The WrestleCrap Tribute Post

Every now and then you’ll see a reference to the phenomenon in my work. It’s one of the reasons why I remain a fan of wrestling, even when the product becomes so drearily bad you want to stab yourself in the eyes with flaming hot daggers.

In actuality, the website celebrates the product that becomes so drearily bad you want to stab yourself in the eyes with flaming hot daggers.

Launched on April Fool’s Day 2000, that was the mission of the site. Founded by a Baer of a man, RD Reynolds set out to do what no else had been able to do successfully. He had his fair share of stumbles and struggles along the way, but over the last 13 years, the URL has been a safe haven for marks and wrestlers alike to kick back and chuckle at the failures of professional wrestling.

The inductions are the meat of the site. They range from a simplistic moment in time, to whole eras which can’t be taken back (aka: they ruined the company).

Every year the ‘Crappers take time out to decide The Gooker. Not unlike the Academy Awards for motion pictures and the Grammies for music, Gooker is a symbol of anti-excellence in the field of sports-entertainment for the year. Winners have ranged from Diva Searches, to The Invasion, or just flat out Eddiesploitation. Yes, that is a word! While the nominees all get inducted in due time, just the sheer vitriol flung at the winner reminds us that not only can we endure some real crap, but at least it can be “cherished” in time.

While the heart of the inductions is the staying power of this website, many other sub-plots to the URL contribute varying forms of entertainment as well!

“It Came from YouTube” is the part of the site where you want to roll your eyes. Yes, million/billion dollar corporations had the gall for men to fight over turkeys and for Adam West to wrestle in a track suit!

Whatever you buy, it can’t be as bad as the Katie Vick outfit from “Someone Bought This”. WWE-branded ties are pretty close I imagine.

Ever wanted to see quality armchair quarterbacking? Go read some “ReWriting The Book”!

Celebrate the jobbers who make the stars look good in “Jobber of the Week!”  Yes, Mr. X should be on every wrestling card losing their match in SECONDS!

Even newer segments, like “The Meme Event” and “The Headlies” make sense on a page like this. Brilliant sarcasm win the day every time, and it’s no exception here.

Before you read onto the next portion of this article….

…do me a favor.

Please click on the link, rightchere, to go to Wrestlecrap.com. The site as it stands has a always-wealthy supply of original content as mentioned/written by RD and a band of merry scribes (such as Blade Braxton, Justin Henry, Paul Kraft, and others). In addition, there are many discs you MUST purchase. Shoots, career retrospectives, archives, and roasts, OH MY!

PLUS THEY HAVE BOOKS! WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling was RD’s first book in 2003, and the title explains itself. Hilariously enlightening read, even if it does need a slight refreshening (tsk tsk). Next up is RD’s co-collaboration with Bryan Alvarez on the definitive tome on The Death of WCW. It reads easy but very sadly too because you’d never expect a promotion like WCW, with the backing it had, to go belly up. Lastly, for now that is, is the book RD and Blade wrote entitled The WrestleCrap Book of Lists! Ever wanted to know the crimes Undertaker would be arrested for while knowing what the most generic hometowns of wrestlers are? That book is the solution for all your needs!

Now that you’re done exploring the wonders of the written works, its time to explore the inexplicably wonderful auditory assault perpetrated by a infamous podcast known as WrestleCrap Radio.

Debuting to the world on August 12th, 2005, RD Reynolds began the inaugural show by profusely apologizing to his legion of twelve listeners.

Not because the show didn’t go off without a hitch, but because he wasn’t sure about how his co-hort Blade Braxton would function. The guy had to be called six times to wake up! When Blade did wake up, they proceeded to go on with a show that would later become synonymous with ‘jumping the shark’. Because when I think of pro wrestling, I think of Bea Arthur and the “impending death” of Don Knotts.

While some episodes had a “Smokey and the Bandit/Stroker Ace” effect, they all had one thing in common: FUN. And oodles of it!

Whether it was discussions of alien ham, Big Lots rotten gummy bears, crazy people on Black Friday (some of my favorite all-time moments were from those episodes), Stubby the Hobo Dummy, IDIOTS IN CARS, Cinco de Mayo, Mike Check & the Poughkeepsie Market, Angry Jim Ross feeling incompetent sexually, or just reflections on “the tranny” (code speak for former Diva Ashley), these two jaw-jackers made entertaining radio podcasting look easy to execute. It makes any good day better, and bad days easier to go through. It was great knowing that you’re never more than a click or two away from some serious gut-busting laughing. Plus you get some Obscure Wrestling News, some story times from various cohorts, and Blade even wraps up the week in wrestling with fifteen syllables known as a haiku (that DOES NOT COME WITH CROWN AS ILLUSTRATED!). Somehow, I feel like I didn’t even scratch the surface on what the show has to offer…

If you haven’t thought about purchasing those archive discs yet, which feature just about every episode of WrestleCrap Radio, then watch these nuggets of gold first:

Good ol’ King Pedophile!

This should take off as a full-fledged internet meme!

Then go to what I call WCR-reincarnate, The RD & Blade Show! Feels like WCR without the segments, but still has the spirit of the original premise that made them “famous”. Because of the hectic schedules of both men, the episode count isn’t exactly meteoric, so a long day or two could easily catch you up!

That being said, there is only one way I can definitively end this post:

“What, (enter famous celebrity here) died? I didn’t even know (he/she/it) was sick!?!?!” (cue Krankor laugh)

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