Grappling With the Internet
By Sir Lawrence Alegdrop

When surfing the Internet, one can find a lot of great sites filled with insightful information. Other times one can find complete crap. This is no more or less true than when searching for information on professional wrestling.

It is therefore important to perhaps take with you a guide to Internet grappling. Never more will you have to surf through search engines for the very best information concerning the inside poop on what’s going on behind the scenes in the WWE or TNA, or decide which are the best Message Boards, or try to find the sites with the best information on pro wrestling’s rich history.

Since I have absolutely no life whatsoever, I’ve done all the searching for you. And this month I’ve compiled a list of the very best websites the Internet has to offer. All of the following websites should be well worth a look, depending on what kind of information you’re looking for and what kind of wrestling websites you like to visit. I’ve divided them into three categories: 1) pro wrestling history websites 2)information websites on wrestling’s current state, and 3) the all-important message boards where you can discuss your favorite wrestling topics with people who have like-interests. I’ve also included each site’s pros and cons. Also, I should point out that I had two ground rules for which websites to include in this article; First, all of these sites are developed by fans of this sport, and are not affiliated with any specific promotion; Second, all of these sites are absolutely free, and do not require any membership fees (although some do have different versions for a monthly fee).

Let’s start with wrestling history, my personal favorite topic. Are you looking to reminisce aboutwrestling’s past, such as the old territory days, a time when there was a “Big Three,” WWF, NWA and AWA?Or are you looking to even further back in time? Here are some great places to look:


SUPERCARDS AND TOURNAMENTS: by Jason Campbell
www.prowrestlinghistory.com

PROS: This site contains a listing of some of wrestling’s greatest cards of all time. Every pay-per view from every wrestling promotion that has ever done one is listed on this site, from results of the latest WWE show to one-shot promos like Herb Abrams’ UWF, it’s all here. It also has results from many stadium shows that pre-date PPV, every Saturday Night’s Main Event, Clashes, and is branching out to show results from commercially released videos such as those by Coliseum Video and Monsters of the Mat.

It also tries to include, when the information is available, the buy rate, the city and arena for each event, and the attendance at the arenas. It even includes major dome shows from every major Japanese promotion, and other international promotions such as those from Mexico, Europe, and Australia. When it comes to major event results from the past 25 to 30 years, it can’t be beat.

CONS: It has very little information from major shows prior to 1980. There were many major arena and stadium shows before this era, but unfortunately, the information is hard to come by. And full stadium show results from before the TV era of the 1950s is almost non-existent, and what it does have from these events is often incomplete.


GREAT HISA’S PURORESU: by Hisaharu Tanabe
www.puroresu.com

PROS: This site’s main claim to fame is that it lists title histories from nearly every major promotion that ever existed. The only resource that is more comprehensive in this area is the book WRESTLING TITLE HISTORIES by Gary Will and Royal Duncan, which is also the source for much of the information here. There is even a link to where the book can be purchased. The title histories can be found from the main site by clicking the tab on “Histories” and scrolling down to “Title-Histories,” or by typing directly into your address by www.title-histories.com. While many sites contain some title histories, no other is quite as comprehensive as this one.

But that’s not all. The site also contains some articles concerning key times in wrestling history and a number of photos. It has even branched out to include wrestling news. But its main features concern Japanese wrestling, and it features the site in Japanese, for those of you who speak the language.

CONS: While the title histories are super-cool, the articles and photos are not very extensive. The site has been trying to expand on its articles, but for now it is still mainly a one show pony.


WRESTLING AS WE LIKED IT: by J. Michael Kenyon
www.wrestlingclassics.com/wawli/

PROS: This website takes you back to the furthest reaches of wrestling’s rich history. It features real-life articles directly taken word-for-word from newspapers’ sports sections concerning wrestling from around the nation (and some from Canada as well). Some articles feature blow-by-blow accounts of major main event matches from men like Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Lou Thesz, Yvon Robert, “Whipper” Billy Watson, and even as far back as Martin “Farmer” Burns.

But that’s not all. The Wrestling As We Liked It papers also features newer articles from wrestling’s past stars as well. When a local Dallas newspaper featured a series on the Von Erich family, it appeared in WAWLI. When older stars pass away, many timestheir obituaries appeared in WAWLI.

CONS: Unfortunately, the articles are not organized and put into any sort of order whatsoever. This makes the site very interesting to browse, but nearly impossible if you’re looking for any sort of specific information. Also, the WAWLI papers are no longer active. So when old-time wrestlers die off today, WAWLI doesn’t carry the article.


THE WRESTLNG MUSEUM:
www.wrestlingmuseum.com/homeie.html

PROS: This site features well-written, in-depth biographies on many of wrestling’s greatest stars of the past. From “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers to Bruiser Brody, this site has them all. More recently it has added many female wrestling stars such as the Fabulous Moolah. You can learn about each wrestler’s beginnings into the sport of professional wrestling, some of their career highlights and reminisce about the glory days. It also has some biographies of newer stars, or those more recently retired, such as SteveAustin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan.

