Looking to the future…

Another year has passed. The fifteenth active year of this blog to be exact, though the actual fifteenth anniversary itself isn’t until 3/22/24. I set a blog goal for myself this year that I actually surpassed. I wanted to go back to the weekly format and stick to it. Thanks to a few “extra” happenings I actually surpassed that. If you read any or all of those entries I truly and sincerely thank you. Every bit of feedback, whether it be in some private comment or even a social media “like,” means the world to me. It means that what I’ve done here has in some way entertained, informed or enlightened and that is what I’d always set out to do since day one.

 

I didn’t advertise this entry on any social media entities for a reason. It’s an entry that only needs to be read by the “diehards,” if any such readers exist for this blog. If you automatically come here on your own, then it’s information that you’d be interested in. If you don’t, you may come across it eventually or just wonder “hey, what happened to that guy?” In 2024 I’ve decided to “pull back” a bit. That’s both personally and in public forums such as this. A time for reevaluation on all fronts. I absolutely detest “I’ve had enough, I’m leaving” announcements that folks make on social media. No one cares and the people that respond as such are the only ones being truthful. Instead I’ll try to give you more of an “update.”

 

The truth of the matter is that I’ve done everything that I’d set out to do, and probably more, with this blog. It got me some recognition in the early days, helped me realize my dream of writing for the magazines before they became all but extinct and gave me some recognition among other wrestling fans and collectors which is always nice. I can keep on doing what I’ve been doing, but it’s repetition. One can only take me talking about Dusty, The King and Bruno so many times.

 

I set out to give friendly and lighthearted looks at the topics that I covered. Sadly, that just doesn’t work anymore. The world has changed. Some pinpoint it all the way back to 9/11. I think that I’d go a little beyond that, but it’s just a different place. The key to success in this day and age is being an asshole. There’s no way around it. I don’t know if I speak for every genre, but look at who’s making it big now covering what I cover or even those who cover the wrestling business in general. Assholes. Some with knowledge, some without. If they’re not an asshole then they speak in ridiculous slang or act like they’re edgy when, ultimately, they’re talking about toys or other items coming from a product that’s always, like it not, been aimed at children. Then there are those who’ve literally bought their way into your consciousness. They spent their money to get in, you, in turn, spent your money on them and they’ve literally insulted you and laughed in your face. You know exactly what I’m talking about and, unless you’re in denial, hopefully you’re feeling a bit of shame for letting yourself be used like that.

 

I’ve never talked down to anyone that’s honored me with following my content. While I’ll admit to winning for a long time going by that belief, my successes have indeed stagnated. Add that to the fact that I’m a creative person who’s never had an outlet for creativity that’s truly been sustainable. That’s ultimately the great trick in being creative. I never made money on this. The reward was entertaining and enlightening you, which I mentioned above.

 

I’m sure that a few of you still get that from this blog, but it’s time for something else. I don’t know what that is. I don’t feel that the blog is completely ending. Again, I think that 2024 is a great time for reevaluation. I doubt that there will be fifty-five entries in this coming year. There may not even be five. There may be an entirely new format or maybe another project altogether. I’ll even be pulling back from most of the social media associated with the blog. That being said, I implore you to watch out for updates. If you enjoyed the run thus far and have stuck with me I can promise you that I’ll put even more of myself into whatever follows. The trick is figuring out what that is.

 

Again, thank you all for all of the support over the past decade and a half.

The Interview

I’ve said time and time again that I don’t like to make this blog about me. It’s about the memorabilia and the personalities who’ve inspired it. Sure my picture shows up now and then, but I like to keep 95% of the content as items that YOU yourself can own. With that out of the way, I thought it would be nice to go a different route. I’ve been interviewed several times in the decade plus since I began the blog, both in writing and audio. Some of those made it out, some didn’t. Since I do often get asked a lot of those same questions, I thought it’d be fun to throw a sort of “FAQ” out there. Remember when every site had a FAQ? It’s a collection of questions (and my answers) from several different interviews over the years. And yes, you get a generous dose of my mug, too.

What made you decide to start the blog?

