We were lucky to catch up with De’Shawn “Sho Tyme” Watkins recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi De’Shawn “Sho Tyme”, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
It’s was August 31st 2019 and I have been dealing with overcoming my depression and anxiety I had my first comedy show in 3years in my backyard. I wrote an hour special in 2 months. I had to get in touch with my inner child, and find out what made lil Shawn happy and I just saw all the wrestling matches like Shawn, Michaels versus cycle, said justice birthday, hitman, hart, versus Mr. perfect, the ultimate warrior versus hulk hogan things. That was the best part of my life, I thought to myself what if I could bring that to the City of Compton, it will probably bring a lot of people together, Wrestling is the one craft that you don’t even have to speak the same language, but I understand how important it means to so many different people cultures, and how we gather so many people together. The City of Compton is also very divided into different groups. There are some amazing people in the city of Compton, but all we know is the bad reputation that we care, so I figure , if I was to build a wrestling company and the home was in Compton, it would have to make the city better. I also wanted to change the narrative of the city I come from two parents that were gangbangers from the City of Compton Palmer block Compton, Crips, and I want the whole city to know that at your lowest you can be a wrestler it’s all about bettering our people and having better opportunities. On August 31, 2019 I had my comedy show in the backyard and made about $350. I have been doing Comedy since 2004 on and off as I started experience in life. Nothing was funny to me anymore because I started getting into world politics or drama and with all that stress I really Just took my passion away. At one time I was working for public outreach, where we were fighting against child trafficking and sexual exploitation being one of the top fundraisers to help people in the developing countries I realize that, even though I live in Compton The ghetto, I will still live in a privilege life compared to some people, and third world countries And gave me a different perspective and after when I put on that show, I conquered so many demons me and my boy Cameron Gregory were in the car thinking about when we’re going to do our next comedy show cause I’m such a success. All of a sudden we hear a screeching, tires, swerving, cars and horns honking. At this moment we thought we were going to die , but as we looked out the window, we saw that it was a old lady driving his car yelling out vote vote vote! We laughed and took a deep inhale and exhale. Thanking God that we were not going to die but this right here this was the Compton spirit this right here will be the name of the Wrestling company that we start. It will be Comptonmania because this type of fear what only happened in City of Compton, but it was clearly someone trying to do the right thing.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When we did our first show October 26, 2019 it was amazing people from all over the blocks was walking around seeing a ring in our backyard like what’s going on what’s happening why is there a ring in your backyard? I kind of told some people will come over and check it out, some people kept walking back-and-forth to see what was going on. Both of the neighbors on both sides were watching some in their showers looking out their back window to see what’s going on in this backyard. My other neighbors are really cool with my great grandma and my grandmother and my great grandma have passed away in 2008 and for them to see a wrestling show from their backyard into my backyard they were extremely proud and excited. They couldn’t believe what they were saying. The Wrestler’s came and worked out for donations. A guy by the name of Sean Black, who has a Wrestling company out of Inglewood call Amped up wrestling was the guy who gather all the wrestlers for this side of it he told me everything I would need to put on the Wrestling event And so I save my money and I got it. This show said it off an amazing show that we put on in my grandmothers backyard. The crazy part about it is I never try to be in the Wrestling industry never even thought it was possible I just wanted to please my inner child And by doing that maybe I can get the city together maybe we can change the narrative of the city but anyway I left everybody feeling good the next show we did was December 14, 2019 and it was even bigger than the first one. this was our Christmas chaos , it was about 80 people in our backyard that’s 30 more than the first show still didn’t make any money because Wrestling it cost a lot of money to have a show. After the Christmas chaos for the first time, I started hearing people from the Wrestling community say how trash Comptonmania was and how they would never work out of the backyard. Backyard wrestling was for losers. Some people would say I was really confused because I don’t remember asking for anybody’s approval or opinions I just wanted to make something cool in the backyard and for months I heard different people talk about how stupid Comptonmania was well anyway March 7 we saved up some more money March 7, 2020, which was a week and two days before the pandemic hit. We had our biggest show yet in the Richland forms and my step Pops Friend‘s backyard we had 150 people there for that show , we have people who were riding horseback that was like what is this? What is this thing that everyone’s coming to this wrestling in Compton is it real? It felt like a place like Gullah Gullah island was it really real or was it just people talking about the sad place ? We had a great show still didn’t make any money got a little bit more respect, but then the country shut down or should I say the world we had to quarantine no more shows what were we going to do so me and my partner Cameron Gregory we went straight to the Internet we created a YouTube channel and we started doing skits with the mascot of the wrestling company called