CONS: While the site is updated once in while, it is not done with any kind of regularity, so after a numerous visits, some of the information can seem stale. Also, while the bios of wrestling’s greatest stars are great, there is very little depth into mid-card and under-card performers. After the numerous World Champions and a few other tops stars, there’s very little past, say, “Chief” Jay Strongbow.


HISTORY OF THE WWF: by Graham Cawthorn
www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777

PROS: This site attempts to contain the results of every WWF show in the entire promotion’s history (a rather ambitious attempt to be sure). It actually does a very good job at it as well. From pay-per views, to television tapings, to regular house shows, this site wants to report on it all. It includes results dating as far back as the promotion’s separation from the National Wrestling Alliance in 1963 all the way to yesterday’s match results. It is an endless supply of reading material for any fan of the World Wrestling Federation. No website concerning the World Wrestling Federation could possibly hope to present a fan with more information than what is here.

But it doesn’t even end with information on the WWF. Cawthorn’s site also has links to similar sites for other federations, such as Georgia Championship Wrestling (which I used for my last article on Jerry Stubbs), Mid-Atlantic, and Maple Leaf Wrestling.

CONS: While its attempt is grand, in reality, the site is missing tons of information from the promotion’s early days. Also many of the shows’results are incomplete, some only containing the main event. There is also a lot of other missing information, such as exact dates. Still, most of the information concerning the WWF’s major shows, such as those at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and the Philadelphia Spectrum, seems to be pretty much complete.


CURRENT NEWS SITES – These sites provide current news on all of the biggest promotions out there today, WWE,TNA, and ROH.


WRESTLING OBSERVER: by Dave Meltzer
www.wrestlingobserver.com

PROS: This site provides mainly results and reviews of all the major wrestling TV shows and pay per-views for free. However, for more in depth news on the goings on of the inside wheelings and dealings of professional wrestling, it only offers teasers concerning what you can find in the “Wrestling Observer” snail mail newsletter. It will offer more online news, for a small fee of course. This is the newsletter run by Dave Meltzer, who, in case you’ve been living inside a box for the last 15 years, or don’t follow much wrestling, started the whole insider fan “smart mark” thing in the first place.

CONS: Once again, the news side of things is quite paltry. Mainly, this site is meant to be a teaser for the newsletter you actually have to pay for.(As is the case with many of these type of websites, I can find out most of what I need to know in the "free" sections. I wouldn't suggest buying the paper "Observer" unless you have enough time and interest to devote to about 40,000 words on wrestling and MMA a week.--Dr. Mality)


PRO WRESTLING TORCH:
www.pwtorch.com

PROS: The Torch has been around for quite some time, since the 1980s anyway. It has perhaps the best, most accurate insider information on the Internet. They not only provide weekly TV and pay per-view reports, but also TV ratings, and a real behind the scenes look at what is really going on in the inner circle of pro wrestling’s biggest and best federations, including WWE, TNA, and ROH. The stories are usually fairly accurate as well.

CONS: Pop-ups, pop-ups, and more pop-ups. It’s hard to imagine any site in the entire Internet world with more pop-ups (Well, ones the whole family can look at, anyway...Naughty Mality) , and ones that seem to be able to get past any pop-up blocker too. If you are still on a dial-up connection, forget about even trying to access this site. For a fee, of course, you can purchase a pop-up free version of the same site.


PRO WRESTLING INSIDER:
www.pwinsider.com

PROS and CONS: This site is pretty much ditto to the above, except that it has slightly less pop-ups and slightly less accurate information.


411 WRESTLING:
www.411mania.com/411wrestlingindex.php

PROS: This site used to boast having the world’s greatest wrestling event reviewer on it, Scott Keith. However, Keith has since retired from doing wrestling reviews because they ceased being fun for him. Keith has gone on to write a book on just why wrestling is no longer fun (it’s for many of the same reasons that this column is titled “Vince McMahon is the Anti-Christ”). Last I heard he was working on his second book, which should be out by now. Meanwhile, 411 Wrestling trudges along with basically a bunch of columnists reporting on their views of events rather than straight news (but then many of the other “news” sites have plenty of opinions in them anyway). Still it’s a great little site for wrestling opinions (and actually opinions on all sorts of other things regarding entertainment as well), without as many annoying pop-ups.

CONS: It’s pretty much listed above: no more Scott Keith, little news and tons of opinions. But try checking out Keith’s book, he’s an excellent writer.


MESSAGE BOARDS: Okay, now you have all this great knowledge about pro wrestling. So, let’s say now you just want to go online and chat with like-minded people about pro wrestling, past and/or present. Here are several places where you can do just that.


