200 Articles? Why?
#PWHS #Article #200 #Celebration
200 articles posted on this webpage.
Why?
Gordon Solie doing commentary as the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Brisco, is putting on a clinic in the ring, mentions that Brisco's title has a lineage dating back to Frank Gotch.
Why?
Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan hyping the main event at WrestleMania 3 emphasizing many times that Andre The Giant has never been defeated in his (then) 15 year career.
Why?
As "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth make their way to the ring, color commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura mentions that Savage was the first man to have a musical entrance to the ring.
Verne Gagne in a retrospective mentions how he defeated Pat O'Connor and Eduoard Carpentier to unify various versions of the World Heavyweight Title.
...and so on, and so on.
Professional wrestling built its popularity on presenting an athletically-based performance in a theatrical way. Possibly as far back as the 19th Century, matches were worked (pre-determined winners). As part of the work, creating "alternative realities" became the norm rather than the exception to the rule.
So how was a fan who not only enjoyed the spectacle in the ring, but also enjoyed learning everything that they could about the business, to accurately learn what was and was not fiction? The wrestling magazines? With a few exceptions, the magazines not only held the kayfabe line, but also attempted to expand existing angles with story lines of their own creation. No solution was offered there. Dave Meltzer and his ilk? No. The dirt sheet writers got worked even more often than the fans by wrestlers attempting to get some positive ink for themselves, or by promoters attempting to throw those bloodhounds off the trail.
There was a very small, but radically dedicated group of men and women who from the earliest days of the Twentieth Century attempted to separate the false from the bona-fides. These people were and are true historians: They did copious amounts of research in public libraries; they traveled many miles to be able to interview aging wrestlers, promoters,-anyone who had first hand knowledge of the true history of the business, and were willing to share that knowledge. Before the Internet, many people such as J Michael Kenyon, Tom Burke, Scott Teal, Don Luce, et. al. were sending out newsletters to the few who thirsted for real information.
Then the birth and rise of the Internet happened.
Why?
Gordon Solie doing commentary as the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Brisco, is putting on a clinic in the ring, mentions that Brisco's title has a lineage dating back to Frank Gotch.
Why?
Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan hyping the main event at WrestleMania 3 emphasizing many times that Andre The Giant has never been defeated in his (then) 15 year career.
Why?
As "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth make their way to the ring, color commentator Jesse "The Body" Ventura mentions that Savage was the first man to have a musical entrance to the ring.
Verne Gagne in a retrospective mentions how he defeated Pat O'Connor and Eduoard Carpentier to unify various versions of the World Heavyweight Title.
...and so on, and so on.
Professional wrestling built its popularity on presenting an athletically-based performance in a theatrical way. Possibly as far back as the 19th Century, matches were worked (pre-determined winners). As part of the work, creating "alternative realities" became the norm rather than the exception to the rule.
So how was a fan who not only enjoyed the spectacle in the ring, but also enjoyed learning everything that they could about the business, to accurately learn what was and was not fiction? The wrestling magazines? With a few exceptions, the magazines not only held the kayfabe line, but also attempted to expand existing angles with story lines of their own creation. No solution was offered there. Dave Meltzer and his ilk? No. The dirt sheet writers got worked even more often than the fans by wrestlers attempting to get some positive ink for themselves, or by promoters attempting to throw those bloodhounds off the trail.
There was a very small, but radically dedicated group of men and women who from the earliest days of the Twentieth Century attempted to separate the false from the bona-fides. These people were and are true historians: They did copious amounts of research in public libraries; they traveled many miles to be able to interview aging wrestlers, promoters,-anyone who had first hand knowledge of the true history of the business, and were willing to share that knowledge. Before the Internet, many people such as J Michael Kenyon, Tom Burke, Scott Teal, Don Luce, et. al. were sending out newsletters to the few who thirsted for real information.
Then the birth and rise of the Internet happened.
Thousands of websites sprung up seemingly overnight dedicated to professional wrestling. For the wrestling fan, the Internet became the new lifeline, and grapevine. One problem existed: the majority of these sites would upload anything at all. Very few sources were ever checked, and the wave of misinformation became that of Tsunami proportions. Spoilers to matches that may or may not have taken place; unfounded rumors of backstage antics; worst of all-incorrect, unsubstantiated stories claiming to be historical fact.
Why 200 articles?
The Professional Wrestling Historical Society was founded by Greg Skelley and Jimmy Wheeler. Jimmy can still be called a young adult, and will always be called British. Yet from this incongruous background came a young man who was fascinated by United States Professional Wrestling origins. Jimmy may or may not be the most learned man about Professional Wrestling from c. 1850-1920, but he is the most informed and intelligent person whom I have met on that particular era of the business.
