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Six months ago I launched this site, unsure whether or not there was any interest in a serious indy wrestling site. For years the only prominent site that covered indy wrestling was filled with stupidity, slander, "huge newz" stories no one cared about, poor writing, and blatant pandering by the guy who ran it because he wanted to be "one of the boys". Would people accept a site that featured none of that (okay, the quality of my writing is debatable!) and was more concerned with helping indy wrestling? The answer, much to my relief, was yes.
A little known fact is that this site is my second of its kind. My first indy wrestling news site was created at the tail end of 1997. For three years I ran the site, the only site aside from the far superior Whoo! Wrestling site ran by Allan Barrie, that covered indy wrestling news exclusively and was constantly updated. I closed up the site in January of 2000 because I was 16, had lots of things in my life that were more important, and my responsibilities with Smart Mark Video, who I'd began working for in 1998, grew larger.
I decided to open this site again because indy wrestling has been good to me. It's given me opportunities that I never would've had otherwise and I've met a couple of close friends because of it. This is my way of giving something back. I also grew tired of that other site making a mockery out of it all. Wrestling should never be taken too seriously, and indeed the wrestling business breeds a lot of idiocy. Still there are hundreds of men and women who lose money every weekend because, and I know it sounds cliche but it's true, they love it. They deserve better than a site that makes an even bigger mockery out of what they do. Ultimately though I did this for the same reasons that those people travel every weekend, often at a loss, to do something they love: I'm a mark.
The site has exceeded my expectations and I am very happy with it. A lot of help though has been given by some people who'd I'd like to thank right now:
Obviously Smart Mark Video has helped a lot, both with providing content such as full matches and pictures, as well as advertising on their site and newsletter. While my connections probably didn't hurt, they've asked for nothing in return and have let me do my thing without interference, which I really appreciate.
Dave Prazak also has helped a lot and he got behind the site immediately by promoting it in the SHIMMER newsletter, on the SHIMMER website, and on the SHIMMER message board. I started talking to Dave a little over ten years ago and have watched him over the years give back to the wrestling business while never asking for any credit. Whether it was ring announcing, being a manager, or doing commentary (including an epic performance on one of the NWA New Jersey Eddie Gilbert Memorial shows), he did whatever was asked of him because he loved wrestling that much. I'll be writing an article about Dave shortly because he deserves recognition for the things he's done to help independent wrestling.
Juan Alvarado has done show reports and taken pictures for this site despite being in college and having other commitments. Still he's found time to do it and I'm glad that he contributes to the site because I consider him to be a good friend and am proud to have him involved.
Robles works for Smart Mark Video as a cameraman and an editor. He's the man behind all of the IWA Mid-South pictures, as he not only shoots most IWA shows but also edits them. He's a very good friend of mine and I'm lucky to be able to say that.
AAW: Pro Wrestling Redefined showed faith in the site by becoming its first advertiser and helped in keeping it afloat. I hope that everyone takes the chance to check them out because they are putting on some really good shows and I'm not just saying that because they've supported us. They use only top talent from the Midwest and are doing a really good job.
Shawn O and his show reports are among my favorite things to read on this site. It's nice to see someone give some exposure to the New England scene, a scene which has been severely lacking exposure for far too long. I'm happy to be able to give him another outlet to do so.
Marcus A. Fine has been extremely helpful in reporting on Indiana based independent groups and I'm glad to have him as a contributor.
It's hard to know when you're doing things right, so when something or someone let's you know it's greatly appreciated. For that I'd like to thank Sean McCaffrey and his website. They've made it a regular practice to steal news from this site without giving credit to it or the authors. At first it bothered me, but I've come to realize that when others steal your news, including things you've personally written, it must mean you're doing something right. Besides, it's hard to be angry when they do such a horrible job at copying it (see below). You don't see people stealing news items from Sean or his site and there's a reason for that.
I find it humorous that what I wrote in the original article has been attributed as a quote from Carole Snuka.
I'd like to also thank all of the contributors who send stuff in. It's very important to cover promotions that might not get much coverage elsewhere because it's these groups that are the heart of indy wrestling. Pretty much every wrestler who has become popular on the indies got their start in one of these small groups and their contributions to the business should not go unnoticed. There are a lot of bad, shady groups out there but there are just as many that deserve your support.
Finally I'd like to thank everyone who visits the site. The emails I get have been overwhelmingly positive and knowing that people get something out of the site is very rewarding. Keep supporting independent wrestling, it needs it now more than ever.
Okay, enough self aggrandizing for now! Thanks again everyone and here's to the continued growth of this website!
Adam
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