Rob Feinstein
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Robert Feinstein is the owner and operator of RF Video, a professional wrestling video tape & DVD distribution company.
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[edit] RF Video
RF Video was started by Rob, along with his friends Doug Gentry and Gabe Sapolsky, in the early 90s and began as an outlet for hand recorded "fan cam" videos of wrestling events from smaller companies throughout the United States. They would tour with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), setting up their own booth at events to sell their videos and other memorabilia and give out "updates" listing other pieces for sale through their mail order business. Eventually RF Video became large enough to open full time kiosks in shopping malls stocked with some of the more popular videos and the option to order from the catalogue through the kiosk instead of mail or phone.
[edit] Performer
While touring with ECW, Rob began appearing on ECW TV under various names mostly variations of pi befroe settling as 7-Eleven, a member of the Blue World Order, who parodied Syxx of the new World order by constantly carrying around a handheld camcorder.
[edit] Promoter
RF Video opened up their own wrestling promotion, Ring of Honor (RoH), in 2002. RoH had the bulk of their original promotion and publicity through RF selling tapes while growing into a respected "indy fed".
In March of 2004 Rob Feinstein publicly sold his share of Ring of Honor to partners Cary Silkin.
When, in June of that year, it became known that Rob was still involved in the operations of RoH there was a "formal split" between RoH and RF Video.[1]
The revelation also resulted in the cancellation of an upcoming show in Maryland less than a week before the scheduled date. When Dick Caricofe, the Maryland promoter who was letting RoH use his Wrestling License, heard Feinstein was still involved he pulled out of the show forcing it to be moved to Philadelphia. RoH has not returned to Maryland since. There was also temporarily heat between Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). As a result some of RoH's top talents left TNA until 2005 when things were cleared up.
In 2005, RF Video purchased Philadelphia Based indy company Pro Wrestling Unplugged (PWU) from Trent Acid, Johnny Kashmere, and Jim Duggan.
[edit] Law Problems
In March of 2004, Rob Feinstein was caught in an internet sting designed to catch predators. Feinstein, who believed he was talking to a 14 year old boy, said he was a wrestler with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and eventually asked the boy if he could meet him at his home later, having implied in the chat that he was considering the boy's offer for sex. When Feinstein arrived at the home, he was met by a news crew. Although no formal charges were ever brought against him by police, the incident proved to be disastrous publicity for both Ring of Honor and Rob Feinstein, causing the temporary split with TNA and forcing Feinstein to sell his share of Ring of Honor as mentioned above.
In 2006, Rob Feinstein was charged with selling bootlegged tapes of World Championship Wrestling events through RF Video.