Where do you go for industry news/gossip/opinion/analysis?

[Wallbanger]

Taken from the 'Champion Haters' thread... [QUOTE=D16NJD16;222326]Reading this post, it's painfully obvious to tell who gets their "insider information" from free sites and who gets their information from reputable pay sites.[/QUOTE] Now that's an interesting statement, worthy of additional discussion, but I didn't want to hijack that thread, so I started this one. For context, I don't frequent ANY of the sites currently -- it's only because of TEW/WreSpi that I've re-engaged with wrestling at all. As a result, there's about a 10-year gap in my knowledge that I wouldn't mind filling in at least partially. So I ask the community at large -- where does the discriminating fan go on the 'net for reliable info (both historical and current)? I don't mind a subscription site as long as the rate is reasonable and the quality of both presentation and information is high. I don't necessarily agree with the assumption, though, that a free site is inherently lower quality or wrong on the facts just because they are free.

[Jasx12]

I wonder this too, because I never go to any wrestling sites but i see people throwing around names like PWTorch, PWI, etc. Which ones are reliable and which aren't, to someone who has never visited one (I get my TNA spoilers from a torrent site ;))

[AfRoMaN36]

I would guess PWinsider.com is the current big site right now. Its a good site too and a solid Q&A section that can fill you in massively. But they ARE very bias. They have a high level of criticism and make sure you know not everything is as terrible nor as ego dirven as they make it seem.

[thug saint oga]

check out: [url]http://www.411mania.com/411wrestlingindex.php[/url] this is a very good website, with a lot of columns, opinions, dvd/show reviews, and pretty decent news updates. [url]http://www.declarationofindependents.net/doi/pages/index1.html[/url] for indy news. mainly north eastern companies, but they follow other indies as well. sometimes, it gets a little annoying with gossip and posts about the personal lives of some indy wrestlers. but it's cool to get reviews from people who attended czw and roh, etc. shows. [url]http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/[/url] this is the free version of pwtorch......i don't have the cash to pay, but it's decent. i'm sure the pay version is excellent though. those are pretty much the only three that i go to. pwinsider.com has some good info, but the pop ups there are f'n crazy, so i haven't visited that site in over a year. you spend more time closing pop up windows than actually reading news updates......

[The Ego]

I use PWInsider, but ive used Wrestlezone.com since day one, and the info is basically the same..

[djthefunkchris]

I wouldn't bother with a pay sight... If you want a pay sight create your own, your opinion is just as good as any of theirs. For information, most of them try to get things right, and are pretty correct on most of the bigger name promotions (WWE/WCW/ECW, etc). The Ego's suggestion if fine for just looking around. I wouldn't worry about reading alot of the comments on shows though, seems to me they all bassically try to be smarks, and pretty much say exactly what the promotions want them to say or think.

[The Ego]

To be fair, EZTights.com has a great web guy who seems to be able to dig up dirt!

[mystic]

I go to pwinisder (the pop-up issue is better then it use to be)

[flamebrain]

[url]www.411mania.com/wrestling[/url] The writers have their own opinions but dno't let that cloud the reporting too badly. The "gimmick" columns are getting weaker and there is some ridiculous/childish thing about positivity, but the level heads keep it sane and the reporting is prompt and generally accurate.

[Jasx12]

I would like to hear from DNumbers about this subject, personally, since he has strong feelings about it.

[djthefunkchris]

[QUOTE=flamebrain;222405][url]www.411mania.com/wrestling[/url] The writers have their own opinions but dno't let that cloud the reporting too badly. The "gimmick" columns are getting weaker and there is some ridiculous/childish thing about positivity, but the level heads keep it sane and the reporting is prompt and generally accurate.[/QUOTE] You mean articles like this one here??? Straight out of the 411, lol. [QUOTE]An Apology To…WrestleMania 23 Yes, you read that right. I would like to apologize to WrestleMania 23. Last week I wrote the column mere moments after WrestleMania went off the air. At the time I was a bit disappointed in the show and I was a bit hard on it as I reviewed it. Over the past week I've rewatched the show and have really come to enjoy it. The match I was probably the hardest on last week was the Benoit-MVP match. Upon further review it really was a good match, although I certainly wouldn't call it match of the night. I still feel that the finish was absolutely horrible and I don't really like them jobbing out MVP, but the match itself was fine. The other match that I have gained an appreciation for is the Cena-Michaels main event. I think my expectations for those two men were a bit misguided. When I reviewed the match last week I was thinking that they should have had a more fast paced match throughout and I let that cloud my judgment of what they were able to accomplish. The match was still pretty damn good even when they didn't go the way I thought they should have. I still think that Batista-Undertaker probably should have went on last but Cena-Michaels isn't anything to sneeze at. So there you have it. Sorry, WrestleMania. It hurt to be so mean last week and I'm glad I have the opportunity to change my mind. Can we still be friends?[/QUOTE]

[PoisonedSuperman]

nodq.com

[Bad Luck Brett]

Dave Meltzer's WrestlingObserver.com and Bryan Alverez's f4wonline.com. They just provide quick notes on the daily happenings, just facts without too much opinion. I try to catch the weekly Live Audio Wrestling radio show also.

