Post by Metro:PRO™ on Nov 11, 2014 15:08:17 GMT
COMPANY INFORMATION
Registered Name: MetroPRO Wrestling, LLC
Established: 2014
Company Directors: Mort Goodman, Esq. and Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Incorporation Location: Delaware
Base of Operations: Tri-State Area (New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut)
Event Frequency: Weekly
Event Date: Sunday evening
Event Location: Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, NY
Average Attendance: 2,500
Distribution: MetroPRO is aired live on the New Jersey Network, a local public access channel that reaches the entire state. At present, negotiations are in place to secure additional airtime to reach New York and Connecticut. In addition to the televised broadcasts, shows are archived on the company's website, available for streaming. Plans are under way to secure a distributor for DVD release as well.
CEO INFO
MetroPRO Wrestling has two principle owners-- Mort Goodman, Esq., and Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Mort Goodman, Esq.
Mort Goodman, Esq. is a man of integrity and discipline. A lifelong legal practitioner in good standing with both the New York and New Jersey State Bar, Mort Goodman's passionate advocacy has earned him the nickname "The Problem Solver," and his upstanding reputation secured him a judicial nomination to the bench of the New Jersey Superior Court in 2004-- a nomination he turned down to devote time to his family (his wife Hope and his daughter Grace) as well as his true passion-- scholastic wrestling.
Goodman has always had a passion for the purity of the sport. In 1971, Mort won New Jersey State Wrestling Championship in his senior year at 119 pounds. Later, Goodman would supplement his income from his law practice by taking a seasonal job coaching youth and high school wrestling in his home town of Ridgewood, New Jersey. It was there that he first met a six-year-old Carter Hayes-- a stubborn but gifted child with whom he would form a lifelong bond, ultimately coach to multiple state wrestling titles, and thereafter serve as his manager within the professional circuit. Mort has also professionally managed both "Janitor" Jack Cameron, as well as his daughter Grace "The Prodigy" Taylor.
Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Like Mort Goodman, Marty Sunshine, Esq. is licensed to practice law in several states, including New York and New Jersey. Unlike Mort Goodman, Marty Sunshine's standing within the bar is questionable at best. Marty Sunshine has been suspended from practising law on two occasions for unethical behaviour; and most recently, he received a two month suspension by the New Jersey Committee on Attorney Ethics from participating in social media after he harassed a client's spouse on FaceBook-- a suspension that has only recently been lifted. Marty specializes in the area of divorce law, where he has made a small fortune by fuelling the fire of his divorce cases as much as possible, antagonizing his clients at their most vulnerable moment and convincing them to hate their spouses with a fiery passion-- no matter what the financial cost.
Marty Sunshine's less than desirable reputation extends beyond the legal community. He maintains a reckless lifestyle, marked by heavy partying. He also exhibits sociopathic tendencies, and has proven to stoop to any level to further his own interests.
His looks notwithstanding, in his prime, Marty Sunshine was a talented scholastic wrestler in his own right-- having earned all county honours two years in a row. In the late '90's, During his first suspension from the practice of law, Marty Sunshine took a page out of Mort Goodman's book, and began to coach high school wrestling, during which he had the privilege of coaching a young Damian Cole to a high school state championship over New Jersey stand out Carter Hayes.
Marty Sunshine pursued professional wrestling management in late 2008, managing Damian Cole to a title contention-- ironically, in the very same organization of which he now finds himself a co-owner. However, in late 2010, when Damian Cole was arrested for drunk driving and possession of narcotics, Marty was in the car with his client; and there has been great speculation that the narcotics belonged to Marty himself, and that his long-time loyal student Damian took the fall for him.
Marty was suspended from practising law for the second time in 2012 when a woman named Priscilla Price released a New York Times Best Seller, "Memoirs of a Metropolitan Mistress," in which she revealed that she had assisted Marty in drumming up divorce clients by seducing wealthy married men and enticing them to pursue divorce. Later, Marty would go on to manage this same woman to a Woman's Championship in the Internet Wrestling Alliance.
