Can We Trust Meltzer AT ALL??

[somedensefish]

I mean, does anybody know exactly how he gets his information about WWE? Now, I may just be talking out my ass here, but please bear with me. Okay, any one that gives Meltzer information either works for WWE or is immeadiately-related to someone who does, and, one assumes, if they were caught by WWE, they'd be fired. Now, anyone who works for WWE and is familiar enough with the business to know who Meltzer is and what he does is most likely a wrestling fan whose dream is to work for WWE. So why would someone want to risk his dream job by giving out inside information on his employers and co-workers?

A pretty simple answer is, of course, money. Does Meltzer pay his "informants"? If that is indeed the case, well then it's simply common sense that people would make-up gossip and sell it to him. And if he doesn't pay people, why would they risk their jobs to help some guy sell a gossip rag.

Another possibility is that his "inside informant" is someone valuable enough to company to have some job security, but considering how long Meltzer's been doing his sheet, the only people that leaves are, like Vince and Linda, and I don't think they're on the best terms with Meltzer.

And then the only possibility that leaves is that all of his information, is at LEAST 3rd or 4th hand, and, honestly, there's an undeniable inherent falsity to 3rd or 4th hand information that's just kinda, there.

So really, is there any possible that any of Meltzer's info is anything that just crap he made up in his room?

[What?]

He's a fag.

[JMA]

If Meltzer just made up crap then he wouldn't have the (often grudging) respect of many wrestlers. He's not always right, but it seems like he does his best to report accurate stories. There's a reason why he's seen in a much better light than, say, Wade Keller.

[TRUTH TELLER]

I seriously doubt Meltzer pays "informants". I just think those who do leak certain things to him perhaps have an axe to grind, or want certain information made public. Like it or not, there is no legitimate wrestling media, so Meltzer's the closest thing to it. I also think certain wrestlers or whomever leak certain things to perhaps present themselves in a better light. (i.e. HHH holding people down, etc.).

I think where everyone gets their panties in a ruffle is over exact details of what's reported. Meltzer is a gossip columnist in essence. Yet, every week, there's the same idiots who cry and point out certain things that don't come true, while not just taking things with a grain of salt, or focusing on the things that are true. He gets 2nd hand information from guys inside who probably hear their information second hand. The sad thing is it's all we have to go on.

[Stevie J]

I'm sure there are guys in WWE who would never admit they actually give information to Meltzer, guys actually on the roster, who are more than happy to dish the dirt because they want people to understand all the backstage politicking and BS that they put up with on a daily basis.

[-Lithium-]

steviej said:

I'm sure there are guys in WWE who would never admit they actually give information to Meltzer, guys actually on the roster, who are more than happy to dish the dirt because they want people to understand all the backstage politicking and BS that they put up with on a daily basis.

Yeah, in a locker room where you prolly could go to some "wrestlers court" for coughing too much, or get backstage heat for not letting JBL soap you up in the shower, theres prolly a bunch of wrestlers who know that stuffs a load of bullshit and want SOMEONE to know...

[What?]

I wish Meltzer could go sell toner for a living and we could all be marks again.

[somedensefish]

yeah i'm a moron

[THE Dinobot]

Come on now, let's not go calling Dave a liar or any such thing. That's bad and Barney the Pretty Purple Dinosaur doesn't approve of such disrespectful shenanigans.
Dave Meltzer, he's a swell guy. We should all gather around and give him a humongous hug for all his years of being Dave Meltzer.

[KLRA]

I hate Dave Meltzer, but the guy is essential for the buisness much like how People Magazine and Us Weekly are for the movie/tv/music buisness.

[Stevie J]

To me Wrestling Observer is to the sports entertainment business as Variety is to the film making business. If you don't want to know what goes on behind the scenes in a Hollywood movie you don't read it, but that doesn't mean what's in it is irrelevant or full of lies even if some sources can't or won't give their names.

[LaParka Loves Candy]

Dave Meltzer is my dawg dude we drank liquor all day together!

[wwefan78]

Really I think the bullcrap and inaccuracy ratio on what Meltzer reports is about 50/50. Some things he reports are usually later somewhat confirmed but certain backstage "news" are impossible to validate or know the actual circumstances of so I never put much stock into those. Wrestlingnews are just like regular tabloid news..Take it with a big grain of salt and just focus on the stuff that can be confirmed and has a bearing on the bigger picture..

[Near Fantastica]

I don't trust any online news sites whatsoever.

