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KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER SHORT: A message to Michael Scherer of TIME - you are not the center of the universe, and the big story is not the breaking news of how pro wrestling shows are produced Jan 7, 2009 - 9:18:16 PM
I'd like to tell Michael Scherer of TIME Magazine that the most fascinating aspect of Stephanie McMahon's testimony was not the detailed run through how a WWE TV show is produced. It was not new information. It has been detailed in dozens of books, and prior to that hundreds of newsletters such as Pro Wrestling Torch, and many interviews including the pioneering "Torch Talk" series which was the first ongoing series of insider interviews that revealed the inner-workings of the business dating back to the late-'80s.
I don't blame Michael Scherer for not having read Pro Wrestling Torch over the years, or sat down to read one of the dozens of pro wrestling books the detailed, often from a first-hand perspective, more detailed accounts than Stephanie's, but I do blame him for being self-centered enough to think that because he had never heard such "fascinating" detail into how pro wrestling operates, then it must've never been stated before.
It didn't take a Congressional Oversight Committee to reveal how pro wrestling shows are scripted and product. It's sad that a journalist of his standing would look past the swiss cheese, insincere aspects of the steroid policies in this industry over the years that have, without question in my opinion, led to deaths and say what was more fascinating is that Stephanie talked about how a TV show is produced, revealing nothing that wasn't reported and chronicled 20 years ago.
It was hard enough to listen to members of the oversight committee sound like fanboys sitting down with their favorite magician telling stories of how tricks are done, but I forgave them since a lot of that background on how the industry works is necessary understanding the nature of how wrestlers indeed compete for spots on the roster, and how appearance is part of that formula of success, even if match outcomes are predetermined. A writer for TIME should not have looked past the heart of the story and turned into a fanboy himself. It was a fascinating story, but not new information. But even if it had been new information, it wasn't the important story. Michael Scherer just made Vince McMahon's day with that response. It's like arriving a crash scene and seeing a reporter marvel at the cool car that was in the wreck.
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AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