the MFM that means the motherfucking man that term in the hood means something way different to anybody else. The MFM is the man that maybe he’s a garbage man maybe he’s a preacher maybe he’s a security guard no matter what his job title is this guy garnish his respect from everybody it doesn’t matter. Where are you at? Where are you from? Everyone respects the MFM , but we made it a funny, comical character, a superhero with the Amazon vest storm and a green cape in a mask. All these things symbolize something that happened in my life the Amazon vest represents at the time of my life when I made a choice to say hey for this moment on, I’m gonna listen to my inner child and go after my dreams, my visions and my purpose that Amazon fast represents the time when I was making the most money that I’ve ever made and I lost my job by coming out of the car to deliver a package and when I got back to my van, the Amazon truck was stolen. And even though I felt uncomfortable weird and I knew I was fired and I had to figure out how I was going to make some money live in and a house where I cannot afford and my grandma is depending on me I remember reading Bernie Mac‘s book years ago where he talked about how he was working for UPS or mail company, one of them and how he went up to deliver some mail and somebody started ravishing through his truck and he quit on the spot and started to become a comedian. I knew that this was my opportunity to pivot for boy or boy was I afraid so I wear the Amazon vest to remember remember this day of independence and those times where you were coming up with the plans that you were going to do driving and that Amazon truck for 14 hours coming up with plans and ideas and how to execute spending that time with myself, and my inner child was moments where I put the whole plan together The cape that he wears was for missing opportunities wanted to go to a friends party that I could not go. It was a super heroes party, but I had to make money because making money was the only way that I would be able to be free to do what I really really love to do in the mask that also came from the superhero party that you are a new person and there’s new person that will guide you is the spirit of the MFM. Everyone will respect you. Problems that I had. I didn’t know anything about business. I didn’t know anything about the wrestling business I was just a fan I just knew how Wrestling really made me the best version of myself I had to figure out how was I going to get money with only a part-time job now I’m working for the city of Downey as well. I had to start doing things I wasn’t comfortable with which is networking I started getting out into the city meeting different people community engagement, going to the city Council meeting, being a part of full giveaways, backpack, giveaways, going to all kind of different events, supporting different people, taking out people for lunch when you barely have money, making huge sacrifices in order to get people to care about your business, and in the meantime, while all this is happening now, people are starting to look at Comptonmania as a series brand
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn is that one man cannot do everything it takes the team in order to accomplish really big time goals so I had assembled an amazing team Cameron Gregory, my Camara Man, my partner in crime he does editing, just cam productions, my other Camera Man, Cameron, Preston, part of Innovative Culture he does the same plus has his own continent platform Anthony Desiree, the voice of Comptonmania, my commentating partner the guy who is great at storytelling DNL didit my cousin he does our marketing strategies on the business side help with Contant and AI and Comptonmania virtual we also have my lady Miss Tira Byrd. She’s my ears, my eyes my everything she has my back a Swiss Army knife. There’s nothing she can’t do the big Homiie feel he has the Remix mobile stage he’s also into the AI marketing strategy and is an educator click sound and stage. Their whole family help us with trussing sound and hip-hop, Mr. Pissoff, another one of my cousins he is our belt maker. He brings so much legitimacy to the brand, and we need so much more people on the team. It takes a village to do a business like this.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Repetition never given up there have been so many situation that happened in this wrestling business that leaves you uncomfortable him. I remember one show we had it was our first anniversary show and October. My mom had had her first stroke and I was losing a lot of family members, and they show that we had at Don Quixote’s, we didn’t have a big crowd and at the end of the night when we were going to pay everybody the bank account froze so I had to wait till the end of the week to pay the rest of the talent that was extremely hard to deal with criticisms of maybe you may not pay people But we did pay people we paid everyone. I just took about another week or two that was really hard that really made me really think if I really wanted to do this business for me where I come from a Compton reputation is everything your reputation isn’t just some badge of honor I could get you killed from where I’m from Especially when it comes down to money respect or anything disrespecting family that’s something I can put your 6 feet under something at my grandmas Charlotte Watkins and Jimi may Watkins instilled in me. A man’s word is supposed to be his bond and the man is supposed to keep his word a man that cannot keep his word cannot be trusted and he’s not really a man . These are the principles and the tools that I grew up with that was really hard to come back from.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://koji.to/Comptonmania.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/comptonmania?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063534252295&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/comptonmaniallc?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@COMPTONMANIA
- Other: We also have a TikTok and a twitch just look up Comptonmania