IN CONCLUSION
It's not impossible to become a credible member of the media, EVEN in pro wrestling, but it's a lot harder than most realize.
This column, albeit incredibly long-winded, isn't meant to come off as bitter or discouraging. I absolutely love my job. And I have had A LOT of trials and tribulations during my ten-year "career" as a pro wrestling pundit. And there's plenty of evidence I can't get rid of to prove it (New Jack, anyone?).
I've burnt bridges. I've pissed people off. I've been publicly ridiculed. I've been shunned.
I own every single one of my mistakes. And I keep going. I understand the game, and I've accepted it. I'm aware I'll never master it, but I'm a competitive person, so I continue to try. It's all anyone can do, honestly.
I seriously doubt the relationship between the wrestling industry and those that cover it (online, at least) will ever change. We've made progress, but we'll likely always be fighting a losing battle.
The dirt sheets will continue scratching and clawing their way into a story, and wrestlers will continue to publicly discredit all of our hard work when it best suits them. Almost always from a distance.
All this being said, I don't discourage anyone from starting their own wrestling site, or blog, or radio show. I mean, don't do it for the money, but do it if it's a passion of yours. And if you do it, do it as well as you possibly can.
Take risks, but understand the potential consequences that may result. Don't think you can please everyone, you can't. And simply take pride in your work. Be as objective as possible and be fair when criticizing.
The cream will always rise to the top.
On a final note, I'm proud to work for WrestleZone.com. I feel like I've been a contributing factor in what the site has become over the past few years. I believe we'd made good progress and the people involved are just that…people.
And good people.
We aren't perfect, but will never claim to be. We have room for improvement and continue to focus on those areas.
Just please try and understand the work involved in running a site this big. It's hard, with very little reward. We rarely get praise for the things we do right, but we're sure to get tore apart when we mess up.
The irony of it all? That's exactly how the wrestlers feel about us.
Chris Cash can be followed on Twitter @RealityofChris and emailed at chris.cash@wrestlezone.com. Check out his "VOW Reaction" show after every Monday Night Raw and WWE PPV. He writes regular columns for WrestleZone that are posted every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday.
