Alex Marvez

Editor's note: Alex Marvez is a columnist for Florida's Sun-Sentinel news paper and Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Obsever Online web site.

CJ: Being a journalist myself in pro-wrestling, I understand it takes great dedication and motivation to be able to continue to do what we do on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis. My first questions centers around motivation, and background information. What motivated you to get involved in this pro-wrestling 'game' and also give our readers some background information on your accomplishments so our readers can better understand who Alex Marvez is.

AM: Basically, I became a part-time sports writer at the Miami Herald in October 1987 as a junior in high school. Seven months earlier, I started subscribing to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and it was like an epiphany, giving me a backstage look into the industry i loved so much. In August 1989, the Herald wanted to introduce a wrestling column, which was given to me because I was known as a rabid fan. The column originally was slated as bi-weekly, but was so popular that it quickly became a weekly feature. In 1995, I left the Herald to cover the Cincinnati Bengals at the Dayton Daily News and took the column with me. The column appeared for two years before I left to the Rocky Mountain News in 1997 to cover the Denver Broncos. After a six-month hiatus, I began writing the column again for the RMN's weekend section and then later signed a syndication deal with Scripps-Howard News Service when I came back to South Florida to cover the Miami Dolphins at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Right now, my column appears in more than 30 newspapers. I became a wrestling fan when I was five years old watching Championship Wrestling from Florida and have been hooked ever since.

CJ: What are your thoughts on the state of the business, where it is heading, and how it has evolved since the early days of those Florida Championship Wrestling days?

AM: Sadly, the state of the business looks worse than ever. The WWF has been its own worst enemy by: a) keeping Kurt Angle at second-tier status. why he isn't the top babyface in this promotion right now is a mystery; b) not listening to the fans. when the WWF surpassed WCW in the late 1990s, it did a great job of listening to what its fans wanted and changing the booking accordingly. but in march, the WWF made a huge mistake by not listening to the negative fan reaction The Rock was getting when matched against Austin. by turning Austin, the WWF turned off many of its fans, especially because The Undertaker is too stale and old at this point to carry the company on his own. The situation is even more depressing for the indy scene. My hope for wrestling is that another television network or group of investors decides to give Vince a run for his money.

CJ: With the state of the business, also comes the roadblocks set up by certain "watch dog groups". With a lot of media attention pointing its finger at pro wrestling for the mental and physical decay of American culture, do you as part of the media also put a lot of the blame of the moral decay of this culture squarely on the pro wrestling world? (or on any part of the entertainment world as well?)

AM: I don't blame anything on the media. Time after time, pro wrestling has shot itself in the foot through its own actions (Trish barking like a dog, Stacey carter nudity on a pay-per-view, etc). The part I blame the media for is doing poorly researched stories. My feeling is that "underground" entertainment such as pro wrestling (especially ECW) and music was bound to become mainstream at some point anyway because of the entertainment industry's search for the "next big thing" that sells. My hope is that when children watch wrestling that their parents are: a) aware of what their children are being exposed to; b) explaining that it's a work and not to kill each other trying to imitate moves.

CJ: There has been criticism of just that, kids "imitating moves" and running "backyard promotions". Do you have any thoughts on what is considered "backyard wrestling"?

AM: My feeling is that backyard wrestling is so limited (i.e. participants) that it barely registers a blip on the radar screen despite the attention it has gotten by mainstream media looking to create a story. I'm sure that when American Gladiators was popular that kids also set up obstacle courses in their backyard. When I was a kid, I played football in my friend's backyard. It was pretty violent, but nobody has started a campaign against backyard football. Again, parents should use common sense when it comes to monitoring their children's activities.

CJ: Turning more to the "parental issue". Do you think the violence and sexual content in pro wrestling's product has gone "way over the edge" and should be toned down?

AM: I have a bigger problem with the sexual content than the violence. The degradation of women is absolutely brutal and sends an awful message to many people, including advertisers.

CJ: Having said everything you have above about it being the obligation of the parent's to monitor what their children watch on TV, what are your thoughts about watch dog groups such as the Parents Television Council and L. Brent Bozell (who has been tied in to Joseph McCarthy and McCarthysim)?

AM: While not a supporter of the PTC, I have no problem with their criticisms of the WWF as long as they are factual. That is a first amendment right. Ironically, the WWF might have been better off not trying to make a parody of the PTC and instead just let it go away.

CJ: You mentioned your columns are syndicated in around 30 papers as of this date, Where can fans read your current articles/columns?

AM: I know the column usually runs in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Biloxi, Rocky Mountain News, Sun-Sentinel and a bunch of smaller newspapers. I also post transcripts of interviews every Wednesday or Thursday at Wrestling Obsever Online.

CJ: Over the years that you have followed pro wrestling. And covered it in a professional capacity, can you put together a short list (or narrow it down even further to one name) of "greatest" pro wrestlers of all time?

AM: I would have to say Ric Flair was the greatest of all-time based on match quality, interviews, longevity and impact on the business.

CJ: Do you have any humorous stories about your involvement in the pro wrestling 'game'?

AM: I guess this is an anecdote that shows the screwed-up nature of our business. A friend gave me the first Stranglemania tape produced by the Insane Clown Posse and I couldn't stop laughing for days. I sent a copy to a friend at WCW, who loved it as well. That same person, though, also gave it to a WCW executive. As it turns out, I heard the Stranglemania tape was listed as evidence against Mick Foley (who was the star of the show) in his lawsuit against WCW for unsafe working conditions when his ear was cut off. I guess WCW wanted to claim that Foley had a history of self-mutilation or something.

CJ: Well, I have taken up way too much of your time. And will finish this with listing some names, and you just say what ever pops in to your mind when you hear the names.

CJ: Eric Bischoff

AM: A one-time creative genius who lost it so completely that WCW is history.

CJ: Vince Russo

AM: A result of what happened when Bischoff lost his mind. One of the biggest losers in wrestling history.

CJ: Vince McMahon

AM: Vince the businessman is ruthless. Vince the promoter is a genius.

CJ: Dave Meltzer

AM: My journalistic inspiration and a dear friend who taught me valuable lessons about morals and ethics at a young age.

CJ: Ric Flair

AM: An incredibly class act and the best to ever wrestle.

CJ: and lastly, Alex Marvez.

AM: Hopefully, somebody who kept integrity in a business without any.