Of Fundraisers, Wish Lists and Judgmental People

On July 24th, LuFisto posted a link to her social media sites. It was to a site called GoFundMe.com and although the original message has been lost, the premise was this: she wished to move to Florida to live there on a permanent basis and work as a graphics designer (which is her non-wrestling job). Having put out feelers to companies in the state and getting encouraging responses for a job, she felt that as long as she had a job lined up, the process would be easier. That, combined with the fact that Florida has become a haven for female wrestling in particular over the past year, Lufi felt this would be the best direction to go in. However, she needed help to gather the funds to gain a Visa and move. After making her exasperation known about how much a U.S. Visa cost, fans responded offering help, and one helped her set up a page on GoFundMe. Several of the first donations came from fans on Twitter who had wanted to help originally. She then posted the link with a request for help. There were no threats, no intimidation, no pressure; it was a simple request from a woman who has put her body on the line for over fifteen years to her fans. No more, no less.

Fans responded. The goal was $2,000 and around the beginning of August, an anonymous fan donated $1,000. That, along with dozens of other donations, put her near her goal. Lufi posted this message around the 4th of August:

"Thanx to a very generous angel and all my fans who believe in this dream, I am now able to afford my US Visa. Some papers have already been sent to start the process. I only need to save more for the actual move, including bringing my loving cat. I'm so blessed to have you all. Sooooo grateful. I love you all! :)"

All seemed to be falling into place for the Super Hardcore Anime. However, 23 days ago, on August 12th, she posted the following message on the GoFundMe page:

"Dear fans and friends,

I thought I would give you an update on my US Visa. After a few discussions with an attorney, I've been looking at other VISA options. The one they were offering me can be lost at any time if the company who hires me has to let me go. It means that if I would lose my job, I lose my visa and would have to apply for a new one. I would lose your money and mine and would maybe have to go back to Canada if I can’t find something quickly. I think it would be irresponsible to do so, especially with the love and trust you are giving me by sponsoring this project. I’m looking at options where I could travel, stay for long periods and work easily when it comes to wrestling. 

Since it’s not the original project that was described here, please let me know if you want me to reimburse you (- the 5% GoFund takes on all donations) or send you the equivalent of your donation in LuFisto merchandise… Or I keep the money safe until I can get an appropriate VISA that will guarantee my presence in the States as often as I want to perform for you.

Please let me know what I should do with your donation. Want me to give it to charity? Keep your donation to invest in gear or anything else? Please let me know. I’ll keep you posted on the VISA options I get as soon as I have some news!

Thank you very much."

As is obvious, Lufi was up front with giving updates to those who donated, and for anyone who has attempted to apply for any kind of Visa, there's various pitfalls that come up along the way. Instead of trying to hide what was going on, or, worse, keep the money for herself, here she is wanting to know what the fans want her to do with their money. She encouraged everyone who gave to get in touch with her. Using her personal email account (not the GoFundMe account), she contacted every person who had donated. Some of them received their money back but told her it would be there if she needed it. Most told her to keep it and invest it either in another Visa option or purchase something for herself, telling her it was their way of saying thank you for all she had done for them. Finally, five days ago, on August 30th, LuFisto posted a final message on the website as well as on her Twitter, fan Facebook page and personal Facebook page:

"Dear friends,

Since this process seems to be taking forever and be so complicated after all – that this thing will fall through like all my other wrestling projects actually - I will close this page in the upcoming days.

I just want to say that I’m truly blessed to have such great fans like you who appreciate my work to the point of offering your help. I see a lot of wrestlers being helped for various reasons by you all and it’s just wonderful to notice such generosity and recognition for what we do. 

With that being said, having the greatest and most loyal fans on Earth comes at a cost it seems. Since this page has been opened by one of you and then managed by me, there has been so much negativity from wrestling peers… It seems anybody else can do it… But not LuFisto.