The Conflict Between Mort Goodman and Marty Sunshine
In the mid-90's, Mort partnered up with local attorney Marty Sunshine, Esq. to form Goodman & Sunshine, LLC. The partnership did not last long, however, as the two partners were constantly at odds with one another. They had different views on how to run the practice and how to treat the clients. Mort was interested in helping people in difficult situations, and had developed a more diplomatic style which earned him respect with both the bench and the bar. On the other hand, Marty Sunshine was not shy about making it known that he was interested in making as much money off of his clients as possible, and engaged in all of the tactics that give attorneys bad names: over-billing, dragging cases out and adding fuel to the fire to incite his clients into fighting harder (and paying more), and promising the world to clients on issues that he could not deliver.
A few years later, Mort and Marty parted ways in what turned out to be a highly publicized and contentiously litigated partnership dissolution matter after Mort caught Marty trying to skim funds from the practice, and divert prospective clients intended for Mort in his own direction. The lawsuit resulted in ethics violations being brought against Marty Sunshine, and led to his temporary suspension from the practice of law.
Coupled with the professional tension between the two, the two found themselves on opposite sides of the wrestling mat, with Marty coaching a kid named Damian Cole in wrestling, who had developed a tremendous rivalry against Mort's top pupil, Carter Hayes. When Carter Hayes wrestled Damian Cole in the state finals, it occurred at the height of the tension between Mort and Marty stemming from their lawsuit against one another. A physical altercation broke out between the two at the conclusion of their students' match.
Years later, in or around the early Summer of 2014, Marty Sunshine delivered a dagger to Mort Goodman's heart when he conned Mort's daughter, Grace Taylor, with who he had only recently been reunited, into signing a professional wrestling contract in Spain-- for a company that turned out to be nothing more than an underground fight club.
Ever since both men have returned to the professional wrestling scene, it is very infrequent that the two run into each other without there being some altercation.
SUPPORT STAFF
The Arbitrators (Barney Bradshaw and Tony Pham): Pursuant to the heavily negotiated terms of their Operating Agreement, Mort and Marty, recognizing that they are likely to reach an impasse on many issues concerning the management of MetroPRO, agreed to a binding arbitration clause that compels them to take all substantial disputed issues to one of two arbitrators. Each was afforded the opportunity to select an arbitrator. Mort has chosen the non-nonsense retired Superior Court Judge Barney Bradshaw, who has little tolerance for games. In contrast, Marty has chose the wild, charismatic Tony Pham, a drinker, gambler, womaniser who happens to be one of the best mediators in New Jersey.
The Referees (Chris Clemons, Miles White, and Frank DiPasquale): There are three referees on staff in MetroPRO, headed up by senior official Chris Clemons, who has a solid reputation in the industry for being on top of the action and calling it down the middle. Mort and Marty's Operating Agreement permitted each to select one additional referee to be staffed by MetroPRO.
Marty has called upon Miles While to play the role of third man in the ring; while Miles White may have called a good match in his day, his day was many, many years ago. Today, plagued with failing eye sight and a slow reaction time, Miles misses the mark (and a foreign object) more often than most.
In contrast, Mort has sought to keep the sport fair, employing the tough Frank DiPasquale, who has a no tolerance stance on cheating. He is not shy about disqualifying fighters, or sending meddling managers back to the lockers.
The Broadcast Booth (Ian Wright and Jack Cameron): The play by play and colour commentary is being head up by the unlikely duo of two recently retired wrestlers: the always opinionated "Righteous" Ian Wright (a man who would nothing more than to see MetroPRO "get out of his city"; and the genial wrestling encyclopedia, Jack "The Janitor" Cameron (a man who maintains a child-like love for the sport and all of its participants). While officially "retired," both men are clearly itching to return to the ring.
The Interview Team (Cathy Crass and Meadow Leigh): Another retired fighter finders herself in a behind-the-scenes role: Cathy Crass has a dirty mouth and a short fuse. In contrast, the lovable, affable Meadow Leigh serves as a breath of fresh air and a sight for sore eyes.
COMPANY HISTORY
Early Years
MetroPRO Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Barry Briggs of Briggs Entertainment, LLC. At the time, MetroPRO ran under the name Greater Metropolitan Wrestling (GMW), and housed shows in the Tri-State area, utilizing the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City as its base of operations. GMW started out small, and gradually grew its fan base to a maximum of 4,000 fans by the time it closed its doors in late 2010.
