Levi Shapiro On The Impact Social Media Has On Building His Name And Brand

Thirteen year veteran Pro Wrestler Levi Shapiro knows the importance of building a brand when it comes to wanting to make a name for yourself in the wrestling world.

The current APW Worldwide Internet Champion was a guest on this week's Wrestling Perspective Podcast on Fightful.com with Lars Frederiksen and Dennis Farrell. Shapiro talked about his desire to be in the business he loves, and says he knows he has work to do. Dennis Farrell asked Shapiro if the current social media landscape has an impact on him in building his name and brand.

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"I think, right now more than ever, it’s really affecting me. Because at the beginning, I was getting my feet wet and figuring out what I wanted to do before I dived into the old school stuff. Even when I started, social media was there, but it still wasn't as prevalent as it was today, with content creation or anything. You were advanced when you had Periscope, the early version of live video on Twitter. If you had the real handle on it (social media) back then, you were already light years above others". Levi said.

Levi mentioned Colt Cabana as someone with a major online following when Shapiro was just getting started in the business in 2009.

"There are a few people that really sunk into it. Colt Cabana had an online presence. I was so enamored with wrestling that all I did was watch wrestling in high school, and when I got trained, I was trying to figure out the art of pro wrestling, right? That's where the big clash started. I'd say it was starting to evolve into this evolution, and it was starting to take the form that it has right with the different business compared to back when, right? Because the old business is not dead, it's low compared to what it was. It was the thing that ruled the world. You made money all over the place because of this specific set of rules in this specific business. I'd say right now it's my biggest fork in the road. In the last couple of years, I sat and said, “I need to brand Levi Shapiro.” I need to explain what timeless is from me, and how I can bring up these old wrestlers, like The Destroyer, Terry Funk, Dory Funk, Dory Funk. Sr?" Shapiro said.

The Wrestling Perspective Podcast recently interviewed WWE Hall-of-Famer Alundra Blayze (Madusa), and she gave her opinion on WWE releasing Mandy Rose from her contract. Click here to read that story.

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