Where to Find Credible WWE News: A Casual Fan's Guide

The casual wrestling fan probably doesn’t sift through wrestling news Web sites trying to find the latest backstage rumors or future plans for WWE storylines.

But seven years ago, I was a casual fan who just watched Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown every once in a while, and look at me now. I can’t stay off these sites, and writing about wrestling news and rumors is literally what I do for a living. 

There will come a time when, like me, a casual fan turns into a diehard fan, and in addition to watching Raw and Smackdown every week, they’ll want to visit wrestling news sites to see what’s going on behind the scenes. 

That can be really tricky for a wrestling newbie, however, so I’m here today to offer a little advice on how to go about finding credible wrestling news on the Internet. 

Tip No. 1: Stick with One of the “Big Four” 

Just like the WWE has its “Big Four” pay-per-views, the Internet has its “Big Four” wrestling news sources. 

They are, in no particular order:

• F4Wonline.com/Wrestling Observer Newsletter
• PWTorch.com
• PWInsider.com
• WrestlingNewsWorld.com. 

While there are other sites that can be trusted, these four (WON and F4Wonline.com are essentially one in the same) are the ones that have the most credibility within the professional wrestling industry. Although you do have free access to some portions of these sites, they do require subscriptions. And they do so for a reason. 

All four of these Web sites do a great job of breaking news and rumors, and they are actually getting their information from legitimate sources within WWE and even TNA. These sites have been around for years, developed good to great reputations and are the most reliable sites you’ll ever read. 

Tip No. 2: If It Doesn’t Look Credible, Then It Probably Isn’t 

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I’m actually advocating it. 

Just take a look at a site like this and then one like this. See the difference? 

The second one looks much cleaner and crisper, while the first one looks like it was put together by an eighth-grader in a computer class. Appearance isn’t everything, but it can go a long way in showing what sites will deliver better content. 

Tip No. 3: Beware of “Copy and Paste” Sites 

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of wrestling sites that will repost a report from another wrestling site and act as if the material is their own. 

Just Google “pro wrestling news,” and you’ll find countless wrestling news sites that simply take a news story from elsewhere, copy it and then paste it onto their site. Hench, the term “copy and paste.” 

These sites generally have a reputation for stealing news rather than breaking it. 

Tip No. 4: Make Sure It’s Sourced 

If you don’t have the money to use a paid site like F4Wonline.com or WrestlingNewsWorld.com, it is OK to use a “copy and paste” site. You just have to make sure to use the right one. 

Chances are that if there’s no source at the beginning, end or somewhere within the article, then there is no credibility behind that article, and it may be just completely made up. 

WrestlingInc.com is largely a “copy and paste” site, but it is a reliable one because any information or story that it gets from elsewhere gets credit when WrestlingInc.com publishes a story. 

For example, in a story like this, you’ll notice that WrestlingInc.com indicates that the information used in this new piece was taken from another site. In other words, WrestlingInc sources the info and gives credit where credit is due. 

Although it seems like a small detail, it makes a major difference. 

Tip No. 5: Some Stories Will Seem Legit, but Actually Won’t Be 

Wrestling “news” sites are great at this: They find a big news story from another site, credit it and then change minor details. 

You may see a story on The Rock’s WWE future on F4Wonline.com that indicates that he may be interested in competing after WrestleMania 28, but then you go to a site like PWMania.com that has the same story and source—only, PWMania says that The Rock is definitely going to compete after WrestleMania. 

This is purely a hypothetical situation, but you get the point: Some sites change those minor details simply for the hell of it, and what results is a new story that has lost its original meaning. 

Final Thoughts 

I love reading about the WWE’s latest news and rumors just as much as the next guy, but we have to be careful when trying to determine what is or isn’t legitimate news. 

Hopefully, these tips will help the next time you’re looking for rumors about your favorite WWE superstar. 

Just remember not to get duped by guys pretend to have inside sources in the WWE, but really don’t.

And, of course, don't forget that we here at B/R always credit our sources, so this is your one-stop shop for WWE news!

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring or Twitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.