Closure of Greater Metropolitan Wrestling
GMW closed its doors in late 2010 amid scandal when Damian Cole, the number one contender for the top title in the organization, was arrested for drunk driving and possession of narcotics. At the time, the political scene in New York City was such that there was a push to abolish combat sports, and those bucking for office elected to make an example out of GMW by launching a full scale investigation into drug use within the company. While the investigation resulted in no findings of substantial wrongdoings, the negative attention was enough to hinder any momentum the company had.
Attempt at a Rebirth: Walter Despotovitch and MetroPRO
In 2013, a Russian-American entrepreneur names Walter Despotovitch decided to throw his hat in the ring, and purchased what was left (licenses, contracts, video footage) of GMW, with the ambitious notions of re-branding the company as MetroPRO Wrestling. He invested significant money in advertising, securing a local television deal, a website-- too much money, in fact, and it cost him. Shortly after his venture started, Walter Despotovitch ran out of money, and was forced to file for bankruptcy.
Mort and Marty to the Rescue
As a result of the bankruptcy petition, the bankruptcy trustee stepped in, and uncovered a secured judgement against Walter Despotivitch that needed to be satisfied in order for the bankruptcy to go through. The creditors: a law firm, long since dissolved, of Goodman & Sunshine, LLC. The Northern New Jersey law firm headed by Mort Goodman Esq. and Marty Sunshine, Esq. had represented Walter Despotovitch in his highly acrimonious divorce, as well as various business ventures, years earlier, only to be stiffed with the very hefty bill. Despotovitch disappeared, Goodman & Sunshine, LLC disappeared, and the debt remained uncollected.
Until now.
For the Walter Despotovitch bankruptcy petition to go through, the debt to Goodman & Sunshine, LLC had to be addressed. There were two options: either MetroPRO could be sold, with the proceeds divided between Mort Goodman & Marty Sunshine; or the two attorneys could assume ownership of the promotion as satisfaction of their debt. The former law partners reluctantly chose the latter, and under normal circumstances, this would make for a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Unfortunately, given the venomous history between the two attorneys, this business decision would mark only the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing feud between Mort Goodman and Marty Sunshine- a feud that would ultimately spill into MetroPRO and pull a roster of wrestlers into the fracas.
Registered Name: MetroPRO Wrestling, LLC
Established: 2014
Company Directors: Mort Goodman, Esq. and Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Incorporation Location: Delaware
Base of Operations: Tri-State Area (New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut)
Event Frequency: Weekly
Event Date: Sunday evening
Event Location: Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, NY
Average Attendance: 2,500
Distribution: MetroPRO is aired live on the New Jersey Network, a local public access channel that reaches the entire state. At present, negotiations are in place to secure additional airtime to reach New York and Connecticut. In addition to the televised broadcasts, shows are archived on the company's website, available for streaming. Plans are under way to secure a distributor for DVD release as well.
CEO INFO
MetroPRO Wrestling has two principle owners-- Mort Goodman, Esq., and Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Mort Goodman, Esq.
Mort Goodman, Esq. is a man of integrity and discipline. A lifelong legal practitioner in good standing with both the New York and New Jersey State Bar, Mort Goodman's passionate advocacy has earned him the nickname "The Problem Solver," and his upstanding reputation secured him a judicial nomination to the bench of the New Jersey Superior Court in 2004-- a nomination he turned down to devote time to his family (his wife Hope and his daughter Grace) as well as his true passion-- scholastic wrestling.
Goodman has always had a passion for the purity of the sport. In 1971, Mort won New Jersey State Wrestling Championship in his senior year at 119 pounds. Later, Goodman would supplement his income from his law practice by taking a seasonal job coaching youth and high school wrestling in his home town of Ridgewood, New Jersey. It was there that he first met a six-year-old Carter Hayes-- a stubborn but gifted child with whom he would form a lifelong bond, ultimately coach to multiple state wrestling titles, and thereafter serve as his manager within the professional circuit. Mort has also professionally managed both "Janitor" Jack Cameron, as well as his daughter Grace "The Prodigy" Taylor.
Marty Sunshine, Esq.
