An Interview with Anonymous Fan: Part 2

This is Part 2 of my interview with Anonymous Fan, the person behind the Clinches and Quandaries blog.

In Part 1, I asked Anon about his background as an underground wrestling fan and noted how he had commissioned several custom wrestling videos. We pick up from here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rocko Mortis (left) and Hans Auslander (right) in "Give Me Your Gear": Commissioned by Anonymous Fan.

7. Do you have a favorite custom video or videos?

I do have a few, yes. A very recent one I ordered was the custom strip match between Rocko Mortis and Hans Auslander on WatchFighters, which I also recently reviewed. I had a specific outcome in mind but let them have some creative freedom and they didn't disappoint. Another favorite of mine is Callum v Dimitri 19 (CvY19) from wrestle4afee. It's an hour long brawl between two of my favorites and every second of it was brilliant. Just to complete the triple, I'd say another standout is a match between Nero and Anton Alvarez by UCW. They never got around to releasing the match, which is a shame, because it's really really fantastic.

Nero scissors Anton Alvarez from UCW #794 - UCW's videos are now at undergroundwrestler.com

8. Do you have a go-to producer for custom videos? Who would you recommend?

I'm not sure I have a go-to. There are definitely some that I've requested from more than others but I think it depends on who is best able to deliver what I'm looking for at that time, since every studio/creator has their own strengths. But to provide a more complete answer, the places I've gone to most frequently are wrestle4afee (unfortunately inactive now), UKWH, and TrickFighters. As for who I'd recommend, one of the first names that comes to mind is Jonny Firestorm. He hasn't released the match I requested from him, but I hope he does because everyone deserves to see it. Another creator I'd recommend is Rocko Mortis. He was a delight to chat with while discussing the details of my custom and he delivered one of my favorites. I'll definitely be ordering from both of them again at some point.

Dimitri bearhugs Callum (CvY19) from wrestle4afee: Commissioned by Anonymous Fan

9. What's your worst experience with a custom video? You don't have to name names. Are there any red flags to look out for?

I have two worst experiences, and fortunately they've been the only negative experiences I've had out of many. One was when I made an open request on WatchFighters, they applied and discussed some details with me, but having had discussions with other creators on the platform, I politely declined their offer to produce it for me as I'd chosen someone else. They didn't take kindly to that and started ranting about how I'd forced him to record a match without payment even though no agreement was made, and he'd produced customs before so I know he's aware of how the WatchFighters system works. Needless to say I will not be interacting with them again. The other was simply a communication issue. I'd requested something specific and I thought the outline I'd provided was simple, but they didn't understand what I was asking and gave me something totally different to the original prompt. In all fairness they offered to reshoot the video completely free of cost, which was very kind of them.

In terms of red flags to look out for, I'd say make sure the creator you're requesting from knows exactly what you're after. In terms of content, duration, location, etc. That being said, also be mindful of their own limitations. Not everyone has access to a ring or can safely perform a pile driver. Another thing to be mindful of is payment via PayPal. It depends on your trust level, but when paying using the "Friends and Family" option, it's much more difficult for you to get your money back. WatchFighters has a good system in place where they hold the money until the buyer approves the custom, though they do take a sizeable cut from both ends of the transaction so some people may elevate their prices slightly to offset that difference.

10. Out of curiosity, have you commissioned any non-wrestling customs?

I've considered it. I'd even typed out an email to a company before, but I never actually sent it out. Based on my very limited research, customs in the gay space outside of wrestling don't seem to be anywhere near as common. So many wrestling studios have their own dedicated 'Custom Requests' page or something similar, but I've not really seen that outside of maybe Film 911. I'd be open to looking into any suggestions if you have any!

------------------------------------------------------

This is the end of Part 2. In Part 3, we conclude with more questions about Anon's background, blog and taste in underground wrestling.