Being called a low-life, asshole and piece of shit by some of my “fellow Quebec wrestlers”… Well, I really don’t need this. After 16 years of trying too hard, I’m just tired of this BS. I’m not going to let pathetic people destroy what is left of me. Being reminded constantly that I will never make it because I’m too old and not pretty is enough negativity coming from wrestling already. These people are not worth my time or energy. 

Therefore, I need to close this page since they are using it as a mockery.

I did contact you all personally already concerning your donation so if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at lufisto@lufisto.com anytime you want.

I love you and thank you all for the love and support. You are definitely the main reason why I’m still wrestling…

LuFisto"

Now, I'm not sure what other Quebec wrestlers have been calling Lufi these names but I do know of one wrestler in particular who has been vocal on Twitter. Not just now but in the past, he has singled out Lufi for no apparent reason. He's Canadian, from Montreal but wrestles various places (such as the now-defunct International Wrestling Syndicate and CHIKARA; as well as C*4, Wrestling is, BattleArts, Smash Wrestling and NSPW). I'm speaking of Shane Matthews, one half of the tag team 3.0. If you don't know who he is, I'll wait while you Google him. Just make sure you include the term "wrestler" or else you'll get other results.

On August 29th, the day before LuFisto posted the final message, Shane tweeted this:

(Read from the bottom up.) He wrote, "The people that gave da Lufisto money to pay for her American work visa and move, did you get your money back? What a joke. Scum." Stephane Bruyere (Alchi091), the promoter of NCW Femmes Fatales and a friend of Lufi's responded that the answer was yes, that people could see this on her Facebook page and that she contacted everyone. Lufi kept each and every email to show proof of her correspondence with everyone who donated. Shane responded, "Good. How do you not research this before asking people for their money? I don't understand." Stephane replied that it was supposed to be easier; that she had all the paperwork with her but they kept asking for more. Apparently this good-sense answer wasn't acceptable to Matthews, as he went on to tweet, "Children go to school without breakfast an are hungry all day... But Lufisto needs money to move an Scott Hall needs a new hip. Sorry kids."

As I pointed out earlier, this is not the first time Matthews has taken fire at LuFisto. Fans of hers will remember that back at WrestleCon in New Jersey, Lufi went up to the top rope for a moonsault. Instead of hitting the assembled group of wrestlers below, she crashed to the floor and for several minutes lay perfectly still. I was sitting front row when this happened and she landed literally footsteps away from me. It was without a doubt the scariest thing I had ever witnessed in person. I thought she was dead. The relief I felt when she got to her feet was overwhelming and not only did she stand up - she got in the ring and executed a burning hammer on another opponent before her and Kana were eliminated from the match. It wasn't until days later that she found out she had shattered her kneecap. Fans of wrestlers know how physically tough you have to be to get into the ring, but how many of them would be able to get back up and finish your part in a match after your kneecap has virtually exploded? Not many of them. I doubt Shane Matthews would, personally.

On her website, regarding the accident, she wrote:

"Last Saturday during the Shimmer 53 event at WrestleCon, I attempted a moonsault from the top rope to the outside, a maneuver I have done before successfully. Whether it was because of miscommunication, bad timing, or miscalculation, I landed very hard on the floor. I tried to turn myself in mid-air but it was just too late.

Despite wearing knee pads, both of my knees took most of the impact, a fall of about 15 feet, right on the concrete. I lay on the floor for about a minute and decided to get up, get in the ring and finish what I had to do. Already as I had Taylor Made on my shoulders for the Burning Hammer, I knew something was wrong."

You can also hear LuFisto explain what happened when she spoke to the people at Ringbellesonline.com here: http://ringbellesonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/episode56.mp3

Which is why his tweets on April 16th, just ten days after this horrific accident, were particularly nasty, unnecessary, and seemed to be an attempt to shit-stir.

"My favorite part of girl wrestling, is when there is 7 girls to catch a moonsault, yet the broad somehow misses all of them...."

"...Then the next day blames all the girls on Facebook an asks her fans to buy her gifts off amazon. That's my favorite."

"Keep it coming ladies! This is great stuff. Don't stop, please."