The blog initially rose from the ashes of my newsletter. I published an online newsletter in the late ‘90s, when AOL was still a big deal. I had thousands of subscribers all over the internet, but since AOL was still so prevalent I did two versions, one with AOL supported “graphics” and one without. I loved doing it, but being high school age at the time I had all of the other time-consuming activities that come along with that, so it just sort of faded away. In the decade or so between the two I always had people asking what happened to the newsletter. I even had people asking friends of mine what happened. I knew I had to do something. Blogging was getting big and in 2009 I decided to return in that form.

Why wrestling memorabilia?

No one was writing about it then. In the late ‘90s especially, but even in 2009 when the blog came along it just wasn’t a thing. Everyone wrote about the latest episode of Raw or reviewed old shows. No one was doing memorabilia. Even today while everyone and their mother are talking figures, very few are doing the “deep dive” into other forms of merchandise. I’m very proud to say that the blog is still the only source of information on so many of the items that we’ve covered.

Does all of the memorabilia shown belong to you?

99.9% of it. Very occasionally I’ve done otherwise. For a small handful of entries I was provided with some photos by someone who was involved with an interview or what have you, but I’ve mainly stuck to my own items. When it’s not being photographed it’s just sitting collecting dust, so it may as well be useful. Also, it eliminates the issue of getting clearance from others to use the photos. The photos from the blog show up everywhere. If I had a buck for everywhere I’ve seen my “glamour shot” photo of Michael Hayes’ “Off The Streets” album… But ultimately I don’t mind. I enjoy a brief link posted if someone does use it. I never got into watermarking photos other than a few vintage shots that I’m fairly confident have been printed nowhere else.

How did you decide to go weekly?

I just sort of fell into it. At first it was whenever. Then it got into “Thursday at 7” to the point that I had people saying that to me at conventions. Now that was cool! A few years ago I quit doing it weekly. I try to do it twice a month, but sometimes it’s more and sometimes it’s less.

Why did you drop the weekly format?

I felt myself doing more and more filler content. Not that those entries weren’t as enjoyable, it always surprised me which ones drew more attention that others. I just felt that the old adage of “quality over quantity” was beginning to come true. I still cringe when I do so many modern figure reviews in a row, but sometimes it happens. The figure reviews, despite all of the other figure resources out there, still seem to get the most attention. When something begins to be less enjoyable to me, I send to shy away from it as I think most people do. The “no deadlines” format makes it much more enjoyable.

You’re well known for attending many wrestling conventions over the years. Why not more coverage on that?

I think that aside from “what happened to the newsletter?” this is the question that pops up the most. I’ve done my share, but when it came up that I was going to a show I’d always hear “I can’t wait to read the blog entry!” I loved that. Anytime that people actively want to read your work is an honor. I just didn’t want to get into reviewing the shows. I did a lot on the Charlotte Fanfests, both in advance and in retrospect, but they were different. I have countless stories from virtually all of the conventions that I’ve attended. I’m fast approaching the 20^th anniversary of my convention-going and 35 years of meeting wrestlers, so the stories are coming eventually. I’ve always thought they’d be best in a format different from the blog itself. Though I’ve strayed on occasion, memorabilia should still be the focus.

Can you at least tell us your favorite to meet?

It’s difficult. You’ve got the ones who gave an outstanding experience, you’ve got the personal favorites and then you have the ones who went beyond just the proverbial “meet and greet.” I’m a fan. Have I made a few paychecks from the business? Yes. But I am not nor will I ever be “in the business.” I have never been out to make friends with any of the stars, either. I show a lot of respect in my interactions, as all fans should, and that often endears me to the stars who are used to every sort of behavior that there is. Because of that, I do count some as friends. To answer the question (finally), I’ll give a safe and true answer: Rowdy Roddy Piper. They didn’t get any better as far as fan interaction. Bar none. I can remember something from each time that I was “In The Pit” with Piper.

How about your favorite piece of memorabilia?

