Smart Mark Video
Encyclopedia
Smart Mark Video is an American video production and distribution house. It was founded in 1998 by Mike Burns and a group of friends involved in the operation of the now defunct Future Wrestling Alliance independent
professional wrestling
promotion
. VHS releases of FWA events, as well as events for other local promotions like IPW and EWF, were among SMV's initial forays into video distribution. After the folding of the FWA in November, 2000, Burns and company concentrated on acquiring more clients as well as consumers for its video-related services.
headquarters. Some of these promotions include: Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling
, the Heartland Wrestling Association
, IWA East Coast, Insanity Pro Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, the International Wrestling Syndicate
, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
, westside Xtreme wrestling, and St. Louis Anarchy
". The wrestling slang "smart mark" in fact describes someone wise to the conventions of kayfabe.
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
. VHS releases of FWA events, as well as events for other local promotions like IPW and EWF, were among SMV's initial forays into video distribution. After the folding of the FWA in November, 2000, Burns and company concentrated on acquiring more clients as well as consumers for its video-related services.
Affiliates
Several prominent American and Canadian independent wrestling promotions have partnered with SMV to produce their VHS and DVD releases, and to handle order fulfillment from their Coplay, PennsylvaniaCoplay, Pennsylvania
Coplay is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, six miles northwest of Allentown. It is part of the Lehigh Valley region of the state. In 1900, 1,581 people lived in Coplay; in 1910, 2,670 people lived there...
headquarters. Some of these promotions include: Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling
Combat Zone Wrestling is a independent wrestling promotion. In 1999, John Zandig and four of his students, Ric Blade, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain began to run backyard wrestling shows in New Jersey and Delaware, showcasing a brand of hardcore wrestling dubbed as "ultraviolence"...
, the Heartland Wrestling Association
Heartland Wrestling Association
The Heartland Wrestling Association is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent...
, IWA East Coast, Insanity Pro Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, the International Wrestling Syndicate
International Wrestling Syndicate
International Wrestling Syndicate was a professional wrestling promotion based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.It was formerly known as the Internet Wrestling Syndicate and before that as World Wrestling Syndicate. It was also home base to many independent wrestlers, such as Kevin Steen, El...
, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
, westside Xtreme wrestling, and St. Louis Anarchy
Library
The SMV catalog of wrestling events exceeds 1,000 titles, encompassing complete shows, compilations, interviews and more. The vast majority of their library contains footage shot from the year 2000 to present.Corporate Image
The calling card of SMV's staff and videos is their "K5" logo, a loose appropriation of insider wrestling term "kayfabeKayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
". The wrestling slang "smart mark" in fact describes someone wise to the conventions of kayfabe.