Like Mort Goodman, Marty Sunshine, Esq. is licensed to practice law in several states, including New York and New Jersey. Unlike Mort Goodman, Marty Sunshine's standing within the bar is questionable at best. Marty Sunshine has been suspended from practising law on two occasions for unethical behaviour; and most recently, he received a two month suspension by the New Jersey Committee on Attorney Ethics from participating in social media after he harassed a client's spouse on FaceBook-- a suspension that has only recently been lifted. Marty specializes in the area of divorce law, where he has made a small fortune by fuelling the fire of his divorce cases as much as possible, antagonizing his clients at their most vulnerable moment and convincing them to hate their spouses with a fiery passion-- no matter what the financial cost.
Marty Sunshine's less than desirable reputation extends beyond the legal community. He maintains a reckless lifestyle, marked by heavy partying. He also exhibits sociopathic tendencies, and has proven to stoop to any level to further his own interests.
His looks notwithstanding, in his prime, Marty Sunshine was a talented scholastic wrestler in his own right-- having earned all county honours two years in a row. In the late '90's, During his first suspension from the practice of law, Marty Sunshine took a page out of Mort Goodman's book, and began to coach high school wrestling, during which he had the privilege of coaching a young Damian Cole to a high school state championship over New Jersey stand out Carter Hayes.
Marty Sunshine pursued professional wrestling management in late 2008, managing Damian Cole to a title contention-- ironically, in the very same organization of which he now finds himself a co-owner. However, in late 2010, when Damian Cole was arrested for drunk driving and possession of narcotics, Marty was in the car with his client; and there has been great speculation that the narcotics belonged to Marty himself, and that his long-time loyal student Damian took the fall for him.
Marty was suspended from practising law for the second time in 2012 when a woman named Priscilla Price released a New York Times Best Seller, "Memoirs of a Metropolitan Mistress," in which she revealed that she had assisted Marty in drumming up divorce clients by seducing wealthy married men and enticing them to pursue divorce. Later, Marty would go on to manage this same woman to a Woman's Championship in the Internet Wrestling Alliance.
The Conflict Between Mort Goodman and Marty Sunshine
In the mid-90's, Mort partnered up with local attorney Marty Sunshine, Esq. to form Goodman & Sunshine, LLC. The partnership did not last long, however, as the two partners were constantly at odds with one another. They had different views on how to run the practice and how to treat the clients. Mort was interested in helping people in difficult situations, and had developed a more diplomatic style which earned him respect with both the bench and the bar. On the other hand, Marty Sunshine was not shy about making it known that he was interested in making as much money off of his clients as possible, and engaged in all of the tactics that give attorneys bad names: over-billing, dragging cases out and adding fuel to the fire to incite his clients into fighting harder (and paying more), and promising the world to clients on issues that he could not deliver.
A few years later, Mort and Marty parted ways in what turned out to be a highly publicized and contentiously litigated partnership dissolution matter after Mort caught Marty trying to skim funds from the practice, and divert prospective clients intended for Mort in his own direction. The lawsuit resulted in ethics violations being brought against Marty Sunshine, and led to his temporary suspension from the practice of law.
Coupled with the professional tension between the two, the two found themselves on opposite sides of the wrestling mat, with Marty coaching a kid named Damian Cole in wrestling, who had developed a tremendous rivalry against Mort's top pupil, Carter Hayes. When Carter Hayes wrestled Damian Cole in the state finals, it occurred at the height of the tension between Mort and Marty stemming from their lawsuit against one another. A physical altercation broke out between the two at the conclusion of their students' match.
Years later, in or around the early Summer of 2014, Marty Sunshine delivered a dagger to Mort Goodman's heart when he conned Mort's daughter, Grace Taylor, with who he had only recently been reunited, into signing a professional wrestling contract in Spain-- for a company that turned out to be nothing more than an underground fight club.
Ever since both men have returned to the professional wrestling scene, it is very infrequent that the two run into each other without there being some altercation.
SUPPORT STAFF
The Arbitrators (Barney Bradshaw and Tony Pham): Pursuant to the heavily negotiated terms of their Operating Agreement, Mort and Marty, recognizing that they are likely to reach an impasse on many issues concerning the management of MetroPRO, agreed to a binding arbitration clause that compels them to take all substantial disputed issues to one of two arbitrators. Each was afforded the opportunity to select an arbitrator. Mort has chosen the non-nonsense retired Superior Court Judge Barney Bradshaw, who has little tolerance for games. In contrast, Marty has chose the wild, charismatic Tony Pham, a drinker, gambler, womaniser who happens to be one of the best mediators in New Jersey.
