How Did TMZ Become the Source for Wrestling News?

Over the past few years, TMZ has been a big news source for all things pro-wrestling.

Which is a bit odd, considering wrestling is not everyone's cup o' tea. Especially considering TMZ's demographic, which is mostly women.

Nonetheless, they have broken stories about WrestleMania, provided TNA spoilers and have given us the dark side of former and current wrestlers.

With thousands of celebrities in the U.S. alone, one would think their story writers would have their hands full. However, that is not the case, as they have left a spot in their hearts for wrestling fans looking for reliable news stories.

Yes, I said reliable; the gossip site has proven themselves to be pretty accurate with the majority of their stories, as opposed to some wrestling sites that report solely based on speculation. In fact, several stories that I have reported have been with the help of their website and their cited source.

Some may say that this is just a trend. I, for one, do not feel this way, especially since a lot of these former wrestlers have branched into other forms of sports or entertainment. Now, not only do they have the notoriety from their wrestling days, but they are also building a new audience through movies or MMA fights.

One has to believe that MTV's The Jersey Shore played a big part in this movement. Cast members J-Woww, Snooki and Angelina have all taken part in story lines for both TNA and WWE.

They have not only kept tabs on The Jersey Shore cast, but they have also broken stories about active and non-active performers. Most of the stories are mug-shots, but there are times that they have landed some serious articles, most notably the John Cena and Michael Cole GLAAD incidents.

In 2011 alone, former wrestlers like Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, Shad Gasspard, Batista and Chyna have been plastered all over TMZ.com. It should be noted that prior to this year, the gossip site was following the post-wrestling career of Chyna pretty regularly, which can be contributed to her post-wrestling TV appearances on various reality shows.

Even with all of these celebrities and wrestlers co-mingling, at some point you would think that the gossip site would grow tired of wrestling. However, that has not been the case, as both The Miz and John Cena have been guest hosts on the daily TV show.

Let's face it, wrestling has also become this completely different entity. Long gone are the days of secrets and the mystique of the sport. In fact, most wrestlers have some form of their own social media and openly interact with fans.

Which can lead to some scandals, as was the case for Billy Gunn. About a year ago, Gunn was involved in an extra-marital affair which led to a story on TMZ. Stuff like this makes it an easy transition for a place like their website to run with a story.

Hopefully this is not a trend, as it has opened a new world of story lines and entertainment for fans.

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