I always go back to “Big Dust.” I have five all-time favorite wrestlers and I’ve said countless times that if I had to pick one it would be “The Dream.” He was such a unique person and equally as unique to meet. That being said, it makes sense that my favorite item is one of his. It’s a (larger than) life size standee for the Mello Yello advertising campaign featuring Dusty and the NWA collectible cans. Getting it signed was my second-to-last time visiting with The Dream and one of the most memorable, for sure.

Do you sell memorabilia?

Ah, here we go, one of the other most often asked questions. I do have an eBay account and have been selling for over twenty-five years. Although I do list “doubles” of things that I have in my own collection, it isn’t all wrestling. I very rarely, if ever, sell anything shown here on the blog. Would I for some crazy, ridiculous amount of money? Everyone’s got a price, but the amount that I would ask for my personal collection is far beyond what it’s worth. I hesitate to say even that much, but unless I can sell the whole deal and comfortably retire, it isn’t happening.

What’s in the future?

I think that the blog will always go on in some form. I’ve recently started vlogging and find it very enjoyable, though not as convenient to create as a traditional blog entry. The word “podcast” has come about both in my own mind and from others mentioning it to me. It’s intriguing, but I don’t know that it will happen. I’ve also noticed a troubling trend. It seems to me that the most success in recent years, between wrestling podcasters and wrestling entrepreneurs in general, has come to those who are assholes. I hate saying it so bluntly, but so many of these successful folks treat their fans/followers/paying customers like dirt and/or act like God’s gift. I don’t have to name names. I always based my writing style, especially here in the blog, off of three people. Two of them are/were outside of wrestling, but the third was the late “Wrestling Chatterbox” Georgiann Makropoulos. She was one of the kindest people you could ever encounter and, despite all of that, was a great success in the business for five decades. I wanted the blog to emulate her easygoing style and be sort of a “bright light” in the wrestling world. In the past five, six, seven years it’s obvious that it doesn’t work that way anymore. The fans would rather be called marks. That’s fine. I’m glad that so many readers reach out to me and let me know that they’re still with me after all these years. It means more than they know.

Any final thoughts?

Quite simply, thank you! Thanks to everyone who’s ever read any of my content, even if it was just something on social media. I didn’t get a chance to rant about that topic, but I will say that I most closely favor Instagram. Some may disagree, but I feel that it’s the least toxic of the bunch and I always enjoy coming up with new content for that account. The blog will continue to “enlighten and entertain,” as I’ve always said, for the foreseeable future in several different forms. You never know what will come up down the pike, so stay tuned!

10 Years...

I still remember typing up that first blog entry. Little did I know where it would all lead. Who would have thought that a weekly blog about wrestling memorabilia would take off? When no one else is tackling the same sort of thing, readership will grow. Even with interest in the wrestling business at a fairly low point at the time, people came to read. Maybe it was because a huge chunk of the content was nostalgia. Either way, if you've read this blog at any point in the last decade, thank you! And before I continue, I apologize for this anniversary entry being stream of consciousness to an extent, but it just feels right in this case.

I always tried to keep the same mission: to enlighten and entertain using wrestling memorabilia. Though I did occasionally stray discussing other topics within wrestling, I constantly attempted to tie it into at least some collectibles. I also did my best to keep the content positive. It's easy to write negatively and sadly there are a lot of negatives in the wrestling business to write about. Did I stray? Sure. But you all enjoyed my infamous New York City encounter with A.J. Lee. I'm told that even Jay Lethal mentioned it in a shoot interview. Even with a little bad came some good.

It was interesting to see the highs and lows of readership from week to week depending on the content. As a rule wrestling action figures always attracted more readers. Looks through musty old magazines did far less. But as far as feedback, the latter always seemed to attract more. How does that work? Even I don't know. The posts covering the excitement around Greg Price's Charlotte Fanfests were usually well-received also. While they weren't 100% memorabilia related, I always had demand for more meet-and-greet stories. While many of those tales are being preserved for different avenues in the future, I couldn't ever resist spilling a few of them.