[odor31]

No. He's a worthless piece of shit.

[STMP]

First of all, to have a good opinion on a guy like Meltzer, you need to know how the regular media works. And that is always the same. A journalist will either get a press release from a company or talk to someone who has information. That's always the first start. A good journalist will then look for more information and will try to get it confirmed and will also look at other opinions.

Checking information is difficult when you work in a field like entertainment, politics and sports.

Entertainment, because it is often gossip. What can you really do with gossip that someone doesn't want to talk about.

Politics, because you need to have a good relation with a party or politician. If you have that, you will be able to talk to people, but unable to bring out the dirt. If you don't have that, you won't even come close.

Sports, because athletes don't really have a lot to say and when they do become famous they are being protected by their agents and all kinds of pr-people. And then it sort of mixes with entertainment.

Well, since pro-wrestling has become Sports-Entertainment. You can pretty much see the problem that any 'journalist' would have.

You can't talk to the wrestlers from the WWE. They are being protected. Indy wrestlers however are available and some of the best stories and interviews came from indy wrestlers.

The news is either straight from the WWE (often financial or a new signee, but never about future angles or gimmicks) or the news comes from pro-wrestlers who have some information.

When a wrestler has information. It is often difficult to check, because you can't call the WWE and expect them to tell you that Batista is indeed a lazy f*** who is hated by everyone. You can't talk to every wrestler, you need to have a good or at least friendly relationship with someone. When you have a relationship like that with about 4 people, you won't get the entire story everytime, but just part of it.

That is the problem that Meltzer has to deal with. It is obvious he knows people in the WWE. And they tell him stuff that they heard or stuff they have been told to do or about things that happened. Sometimes it's about a gimmick or an angle, another time it's about a backstage fight. The WWE lockerroom is just like any other workplace, a place where people talk and gossip. And someone will hear that and call Meltzer and tell him 'listen to what I just heard..' and Meltzer will report it: 'In the WWE lockerroom there is a big dislike for Batista, because the others feel he is lazy and arrogant'.

But is it true? You can't check with Batista (unless you know him personally), you can't check with the WWE and you can't go to the lockerroom and ask a couple of questions. So Meltzer needs to rely on the information that has been given him. And it's not always correct. For example, Wrestler 1 hears from the office that he is going to be given the gimmick of a ninja. Wrestler 1 will tell Wrestler 2 that he will get a ninja gimmick. Wrestler 2 who is friends with Meltzer, will then call him and tell him about the new gimmick that Wrestler 1 will get. (in this example, Wrestler 1 can also call Meltzer, but that's not really important). Meltzer will report that there will be a ninja gimmick. But we know the WWE and know that at the last time things can change (Foley wrote about it for example with the Mankind gimmick and the first look and name they wanted him to give). And instead of a ninja gimmick, Wrestler 1 gets a pirate gimmick.

In this example. Meltzer would be wrong. Because the ninja gimmick never happened. But he got the information and it was true and the only reason it didn't happen was because Vince McMahon changed his mind at the last moment.

That is the way it works. It works the same in regular journalism. You can't and shouldn't expect everything to be true. It's always a piece of information you get and to make something out of it, you have to collect more pieces of information. And if that is not possible, you will only get a small piece of information that can easily end up being wrong.

[royboy8]

All he does now is use educated guesses(i.e. Saying Rvd was done with the company after Snitsky destroyed him on the outside of the ring like he did Holly). The guy is never right and is only in it still to try to make himself look good and the E bad.

[Swarm]

After over a decade of putting it off I started reading the WO ealrier this year and take it for what it is....a good read but nothing to get all worked up about...

Half the things he reports on are things that could be speculated on by anyone who watches the shows on a regular basis...

what I enjoy most is reading about stuff from the past (as in this weeks past issue, the 4 Horseman/Dusty era...that was cool as hell to read).

But I don't consider it gospel, no.

[Joe Neglia]

royboy8 said:

All he does now is use educated guesses(i.e. Saying Rvd was done with the company after Snitsky destroyed him on the outside of the ring like he did Holly).

Meltzer NEVER said that. It was an article on another website that tried to pass itself off as legit by tacking his name onto it as a source, but it never came from him OR his site. That happens quite often. Someone comes up with a fake story and they paste Dave's name on it to make it sound legit.

[@TenaciousBe]

It's... the internet. I don't believe a damn thing I read until I see it happen.

(And if it's "backstage news," then meh.. it may or may not have happened. How am I supposed to know if they're lying or not?)