Jimmy spent many frustrating hours chasing dead ends; chasing unverifiable "facts" that have been printed as such for years. He determined to establish a website on the Internet where the true history of the business of professional wrestling can be found. He did so-both a webpage and a group on Facebook- and today we reach a milestone: the 200th article uploaded to the website.
Take some time and browse any of the articles. They contain data, statistics, personal reminiscences, etc. One thing that they all share in common is that there is not one line of fiction printed in any of them. [Editor's note: Unless clearly stated, of course] This website reveals the true history, the true memories, and the true environment that was professional wrestling from the Nineteenth Century to the Twenty-First. For anyone who wants to know if the late Bruno Sammartino truly hated Larry Zbysko, read the articles at PWHS. For anyone who wants to know if Lou Thesz really was the National Wrestling Alliance champion six times-read the articles.
Why 200 articles?
Because no one else is telling the truth and no other website (IMO) cherishes the real history of professional wrestling more than The Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
200 Articles?
Author: Harry Grover.
Published: June 7, 2018.
Article: #200
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
200 Articles?
Author: Harry Grover.
Published: June 7, 2018.
Article: #200
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
Other articles by Harry can be Read Here.
[Editor End Note...eh...Essay:
When I first realized we were nearly at 200 articles I was kind of underwhelmed. I couldn't help but think it seemed like such a low number for a website that is 4 years old in just 27 days time. Then it started to sink in that the 200th article was just that; the 200th article. Not piece of content, but the 200th piece of content specifically for the articles section of the website. Within that 4 year period 200 articles have been added as well as over 150 biographies of various wrestlers and promoters, dozens and dozens of book reviews, plus interviews, timelines, title lineages and more results (by area) than I can count, but if we haven't hit 10,000 we're not far off. There are also records for nearly 100 wrestlers on the website. So, when all of that is taken into consideration, 200 articles is actually not too shabby.
Still, I could not think of anything worthwhile to write about the matter. When I threw it over to the other guys in PWHS Harry Grover stepped up. Quite appropriate he did as Harry is by far the reader's choice in terms of articles we've published. I gave him no guidelines. He sent me what you just read and I loved it. Hated that he put me in the limelight, but loved how he captured exactly what we strive for at PWHS. He did such a good job I went from a blank to feeling inspired to write this, what was supposed to be, end note.
"Why" is a rather fitting word for PWHS in general. Any researcher will spend ridiculous amounts of time asking themselves why "X" happened and if it did why did "Y" then happen? Or, some variation of those questions. On a personal level, I find myself asking "Why" a lot about PWHS. Why do I commit so much time to what we do? Why do I spend so much money to share what we do with the world? Why do I deal with the stress that comes with running a Facebook group? Why am I sharing this with you now when normally I shy away from speaking of my role within PWHS?
- Let's start with the last one: A few people have brought up my role recently and it's kind of been put out here how much I do behind the scenes. Then this article by Harry kind of opens the door for me to open up with y'all.
- The stress of, well, not the group itself, but some people who inevitably don't last long in it: Some days I honestly do not know. Thankfully there are a great team of guys (and gal) who really keep on top of the main and the book group to allow me the time to keep this website updated constantly.
- The first two are easy. Depending how you look at it depends on which of the two reasons is more important:
A - For the majority of my life pro-wrestling has been a crutch, a love, a passion and so on, but above all else it has been, in such a weird way, my beacon of sanity. These days researching it works more efficiently to stop the loopy-juice flowing than watching it does.
B - I don't know any better way to give back to pro-wrestling than by preserving it's history and making it available for everyone to learn and enjoy. Okay, I didn't expect to be giving back $600 a year (yes, that's how much the website alone costs) on top of lot of time and effort when I first started to pursue this, but hey-ho.
So, what exactly do I do?
- Reformat, edit, and fact check all content for the website.
- Maintain the website.
- Manage all incoming e-mails.
- Manage the Facebook group and deal with any issues.
- Create content for both the group and website.
- Research; mainly through newspapers.
- Run the PWHS Twitter and InstaGram accounts.
- Cover the majority of costs for designing, advertising, and the website itself.
- Dream up whacky schemes to try and cover costs being paid out.
- Ideas for various designs.
- I also work a paying job (40 hours per week).
Why?
Because pro-wrestling is the most diverse yet universally known form of entertainment art that in my opinion has ever existed and I and everyone at PWHS bloody-well love it.