Dusty, Bruno, The King, and Piper are just a few names who I feel were written about more than others around here. I never thought that I would be writing memorial entries for The Dream and Hot Rod back in 2009, but time marches on. Autographs have also always been a staple, considering I myself am a huge collector of them. I know that doesn't ring true for every collector, but I appreciate you staying on if it's not your thing. While I don't think that every single piece of memorabilia needs signed, more often than not I will purchase an item if I think that it has autographing potential.

In case you missed the last entry of 2018 and haven't been keeping up with this years offerings, the blog is no longer weekly. For one thing, so much of what I've wanted to cover initially has been done. Another reason is that my time doesn't allow me the pleasure of getting an entry in weekly. If a writer is truly enjoying the content, the output will be that much better. If I'm rushing through to get an entry done just for the sake of getting one done, it isn't going to be good. For another truth to be revealed, my personal interest in the current product is at an all-time low. I have not seen a weekly program in well over a year and no longer regularly watch the monthly pay-per-views. While I love so much of the current talent, the presentation is nearly the complete opposite of what I want to see. Therefore, my coverage of current memorabilia suffers.

With all of that being said, we're nowhere near being over. When I have a great topic it's still just as fun as it always was to maintain this blog and continue the journey. I have several ideas lined up for the near future and still maintain all of the branches of the blog on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While the tales of wrestling memorabilia are now told in various ways outside of the blog that you're reading, it's a sincere hope of mine that you all still have a big spot in your heart for the original. You may not have a Thursday evening destination any longer, but remember to visit now and then.

In another decade we'll be reflecting on twenty years right here. Mark my words.

Looking Back On Five Years...

Blogging about a blog?  Only on special occasions, but a five year anniversary definitely warrants it!  Five years of wrestling memorabilia, memories, fun, tears, and maybe even a bit of drama (I'm looking at you, A.J. Lee).  We've discussed it all here, and had you told me five years just how much ground would be covered, I'd have called you crazy.  To put it into perspective, WrestleMania 25 was on the horizon, TNA was still starring Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and Mick Foley, and the game changing WWE Network wouldn't even have been imagined in the form that it eventually took.

For those that don't know the story, this blog was born out of an online newsletter.  When I first hit cyberspace a whopping twenty years ago in 1994, it never hit me that people who were online would care about wrestling.  I can still remember a preconceived notion of mine that anyone online must only be obsessed with Star Wars or Star Trek.  To an extent, it was true, but eventually I began to discover clusters of wrestling fans in the then-new medium.  When America Online was a thriving entity, they hosted both the AOL Grandstand and the WWF's first venture into cyberspace.

Into the late '90s, I came up with the idea of a newsletter covering wrestling memorabilia.  Recruiting subscribers from the AOL boards and relying heavily on word-of-mouth, the newsletter was born.  Sadly, I can say that only one full issue remains in my collection.  With a HUGE subscriber base and a ton of product to cover (this was the "Attitude Era," after all), the newsletter thrived and garnered a very nice following.  Eventually, because of other interests and the life of a highschooler, I had no choice but to fold.

In the decade between the end of the newsletter and the birth of the blog, it became apparent to me that a lot of people enjoyed my first venture.  "Do you still produce it?"  "Why did it end?"  "Is it coming back?"  I would hear those questions and more from wrestling fans both on the Internet and in real life.  I didn't have much interest in doing a newsletter again, but surely something could be done to address the great readers that missed it and satisfy my yearning to write about wrestling kitsch again.  The answer?  The blog.

Originally I didn't intend to publish new content weekly.  If you look back at the earlier entries, a few win absolutely no awards for "quality" or "quantity," but as with any writer, reader response is what kept me going.  As much as I like going back and reading some of the entries, I don't publish it for myself, so I've appreciated every little comment I've ever gotten.  Any time that someone shoots me an e-mail, posts on the Facebook page, or pulls me aside at an event, I truly take it to heart.  I've had to opportunity to meet a ton of great people thanks to this weekly look at wrestling.  The blog matters, and exists, because you all take the time to read it.

