evilclown

One of the biggest things is authenticity. People can tell when you are full of shit. I think Ted could tell that: 1. I had actually seen stuff like the Freebrids angle and 2. I loved it and cared about his thoughts on it. That's something you can never get if you're RF and doing all these interviews with people I swear he probably had never really heard of. I love professional wrestling as an art. And I think they can tell that.

It's a money issue more than anything. I don't really know how the "shoot interview" business works. For Bleacher Report I go through the WWE PR department to set up times. But getting the 30, 60, 90 minutes I want is pretty much out of the question. It's very frustrating. I'm just curious what the price is. If it's a few hundred, maybe that's possible with the right system. I'd consider it. If it's a few thousand, I think that's untenable.

I really appreciate it. Can you imagine the great opportunities a company like RF Video had and just threw away? It's honestly sickening to listen to those videos, because it was a legitimate opportunity to create an oral history for the wrestling business and it's just complete bunk. I wonder what the economics are for that business? Is it even worthwhile to attempt circa 2014? A Meltzer style paywall for a podcast? Anyone have any idea?

Keep in mind the UFC has peaked and failed to create the next generation of pay per view stars. It's not like he's talking about a white hot promotion. He's propping up a stagnant business.

I appreciate that. This one was tough. I didn't realize the time limitations and a WWE guy literally was like "Okay, last question." Which certainly wasn't what I hoped for! Of course, had I known it was just 15 minutes, I might have missed out on some of the cool stuff I got in favor of form WWE questions. Sophie's Choice.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1911201...fe-in-wrestling

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1911201...fe-in-wrestling

Thanks to all. Was shorter than I hoped, but your questions were a big help. Coming soon!

What would you ask the Million Dollar Man? Time will probably be short, so I'm looking for a topic or three he could really knock out of the park.

I didn't get much time with Bryan, but this is what I did earlier this year. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1738742...nquered-the-wwe

I'd given up on reading these things until one of those days when I desperately need something to direct my negative energy towards.

As a writer, I think this is potentially a tremendous boon. Not only can I research and discuss a topic, I can show readers the original footage. That's super exciting.

I don't understand how the indies are copying the ECW business model. That doesn't seem right.

Did you end up interviewing him and/or reviewing the book? No. Ultimately I think it's a bad look for me to review his book. Bix needs to step up to the challenge.

This is a guy who talks a ton about Ed Lewis and barely mentions Joe Stecher. It's like someone doing an NBA book and writing at length about Larry Bird and never discussing his rivalry with Magic.

How do you mean? He doesn't even get the way the WWF booked heels and babyfaces right. And that's the stuff he lived through. His historical portraits are a bad rewrite of Fall Guys, which itself problematic. He doesn't know much about wrestling history.

What was "great" about these? Would a book about any other sport be widely praised with massive factual mistakes about major players and eras? Pro wrestling fans are so desperate for "mainstream" that they will literally praise anything.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news...-tna-wrestling/ I can't imagine a more glowing portrait of such a shitty company.

I think this is exactly wrong. WWE is trying to, ironically enough considering the 1980's push to do the opposite, position itself alongside sports programming. What makes sports so valuable is that it isn't as likely to be DVR'ed. It is consumed live and in real time. WWE is the same way and is working to encourage that with their strong push towards social media integration during the shows. The last thing Vince and the WWE wants is to be DVR'ed or to let anyone think, even for a minute, about DVR'ing their show. Live and social is what makes them valuable.

Always like Vader vs. Hansen

Japan is significantly overrated and over represented. The fact that someone would use lack of Japanese stardom as a negative...is mind blowing. But the Hall of Fame is bound to resemble its creator in this.

Good stuff. Reader questions, I think, can be snarkier than journalist questions....

Will be speaking to him soon. What've you got for wrestling's leading mainstream voice?

It's an interesting dynamic. I've had disagreements with him in person that were passionate but cordial. I never felt like he was dismissing me outright and he's willing to concede solid points. But online, perhaps because he thinks the horrible people on his message board are an example of how to interact, he's genuinely mean and awful at times. Of course, people might say the same of me. Generally, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt online. They likely aren't trying to be rude, even if they don't seem to have basic social skills.

I'm not concerned about his opinions. Those are his, and he expresses them well. I think most of the discussion here is about major errors in fact. Those can't really be allowed to stand or this will become 2013 Fall Guys.