I’ve been waiting for April 1, 2025 for a long time. It was to be a pivotal day not just for WrestleCrap.com – after all, how many websites have been around for 25 years? How many of ANYTHING in your entire life have been around for 25 years? There are some, no question, but the vast majority of things in life come and go, get hot then vanish. Heck, think about where you live – have you lived in the same house for 25 years? Have you lived in the same city for 25 years? Some of you may not have even been alive for 25 years! So I definitely want to lift my glass and celebrate the fact that this silly site about the very worst in pro wrestling has been around for so very, very long.
However, this article was also to be a major change in my life. I had written it in my head countless times over the past few years. Yes not months, but years. The 25th annivesary was always going to be it. Everything was leading to this article. It was going to be a celebration but also an end. Because this – this very article – was set to announce my retirement from WrestleCrap.com. I had it in my head that 25 years was a good run and a perfect time to call it quits. And I was looking forward to it, as even the shortest of inductions take quite a bit of time away any free time I may have remaining, especially with Mrs. Deal who has been a saint through it all. Plus Jordan and Art do such good work that I know the site would continue on without me being a regular part of it. But like any good pro wrestling swerve, I’m not doing that and am in fact sticking around. Let me tell you why.
If you’ve been with me here at WrestleCrap.com for any length of time, you’ve heard the story of the site’s origin. My friend Merle and I were talking about something on the WCW Nitro and he mentioned that it was the worst thing ever in pro wrestling, to which I simply replied, “Then you’ve never seen the Gobbledy Gooker.” We both laughed and it led to a couple more hours talking about the very worst of pro wrestling. With that, the website was born. But like any birth, a name was needed so I brainstormed lots of ideas, finally asking Mrs. Deal what she thought of the term “WrestleCrap.” She rolled her eyes, let out an ‘ugh’, and I said, “PERFECT!” I was off and running and the only purpose of the site was to do one thing – make my friends laugh. And by my friends, I literally meant Merle, Dan, Casey, and Eric. It was never meant to be anything major and it sure as heck wasn’t designed to be around for a quarter century.
The Late, Great Merle Griggs
It’s funny how things turn out. It wasn’t long before Merle passed away. I remember getting the news and just crying my eyes out, with Crystal coming in and asking me what was wrong. I told her and we both wept, holding each other and sharing stories of how funny he was. I thought briefly about shutting down the site, but I determined it was worth pushing forward for my little group of friends who were laughing at the weekly posts I was doing.
The site got some momentum and before I knew it, it was getting tons of traffic. It was now far more than just our little foursome – thousands and thousands of people were hitting the site. In fact, so many people were coming to the site I had to shut it down. I was no businessman, and when I started getting monthly bills in the thousands of dollars, I simply didn’t have a choice – I would have been completely broke. It was the early days of the internet and I had no clue what to do. A few months later however, I retooled things and we were back up and running.
Me and RD Jr. with My Friend Bryan Alvarez
WrestleCrap got another boost when I was interviewed about the site for a magazine…a magazine called Penthouse. Yep, THAT Penthouse. Look it up if you’re not familiar with it, but be warned it’s NSFW. I should probably make note of who interviewed me…none other than Bryan Alvarez, who would become not only my co-author for The Death of WCW, but also someone I am honored to call my friend.
It was about that time I ran a stupid “Recreate the Crap” contest. Again, it was just designed as a lark – something where people would send me videotapes (yes, TAPES as YouTube didn’t even exist yet!) of reenactments of Inductions I’d done. There were a lot of good ones, but my favorite was dubbed “Revenge of the Scorpion” and brought back the Black Scorpion from the depths of Ole Anderson’s dungeon. It was created of course by Blade Braxton.
With Blade and The Infamous Katie Vick Outfit (That He Convinced Me To Buy)
It’s amazing what that stupid contest did – it gave me one of the best friends I had ever known. We talked daily, not just about pro wrestling but about everything, and we were always making each other laugh to the point of literal tears. We tossed around the idea of doing an ‘internet audio show’ and thus WrestleCrap Radio was born. You probably read that and think, “RD, just call it what it is – a podcast.” The reason I didn’t is because we started it before the term ‘podcast’ even existed! We did over 300 shows, as well as several video shoots and other such lunacy. Oh how I miss getting on with my friend on the other end of the tin can and string!
“Earthquake” John Tenta Enjoying Quakeburgers
Of course, the site would also lead to me meeting “Earthquake” John Tenta. See, I had tried for years to get different people to talk to us about their involvement in characters and storylines you could tell they wanted no part of…but no one would talk to us. But John got it. He understood we weren’t making fun of him, we were talking about the unfair situation he was put in, and he let loose. But he didn’t do it in an angry way. I mean, that was never John’s nature – he was always the most kind giant imaginable. We also became friends, and he even wrote the foreword to my first book.
With My Hero, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
The book actually led to me meeting more folks in the wrestling business, such as my favorite personality in wrestling ever, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Bobby had also written a book, so I was able to use my new publishing contacts to set up a meeting with me and my hero. It was supposed to be a five to ten minute meeting. We wound up talking for over two hours and I dare say became friends. He and his wife Cindy even asked me to consider doing a book with them. Sadly that didn’t happen due to Bobby’s passing, but still, I consider that one of my greatest achievements. Just be able to call Bobby my friend is something that still has me in awe.
Not everyone was a fan of the site. In fact, there was a person who we had called out countless times who really, REALLY hated me. And that would be none other than Vince Russo. He was chomping at the bit to get me on his podcast and skewer me alive. Having never met the guy, I thought sure, why not. What’s the worst that could happen? So I went on and Russo really laid into me, to the point that I literally started laughing at this complete madman. The more that he ranted, the more I shook my head and laughed. He was absolutely furious. However, since he had a book to promote, he agreed to come onto WrestleCrap Radio so he could plug it. Before the show, I told Blade, “Don’t ask him ANY questions about pro wrestling. None. Ask about breakfast cereals, ask about Batman ’66, ask about cartoons. No wrestling.” Blade was confused but it worked – I just wanted to show him we were normal people with no real axe to grind.
By the end of that show, Russo got it. And I learned that I am apparently a very UNHATEABLE person. Which is kinda cool. As is the fact that Russo and I are now, yes, good friends.
Jordan, Blade (in the Oz robe), & I (in the Gooker outfit) Invade Starrcast
You may be noticing a trend here. Friend. Friend. Friend. WrestleCrap was designed for my friends. It led to me meeting many more friends. Jordan Mishkin. Art O’Donnell. Blue Meanie. Joel Gertner. I’ve met others that have carried on the WrestleCrap legacy such as Maffew at Botchamania and Brian Zane at Wrestling with Wregret (two great guys). So many others, so many readers and listeners that I now talk to every Wednesday night when I do live Dynamite chats. So many friends. And I’d like to think, to hope, that other friendships have been made outside of my own through WrestleCrap.com.
Over the years, I’ve lost a lot of those friends. Merle, Blade, Quake, and Bobby all gone way too soon, and all gone in heartbreaking manner. You have no idea, no idea, how many tears I’ve shed. But before that…I had so many laughs and so much fun with those friends. And that wouldn’t have happened without with this stupid site. And I’d like to think you, dear reader, have had fun and laughs as well. So if you still want me to keep doing this? Yeah, I will. I am sure I will retire one day, but it’s not this day. I’d like to think there’s more laughs and friendships just around another crappy corner.