Wikipedia:WikiProject Professional wrestling/Outreach/Newsletter/Issue 012/Interview 2
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Interviewee: bulletproof 3:16
- Foreword
- I'm doing this interview for two reasons. The first is to let you get to know me a little more. The second is to have fun with you and entertain you. It may sound a little raunchy at points so just a fair warning before you read, but hey its an interview so lets have fun with it. It's not like the previous interviews on these newsletters that are short and boring at times with plain answers. No disrespect to my fellow PW members, its fun getting to know you guys outside of Wikipedia, but again its an interview so have fun with it. I think this interview concept is great and I hope this project continues to do more of them. To the friends I made on here, to those I had the honor of editing with, to those who hated my guts, and hell to all the vandals and trolls I ever met, thank you for making my time here special. This goes out to you. Enjoy. If you feel like reaching me for whatever reason, send me an E-mail and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. For those who know, I'll see you at 'Mania! -- bulletproof 3:16 06:05, 29 February 2008 (UTC)
Wikipedia-related
- 1. How did you first hear of Wikipedia, and why did you decide to become a Wikipedia editor?
- A: Well, like most of us, I first stumbled upon Wikipedia while making a Google search back in '05. I think I was Google searching Jessica Alba. Who the hell hasn't done that? (as in who the hell hasn't Googled Jessica Alba?)
- 2. What were your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?
- A: I think some of my best contributions to Wikipedia were made shortly before my leave. I was in the middle of a major expansion project with The Kliq. I contributed to the expansion of the WrestleMania X-Seven, WrestleMania XX, WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania 23, WrestleMania XXIV, and Royal Rumble (2008) articles.
Although my involvement with The Kliq has been "retconned" for some reason... : ( ...I enjoyed my time working with those guys. They really are a major asset to WP:PW in my opinion. Another thing I definitely enjoyed was helping other users out whenever I could, dealing with trolls and stopping any vandals on the loose. I remember about a year ago there was a user by the name of Factual80man that edited on and off but had a real bad case of "Trollatitis", cussing everywhere and adding randomness all over the place. Well one day he stumbled upon the Survivor Series (2002) article and thought It would be a cool idea to add the entire Elimination Chamber match on Dailymotion to the page. TJ Spyke removed it for obvious reasons. However, this not only resulted in a troll’s rant but also a massive sock bombardment, vandalizing TJ’s page and reverting every edit TJ made and not just on that one problem article but in every article TJ edited throughout the day. I stepped in and reverted the socks, reporting each and every single one of them to WP:AIV. For days I even stayed up until the next morning taking out these socks while TJ was still asleep. I wasn’t going to let this troll have his way, not in a million years. Deskana, an admin I respect very much and a friend who helped me become a better editor over the years, also got involved, blocking these socks on sight. This went on for days. I didn’t do any of this because TJ is a friend mine, but because it was the right thing to do. There are a number of things I’ve seen around here that just aren’t right to me like some actions made or attitudes in particular and I keep most of these things to myself, but when something unjust or completely out of line happens, I stand up for what’s right. Just love helping out, friend or stranger.
- A: I think some of my best contributions to Wikipedia were made shortly before my leave. I was in the middle of a major expansion project with The Kliq. I contributed to the expansion of the WrestleMania X-Seven, WrestleMania XX, WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania 23, WrestleMania XXIV, and Royal Rumble (2008) articles.
- 3. What is the origin(s) of your username?
- A: Well I'm not much of a Fity fan and I thought that Monk movie sucked... Steve Austin, being the badass sumbitch that he is, wore a vest with the words "Bullet Proof" on the back for his entrance at WrestleMania XIX for what would unfortunately be his final match to date. My username is sort of a tribute to the man.
- 4. What other project(s) did you participate in on Wikipedia besides WP:PW?
- A: Other than WP:PW, I was also involved in the Olympics WikiProject as well as the Digi, Dragon Ball(Co-founded), Southern California, and California Projects. I also participated in the Trivia Cleanup WikiProject and of course, the Counter-Vandalism Unit.
- 5. What do you like most about Wikipedia? What do you like least about Wikipedia?
- A: What I like best about Wikipedia is it's accessibility. It's a quick and easy source of information and for the most part reliable (when vandals and trolls aren't messing with articles) The thing I least like about the good ol' pedia has got to be the very fact that anyone... ANYONE can edit everything... EVERYTHING. I know that Wikipedia was created with the idea of having a free source of information that anyone can contribute to in mind, and I know that because of this nothing is going to be changing any time soon, but the very idea that Wikipedia was based on is a major flaw. I think registration should be required to edit Wikipedia. I believe it is essential to the reduction and prevention of vandalism and extremely vital.
Wrestling related
- 1. How did you begin watching professional wrestling?