Here we are in 2014 and it's actually a really great time to be a wrestling fan.  In fact, I will go on record as saying that we're closer than we've ever been to another "boom" period for the industry.  The WWE Network is setting out to not only change this industry but to also help further the evolution of home entertainment itself.  Mixing the glory days with the current product has always been my idea of a recipe for wrestling success.  That, coupled with the fact that WWE finally has stars that fans are emotionally invested in for the first time in a decade, is a sign to me that wrestling is back.  Is it the exact thing that many of us grew up loving?  No.  But some of it is pretty damn good, and I can assure you that I'll be here riding the wave for at least another five years.

100 Entries = Countless Memories

It's a technique used endlessly over the years. All the legends did it. Lucy. Dick Van Dyke. The Simpsons...often shamelessly. No, I'm not claiming to be a sitcom, but I am stealing one of their all-time most dreaded devices. If you're kind, you can call it a retrospective. But there's an uglier word for it. The infamous "F" word.

Flashback!

With this being the 100th entry of this blog, I've decided to go back and take a look at some of the truly memorable entries. In a blog that's largely based on nostalgia, where better to get a bit nostalgic? With so many newer readers in the past few months, some of you may be learning about a number of these entries for the first time.

For those of you who have been with me since the first entry, I haven't forgotten you. First off, thank you for sticking with me for the past two plus years. Second, there is a bit of new content at the end of the entry.

Although I just recently started discussing the blood, sweat, and tears of wrestling meet and greets, one of the first major entries that I did was a review of IWC's Night of Legends 2009 show. If I hadn't started attending IWC shows back in 2001, I wouldn't have ended up meeting so many of the wrestlers that I've had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with.

One of those legends that I first met through IWC and have had the pleasure of meeting with many times since is the one and only Bruno Sammartino. "The Living Legend's" acceptance of the 2010 Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award was my reason for this particular entry, but it remains only a small passage of the story of Bruno and Pittsburgh wrestling that needs to be told. Many more entries on both subjects are slated for the future.

Another topic which I plan on revisiting in the future is the series I call "Wrestling MarketWatch." Lifting half of the title from CBS (with my sincerest apologies to the "Eye"), these entries cover all forms of wrestling memorabilia and the latest going prices for the items. While I contend that price guides are dead in the era of eBay, these entries should fill the void quite nicely for the wrestling collector.

It's always nice when I can get input from the creators of the wrestling memorabilia. Two such entries are among my favorites and, judging from the feedback I received on them, favorites of yours as well. The first re-introduced the 1991 Wrestling Legends trading card set. Featuring Bruno, Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz, and Lou Albano among many others, the set was produced by a Pittsburgh-based company called Imagine Inc. Although now defunct, the then-vice president of the company, Tim Ferrante, was kind enough to share memories and photos from the time of production.

The second entry highlighted the first in-house WWWF/WWF publication entitled Wrestling Action. Wrestling legend and editor of Wrestling Action, Les Thatcher, was kind enough to provide exclusive insight into these great magazines. Counting this five-issue series among my all-time favorite wrestling collectibles makes this entry a personal favorite of mine.

Our last "flashback" features another favorite collectible of mine. While WWF Hasbro toy collectors should all know about this item, judging from the great feedback on this entry it seems that many fans learned of it for the first time. The Hasbro WWF King of the Ring ring is one of those fun toys that, due to limited production and distribution, just doesn't see the light of day very often. It's sharing collectibles like this that make the entries a pleasure to produce.

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Now for something that I plan on including on a semi-regular basis. Many magazines often include a "parting shot." A final page with a photo, several photos, or even a short article to end the issue on a fun note. I often look upon this blog as a monthly magazine spread out upon several weeks, so without further ado I introduce you to...

"From The Musty, Yellowed Pages..."

In my vast collection of wrestling publications I've found tons of hidden gems over the years. Either widely known or lost to time, I'll be presenting many of these in this feature. Why not start with the best one of all?

Inside Wrestling, May 1978, Page 39

About ten years ago I acquired this magazine in a huge collection of old wrestling publications. Thumbing through them, I noticed a feature in many of the titles that wouldn't fly at all today. This particular feature was a monthly listing of "Wrestling Pen Pals." Each section contained a gallery of fans, mostly youngsters, with their photo, interests, and complete home address. A fun, harmless idea in 1978 that would probably be an outrage today.