"Here is da pic."

I asked LuFisto, and this is not a "work" or an attempt to generate any sort of feud between herself and Matthews. This has nothing to do with anything wrestling-related. Which begs the question: why would one half of a semi-well known tag team attack one of the best wrestlers in Canada today? Sure, I could tweet and ask him what's up, but more than likely I would get a snarky answer in reply. Matthews is mostly well known on Twitter for being a sexist asshole who takes great joy in riling up fans of female wrestling as well as females in general. I have had people tell me that this is his character and it's an act; however, in the promotion that he was arguably most well known for being in, CHIKARA, it never showed up in any of his promos or segments. Although I have not seen the match in question, in May of 2012 at "Aniversario: A Horse of Another Color", he teamed with Sara Del Rey, Jigsaw and Green Ant to defeat Eddie Kingston, Saturyne, Scott Parker and Soldier Ant. If he spoke out against teaming with Sara Del Rey, or wrestling Saturyne, it did not make it online. 3.0 had various skirmishes with Daizee Haze and Del Rey when they were part of the BDK, but again there was nothing about Matthews' character being unwilling to fight a woman or thinking that it was somehow beneath him.

To tell the truth, I know very little about Shane Matthews. I wasn't particularly interested in 3.0 when I started getting into CHIKARA a few years ago; and after seeing some of his tweets prior to his attacks on LuFisto, I had no desire to support him as a fan. Recently, they became tag team champions in a promotion Lufi has worked for before, North Shore Pro Wrestling. If the name rings a bell, it's probably because she made headlines by winning the NSPW Championship on December 8th, 2012. She was the first woman to win their most prestigious belt, a belt that had previously only been held by men. It was due to her injury at WrestleCon that she had to forfeit the belt. Coincidentally, in the beginning of August, 3.0 won the NSPW Tag Team Titles. Could it be professional jealousy that has sparked Shane's targeting of Lufi? That's pure speculation on my part, but there have always been men in all areas of life who feel jealous when a woman achieves more than they do. Wrestling, with it's abundance of egos and jostling for spots, is no different especially given the bias that women continue to deal with.

LuFisto has done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve such abuse from one of her fellow Quebecers. Indeed, this speaks to a deeper thread of judgement on wrestlers (mostly female, but there are a few men out there) who seek fan support for various reasons. Matthews also took aim at Scott Hall, who recently asked for, and received, enough donations to get his hip replaced. Now, there has been more criticism of Hall for asking for support, due to the fact that his problems with addiction have been well documented. One can safely assume that the money he made in WCW and WWF went towards fueling these addictions, leaving him without a safety net when he bottomed out. If not for Diamond Dallas Page, Hall might very well have died. His health is likely still precarious - however, enough fans were willing to give him a second chance and lend a helping hand in the Bad Guy's hour of need. The same situation occurred with Jake "The Snake" Roberts needing donations to cover his shoulder surgery. Most recently, the Necro Butcher needed help for a surgery, which LuFisto donated to and spread the word on her social media sites. God forbid that one day Shane Matthews might need a surgery but lack the funds to cover it.

Instead of seeing this as a positive sign of people's willingness to be generous, Matthews looks down on it. He also has been vocal about the fact that many female wrestlers have Amazon wish lists (tying that in with his stab at LuFisto above). In this instance, he isn't alone. There are several people who are outspoken about various women electing to make and promote their Wish Lists. Fans, fellow wrestlers and other people in the business say it makes the women in question look cheap or greedy; or that these women are trying to take advantage of fans.

Let me tell you how I see it. The majority of male and female wrestlers won't be able to make a full time living solely from wrestling. Let us be realistic here. No matter how good or deserving or hard working they are, they will not see anything like "WWE Money" in their life time. (There's no such thing as "TNA Money".) These men and women bust their ass, driving across state lines to wrestle for anywhere from 20 to 100+ people, for God only knows how much money, and most don't get the recognition, respect or pay that they deserve. They most likely will never be able to afford the finer things in life. Therefore, if I, or any other fan, sees fit to buy them a book, a DVD, a Playstation game or a goddamn iPhone, we will do so.