- A: I began watching professional wrestling back in late '97 to early '98. It was actually my cousin who introduced me to it. One day we were playing around in the living room and he turned on the TV. WWF Raw came on and my cousin and I sat on the couch and just watched. He had been a fan since he was 5 I think, and with me being a year younger than he is, at the time he obviously knew more than I did. Steve Austin came on and my cousin went nuts. I didn't know who the hell he was so I just sat there trying not to laugh at my cousin who seemed to have shit himself when he heard the sound of glass shattering. After about 2 minutes of listening to this bald headed, goatee wearing, trash talking, beer drinking, pissed off redneck talking about how he was going to whoop somebody's ass... I was hooked! From that moment on I became very passionate towards professional wrestling and still am to this day. My cousin may not be into it anymore, or at least not as much as he used to, but it will always be a big part of my life.
- 2. Who is your favorite wrestler, and why?
- A: Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Both were the main reasons I got into professional wrestling. They had that thing you don't see that often anymore in the business that could make millions of people go wild by lifting up a certain finger and raising an eyebrow. They always gave you that chill that ran up your spine.
- 3. If you were to enter pro wrestling, what would you choose your entrance theme to be?
- A: Ooh... I guess it would have to be something from Saliva, or Limp Bizkit. I don't know about Drowning Pool anymore (it got weird after frontman #3). I've recently been listening to AM Conspiracy, Disturbed, Godsmack, P.O.D., Rise Against, Cold, Puddle of Mudd, Seether, Muse, Three 6 Mafia, and Three Days Grace so maybe something from them too. I'm not really sure. I'm leaning more towards Saliva and AM Conspiracy though.
- 4. If you were in control of any of the major wrestling promotions (WWE/TNA/etc.), what would you change about them?
- A: I've heard some people say the Brand Extension is what's been hurting WWE. Some think getting rid of the Brand Extension would be the way to go, but I honestly don't see it like that. The brand extension has given numerous talent the chance to step up the ladder and become a star. It has also given the company the opportunity to bring in new talent and allow them to be showcased without being overshadowed by the more popular stars. Guys like Mr. Kennedy, MVP, and CM Punk, three incredibly entertaining and talented stars, wouldn't be at the level they are now if it hadn't been for the Brand Extension. Its there for a reason so I wouldn’t be touching that. What's been pissing me off a lot lately though is the relatively high amount of count outs and DQs each week, especially on PPVs. Although there have been some instances that I look back on and realize a DQ or count out was the perfect ending to a certain match, depending on the circumstances. But for the most part, honestly, when you pay $40 for a Pay-Per-View to see 3 out of 6 matches end by either DQ or count out, it makes you really hesitant about paying $40 again for another one so I would definitely be doing something about that. Another major concern right now is the title situation WWE has going on. With so many titles in WWE right now it's very rare seeing each title being featured on PPVs in a respectable way. Right now the ECW brand needs to grow and they need SmackDown to help them do that. So what I would do is split the PPVs again, still keeping the big four as joint-branded events. However, what would make this different than the way it was before is that Raw would have its own PPVs while SmackDown and ECW would have theirs together. (i.e. Judgment Day = SD/ECW, Vengeance = Raw, One Night Stand = SD/ECW, The Great American Bash = Raw, SummerSlam = Raw/SD/ECW, etc.) This way, all three brands would get to feature all of its champions freely. Having two tag titles under the WWE name seems pretty redundant, and with SmackDown's being the least prestigious of the two, not to mention SmackDown not having much of a tag division as it is, it seems the best move would be to rechristen the title as the ECW Tag Team Championship, fully reviving the title and retiring the WWE tag title. This would give the ECW brand more credibility by having more than one title now and in the company's mind, it would just mean the title got a face lift without the technical mumbo jumbo. The title would still be defended the way it is now with the talent exchange so the move wouldn't hurt anything. With this, having that many titles doesn't seem so confusing anymore with each being featured prominently.