The Referees (Chris Clemons, Miles White, and Frank DiPasquale): There are three referees on staff in MetroPRO, headed up by senior official Chris Clemons, who has a solid reputation in the industry for being on top of the action and calling it down the middle. Mort and Marty's Operating Agreement permitted each to select one additional referee to be staffed by MetroPRO.
Marty has called upon Miles While to play the role of third man in the ring; while Miles White may have called a good match in his day, his day was many, many years ago. Today, plagued with failing eye sight and a slow reaction time, Miles misses the mark (and a foreign object) more often than most.
In contrast, Mort has sought to keep the sport fair, employing the tough Frank DiPasquale, who has a no tolerance stance on cheating. He is not shy about disqualifying fighters, or sending meddling managers back to the lockers.
The Broadcast Booth (Ian Wright and Jack Cameron): The play by play and colour commentary is being head up by the unlikely duo of two recently retired wrestlers: the always opinionated "Righteous" Ian Wright (a man who would nothing more than to see MetroPRO "get out of his city"; and the genial wrestling encyclopedia, Jack "The Janitor" Cameron (a man who maintains a child-like love for the sport and all of its participants). While officially "retired," both men are clearly itching to return to the ring.
The Interview Team (Cathy Crass and Meadow Leigh): Another retired fighter finders herself in a behind-the-scenes role: Cathy Crass has a dirty mouth and a short fuse. In contrast, the lovable, affable Meadow Leigh serves as a breath of fresh air and a sight for sore eyes.
COMPANY HISTORY
Early Years
MetroPRO Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Barry Briggs of Briggs Entertainment, LLC. At the time, MetroPRO ran under the name Greater Metropolitan Wrestling (GMW), and housed shows in the Tri-State area, utilizing the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City as its base of operations. GMW started out small, and gradually grew its fan base to a maximum of 4,000 fans by the time it closed its doors in late 2010.
Closure of Greater Metropolitan Wrestling
GMW closed its doors in late 2010 amid scandal when Damian Cole, the number one contender for the top title in the organization, was arrested for drunk driving and possession of narcotics. At the time, the political scene in New York City was such that there was a push to abolish combat sports, and those bucking for office elected to make an example out of GMW by launching a full scale investigation into drug use within the company. While the investigation resulted in no findings of substantial wrongdoings, the negative attention was enough to hinder any momentum the company had.
Attempt at a Rebirth: Walter Despotovitch and MetroPRO
In 2013, a Russian-American entrepreneur names Walter Despotovitch decided to throw his hat in the ring, and purchased what was left (licenses, contracts, video footage) of GMW, with the ambitious notions of re-branding the company as MetroPRO Wrestling. He invested significant money in advertising, securing a local television deal, a website-- too much money, in fact, and it cost him. Shortly after his venture started, Walter Despotovitch ran out of money, and was forced to file for bankruptcy.
Mort and Marty to the Rescue
As a result of the bankruptcy petition, the bankruptcy trustee stepped in, and uncovered a secured judgement against Walter Despotivitch that needed to be satisfied in order for the bankruptcy to go through. The creditors: a law firm, long since dissolved, of Goodman & Sunshine, LLC. The Northern New Jersey law firm headed by Mort Goodman Esq. and Marty Sunshine, Esq. had represented Walter Despotovitch in his highly acrimonious divorce, as well as various business ventures, years earlier, only to be stiffed with the very hefty bill. Despotovitch disappeared, Goodman & Sunshine, LLC disappeared, and the debt remained uncollected.
Until now.
For the Walter Despotovitch bankruptcy petition to go through, the debt to Goodman & Sunshine, LLC had to be addressed. There were two options: either MetroPRO could be sold, with the proceeds divided between Mort Goodman & Marty Sunshine; or the two attorneys could assume ownership of the promotion as satisfaction of their debt. The former law partners reluctantly chose the latter, and under normal circumstances, this would make for a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Unfortunately, given the venomous history between the two attorneys, this business decision would mark only the beginning of a new chapter in the ongoing feud between Mort Goodman and Marty Sunshine- a feud that would ultimately spill into MetroPRO and pull a roster of wrestlers into the fracas.