[PeterHilton]

[QUOTE=Bad Luck Brett;222434]Dave Meltzer's WrestlingObserver.com and Bryan Alverez's f4wonline.com. They just provide quick notes on the daily happenings, just facts without too much opinion.[/QUOTE] I also like PWInsider, but sometimes the pop-ups are insane. I actually like this topic because a week or so back someone posted a "rumor" about the Joey Mathews firing and I called them on that they hadn't bothered to offer any sort of source. Someone else chimed in that the rumor was on "several major news sites" and I had pretty much put my foot in my mouth. Of course, the article in question sourced Dave Meltzer, who made no such comments on his site and when i forwarded the article to Meltzer's email he called it a load of crap. Quote unquote. Long story short, there a milion wrestling sites out there and all of them are trying desperately to find content and a large majority of them will post any damn thing they want. Most of the time its outright BS. A lot of times they yake stories from legit reporters with actual sources, but just don't bother to credit them. It's not as bad as when there were The Big Two feds, but its still pretty bad. I don't mind the smarmy columnists ( I myself did a column for iowrestling.com back in the hey) since they're presented as 'editorials' but the BS reporting is terrible and actually makes the Stalin-esque propoganda of wwe.com palatable by comparison.

[jagilki]

[QUOTE=PeterHilton;222464] I actually like this topic because a week or so back someone posted a "rumor" about the Joey Mathews firing and I called them on that they hadn't bothered to offer any sort of source.[/QUOTE] I think you may be talking about me? However, if I remember right, I posted that it was a rumor I read, and that I didn't believe a word of it, and was just posting it because I found it funny as hell.

[weirdo_man]

Dave Meltzer has a lot of opinion and supposed insider information that is usually wrong, even his opinions on things. For instance, he once insulted one of my bookers for using the pinata on a pole match idea, saying something along the lines of "it's obvious that any stupid gimmick the big promotions use the indy's will steal"... which is retarded because the big promotions steal all of the gimmicks that the indy's use. I don't like the guy, since his whole involvement in the business right now is giving away kayfabed secrets.

[PeterHilton]

[QUOTE=jagilki;222537]I think you may be talking about me? However, if I remember right, I posted that it was a rumor I read, and that I didn't believe a word of it, and was just posting it because I found it funny as hell.[/QUOTE] No. you definitely posted that it was a rumor and you had seen it on a board. I can't recall who it was, but in another thread they posted the exact same thing and then said it was from "their sources. ;) " We actually did get into a bit of a disagreement because they thought I was being a jerk by pointing out how crazy the rumor sounded. IIRC I actually pointed out that you'd posted it first AND mentioned the fact it was a rumor.

[djthefunkchris]

[QUOTE=jagilki;222537]I think you may be talking about me? However, if I remember right, I posted that it was a rumor I read, and that I didn't believe a word of it, and was just posting it because I found it funny as hell.[/QUOTE] More then likely, but the point is how fast rumor's become truth/or just spread the same exageration, and how fast the truth is aquired throughout ALL the wrestling observational forums and websights. Ussually if they are saying the same thing in a week, its pretty much accurate (ussually). I can't stand the articles that say approximately the same thing but with the added "From secret sources within", although the same story was printed hours before with the source told (Difference between truethfully getting the scoop, and "Yaking" them from the real source). I don't know if that was a typo or not, never heard the word Yake before PeterHilton said it, lol.

[PeterHilton]

[QUOTE=weirdo_man;222543] I don't like the guy, since his whole involvement in the business right now is giving away kayfabed secrets.[/QUOTE] I'm not going to stand up for Meltzer or whatnot, but that last bit seems silly. Kayfabe has been dead in the US for decades. Even WWE only tries a pseudo-kayfabe where reality and storylines sort of blend. At this point, even the most believing fans realize its all a work and visit some kind of insider site.

[Bad Luck Brett]

[QUOTE=weirdo_man;222543]Dave Meltzer has a lot of opinion and supposed insider information that is usually wrong, even his opinions on things. For instance, he once insulted one of my bookers for using the pinata on a pole match idea, saying something along the lines of "it's obvious that any stupid gimmick the big promotions use the indy's will steal"... which is retarded because the big promotions steal all of the gimmicks that the indy's use. I don't like the guy, since his whole involvement in the business right now is giving away kayfabed secrets.[/QUOTE] Agreed on the point that Meltzer has a lot of opinion, but he leaves that to his radio show and newsletter. 90% if not more of what is posted on his frontpage, however, is just news such as hiring/firings, results or business deals without all the fluff.

[TheEdgeOfReason]

I go to Lords Of Pain

[forlan]

I personally wouldn't touch PWSpyware with a 50 foot pole lol I usually visit Gerweck (major news and WWE/TNA results/spoilers) DOI (Most indy news) Purofan (And all the affiliates for DG/NOAH etC) ROH (ROH daily newswires) Britwres (UK stuff) Cubsfan (Lucha) Puno al Corazon (Puerto Rico) Then i also visit various forums to get info CZWFans (PWG/IWS etc all post their press releases there) UKFF (UK show info and such) Death valley Driver (USually someone post up the Wrestling OBserver important stuff etc and also Robert has a lot of info in the Lucha section)

[adamrobertk]

[url]www.wrestleview.com[/url], normally cuts out the crap and leaves what is actually worth reading from wrestlezone.