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| Obligatory Chickbuster shot for B |
Journalism, Opinion Writing, Commentary and Analysis
Brandon Stroud - I know I seem to go overboard on B's work, but that's only because I really believe in it and think it's among the best things on the Internet, period. Anyone can recap RAW. Hell, that's why I limit it to Instant Feedback, because I know I don't really have the patience or the panache to dress up RAW each week and say something about it that everyone with a computer, an opinion and 3rd-grade or above grasp of the English language isn't already trying to relate. That's why the Best and Worst is such a breath of fresh air (and to be fair, so are Mitch's recaps on his site/Fair to Flair when he can do them). It's an off-kilter look but it's not askew for the sake of being absurd. Everything makes sense in its own weird way, and I think the narrative is richer for having it around, especially on a site where it might have to be the way it is in order to be noticed.
The Dirty Dirty Sheets - A lot of times, the term "alternative" is thrown around with no rhyme or reason. It's a buzzword to make something seem more hip to an audience. I use it to describe our circle because we really are an alternative to the junk dirtsheet narrative where it's all BUYRATEZ BUYRATEZ RATINGZ HEAT RUMORS NEWZ ANONYMOUS SOURSE SPEKULATION LOL, but even we who are more concerned with art and story aren't as alternative as the Sheets are. The site, run by John Hyperion, focuses solely away from the mainstream, and in a medium where WWE seems to be the sun for nearly every other satellite, it's refreshing to see someone focus on the guys and gals who do it in the gyms or the VFWs or overseas. It's not just the ROHs and Chikaras either, but promotions like AIW, SMASH and even companies in Sweden get the attention. This is the site that pretty much put Kana on the map in the US, and women's wrestling in America was certainly richer for the experience when she came over in her own one-woman invasion through SHIMMER and Chikara. To say that the Sheets are important would be a vast understatement for sure.
Ring Belles - Of all the sites that cover women's wrestling exclusively, I have to hadn it to RB for getting it the most right. It's one thing to post results with no explanation or to give some attempt at analysis, but in order to give the ladies of the ring the same feeling of belonging that the men get, the media has to be up to the same snuff. I feel like RB does a great job at not only covering the news, but giving great analysis and most importantly commentary that gives the women of the ring their due. Plus their banner right now has Sweet Saraya Knight and Kana in Santa hats. HOW FUCKING COOL IS THAT?
Wrestlegasm - Of the four sites/features listed here, the 'Gasm certainly updates the least. That being said, one should never think quantity equals quality, as whenever they do come out with something, it's thoughtful and different. I've long witnessed that the Brits look at wrestling in a far different way than we do in America, and it's usually very eye-opening. Andrew Southern and Rachel Davies both have great sensibilities on how to relate wrestling. As I've noted before, production probably is slower than usual because Davies is recovering from a procedure in the hospital, but I look forward to them bounding back into shape in 2012.
Social Media
Typical ROH Fan (@typicalROHfan) - They say satire is so funny because it's true. There's a lot of truth in what TRF CAPSLOCKS on his feed, although his account has morphed a lot over the years. He still brings the jokes, but I feel like he's become a more credible commentator on wrestling than a lot of the people who do it for serious. Also, he has better scoops than nearly all the dirtsheet writers. Who is his source? Someone well-placed, or is he just someone who knows wrestling logic (an oxymoron if there ever was one) enough to have a near 100% prediction rate?
Trey Irby (@WrestlingTheory) - I know the blog is on again, off again, and right now it seems to be in a state of limbo. That being said, no matter what his state of blogging is, Trey is going to bring the goods on Monday night and during most wrestling events he watches. It almost like he has a blog-feel to his tweets, and he picks out the best people to retweet if he can't think of something on his own to type.
Bill Baconhill (@Bill_Baconhill) - Very much an off-kilter view on wrestling with a classic eye, Bill is mostly famous for his hashtag abuse, especially when it has to do with Ezekiel Jackson's theme song. Lately, he's responded to poor episodes of RAW by live-tweeting old episodes of Nitro or other WCW events. It really is a surreal yet amusing juxtaposition against the flood of people who comment during RAW.
Time Limit Draw (on Tumblr) - Okay, okay, I'm cheating here, since TLD doesn't really add to discussion per se. Then again, doesn't the old adage go "A picture is worth a thousand words"? TLD is very much one of the best feeds on the Web for finding obscure, arcane or just plain awesome classic wrestling pictures and throwing them up. They're followed and loved by people from Jason Mann to Spencer Hall and everyone in between.
