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ABOUT WADE
Nov 28, 2009 - 4:25:49 PM |
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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 early 1990s, a successful 900 wrestling news hotline in the 1990s, the PWTorch.com website, and the PWTorch Apps in the 2000s, now available for iPhone, iPad, and Droid.
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 filmed in Los Angeles with Matt & Jeff Hardy and Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara.
He has been quoted as an expert pro 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).
He writes for PWTorch.com, MMATorch.com, and WadeKeller.com (his blog on Pro Wrestling and MMA launched in 2010).
He became a fan in the late 1970s, watching the AWA on KMSP Ch. 9 in Minnesota. He attended his first wrestling match in May of 1981 featuring a main event of Verne Gagne vs. Nick Bockwinkel in Verne's retirement from full-time wrestling. The event took place at the St. Paul Civic Center, which is pictured in the WadeKeller.com banner and splash page graphic. He has attended pro wrestling events in dozens of cities in the last 30 years including St. Paul, Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Huntington Beach, Tijuana (Mexico), and many others. He has attended over 100 independent wrestling shows in front of crowds as small as 12, but also major events including the first advertised singles match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in Los Angeles, Summerslam featuring Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna in the main event, the AWA WrestleRock event in 1985 at the Minneapolis Metrodome, an ECW PPV event in St. Paul, Minn., multiple original ECW Arena events in Philadelphia, Pa., the WCW Great American Bash in 1990 in Baltimore featuring Sting defeating Ric Flair to capture the WCW World Title, many live Raw and Nitro events, Rey Mysterio and Konnan wrestling at a bull ring in Tijuana, Mexico, the WCW Great American Bash headlined by Hulk Hogan vs. Vader outdoors in Huntington Beach, Calif., the first promotion Paul Heyman booked for Windy City Wrestling in Chicago at the old Ampitheater (next to the smelly stockyards), and many others.
He has seen world title defenses in person over the decades from Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, The Rock, Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkel, Randy Savage, Stan Hansen, Batista, John Cena, and many others.
He has had dinner and/or drinks in person with Harley Race, The Hardys, Jesse Ventura, Vince Russo, Tony Schiavone, Eddie Gilbert, Sean Waltman, and many others "who shall not be named" over the years. He has been given an exclusive tour of WWE Headquarters and was part of a small wrestling media conference with Vince McMahon at the WWE headquarters after a tour of the entire WWE facility including Vince McMahon's office, the WWE workout gym, the cafeteria where the DX skit in 2009 was filmed, and the production studios (where he met Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes, and even sat at the old Events Center desk).
He also covered Vince McMahon's 1994 steroid trial in Long Island, N.Y. in person from jury selection to closing arguments. He was the only media member present for every minute of testimony during the nearly three week trial. He couldn't believe that Vince McMahon showed up on day one with a neck brace, just like that guy did in the Brady Bunch episode when he was trying to garner sympathy
He attended as credentialed media the first-ever UFC event in Las Vegas in 2001 featuring Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Jens Pulver, and many others in top fights. He has covered UFC PPVs from the very beginning for the Torch Newsletter and his websites.
He attended Macalester College in St. Paul, graduating with degrees in Journalism, Economics, and Pre-Law. He also took journalism course in broadcast media at the University of St. Thomas and interned as KMSP-Ch. 9 news (the same station that was home to the AWA when he was a kid, although that was a coincidence as his professor picked the internship for him).
He lives in the Twin Cities with his family and enjoys movies, great TV dramas and comedies (Mad Men, Walking Dead, The Shield, The Office, 30 Rock, Modern Family) and classics (I Love Lucy, Twlight Zone), and music (especially Brit Pop such as Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, but many other genres), and recreation (especially biking). He holds a double-black stripe belt in karate and has also trained in judo and jiu jitsu at the North Star Martial Arts academy. He eats a 99.9 percent vegan diet (no dairy, no eggs, no meat).
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