Winding down for now...

I have taken the decision to wind down writing and podcasting at Riffing On Wrestling, at least for the time being. Refunds have been issued to those who so kindly subscribed even in the knowledge that I had committed to posting everything for free while the UK and Ireland was still dealing with COVID-19 restrictions.

Your support will not be forgotten.

Clearly, I had been posting less over the last couple of months, owing to me being back - remotely! - working for a national newspaper group, which I had previously been doing following the end of Fighting Spirit Magazine and up until the beginning of the pandemic. This now leaves me with very little time to dedicate to writing about wrestling and, more importantly, to enjoying it in the manner that allowed me to share my love of the sport with you.

Although I’m sure it won’t be radio silence on these pages in the future, I want to say for now that I’m pleased with the current direction of AEW following the signing on CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, and I’d encourage you to keep watching Dynamite and Rampage. Both Punk and Bryan have brought a veteran’s professionalism to their matches and segments, and my hope is that this added sincerity will influence the other talent, too, who up to this point have been too concerned with all-too-intricate spots that make for matches of little substance.

Pro wrestling has desperately suffered during the pandemic, but if we all can remember what we love about the in-ring action, and encourage the faltering companies to do better, there’s a chance that in a year’s time the likes of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla will be back to putting on a product that gently reminds us of the peak of the mid-2010s.

So as I had hoped for this blog, please do continue to share the things that you are enjoying in the current product, and involve yourself with people who appreciate the same things. As difficult as it is, try not to uplift some of the bad actors who are profiting from the worst characteristics of social media, because one of the ways we’ll come out of this is by creating critical discussion between those who are thoughtful enough to have it.

I’m as guilty of this as anyone, so feel free to keep me in line by following me on Twitter @hardcopydotie.

Thank you.