olympic Championships too already exist. We'd like to see the World Cup developed more but this is not that difficult.
This final status vision uses all the major existing events and organizations. Everybody wins. There would be a natural progression to build to the post season and wrestling would have the much needed organization and presence. By the time the Nationals and World Championships come around, fans would know the wrestlers. This is just a partial picture of the final status though. There is still more detail on rules, and styles, and the national picture from kid wrestling to college. These details will be explained in follow-up articles.
RPW is a significant part of this bigger picture. Yes, we are a pro league for US wrestlers, but we are also showing the way both with good rules and good television production. We can help wrestling on all levels in these areas.
Toby WillisLook for RPW to pursue official partnerships with other wrestling organizations in the future. Like our national founding fathers, who runs the show is not as important and the governing structure and the rule of law. We think the athletes need a significant voice in this government and power should be shared and limited. Our proposed structure will also be explored in a future article.
Just like all wrestlers are optimistic that they can improve and win championships, so too should the world of wrestling be optimistic that we can achieve our final status goals. But it takes teamwork and strong leadership. And it takes dedicated fans. Everybody has a part to play. We are only as strong as our weakest link. For our sport's sake, just make sure that link is not you.
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