More About Me

Since the "About Me" section of this blog is limited to a specific number of characters, I decided to write a post that discusses more about what I have done in the pro-wrestling industry, beginning with when I first started in it and leading up to now.

Technically, I started back in the 1990s, contributing to "Pro Wrestling Illustrated" and then "Pro Wrestling Torch". In 1997, I contributed to The Official Website of the NWO. That same year, I briefly published my own newsletter, "The Wrestling Express".

In 1998, I taught myself how to design websites and served as a consultant for various independent promotions. That next year, I worked as a website designer/maintainer for Dylan Summers (Necro Butcher), who was running the Texas-based Power Pro Wrestling Federation, and later was involved with Texas Outlaw Promotions.

During the period of 2000-2002, I was involved in many different projects at once. I was working as a website designer/publicist for talent, contributing to WCW.com, writing columns for independent promotions and the website of former WCW star The Stro, and writing for a variety of pro-wrestling media sites (including WrestlingObserver.com and PWTorch.com). In 2003, I began running my own website, World Wrestling Optimum, which consisted of news, articles, and interviews.

From 2001 to 2013, I worked as a Sports Desk Assistant for Southern Westchester BOCES Athletics, responsible for inputting schedules and assigning officials for all public high school athletic events in the greater New York metropolitan area. This gave me an opportunity to hone my skills in organization and logistics. I also acted as in-house technical support.

In 2004, I started working for the Michigan-based Ultimate Championship Wrestling as a publicist/columnist. They were an affiliate of American Wrestling Association Superstars Of Wrestling, and I soon became the publicist/columnist of the main governing body of AWA as well. During my time working for UCW, I played a major role in bringing in new talent, due to my having come into contact with many talents being underused and going unnoticed in the industry over the years. Also, attendance increased by a significant amount.

In 2005, I started doing a column for 3PW. With DVDs sold nationwide, they had the potential to become much bigger than they already were at the time, and they were very open to my ideas. I pushed for many changes behind the scenes. I had encouraged management to improve the production quality of their DVDs, which led to them dealing with a different production company. 3PW management had planned on waiting for its fan base to increase before getting TV for 3PW. I explained how getting TV for 3PW is what would increase its fan base, and I was then given the green light to find networks that were interested. Two networks were very interested, and I encouraged 3PW management to meet with them as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the owner of the company instead opted to shut 3PW down, due to losing interest. Working for 3PW put me in connection with the UK-based 1PW, where I worked as a columnist.

After 3PW shut down, I began working as a publicist for independent promotions, including CHIKARA. I also worked as a columnist for CZW. Interestingly, though, it was 2006 at this point, yet I was still most recognized for the work that I had done for 3PW and AWA/UCW.

In 2007, I started working as a columnist for XCW, a promotion that was seen nationally on MAVTV, had a national DVD deal, and also had PPV events. Working for a promotion of national status was my biggest achievement at that point, and two years later, I reached a bigger achievement- Big Japan Pro-Wrestling. Along with working for them as a columnist and an Administrator for their Facebook page, I helped bring Big Japan Pro-Wrestling together with Combat Zone Wrestling to form a working relationship after a previous working relationship between the two promotions had fallen apart. This new working relationship led to Big Japan Pro-Wrestling having its first event in the United States.

In October 2009, I assisted publicity & promotions company MGM Management with the HULKAMANIA- Let the Battle Begin tour by distributing their press release to pro-wrestling news sites that are popular with Australian fans, and conducting an interview with Solofa Fatu Jr. (better known as, "Rikishi"). Also, in 2012, I wrote a number of columns for Women Superstars United, which was known as Women Superstars Uncensored at the time.

In May 2018 I did social media for Great North Wrestling.

In April and May 2021, I did blogging and social media for Kyushu Pro Wrestling. During that time, the promotion gained 220 new subscribers and 52,746 new views on its official YouTube channel.

Recently, I have done blogging and social media for Yanagase Pro Wrestling. Since the time I began writing for them, Yanagase Pro Wrestling has their anniversary events at a venue where they have had 300 fans. All previous Yanagase Pro Wrestling events took place at a 50-seat venue.

