Thursday, October 2, 2014

Special Report: TWB Is On Vacation Until Monday

BABBY!
So, as you may or may not have noticed, The Wrestling Blog went dark after Butch's Main Event Best Coast Bias. I didn't plan on this happening, mainly because I didn't plan on the phonecall I got at around 10 AM coming to me. My wife, Amanda, was expecting our second child, and she was going in for a routine non-stress test. Apparently, the doctors didn't like what they saw and decided that the baby would be better off being treated outside of the womb than inside of it. The summarized version, Josephine Olivia Holzerman was welcomed into this world at 11:23 AM yesterday. Although we got a fright with the initial prognosis and decision, the little lady is doing just fine right now, as fine as a baby born at 34 weeks can be. We still have some trepidation going forward, but things are looking plenty optimistic for mommy and baby.

With all that being said, my wife underwent major surgery - an emergency Caesarean section is no joke - and she'll be in the hospital until Saturday. In addition to doting on her and my new baby daughter AND my three-year old son, I'll need to do some things around the house to prepare for Josie coming home (so good). That means for the next couple of days, I'm not going to have a whole lot of time to write about human beings play-fighting in their underwear and the social implications of said play-fighting, at least until Monday. So for today and tomorrow, I'm putting the Blogger interface down completely. I hope you guys understand.

If you're in the market for quality wrestling reading in place of TWB, well, my reply is you should have a full reader of the sites I'm about to recommend anyway. Reading one writer/troupe of writers is kinda dull. But anyway, you can get your fixes at the following places:
  • International Object - Sawyer Paul's short bursts with the longer read sprinkled in are the most must-read site on the web for wrestling. DO IT.
  • With Spandex - Brandon Stroud and his staff have a similar rate of postage each day, and all the writers there are informed and entertaining in their own way.
  • Voices of Wrestling - These guys are a bit more business-oriented than TWB is, but they provide an informed take whenever they publish. Right now, they're in full Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame mode, so if that is your thing, you'll be in hog heaven.
  • WrassleRap - Wrestling writing with a hip-hop edge. Even if you're in the "everything BUT RAP AND COUNTRY" crowd, give 'em a read.
  • 4CRWrestling - Mostly consisting of podcasts, a lot of folks I enjoy happen to ply their wares there.
  • @SavedYouAKliq - I wrote about this account earlier this week, but if you need news without the fluff, check 'em out.
  • WrestleChat - If you refuse to partake in the click-saving nature of the previous account and HAVE to give a site your clicks, then WC.net is probably the best bet.
  • Wrestling On Earth - This site is NOT for jabronie marks, brother.

Also, check out Camel Clutch Blog, Old School Jabronis, and Ring Belles, and also keep your eyes peeled for whenever Bill Hanstock, Tom Breihan, or David Shoemaker write about wrestling at their respective sites. A crazy amount of talented people are writing about wrestling out there. While I'd like to think I and my staff are part of that cadre, I'd be foolish and disrespectful to assume we're the only ones. So fill the void with the above if you aren't already, and The Wrestling Blog will be back in action on Monday.