Between the listings of young Bruno and Dusty fans as well as curious photo booth shots of adults (always looking like future "friends" of NBC's Chris Hansen), a particular child hailing from Ozone Park, NY came to my attention. I could not believe my eyes. Although I scanned the page when I made the initial discover and it later spread to a few places around the Internet, I once again present this particular 9-year-old fan for your enjoyment. Who knew that I would encounter this junior bowler so many years later? Luckily for me I didn't mention that I knew about Taz's first magazine appearance, otherwise I might've been just another victim...

He Looks To The Future, But He Won't Forget The Past...

March 22, 2009. It's hard to believe that I've authored this blog for two years now. When looking back on that time only two words immediately spring to mind: Thank You.

The blog actually sprouted from a concept born way back in 1997. In the early days of the "modern" era of the Internet I had my own online newsletter devoted to wrestling collectibles. Re-reading the only issue still known to exist, it's very obvious that this is the work of a high school kid and various "guest" authors. That said, the newsletter had a huge and very loyal following. Seeing as that up until I began this blog I still occasionally heard from former readers of the newsletter, it must have left some impression on collectors.

When dreaming up the blog, I decided to continue to follow the same two principles that I imposed in the newsletter: to inform and entertain. While I felt that each entry should contain information that could prove interesting to the reader, every writer knows that in order to keep the reader enthralled you simply have to entertain. If you're reading this blog in the first place, you're obviously already entertained by the concepts presented in the world of professional wrestling. My work was cut out for me.

I also decided that instead of concentrating on breaking news, the blog would instead analyze and expound on said news. Reviews of new products, memories of past collectibles, and of course the MarketWatch (my apologies to CBS) entries detailing the latest in auction prices are all concepts that became the foundation of the blog.

Most of all, the blog is here because it's fun. My sincerest hope is that reading the blog is as fun as it is to maintain. Between the blog, the Facebook Fanpage with nearly four hundred readers, and constant communication, I feel that we have created a community based on love for the sport of kings and the great memorabilia celebrating it.

With WrestleMania XXVII right around the corner, interest in wrestling collectibles will inevitably pique for a week or so. If you're just finding us--welcome! Whether you are a new or longtime reader, please let me know what you would like to see here! More reviews? More profiles on the stars and their individual collectibles? Vintage items or new swag? More on encounters with the wrestlers? It's all up to you.

From getting to live a lifelong dream of joining the crew of writers with Pro Wrestling Illustrated to being able to share memories of such wonderful people like Sir Oliver Humperdink, you have enabled me to do this. If you folks weren't enjoying it, I would have no reason to continue.

Once again, thank you. I believe the best is yet to come.

Going Full Circle!

June 29, 2010. This is the on-sale date for the September 2010 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Although I'm sure many of you are regular readers of the magazine dating back to your childhood, I implore you to check out this issue as...the Wrestling Memorabilia Blog *becomes* wrestling memorabilia!

Yours truly was given the opportunity to write an overview of the wrestling collectible scene. Complete with photos, it's a really nice showing for me and I do hope you all enjoy it.

In another feature on myself and the blog, I was once again showcased on one of my favorite blogs, Johngy's Beat. This past Monday, John posted an entry featuring my meeting with the one and only Mike McGuirk...including the famous microphone. Please check that out, as well!

As always, thanks for reading!

The Blog Gets Written Up!

John over at Johngy's Beat has featured my blog in his Friendly Encounters feature today. I'm greatly honored, and so is Mae Young, I'm sure! Johngy's Beat is full of info on celebrity encounters, sports cards, and more. While you're there, check out the "jersey" cards John made of Lanny Poffo and Trish Stratus. Pretty cool! Hey, if King Kong Bundy endorses it, you know it's good!

Tonight is also the night of the final wrestling card at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Early word is that I was indeed wrong, and that there will be a video package celebrating the Igloo and a commemorative t-shirt being sold. No word yet if the video will be aired on television or just for the live crowd.

Whether you're attending as I am or just watching on tv...enjoy!