I have also recently written for the China-based Middle Kingdom Wrestling in a publicist capacity. My work is an essential piece in the multilingual activation, with it being adapted to traditional Chinese for readers in China. I am the first native English writer to have written for a Chinese wrestling organization in history.

In 2019, I began writing for Michinoku Pro Wrestling, in charge of international wrestling as its International Officer. Since the time that I began writing for them, Michinoku Pro stopped choosing Shin-Kiba 1st Ring for its Tokyo events and began focusing on the much larger Korakuen Hall for its Tokyo appearances. The Korakuen Hall is known as a place where many historical moments in the Japanese pro-wrestling scene have occurred. It's to Japan what Madison Square Garden is to the pro-wrestling scene in the United States. Michinoku Pro had a sellout, standing-room-only event on December 13, 2019 at the Korakuen Hall. The event had an attendance of 1,890. That was the highest reported attendance at the Korakuen Hall to date for a pro-wrestling event since April 2015.

In addition, I have blogged for the Allied Independent Wrestling Federations.

My articles, "A Look at the History and Future of WOW", "Will WOW Go From Las Vegas Residency to an Even Higher Level?", and "How WOW’s 'Human First' Digital Strategy Works in 2026" were endorsed by WOW - Women Of Wrestling on social media in August 2025, October 2025, and June 2026, respectively. In May 2026, my article, "An Education on The Enlightened: WOW's Psychological Supergroup," was endorsed on social media by the group's founder, Samantha Smart, which was followed by an exclusive Q&A with her, which she shared on social media. My articles, "WOW Superhero Spotlight: Jessie Jones & Big Rig Betty - Southern Attitude", "WOW Superhero Spotlight: Gabriella Cruz - A Brazilian Bombshell With Lucha Libre Influence", "Why Florida Makes a Perfect WOW Superhero Stronghold", "Miami’s Sweet Heat on Beast Games Season 2: A Major Win for WOW", "WOW Hits the Jackpot: Women Of Wrestling Secures Season 4 & Groundbreaking Las Vegas Residency", A History of Women's Wrestling in America", "The 11 Most Must-See WOW Matches Right Now", "A Potential Game-Changer for Sophie Cunningham: The WOW Opportunity", "Independent Gaijin Dreams and the Japanese Experience of WOW's Superheroes" and, "A History of Wrestling Managers" were endorsed by WOW as well. In November 2025 and December 2025, WOW's official website saw a 122% increase in monthly visits, as my analyses initiated search traffic that the official domain then converted into brand engagement.

My article, "How World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Is Succeeding Globally," was endorsed by World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana President Taishi Fuwa. I have also written event previews/wrestler spotlights and done social media for Diana.

Many of my articles have been cited as sources in online encyclopedias Wikipedia, Grokipedia, and Hubbry entries on topics including WOW - Women Of Wrestling, the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Kyushu Pro-Wrestling, MLW, 3PW, Japan's MMA business, WWE house shows from a business perspective, Right to Censor, the York Foundation, the history of wrestling commentary, Hisashi Shinma as WWE President, the true power of joshi puroresu, the history of wrestling in South Carolina, Alex Shelley, Mad Man Pondo, the early history of WWE video games, WWE Raw on Netflix, Strong Style Pro Wrestling, and more.

My articles have been used in research. My 2013 interviews with the original cast of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) served as a primary historical resource for The Telegraph in their coverage of the true stories behind the hit Netflix series. Also, my article on the evolution of social media in professional wrestling was cited in an Indiana University thesis submitted by a student to the faculty of the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in the School of Social Sciences.

My work has been used as a resource on learning platforms. My ebook "The Business Side of Wrestling: A Look Behind the Curtain" has been available for lending internationally, across two major library systems: CLEVNET Library in Ohio and Dubai Public Library in the Middle East. My article, "The History of American Wrestling," has been used in Google Classroom by an educator.

In July 2025, I developed the core corporate communications and original strategic press release for the founding team of youth sports platform True Lacrosse announcing their strategic partnership with the incoming Private Equity partner, TZP Group, launching the new national platform, True Sports. The final deliverables were used as the basis and foundation for the final, official, public-facing, published corporate release and announcement. The document passed final approval by the founders and TZP Group.

