Wanted to get this all Sheet Wars edition up for the weekend. We’ve been watching the developments carefully over the last couple of days, and will continue to do so over the next couple days.
We’ll have a far more in-depth look at this in the next several days as the next edition of In Deep Sheet, the weekly column where I take a detailed look at the inner workings and events past, present, and future of wrestling news sites and newsletters.
We have a new edition of our podcast, Talking Sheet on the site today. The episode was recorded prior to my leaving town “on assignment.” So we have a fun look at the F4W BOARD~! as well as a review of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter from January 19th, 1987 on the show.
The latest edition of my weekly column Deep Insider is also on the site documenting my startling discovery when entering the PWInsider Elite message board.
We also have a new comic contribution by the brilliant cartoon satirist MeatyFist on the site as well.
News tips? Feedback? Email me at Les@sheetsandwich.com
Sunday News Update
** The Sheet Wars continue to heat up as more altercations between wrestling news writers play out in public via social media. This time we’re witness to a battle between Mike Johnson and Sean Radican, as well as shots exchanged between Daves Scherer and Meltzer.
** Johnson & Radican’s thing has been simmering for about two days, when Radican fired shots and Johnson’s credibility, and implored TNA’s musician-turned-wrestling creative producer, Billy Corgan not to stand behind Johnson’s vague semantical argument against Dave Meltzer’s story that TNA Impact had been canceled by Destination America.
** Johnson and Radican exchanged tweets, leading to Johnson, seldom at a loss for words, especially where public controversy can be had, borrowed an arrow from Michelle Beadle’s quiver and wrote a public TwitLonger letter to Radican, accusing him of slander.
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1smbki0
** Radican replied to Johnson saying, “The main issue I have is when you report on news coming from other sites you don’t directly address where they’re coming from. That gives you plausible deniability when you say you weren’t talking about someone specific like your tweet about ROH last week.”
** Scherer, meanwhile, in fielding a reader question, took an opportunity to scold Dave Meltzer on how the venerable wrestling journalist comports himself on Twitter.
Reader Question: I have noticed that Dave Meltzer has been taking to twitter to attack fans that questions things he has reported lately, especially about TNA. I find it interesting because he has been around for years and before social media, fans didn’t have a way to challenge him. What do you think about him engaging with so many fans lately? And how do you react if/when people do that to you?
Scherer Response: Dave was somewhat late to the internet party, being a print journalist for so many years. That was largely how he distributed his work. The interplay with readers is much different in that scenario as its people who pay to read the work and thus tend to be fans of what you do. On social media, people don’t have to support your work with their dollars, so in many cases they can say things to you and you have to decide whether it’s worth responding. I tend to ignore people that are disrespectful. I didn’t even know that Dave was responding until I saw your question. My advice to him would be this. It’s fine to protect your work and stand behind it. But taking troll bait and responding in kind? Only do it if you really feel like ripping a loser.
** Meltzer responded to Scherer to his members on the F4W BOARD~! saying, “No understanding of entertainment. Too many people were telling me they were having too much fun. Scherer doesn’t even realize how jealous he comes off knocking me this week. Or any week.”
** Not to be outdone, Vince Russo couldn’t stop himself to lend his voice to the debate, either, writing one of his famous, stream-of-consciousness screeds at CSRWrestling.com.
For the vast majority of the time, the news is negative, either spun to bring down an individual, or an organization. I know this to be a fact, as one wrestling website, arguably cost me my job, and the income I used to support my own family. The sad thing is . . . they don’t give a !@#$%. As long as it drives people to their site—and they gain some level of notoriety—that is the end game, and that is all they care about. There are no morals involved, no scruples, no responsibility, and no integrity.
I’m sick of these irresponsible jack-offs, I really am. They talk trash about others who have achieved, and are achieving what they only wish they could have . . . but, weren’t good enough to. It’s called jealousy. It’s called dragging others down in a weak and feeble effort to build yourself up. It’s called having no class. Zero. None. Honestly, what’s going on inside of TNA is of no concern of mine, it’s none of my business, if Dixie Carter decides that she wants to let us all know―she will. Until then . . . I’m going to stick to my own business in an effort to “entertain” others . . . not destroy them.
** It probably comes as little surprise that PWInsider has found a way to be at the center of this latest drama, what with their reputation for wading into the thick of things, guns blazing without any regard for what the issues at hand are.
Scherer claiming he ignores trolls is such a laughable load of shit. He’s just about the most easily “gotten to” pro-wres journalist alive.
Dave Sherer let it slip that Mike Johnson is a part timer at PWinsider. No wonder that the quality have gone down on that site.
(THE 5/24 FUNNEST MAILBAG Dave S says Mike is a part timer)