Why? Because it is our money, for one. For two, because we feel that the wrestlers we buy for deserve it. For all the reasons I mentioned before, but mostly because for us, it's a way to say "thank you." We say thank you by buying a ticket, buying merchandise, supporting by spreading the word about them via social media, driving hours to watch a show that they are on and giving constructive feedback when they ask for it. But sometimes, we wish to say thank you in a more personal, direct way. Most of us don't expect anything in return (and if a fan does expect something in return from a wrestler, their motives are obviously skewed.), but some wrestlers (such as LuFisto) respond with an autographed picture and a personal thank you.

Do some wrestlers abuse wish lists? Absolutely. Any instrument has the potential to be used for positive or negative. Does that make the object itself a bad thing? Not necessarily. I have an Amazon wish list. I promote it around my birthday and Christmas. I have one because it's the best and easiest way for my family and friends to know what to get me. That's the reason I assume most wrestlers make one, only include "fans" in there as well. I have seen fans ask wrestlers if they have one and encourage them to make one if they don't. I myself have encouraged a few male wrestlers to create one and they did so. That's right, it isn't just women in wrestling who have them, there are men as well. So to automatically assume it's only women is inaccurate. Some wrestlers have fun with theirs: I was told that Kevin Steen had power tools on his. Frankly, I'm surprised he doesn't have various zoo stuffed animals on it. Some zoo enthusiast! (Kidding, obviously.)

At the end of the day though, it's our money and we are not being pressured into spending it. We are not being cajoled or threatened or bullied. Often times we ask how we can show our support. Some wrestlers ask for donations to different charities, which is a wonderful gesture. Off the top of my head, whenever someone asks Veda Scott if she has a wish list, she says no and offers the name of a charity that we can support in her name instead. She doesn't put down anyone who opts to have a wish list, however. Neither do several others who want fans to show support in that way. It makes me wonder why others, like Matthews, cannot take the high road as well.

Going back to the beginning of this, I wrote this post to set out the story of LuFisto and her GoFundMe project. As has been pointed out, she neither begged, pleaded nor threatened any of her fans to donate; people donated out of good faith. And in good faith, Lufi kept everyone informed of the proceedings. When an unexpected road bump emerged, she was quick to update us and ask for anyone who had donated to contact her and let her know what to do with their money. True, there was a portion that GoFundMe kept, but it was minimal. She offered refunds or compensation through her own merchandise.  The negativity and the increasing obstacles made her decide to shut down the project. However, even AFTER making her decision known to shut it down, she received money from a fan with the following message:

"I will give you what I want, when I want to show gratitude for putting your body on the line for us for so many years. Assholes like Shane Matthews and other Quebec wrestlers who put you down because WE want to sponsor you AND NOT THEM can go fuck themselves. Here's something so you can get yourself a massage or a new gear... And THANK YOU for years of sacrifices for US."

The fact that Lufi has such a strong fan base is staggering. I wonder if Shane Matthews inspires the same loyalty, respect and generosity from his fans? Probably not. Lufi has been nothing but open and honest about this whole process. She didn't have to be. She could have easily lied and said things were progressing nicely as far as the Visa went, and took the money and spent it on clothes or what not.

But she didn't. LuFisto was honorable and respectful of us fans, direct and honest. This is the way she has always been throughout her career, taking the high road, despite the fact that others, taking the low road, may have gone farther in their careers than she has. She has kept her values and morals intact. Perhaps it is because of this that her fans are so steadfast. We see her struggles, sympathize with her pain, and rejoice in her triumphs. Maybe we see some of her in ourselves we deal with our own individual struggles.

I believe in LuFisto. I believe in a lot of men and women who have chosen this hard life that has so few tangible rewards and can bring a lot of pain and hardship to mind, body and spirit. This, the gifts, the support - all of these are my way of saying thank you...and I believe in you.