After living in Japan for ten years and writing English content for Asian companies during that time, I am currently based in the US and open to new writing opportunities in the US, Japan, and globally, from event previews & results reports, to press releases, to wrestler spotlights & social media. I offer sponsored content and an international audience. Check out my samples and see how I can take your brand to the next level:
https://harold-williams.com/2012/05/samples-of-my-work.html


My platform averages over 300,000 monthly impressions across the digital ecosystem. This includes direct traffic, high-authority visibility on Google, Gemini, Bing, Copilot, ChatGPT, Yahoo, Claude, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Perplexity, and Qwant, as well as significant engagement from networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Reddit.

Project rates typically start at $500 depending on scope and turnaround. info@harold-williams.com

I graduated from university with a major in Business and a minor in Computer Applications, which makes me an asset not only as a writer but in a business and technological capacity as well.

I am also a technology writer specializing in AI, VR, AR, NFTs, 5G, Web3, streaming, and the metaverse in the context of wrestling. My insights on this frontier have been recognized by wrestling-related outlets, including Fightful, which cited my deep dive into specific applications of AI in wrestling as a key resource in an article.

I am a subject matter expert in the business side of Japan's MMA, baseball, soccer/football, lacrosse, and other sports.

In addition, I am working for TELUS Digital as an Online Data Analyst, developing and improving AI models by contributing data, assessments, and insights via writing and data collection/annotation/labeling.

Get an audio summary of my skills and experience below:

How I Would Structure and Launch a Wrestling Promotion

I often see a massive gap between a new, high-quality pro-wrestling product and a sustainable business infrastructure: The promotion has the potential for big things, but instead of focusing on what will help the promotion grow behind the scenes, it’s only satisfied with booking names that draw- despite the fact that only 20% of a wrestling promotion's success hinges on what happens on a show. As a result, the promotion does things like burn through capital on a venue that doesn't work for its budget and show size, treats social media like a temporary bulletin board, and doesn't build search authority past its immediate zip code.

If I were to help start a new wrestling promotion from the ground up, I would want it to be designed for long-term brand equity, media expansion, and financial sustainability, instead of it being created for something "just for fun". The wrestling business can be fun or frustrating, exciting or stressful, but it is always a business, and should be treated as such.

This is not an article about who I would book or what storylines I would create- this is an operational blueprint I would use to structure, market, and scale a pro-wrestling promotion.

Building the Promotion's Brand

The first thing I would do is decide on the promotion's brand identity. I would look at what successful promotions are doing, and do something that they are not doing. In order to be very successful in business, a product must be either better or different from the competition. I would accept the fact that the new promotion is not going to be better at presenting a style that an established promotion is already offering, and present a promotion that would provide an alternative for fans as well as talent. After deciding on what type of wrestling experience the product will offer fans, I would develop a marketing strategy that clearly defines the product in a way that appeals to the target audience.

Location Selection & Financial Risk Control

Not yet having an established audience, I would find a venue that has a capacity of 50 to 100, as opposed to a medium or large venue. For most new promotions, the max attendance for its first event is 75, which means having it in a larger venue would result in a venue full of empty seats and an unnecessary drain on my operating budget from rental and staffing costs. A small venue like a black box theater, community center, or VFW hall would be significantly cheaper to rent and would require less security and staff, protecting my bottom line. If I'm financially in a position to stream the event, a packed venue of 50 fans can create an electric, energetic atmosphere that translates well to video. In addition, small venues are beneficial to pro-wrestlers, since they are able to connect with fans more easily, and they would prefer to perform in front of a full house. When my local fanbase grows to consistently sell out my smaller venue, then it will be time for me to scale up to larger spaces.