KAYFABE MEMORIES:
www.infinitecore.com/superstar/index.php

PROS: This is, IMHO (that’s “In My Humble Opinion” if you’re not already keyed in), the greatest pro wrestling MB there is, the best there ever was, and the best there ever will be. No matter how much flack they get from all the other MBs out there, I think it is entirely jealousy. The MB features separate sections for nearly every major federation from the mid-1960 until 1989. They have very well informed posters who hang out there regularly, and occasionally a true star or two shows up to offer his insights, such as “Playboy” Buddy Rose, or Jerry Stubbs. (The Good Doctor hangs around there quite a bit. Other wrestling personalities lurking there include Sir Oliver Humperdink, Cowboy Bob Kelly, Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin and Izzy Slapowitz-Dr. Mality) It may not be as great as it once was in its heyday, but today it’s still the best.

CONS: Actually, there are several drawbacks to this site. First and foremost, it is strictly devoted to wrestling prior to 1989, and many posters often complain about the old “1989 rule.” The very mentionof any event, incident, or wrestler from after that date will get the post locked. Also, the site is evidently prone to hackers who have nothing better to do than spoil the fun for those who enjoy posting on KM. The site is often down due to just such attacks.


OLDSCHOOL WRESTLING:
www.oldschool-wrestling.com

PROS: Many of my favorite and therefore the best and most informed posters from Kayfabe’s heyday jumped to this excellent site. Not all of them, mind you, but quite a number of them. The site’s main draw is the views and opinions of former (and semi-current?) journeyman wrestler Dusty Wolfe. It also used to boast having Dusty’s old tag team partner Ken Timbs, until Timbs’ untimely passing. Anyway the MB’s main sections are one for old school wrestling, which they date as prior to 1984, and one for the current product, offering a little more flexibility than KM. It should also be mentioned that this site is (and honestly has been for quite some time) trying branch into a more information and opinion-based site, that happens to also have a MB, but for now, the MB is still the main attraction.

CONS: Like the problem with any MB that allows conversations of the current product, you get more young posters, and more young posters often means more trolls (people who frequent MBs just to argue),although to be honest, they don’t have that many trolls. I’m not trying to sound like a grumpy old man here, but I think that’s generally true. Also,Dusty’s opinions are so frequent on the board that he’s reached an almost god-like, mythical proportion to many of the posters. I’m not sure if I can honestly blame Dusty for this or the posters who hang on his every word, or both or neither, but at times it gets a little annoying. I mean, Dusty’s opinions are his opinions, but too often they are taken as cold hard fact, when in reality they are one wrestler’s opinion. (Glad somebody finally said it--Mality)


CRAZY MAX:
www.crazymax.org

PROS: Traffic, traffic, and more traffic. If you want a very wide variety of opinions, a large group of fans to converse with, and a MB with tons of traffic, this is your site. It is almost exclusively for those who are mainly into the current wrestling product, and even then WWE and ROH, although there is some talk of TNA. The talk is mainly of the latest cool moves, and showboating wrestlers. It also has a few sections for non-wrestling topics.

CONS: Like many of the other sites, its main assets are also its main downfalls. The large amount of traffic, and conversations of primarily the current product breeds trolls. Posting there on a regular basis can often be more hassle than it’s worth.


DEATH VALLEY DRIVER:
http://board.deathvalleydriver.com

PROS: This site is very similar to Crazy Max, except that it has more sections and slightly less traffic. Again, it has a few sections for non-wrestling topics,but its main asset its heavy volume for a wide variety of opinions.

CONS: Ditto above about trolls. Also, this site is slightly less navigable than Crazy Max, and some sections are embedded into other sections of the message boards, which doesn’t make it very easy to get around.Finally, I have to say that I’m glad they finally got rid of the ugly green look.


WRESTLING MEDIA FORUMS:
http://ringinsider.com/wrestlingmedia/forums/index.php

PROS: This site receives considerably less traffic than the above four forums, but in a way that’s a good thing as it creates a more quaint atmosphere. The talk is mainly concerning the current product but there is still some room for other topics of conversation, such as old school wrestling, and even international promotions.

CONS: The talk of the current wrestling product still breeds at least a few trolls, but not nearly as many as the previous two boards because of the lower volume of posters. Also, this site has been gaining in popularity, but that also brings more trolls.


WORLD WIDE WRESTLING:
http://wrestlingisreal.proboards39.com/index.cgi

PROS: This is just about the smallest wrestling MB out there. It has quite a few sections, but really the posters here are mainly interested and knowledgeable about old school NWA wrestling, which is not a bad topic at all to talk about. Because there is so little traffic, the site is virtually troll-free, which is definitely a good thing. Occasionally, a real wrestler stops by here as well,such as “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin, and once again,“Playboy” Buddy Rose.

CONS: There is almost too little traffic, especially for all the different sections. I like the fact that the site is not overly populated, but if it gets this little traffic there should really be fewer sections to roam.

Well, there you have it. Now you too can be an Internet wrestling guru and get all the best information, both current and historical, and show off that information at all the best hot-spot message boards. No doubt I will also catch my share of heat for my opinions here, but to those who are offended, I offer no apology, I just call them as best as I see them.

Sir Lawrence Alegdrop is a disgraced member of British royalty who is obsessed with professional wrestling and who would make a remarkably impartial referee.