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HOPEFULLY THE LAST SET OF DAVE MELTZER QUESTIONS I WILL EVER HAVE TO ANSWER

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Dave Meltzer took issue with Mike Johnson’s story about Ricochet, claiming a “a source close to the situation” disputed what Mike reported.  Of course, Meltzer was wrong but my question is this, did he just expose to the world that he doesn’t do his due diligence when it comes to actual job of reporting?  He claims to be a reporter, but he takes the word of one person to dispute the actual real reporting of a respected journalist.  Isn’t a reporter supposed to get at least two separate sources for a story and shouldn’t he have gotten more than that if he was going to contest what someone reputable like Mike Johnson reported?

OK, first and foremost, as I said before in a Q and A, I really don’t want to talk about Dave Meltzer here on the site anymore.  Through his “reporting” since AEW started he has shown the world what he’s all about so talking about him here is just a waste of time.  Sure, it’s one think to poke fun at him on Twitter/X, which he definitely deserves given the arrogant way he carries himself (see below) and “reports” on wrestling, but here on the site I don’t think he deserves space any longer.  Talking about him now is like talking about Vince Russo to me.  They are cut from the same cloth.

But, what he did last week was so egregious and totally bereft of any journalistic integrity that I feel that I have to answer your question and cover his hijinks one last time, only because he brought Mike Johnson into it. 

For those who missed it, Meltzer chose to question the story that Mike broke about Ricochet giving WWE notice by saying something to the effect of Ricochet’s situation was "up in the air" when it wasn’t.  Meltzer’s verbiage called Mike’s report, and credibility, into question.  His reason for doing so?  ONE source supposedly close to the situation disputed what Mike reported, so Meltzer ran with the “story”.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Meltzer likes to think he is a top reporter in the business but as you stated above, he clearly showed that he isn’t.  No credible journalist would break a story based on what “one person close to the situation” told him, let alone dispute the report of a highly respected colleague under those conditions.

With that said, let’s look at what went down.

Mike heard about the Ricochet story and got multiple sources to confirm it.  He had enough confirmation to run the piece the day before he actually did but he still had some things he wanted to vet, so he held the story for another day.  He finally fleshed out everything that he wanted to know and cover and then he broke the story, you know, like a real reporter does.

Then, Meltzer did what he did.

What makes Meltzer so despicable to me in all of this is his complete and utter lack of respect for Mike and his inability to show any semblance of professionalism.  When a respected reporter breaks a story, and you are going to dispute it, you should do even more due diligence than you normally do (and maybe in this case he did).  It’s like that old trope, if you come at the king, you best not miss.  So what Meltzer should have done, if he had actual sources to ask, was to multi-source HIS story, flesh it out and then report whatever it is he was going to report.  What did he do?  He chose to try and taint a legitimate story by the best reporter in the business by citing a goof “close to the situation".  I won’t say what that kind of behavior is but it’s sure as hell not good journalism.

Since there were more Meltzer questions in the queue I will answer them and then hopefully be done with that guy forever.

Why is it that every time I see Dave Meltzer retweet someone who asks why he doesn’t take AEW to task for the things that they do to hurt their ratings, he always says that they don’t read what he writes and that he does it more than anyone else?

If you are being fair, there is one thing that you have to consider and that’s that a lot of the stuff that some of us think is ridiculous, like the clip below, Meltzer thinks is five star wrestling.  If he thinks what Will Ospreay and Rey Fenix did below is “good wrestling”, he can’t be expected to say that it isn’t.  That’s my job and I will gladly do it.  Now, the arrogant way he talks to people?  There's no excuse for that kind of behavior, especially from a senior citizen who should know better.

Why do people cite Dave Meltzer like he’s credible when he is wrong so much of the time?

My guess is because they are “aggregator” sites and they will copy the work of anyone that they find even somewhat credible.  I can’t say for sure because I don’t run one of those sites but it seems like it’s an attempt to get clicks whether there is any truth to a story, from anyone that they cite, or not.  To some people credibility doesn't matter at all, which is sad.

Do you think that Dave Meltzer got the idea to color his hair as an old man from Vince McMahon?

I honestly can’t say because as someone who is two years younger than Meltzer, and 16 years younger than Vince, there is no way in the world I would color my very gray head of hair.  I have earned every one of my gray hairs and they are a part of who I am.  Coloring them with bad dye?  It’s not something I would ever consider. I am happy and content with who I am at this point of my life.  I don’t need to pretend I am younger than I am.  Plus, bad dye jobs don't fool anyone.  Vince looks completely ridiculous now.

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