Choosing Talent

I would only book talent that I could afford- no payments in a handshake, a hot dog, a pizza, a pack of cigarettes, or gas money. Wrestlers who are paid what they are worth are the ones who will keep returning and help the promotion grow. And this would also help the promotion stand out from other promotions, attracting the interest of the best wrestlers available. Wanting to avoid the promotion having a toxic backstage environment, I would only book talent that has a good backstage reputation- ones that don't have a lot of heat with promoters and other talent. I would also book at least one respected veteran, someone who can act as a locker room leader, having enough experience to settle personal friction that may arise, and is someone who can give advice to wrestlers who are wise enough to pick their brains.

In addition, Japan is a territory that represents an untapped source for American independent wrestling promotions, many of which automatically assume that while the wrestlers in Japan would elevate the in-ring product, they would demand a high booking fee. The truth is, there are young and up-and-coming talents in Japan that are waiting for their chance to shine and are very interested in wrestling in America. And it wouldn't be for the money- it would be for the opportunity.

If I have a streamed event, I would recruit commentators who prioritize focusing on the drama, emotional stakes, and entertainment value of professional wrestling, using their voices to amplify the narratives and reactions, while also utilizing ones who are generally more focused on the action and technical/historical description of a match.

Ticket Logistics

Since many promotions struggle with low online conversions, leaving them dependent on unpredictable walk-up crowds, I would go the flat-rate box office software route as opposed to using the ticketing agency model, to secure my revenue while at the same time streamline operations and give me 100% control over my ticket pricing.

Securing Sponsorships

Securing sponsorships is one of the first things that promoters try to do, because it provides financial stability, expands reach, and enhances the overall production value. However, If you want someone to sponsor you, they will wonder, "How would I benefit?" I would need to build a product that commands dollars and has the value that a brand would want to sponsor.

Digital Footprint: Real Estate Over Rented Land

Limiting my local reach to my zip code would be leaving money on the table, and not only is social media rented land, but it is a toxic trap that thrives on quick, often negative engagement that buries informative, high-value content like a link to an article, news/information about a promotion, information about an upcoming show, a promotion's DVDs, venue logistics, etc.; This is why, although I would leverage social media, I would use a high-ranking global platform to create strategic event previews for the wrestling shows. On that platform, I would also create high-impact brand analysis to make the promotion appear bigger than it actually is- framing the promotion through a business lens would position it as a premier destination. Having search authority that makes a promotion look like an international property online psychologically affects fans (and sponsors) by making them treat it like one. And by funneling active search traffic from fans looking for a specific style of wrestling product directly to the promotion's pages, a measurable ROI would be created.

Creative Structure & Promos

Promos would have a clear purpose tied to a storyline or match build, ensuring the talent hits necessary narrative beats. However, I would utilize a balanced, hybrid approach where I would give wrestlers bullet points rather than word-for-word scripted lines. Instead of requiring memorization of a script, talent would be given specific objectives to accomplish while being allowed to use their own voice and improvisation, because a character is best presented when its performer is comfortable with what they're saying- unless the performer feels that they need direction, which sometimes is the case.

Media Scaling: The Roadmap to Television & Global Streaming

Whether a promotion aims for television syndication, a TV deal, or global streaming monetization, broadcast partners and network executives look for one thing: a passionate, highly engaged audience that converts across platforms. For a new promotion, high-quality written content, press releases, and spotlights build the brand, establish an identity, and develop a core fanbase from the ground up. This foundation is what will eventually make the promotion an attractive prospect for a station, network, or streaming platform. In addition, a promotion can transform good publicity into higher ticket & merchandise sales, and long-term brand partnerships.

Business Growth Services

Building a promotion requires a balance between creative storytelling and disciplined business administration. If you are a promoter looking to take your promotion to another level, an investor planning a new venture, or an established organization seeking strategic communications positioning, I offer consulting/part-time/full-time services tailored to your operational needs:

- Strategic Communications: Developing press releases and brand narratives.

- Digital Strategy & Search Authority: Building digital assets that scale beyond social media's limitations.

- Operational Strategy: Advising on venue logistics, creative, talent relations, and ticketing workflows.

To discuss how we can structure or elevate your wrestling business, contact me directly at info@harold-williams.com, or learn more about me on my More About Me page or explore my portfolio of published work on my Samples of My Work page.