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- On TNA? Good God... TNA has had a long time to build their audience. They've been on Pay Per View for several years now. They had a previous television deal with FOX Sports. They've had numerous WWE/WCW/ECW stars go through their promotion as well as celebrity involvement to help them expose their product. Still however, the "unorganized" at times organization just can't seem to grow and has heavily relied on its fan base consisting of smarks and anti-WWE fanboys to "keep the ship afloat". Many factors have contributed to the status company is in, but the biggest one has got to be the many incredibly bad booking decisions the company has been making for the past few years. Yes for a time Angle was the TNA/X-division/and tag team champion at the same time and all by himself... I honestly believe that if their Women's title had been around then, it too would have been on Angle's waist as well. And for crying out loud, why the hell do they feel the need to add some crazy ass stipulation to matches that make you feel stupid for watching them!?!? "Ok, we're going have ourselves a Tag Team match for the main event at Genesis. BUT WAIT! Its going to be for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship as well!!!" WTF!?!? "Ok, now let's take our hard working, ball busting, talented wrestlers, most of whom have been with the company since day one busting their ass to get a shot at being our top champion one day, throw 'em a bone and put them in a match for four briefcases at Turning Point where they can either win a title shot or get fired." o...k... "Now that week on iMPACT, after the winners have had all that time to look inside their briefcases after the PPV to see if they won a title shot or got fired, lets magically pretend they didn't look inside and have them hand the briefcases over to Jim Cornette so that he may "secure" them in a completely unsecured place for yet another week to find out what's inside." ... (-_-) 'sigh'... Enough with the crazy shit each week! Remember when crazy shit on TNA each week was a good thing? Crazy shit as in "the crazy shit the X Division was in its early days?" (Before the Ex-_____insert_major_90s_promotion_here_____ talent invasion) TNA has so damn many talented young wrestlers. TNA has a real shot of making their product "their product" and not a bad attempt at being a 4th WWE brand or WCW. I would push my young talent for the love of God!!! What the hell ever happened to the "Phenomenal" A.J. Styles and who the hell is this losing jackass they have dressing up as him each week? And what ever happened to these other promising stars like Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe? Oh yeah! One was recently "Vinnie Mac" FFIIIIIIIIRREEDD (probably off licking on some curry now) and the other's off bitching somewhere...
- Sorry about that rant... I guess you can tell that I'm very passionate...
- Ahhh... I feel better now...
- 5. What has been your favorite wrestling match/event of all-time?
- A: Without a doubt, my favorite wrestling match has got to be Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21. Not only was it a phenomenal match that exhibited the very best of both, but I also had the opportunity to be there in attendance at the Staples Center and watch it live. So that made it even more special to me. I'll be attending WrestleMania XXIV this year and I sure am looking forward to seeing what already looks to be an awesome show. Maybe I'll take some pictures for the project if you want me to. I'll be at Fan Axxess, the Brunch, Hall of Fame ceremony, and of course the Grand Daddy.
Personal
- 1. What city/area do you currently live in?
- A: I currently reside in a suburb of Los Angeles... That's just about all you're going to get! HAHAHA!
- 2. What other language(s) do you speak besides English?
- A: I also speak Spanish and enough French to engage in conversation. What I'm really interested in learning though is Japanese. Quite a complex language but interesting. Can you say Quadruple Threat?
- 3. What are your interests?
- A: Playing Football - I play Defensive tackle for my high school varsity team (although I do aspire to be something else... could it involve something 4-sided and 20x20ft?) I weight train 4 days a week. Just trying to keep this 6'2'' 240lbs frame in shape! I'm also into drawing and graphic design. Oh, and Professional wrestling. (Who knew?)
- 4. What do you do in your spare time when you aren't editing Wikipedia/at work/at school/etc.?
- A: Why, killing people online via the PS3 of course!
- 5. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three items would you bring with you?
- A: To hell with being stranded! I'm bringing myself a boat/seaplane, some dude that can man/fly the thing, and Jessica Alba to keep me awake/busy on the ride home. ; )
Community-asked questions
- 1. After this interview, do you ever plan on returning to Wikipedia? (By The Hybrid)
- A: Who knows? I'm at a time right now in which I personally feel burnt out. Meh... I'll probably go off and write a book or something. Maybe when this worn out gear gets oiled up again, the machine can get back to rollin'. I'll come back and do some "SAVING". Seriously though, one thing I've learned here is that Wikipedia is surprisingly much like the wrestling biz. With that said, a particular phrase that comes to mind is, "Never say Never"... By the way, be sure to look for "Around The Wiki In Bullets" in bookstores near you this Summer!
- 2. Well Bulletproof, The Kliq certainly misses you. The door is always open shall you decide to return. Just one question: If you came back, would you rejoin The Kliq, and if not, is there any particular reason? (From iMatthew)
- A: Sure, if I ever decided to return I would love to rejoin The Kliq. Even though it hurt that you guys just removed me from The Kliq's page so coldly (sniff...) moments after I announced my retirement, I still enjoyed working with you. Just sucks to be retconned like that... (sniff... sniff...) Hey, D.M.N. is still mentioned at least...
- 3. Would you consider coming back for 1 final PPV project with The Kliq. We would do it starting March 19th, and until it is over, since that is when a lot of us are on vacation. We have asked D.M.N., and he agreed for one more project. Would you please do us the honor of working with us, just one more time. (PPV is TBD). (By iMatthew)
- 4. TBD
- A:
- 5. TBD
- A:
Any optional comments by the interviewee