There are many people who have made this possible and they are listed in the About & Contact section of the website. Greg Skelley though, man, he went through some tough times and pretty much disappeared off of social media and therefore is probably an almost forgotten part of PWHS. Without Greg though PWHS as you know it would never have happened. I'll be eternally grateful for him extending the olive branch, taking a chance on a young 21 year old me (at the time). If you get chance to read this thank you, man, and know I often think of you and family and hope wherever y'all are y'all are safe. Oh, and never forget Hanoi Rocks!
While thanks in monetary form to help cover website costs is always really appreciated and honestly helps me out so much, sometimes it's just having someone take the time to tell us how much they enjoy what we do. It is at that moment the answer to "Why" is because what we do just helped make at least one person's life a little bit better for a little bit of time. Just like pro-wrestling has done for me time-and-time again.
Thank you]
When I first realized we were nearly at 200 articles I was kind of underwhelmed. I couldn't help but think it seemed like such a low number for a website that is 4 years old in just 27 days time. Then it started to sink in that the 200th article was just that; the 200th article. Not piece of content, but the 200th piece of content specifically for the articles section of the website. Within that 4 year period 200 articles have been added as well as over 150 biographies of various wrestlers and promoters, dozens and dozens of book reviews, plus interviews, timelines, title lineages and more results (by area) than I can count, but if we haven't hit 10,000 we're not far off. There are also records for nearly 100 wrestlers on the website. So, when all of that is taken into consideration, 200 articles is actually not too shabby.
Still, I could not think of anything worthwhile to write about the matter. When I threw it over to the other guys in PWHS Harry Grover stepped up. Quite appropriate he did as Harry is by far the reader's choice in terms of articles we've published. I gave him no guidelines. He sent me what you just read and I loved it. Hated that he put me in the limelight, but loved how he captured exactly what we strive for at PWHS. He did such a good job I went from a blank to feeling inspired to write this, what was supposed to be, end note.
"Why" is a rather fitting word for PWHS in general. Any researcher will spend ridiculous amounts of time asking themselves why "X" happened and if it did why did "Y" then happen? Or, some variation of those questions. On a personal level, I find myself asking "Why" a lot about PWHS. Why do I commit so much time to what we do? Why do I spend so much money to share what we do with the world? Why do I deal with the stress that comes with running a Facebook group? Why am I sharing this with you now when normally I shy away from speaking of my role within PWHS?
- Let's start with the last one: A few people have brought up my role recently and it's kind of been put out here how much I do behind the scenes. Then this article by Harry kind of opens the door for me to open up with y'all.
- The stress of, well, not the group itself, but some people who inevitably don't last long in it: Some days I honestly do not know. Thankfully there are a great team of guys (and gal) who really keep on top of the main and the book group to allow me the time to keep this website updated constantly.
- The first two are easy. Depending how you look at it depends on which of the two reasons is more important:
A - For the majority of my life pro-wrestling has been a crutch, a love, a passion and so on, but above all else it has been, in such a weird way, my beacon of sanity. These days researching it works more efficiently to stop the loopy-juice flowing than watching it does.
B - I don't know any better way to give back to pro-wrestling than by preserving it's history and making it available for everyone to learn and enjoy. Okay, I didn't expect to be giving back $600 a year (yes, that's how much the website alone costs) on top of lot of time and effort when I first started to pursue this, but hey-ho.
So, what exactly do I do?
- Reformat, edit, and fact check all content for the website.
- Maintain the website.
- Manage all incoming e-mails.
- Manage the Facebook group and deal with any issues.
- Create content for both the group and website.
- Research; mainly through newspapers.
- Run the PWHS Twitter and InstaGram accounts.
- Cover the majority of costs for designing, advertising, and the website itself.
- Dream up whacky schemes to try and cover costs being paid out.
- Ideas for various designs.
- I also work a paying job (40 hours per week).
Why?
Because pro-wrestling is the most diverse yet universally known form of entertainment art that in my opinion has ever existed and I and everyone at PWHS bloody-well love it.
There are many people who have made this possible and they are listed in the About & Contact section of the website. Greg Skelley though, man, he went through some tough times and pretty much disappeared off of social media and therefore is probably an almost forgotten part of PWHS. Without Greg though PWHS as you know it would never have happened. I'll be eternally grateful for him extending the olive branch, taking a chance on a young 21 year old me (at the time). If you get chance to read this thank you, man, and know I often think of you and family and hope wherever y'all are y'all are safe. Oh, and never forget Hanoi Rocks!
While thanks in monetary form to help cover website costs is always really appreciated and honestly helps me out so much, sometimes it's just having someone take the time to tell us how much they enjoy what we do. It is at that moment the answer to "Why" is because what we do just helped make at least one person's life a little bit better for a little bit of time. Just like pro-wrestling has done for me time-and-time again.
Thank you]