How AI Will Extend the Careers of Pro-Wrestlers

Technology is already reshaping the professional wrestling industry, so it's only a matter of time before technologies such as computer vision (AI that enables computers to see and understand images & videos) and machine learning (algorithms that allow computers to learn from data without detailed programming) transform how wrestlers practice and present basic moves that frequently play a role in pro-wrestling action.

As there are advances in computer vision, applying AI analysis to moves and bumps in the near future will optimize wrestler safety and extend their career longevity.

Musculoskeletal Safety and Load Distribution
Taking a bump requires distributing impact across the upper back and shoulders.

- Impact Surface Analysis: AI computer vision models can measure the angle of impact during a bump, flagging instances where a wrestler absorbs force on their tailbone, lower lumbar, or back of the head.

- Joint Strain Monitoring: Motion tracking algorithms can analyze how a wrestler moves in preparation for delivering a maneuver. By doing this over a course of months, the AI could detect subtle joint collapse or knee misalignment that indicates fatigue or potential ligament strain before a potential injury occurs. This is very important, since the worst in-ring injuries are usually not because of a specific incident; they instead are usually the result of wear and tear that takes place over time.

Career-Longevity Prototyping
After enduring years of scoop slams and suplexes, pro-wrestlers experience physical limitations and can't do some of the moves that they used to do earlier in their career. In order to preserve their bodies, they should evolve their style over time.

- Predictive Kinematic Modeling (Style Evolution): Predictive AI can take a wrestler’s kinetic data and project what their joints will look like years later based on their current moveset. Researchers at the University of Surrey developed an AI system that analyzes a patient's current knee scans and produces a highly accurate, realistic visual prediction of what that specific joint will look like a year later due to potential arthritis. Extending this capability to project 5, 10, or 20 years into the future is a major long-term goal of the field. Hulk Hogan delivered his leg drop finisher for decades -sometimes more than once in a day- landing on his tailbone. As a result, Hogan suffered years of back and spine pain.


Looking back on his career, he remarked during an interview, "Knowing what I know now, I would have used the sleeper!" Hogan had his final match at age 58, and back surgeries left the structure of his spine compromised. If predictive style modeling had existed while he was an active wrestler and he had changed his finisher to avoid long-term damage to his back, perhaps he would have been able to wrestle into his 60s, as Sting did.

- Prescriptive Move-Set Engineering: The AI can actively prototype a safer, customized evolution of a performer's style, gradually phasing out high-wear movements and replacing them with high-impact, low-risk psychology, protecting their long-term health. In the future, a young wrestler will likely step into a 3D motion-capture ring, execute their moveset, and an AI will instantly generate a long-term degeneration timeline of their spine, knees, and hips. The technology will do a calculation, and then advise them: "If you do this leg drop 5,000 times, you will lose 80% of your lumbar cartilage by age 40. Switch to the sleeper hold."

These applications will begin being fully utilized in 1-3 years, becoming standard inside elite developmental facilities. One of them is already quietly transitioning from plan to reality behind closed doors, driven by the massive corporate evolution of the combat sports industry: Digital twins- virtual replicas of an athlete's musculoskeletal system. Combat sports medical and coaching staff are starting to utilize them, and outside of the pro-wrestling industry, China's "Digital Twin Athlete" program combines predictive AI, 3D kinetic tracking, and wearable sensor data to create a virtual, living clone of an athlete's body. These systems simulate how specific training loads and repetitive movements will wear down an athlete's bones, muscles, cartilage, and ligaments over time.

Also, systems are being built by institutions like the University of South Florida using AI-powered wearable tech to track moving joints in real time. The goal is to detect millimeter-level shifts or dangerous, repetitive strains before a serious injury (like an ACL tear) or permanent structural damage happens.

Over the next couple of years, developmental sports entertainers will routinely train in markerless motion capture bays or use inertial suits, like those from Rokoko, to benchmark their baseline movement mechanics. Rokoko uses smart suits with inertial sensors (IMUs) rather than camera-based systems alone, which makes them ideal for training because they don't require external camera arrays and can record bumping without sightline blockage. It's already been tested in soccer games to see if it could be used to improve refereeing.


