By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

Just got my copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I grew up with this magazine. I got off on a different bus stop on the way home from junior high school to run to the local convenience store magazine rack every Tuesday and Thursday when new mags arrived hoping for the latest PWI, Inside Wrestling, The Wrestler, or other mags to arrive.

Their role has changed, and certainly diminished, over the years. I'm surprised they've survived at all considering the competition from (a) newsletters, (b) websites, and (c) WWE's own publications. But they have.

While far from pure journalism, they serve a role of providing basically a "program" to the play of pro wrestling, a storyline-accompaniment to what is happening on air. I'm never crazy about the narrative of whether pro wrestling matches are legit competition changing from page to page, I do get a kick out of "entering the world they create" where they provide a worked overview of the entire industry rather than a singular company-line of a WWE Magazine.

The PWI 500 is one of the fun articles to delve through, from the perspective of "how would you do such a ranking if every match were real and you had to work with those results to come up with a top 500 list".......

Wade Keller's Daily VIP Blog is a VIP-exclusive feature. To read the last 80 percent of this VIP blog posted on Monday night including analysis of the top 25, various other placements that jump out as strange or noteworthy, biggest names to drop off the list, and what the list is most useful for, become a VIP member right now. Get password access right away!

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SUNDAY'S VIP BLOG TOPIC: My idea on how to stop PPV pirating in its tracks instantly

SATURDAY'S VIP BLOG TOPIC: How to clean up one frustrating aspect of NXT in season three

FRIDAY'S VIP BLOG TOPIC: Kane's revelation, new Impact ratings insight that could halt any ECW celebration, Ross opens door to return

THURSDAY'S VIP BLOG TOPIC: HOW TO TURN ROB TERRY INTO THE HOTTEST STAR IN PRO WRESTLING, AND CREATE A NEW MEGA-STAR IN THE PROCESS...

WEDNESDAY'S KELLER VIP BLOG TOPIC: DREAM CARD FOR TNA 2010 VS. ECW LATE-1990S

TUESDAY'S KELLER VIP BLOG TOPIC: BEST AND WORST CASE SCENARIOS FOR ECW (EV2) ANGLE ON TNA

MONDAY'S KELLER VIP BLOG TOPIC: REACTION TO MCMAHON'S NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW ON CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS INCLUDING DRUGS, BENOIT, HIS BACKGROUND, LINDA CAMPAIGN

SUNDAY'S KELLER VIP BLOG TOPIC: IF TNA GOES DOWN, AT LEAST GO DOWN TRYING SOMETHING ORIGINAL

KELLER BIO: PWTorch editor Wade Keller has been a leading wrestling reporter and analyst since launching the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter in 1987. He has covered pro wrestling full time via the newsletter, a pro wrestling radio show on KFAN in the 1990s, a successful 900 wrestling news hotline in the 1990s, the PWTorch.com website, and the PWTorch iPhone App in the 2000s.

He has interviewed dozens of pro wrestling's biggest names in their longest insider interviews, most often ranging from 2 to 7 hours in length. He has interviewed for the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter top wrestlers ("Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Bill Goldberg, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, among many others), top promoters and executives (Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, Eric Bischoff, Jerry Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Paul Heyman, Bill Watts, Jerry Lawler, several WCW vice presidents, and others), legends (Lou Thesz, Roy Shires, Nick Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne, and others), and dozens of other wrestlers in long-form historical interviews.

He hosted the "Ultimate Insiders DVD" series in the mid-2000s which was nationally distributed at major chain stores including expansive interviews with Matt & Jeff Hardy and Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara.

He has been quoted as an expert wrestling analyst by dozens of major newspapers, national cable channels, radio stations, and magazines over the last 23 years including MPR, Fox News, the Washington Post, ESPN Magazine, and many others.

PWTorch VIP members currently hear his analysis on a daily basis with the daily Wade Keller Hotline, featuring a 10-20 minute overview of the news, breaking news, and analysis of TV shows (and more-than-occasional rants).

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