Wrestling with the Web: befuddled by the thousands of wrestling sites on the Web? Here's a quick guide to some of the best virtual squared-circle destinations

Wrestling Digest, Feb, 2003 by Keith Loria

MISS AN EPISODE OF "RAW" and want to know the results? Have a bet as to how many times the Honky Tonk Man was WWE intercontinental champ? Want to argue with fellow wrestling fans about who would win if Brock Lesnar faced off against Bruno Sammartino in his prime? Longing to see one of the WWE Divas in a bikini?

Well thanks to the thousands upon thousands of wrestling Web sites out there, all this can be done in a matter of minutes.

New wrestling-oriented Web sites seem to pop up every day, but a majority of them have been around for a while and have established themselves among the elite. Wrestling destinations on the Net have even gotten so popular that one Web site (1stSourceWrestling.net) tracks the most viewed ones with a weekly poll.

With all the competition out there--after all, Hulk Hogan alone has more than 150 Web sites devoted strictly to him--you'll find a broad range of sites no matter what your interests or tastes. There's easily something for everyone.

Here is a small sampling of some of our favorite destinations.

Pro Wrestling Torch

www.pwtorch.com

With 15 years of wrestling reporting behind them, Wade Keller and Jason Powell are co-editors of perhaps the most informative wrestling Web site out there today. Although visually it offers very little, Pro Wrestling Torch has a wide variety of first-generation original news updates, excellent columnists, fans' opinions posted immediately after major shows, and plenty of historical perspectives

"The Torch is One of the two biggest names in wrestling reporting over the last 15 years and has a history of breaking the biggest stories on the Web most often," says Keller. "We generate our own news--we don't cut and paste as most other sites do--and we have a strong track record of accuracy."

Rajah's WWE News and Rumors

www.rajahwwf.com

Among some of things found on this WWE page are news and rumors, show reports, theme music, and a WWE fantasy tournament that is a big hit with the users.

The site also has a great message area and chat room where wrestling fans can give their thoughts about just about anything and everything.

"I love the site and appreciate the areas where you can interact with other people, especially the mailbag where all your questions are answered," says Benjamin Steinke, a frequent visitor.

Audio Wrestling

www.audiowrestling.com

The world's longest running wrestling radio show can now be found on the Web thanks to the people behind Audio Wrestling. Founded in 1991 by Sir Adam and the Phantom, "Get In the Ring" is the place where wrestling fans have been going for the last 10 years for both information and entertainment through audio. "Get In the Ring" is best known for its numerous in-depth interviews with the past, present and future stars of the wrestling world.

Whether it's Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, or "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, the archives offer plenty of great interviews from the past and present.

Wrestling News World

www.wreartlingnewsworld.com

In addition to all the news, columns, and history offered at Wrestling News World, the site is probably best known for the picture galleries that display pinup-quality photos of most of the top women wrestlers.

A lot of people are needed to maintain such a site. "There are currently 20 people working for the site, not including me," says founder George Patton, who lives in Ireland. "I do the newsletter, TV pictures, info, mailbag, news, and other general updating. I have eight columnists, one TV reporter, a biography writer, and 10 reporters."

There's also competitions like the Fantasy Wrestling Tournament that give users a chance to participate in the site and win wrestling-related prizes.

"Staying ahead of everyone else and updating everything--such as "Smackdown" spoilers--is the hardest part," Keller says. "Since I live in Ireland, that means I have to wake up pretty early in the morning to update, but it's worth it."

World Wrestling Entertainment

www.wwe.com

There's nothing quite like the official WWE site, as it obviously has the inside track on news and photos with the full WWE marketing department behind it. Whether it be the weekly Jim Ross reports, video streams from recent matches, or simply the chance to buy merchandise of your favorite WWE superstar, this is a site you must experience.

One knock though--it's obviously very self-serving as it doesn't give people the chance to critique as many of the other sites do, although you can chat on its state-of-the-art chat boards.

TPWW: The People's Wrestling Web Site

www.tpww.net

Another site that is known as much for its cheesecake pictures as its wrestling news is the People's Wrestling Web Site.

One of its best features is the games the site offers, such as trivia questions, guess the theme song, and its own version of fantasy wrestling.

Although many of the site's news items are collected from other sources, it always has fast updates and a user-friendly interface for finding the most current information.

Women's Wrestling Illustrated

www.womens-pro-wrestling.com