People who coach professional wrestling will use Rokoko data to correct incorrect movement patterns or uneven weight distribution on a landing long before the talent debuts at any notable public or televised events.

Not only will these applications be beneficial to talent, but they will have financial impact as well. A top-tier professional wrestler is a multi-million dollar asset. When a major draw is sidelined with an injury, it impacts ticket sales and can potentially halt merchandise revenue, making adopting predictive human maintenance a commercial incentive just as much as it is a safety one.

GAEA Girls: The Side of Joshi You Haven’t Seen

If you have ever watched Japanese women's wrestling, you have seen the displays of the power of joshi, with its vibrant costumes, dazzling athleticism, and a unique brand of professional wrestling that has captivated audiences worldwide. However, joshi is far more than a spectacle; it's an emotional, physically demanding style of wrestling, and in 2000, British public service broadcaster BBC funded GAEA Girls, a documentary directed by Kim Longinotto & Jano Williams (and distributed by Women Make Movies) that showed how trainees were prepared for the world of joshi in the late 1990s.

Filmed over a period of three months (capturing events that were a part of a year of training), "GAEA Girls" gives an observational look inside the dojo of GAEA Japan, a prominent promotion founded in 1995 that was the brainchild of Chigusa Nagayo, a legend on the Japanese pro-wrestling scene, who also wrestled in WCW in 1996 as "Zero". The documentary focuses heavily on the demanding life of new trainees trying to pass their mandatory pro-test, which involves them having a series of matches and their performance being judged. It mainly centers on Saika Takeuchi, a young trainee struggling under the intense pressure, physical agony, and psychological weight of the dojo's system. One of its main trainers was Meiko Satomura, who went on to also become a legend of the ring, having classic matches in Japan and later becoming a participant in WWE Mae Young Classic 2017 and a WWE Superstar.


The GAEA Japan dojo was very different from the dojos of today. Trainees were pushed through marathon schedules that would run from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with military-style methods intended to provoke their killer instincts to make sure that they would survive in the ring.

You can watch "GAEA Girls" for free here on Kanopy if you have a public library card or are a student/professor.

Fake It So Real: The Wrestling Documentary You Haven't Seen

When most people think of professional wrestling in North Carolina, their minds immediately go to one of the most important wrestling promotions, Jim Crockett Promotions, which later became World Championship Wrestling. After WCW expanded beyond the Southern wrestling scene, many independent promotions began forming, with a number of them giving wrestlers who live in North Carolina and its surrounding area more opportunities to showcase their talents. One of them was the Millennium Wrestling Federation (MWF), which formed in 2000 and was the subject of the 2012 documentary, Fake It So Real, which was filmed over the course of a week leading up to that Saturday's show.

Most sports entertainment documentary watchers are used to the WWE documentary style of talking-head interviews and narration that guides the viewer. The style of "Fake It So Real" is very different- there is no narration, and the only talking is by the MWF wrestlers who are featured in the documentary, with the camera close to its subjects, taking an observational approach, as they train, plan, discuss storytelling and character development, and build an independent pro-wrestling ring for small venues.

Another difference between a WWE-style documentary and "Fake It So Real" is the presentation of the promotions and their rosters. In WWE documentaries, members of their roster are profiled as larger-than-life performers who have reached the top of the sports entertainment industry, with the resources of a major company supporting them. In "Fake It So Real", it's obvious that the MWF was a small promotion that did not sell many tickets for shows and only had enough resources to post flyers as a form of promoting upcoming events, with a roster that consisted of wrestlers who needed day jobs in order to make a living. However, what both styles of documentaries have in common is that they show that whether a sports entertainer is a Superstar or a journeyman, wrestling is something that they take seriously.



Amongst the pro-wrestlers who are featured in "Fake It So Real", one of them has attained notable success on the independent scene since the documentary. Zane Riley has gone on to appear in many upper-level independent wrestling promotions, including CHIKARA, FIP, and NEW.

Pro-wrestling is widely viewed as a national television product; however, Fake It So Real presents a sector of the industry that is not seen as often- where the lights are not as bright, and the crowds are not as loud, but the passion for the business is just as real.

