User:S dandridge
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Jacques MaShawn Dandridge, Jr. (born June 26, 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee), better known by his ring name "Mr. Controversy" Shawn Dandridge, is a former American professional wrestler and former owner of the United Wrestling Federation. He has been one of the leading personalities in Midsouth professional wrestling since early 2000.
[[Shawn Dandridge and TAJJ Wrestling]]
“Mr. Controvery” as he was called during his wrestling tenure, started as co-owner of TAJJ Wrestling, Inc. also based in Memphis, TN. At the age of fifteen (15), Shawn initiated a contract with then owner Adam Dunn for a 51% controlling stake in the company for a generous amount of $2,000.
That same year, Shawn took a failing wrestling company on the verge of shutting down and turned it into a powerhouse of a wrestling company. Shawn also expanded the audience of TAJJ Wrestling by producing four (4) weekly television shows on Memphis Cable access Channel 17 along with Adam Dunn.
At the time when Shawn took over the company, wrestling shows were being held at the same location, 2525 Summer Ave. on a weekly basis. Mr. Dandridge then put together a task force of the smartest people in which he could find and started to get TAJJ Wrestling to do road shows. Planning, preparation, and execution took only about two (2) months and TAJJ Wrestling was out of their studio and doing live wrestling shows around Memphis, TN.
Their very first road show, TCW Total Chaos, at the Creative Life Learning Center drew and estimated thee hundred (300) wrestling fans to watch the event. After seeing how hugely successful TAJJ Wrestling was beginning to come, Mr. Dandridge and the rest of TAJJ Management took things one step further. An annual event in Memphis called “Memphis in May” which showcases some of the world’s most famous BBQ was in town a few months down the line and Shawn had a brainstorm of getting TAJJ Wrestling in the center of all of the action.
After calling up some of the higher ups in charge of the event, TAJJ Wrestling had an all access pass to produce and host live wrestling for three (3) consecutive days in the heart of Memphis. This event drew an estimated 2,000 people over the three day period to TAJJ Wrestling. This will forever be the most successful show in Shawn Dandridge’s wrestling and business career.
But as with all things, political and selfishness got in the way of the steamroller that took southern wrestling and Memphis by storm; On July 16, 2004, TAJJ Wrestling closed its doors forever and ended an era but that wasn’t the end of Shawn Dandridge.
[[“Mr. Controversy” is Born]]
After the closure of TAJJ Wrestling, the southern Indy circuit surely thought they had seen the end of the arrogant Shawn Dandridge but history didn’t quite turn out that way. After months of taking ridicule and slanderous remarks at every wrestling event in town about the debacle concerning TAJJ, Shawn entered the wrestling world this time not as an executive but a professional wrestler.
“Mr. Controversy” Shawn Dandridge, as he was referred to as now stated that he had a personal vendetta with then co-owner of TAJJ Wrestling, Adam Dunn and would do everything in his power to take Adam Dunn out. Although wrestling is meant for entertainment purposes, Shawn took shots on several people’s families and them personally.
It even got to the point where Mr. Dandridge was continuously threatened with life ending phone calls and hate mail. This did not defer Shawn from once again taking the world by storm with his “Mr. Controversy” gimmick. Not many wrestling promoters in the area liked Shawn because of his unethical business tactics when running TAJJ but none of them could deny the promoting power that Shawn Dandridge had. Most wrestlers hated working with Mr. Dandridge because he was always arrogant, cocky, and rude with good reason.
One former wrestler who wishes not to be identified had this to say: “Shawn Dandridge is one of those people you have to love and hate at the same time. Although his management style was pretty much, his way or no way at all, he put butts in the seats and money in our pockets. I can safely say that I made more money wrestling for Shawn in two years than I had made in my previous three years before that and I have nobody but him to thank for that. On the other hand, the guy was a straight up asshole, if you couldn’t wrestle or needed a little bit of tweaking, don’t look his way or any type of sympathy. It was either know your shit before you hit the door or get fired because he was all about making money and that he did damn well.”
Promoters also state that Shawn Dandridge didn’t come cheap either. Here’s what one promoter had to say: “The guy had a bottom line price of $500 per appearance, weather it was to cut a promo for five minutes or wrester for twenty. $500 was the price for “Mr. Controversy” or he wasn’t showing up, plain and simple.”
While still doing independent bookings, Shawn decided to give wrestling promoting one more chance. This time he set into going in alone and started the United Wrestling or UWF. Along with some trusted confidants from TAJJ, Shawn set out to one up what he had did at TAJJ Wrestling but things didn’t work out the way he planned.
UWF, during its short life only held two shows and drew and estimated 200 people between the both of them.
I’m Done!
At the age of eighteen (18), Shawn Dandridge publicly announced his retirement from the sport of professional wrestling forever live on TCW Tuesday Night. Shawn stated the reason he was ending his career so early because there was nothing else for him to prove in the sport, at least in the Midsouth area. Before the age of eighteen (18), Shawn Dandridge was the youngest successful wrestling promoter in the history of professional wrestling, had a backing of over 2,000 fans and an official website, ShawnDandridge.com. Some speculate that Mr. Dandridge made an estimated $65,000 of the sport of pro-wrestling during his five year reign. At the age of sixteen (16), he had 55 wrestlers and twenty employees at his wrestling company.
We tried to contact Mr. Dandridge for this interview but he declined to be interviewed for this piece after repeated requests but Shawn did send an e-mail and in that message a piece read:
“I never want to compete in the sport of professional wrestling ever again. Sure, the sport was good to me but I have more bad memories than good ones. Sure, I was one hell of a promoter and did great things for the sport in Memphis and the surrounding areas but I wouldn’t be involved with wrestling for all the money in the world. I proved to each and every one of you fuckers who said I couldn’t do it or that could never be done or you’re crazy for throwing your money away with wrestling.
All I ever wanted to do was prove everyone who ever doubted me wrong and I’m pretty damn sure I did that and then some. So now you back country hick pieces of shit can have the sport that I built from the ground up in the South back because I’m done. And hey, once you guys get finished running it into the ground again, who knows I might come back to save your sorry asses. But as for now “Mr. Controversy” Shawn Dandridge is done with professional wrestling. There you have it. I’m done.”
Conclusion
As you can see, age doesn’t matter if you have the dream, the drive, and the ambition to do something great. Although Shawn Dandridge wasn’t the most well liked person in and around the Memphis Indy circuit, he surely did the most things of any Indy wrestler known to date in his short career. Is this really the end of an era? Is Shawn Dandridge really finished with the sport that brought him fame and fortune? Many people say that Shawn is the type of person that can’t live without being on top of the world and in charge in some sort of fashion and they are for sure he will be back. Others say that he’s finished because he has nothing else to prove to anyone in the sport. The only person that knows for sure what he wants to do is “Mr. Controversy” himself and he alone.
Weather you hate the guy or love the guy, no one can deny his vast contribution and neo idea’s that he presented to southern Indy wrestling and that we have him to thank for.
Article Written By: Jimmy Parcel The Wrestling Informer Magazine