The Future of Digital Publishing: Beyond the SEO Template Era

For over a decade, there was a digital publishing playbook that many people followed. They would identify a keyword with decent search volume, look at the top three results on Google, build a slightly longer piece of content using the exact same subheadings, insert a few affiliate links or display ads, and wait for the organic search traffic to roll in. That model was the SEO Template Era, and that era has now come to an end.

Between the integration of AI-driven search overviews, the toxic trap known as social media, and an abundance of generic, machine-generated text, the procedures of how written content is discovered, consumed, and monetized have fundamentally shifted.

If you are using a blog as a database or a keyword-trapping net, that blog will struggle as a result of automation. However, if you use it as owned media and search authority, you are a part of one of the most lucrative eras for independent professionals. In this blog post, I will explain where digital publishing is heading- and how creators and media brands must adapt.

In the early days of the web, simply providing information was enough to earn attention; an 800-word blog post answering a question would rank and capture search traffic. But today, search engines and AI assistants pull answers directly from platforms and display them to users in real time. Value has moved from subject matter that is only static facts that can be summarized on the search results page without sending users to your blog, to first-hand knowledge, personal perspective, and original analysis.

For example, my April 2026 blog post about how idol culture and pro-wrestling fandom overlap ranks at the top of search results and is one of my most viewed blog posts of the past 12 months. Rather than being vague about the overlap, I provided detail by leveraging my background in Japan and being a strategic contributor for World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana.

In another example, my blog post about how to develop a successful marketing strategy for a wrestling promotion ranks highly because I discuss the operational decisions every promoter must make to build a growing promotion, and I gave examples of how I have helped promotions, showing that I'm speaking from experience. And I did it in a way that anyone who is interested in the topic would understand, whether their promotion is brand new, they're a successful promoter who wants to take their promotion to the next level, or they're a frustrated promoter who is trying to figure out why their promotion is not drawing well. This resonates with promoters and motivates them to take action, which causes search engines and AI assistants to consider the blog post to be an authoritative resource worth featuring.

The readers of today don’t visit blogs only for facts; they visit for the lens through which those facts are explained. Successful digital publications are moving away from articles that just tell the "how" and moving toward articles that present distinctive personal experiences and give breakdowns about things that they have seen in person with their own eyes or have been informed about directly by those who have. If you clearly know what you're talking about, the content that you provide is what readers are looking for.

I don't write for SEO, but I do recognize its value- SEO acts as the bridge that helps my target audience find me. However, the nature of search has evolved. Instead of rankings still being based on keyword-matching algorithms, search engines now prioritize content that is quality and not simply quantity. Repeating a phrase five times in the body is no longer enough- in order to rank well, your platform has to be considered a trusted source by the AI search systems that now control search engines.

Search systems trust my domain because many of my pro-wrestling articles have been cited as sources in online encyclopedias Wikipedia, Grokipedia, and Hubbry entries on topics including WOW - Women of Wrestling, the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), and Michinoku Pro Wrestling. That trust also extends into the intersection of technology and the professional wrestling industry, due to Fightful citing my deep dive into specific applications of AI in wrestling as a key resource in an article.

Also, my articles have been used in research. My 2013 interviews with the original cast of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) served as a primary historical resource for The Telegraph in their coverage of the true stories behind the hit Netflix series. In addition, my article on the evolution of social media in professional wrestling was cited in an Indiana University thesis submitted by a student to the faculty of the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in the School of Social Sciences, and my article, "The History of American Wrestling," has been used in Google Classroom by an educator.

As an independent publisher, if you want AI search systems to trust your platform, it needs to be brand-first as opposed to topic-first. Establishing a strong, authoritative brand identity with clear human expertise is far more effective for building system trust than targeting high-volume keywords or broad topics. AI models can easily generate generic summaries of these subjects on their own. However, independent publishers that are brand-first and produce quality content are considered invaluable by AI models.

Some people worry that AI will take away jobs, and it's true that some jobs will change because of automation. But a topic-first approach almost guarantees being automated away by AI, because AI can write about any topic (although like a generalist). Meanwhile, a brand-first approach forces AI systems to rely on and feature your platform as a primary source. In addition, although images and video don't make a platform more trustworthy to AI search systems, properly optimized media can give your content a major ranking boost in search results.

Publishers must transition from being generic content producers to recognized authorities. AI search systems evaluate reliability by tracking how a brand/publisher is mentioned and cited across the wider web. When a platform prioritizes its unique brand angle, highlights verifiable human expertise through authoritative writing, and creates original or deeply analytical content, it trains AI models to recognize the platform as a default expert in its industry.

The web of today is crowded, but making a connection is possible when you trade mass appeal for specialization. My platform is not a media outlet designed to break news; it presents analysis of the business side of the professional wrestling industry and highlights many of the promotions and topics that media outlets rarely cover, if ever. And most importantly, I do it with quality content.

The most powerful way to stand out in a crowded room isn't to be bigger, louder, or flashier than everyone else- it's to provide what everyone else in the room doesn't. If you do, your audience won't only read an article when it appears in a search result- they will visit your platform directly because they will recognize your platform as the place to get what you provide. That is why the majority of my traffic is direct, with my direct, organic search, and AI assistant traffic growing at a faster rate than my organic social traffic.

The end of SEO Template Era shouldn't be considered a bad thing; it's a filter that weeds out low-effort, low-value content and rewards publishers who focus on creating professional-level material. The blogs that thrive will be those that prioritize original content, expertise, distinct perspectives, foundational blog posts, and satisfying their target audience over algorithmic optimization.

The Somebody Obsession: The Wrestling Book You Haven't Read Yet

When most people buy a wrestling autobiography to read, they usually choose one written by a legend of the ring, such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, or Ric Flair. Meanwhile, ones written by wrestlers who focus on the independent wrestling scene often fly under the radar.

Although not becoming a household name with a million-dollar contract, there are many independent wrestlers who have built respectable careers to be proud of. One of them was Matt Murphy, author of the autobiography, "The Somebody Obsession".

Matt Murphy's promotional blurb says, "Many stars have shared their success stories in the crowded genre of professional wrestling autobiographies. But for every star there are a hundred also-rans, those of us who fell short of our dreams. We, too, have a story to tell. In my autobiography, THE SOMEBODY OBSESSION: A NOBODY'S DESPERATE JOURNEY TO STARDOM, I reveal how I overcame an impoverished, troubled childhood to live my lifelong dream of becoming a professional wrestler. I had to succeed; failure meant damnation back into the white-trash hell from which I came. While self-medicating the scars of my tormented youth with sex, booze, and wrestling, I reached for the stars and could feel them at my fingertips before my amazing ride crashed to an abrupt end. My story is THE BULLPEN GOSPELS meets I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL. Funny and poignant, it is an inspirational and cautionary tale for anyone who dares to dream. It is about overcoming challenges and shows that the dreamer's biggest obstacle is often the one that stares back at him in the mirror."

Matt Murphy was trained by legend Harley Race and was the first graduate of the Harley Race Wrestling Academy. Murphy began his pro-wrestling career in 1999 at World League Wrestling (WLW), a Missouri-based promotion that was founded by Race. After having a seven-month winning streak that included a victory over former WCW star Bobby Eaton, Murphy later went on to be a foundational part of WLW's tag-team division. Along with becoming the inaugural co-holder of the WLW Tag Team Championship after it was established in 2001, he held it two additional times.

Matt Murphy became lead instructor of WLW in 2000 and, as a standout in the promotion, earned two opportunities to appear in WWE in 2001, as well as tenures in the Japan-based NOAH in 2001 and 2002, which included being trained there and participating in the inaugural GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship tournament. In addition, he wrestled in IWA MS in 2002 and participated in that year's Ted Petty Invitational.

Being able to seamlessly transition between the polished style of WWE, the King's Road / Strong Style of NOAH, and the gritty style of IWA MS showed how versatile a performer Murphy was in the ring and why his "All That" nickname was fitting.

You've read the stories from performers who have been on major supercards and at the top of the pro-wrestling industry. "The Somebody Obsession" gives you the perspective of a wrestler who had a different form of success in the business, as they also discuss the difficulties that they experienced along the way.