ONTARIO WRESTLING'S INDY ELITE
- Welcome To OWIE -

A message From OWIE Founder, Gordo, the wizard of id

Here are a couple banners if you wish to link to OWIE from your site:

Before I get started talking about the New OWIE, I'd like to give a shout out to a few people who made the creation of OWIE possible in the first place... and a couple others whose efforts on their own sites also serve to spread the word about indy wrestling - here in Ontario and across Canada...

A big THANK YOU to:

Sean "The MiC" MaCaffrey - "The MiC" is the twisted genius behind the Declaration Of Independents - more commonly known as The DOI. It was there that the wizard of id first gained noteriety as an "internet wrestling journalist" and the first website I began telling the world about Ontario indy on. In OWIE's Articles section you can find links to some of the many editorials and articles I contibuted during my tenure with the DOI. Click the "Vintage Wizard of Id" link - or just click HERE.

Ty Prattis - Ty created the first OWIE sites. When I left the DOI I needed a new home for my Reviews, Articles, Mrs Id's Photos and other things I wanted to do to further record and promote Ontario indy wrestling. I was still a complete internet and website idiot. I knew practically nothing. Building my own site was out of the question. Thankfully, Ty answered my plea and created the first OWIE site. Through those early days and a server crash that wiped everything out and right up to the last version of OWIE, Ty was there to help me over the bumps. I will always be grateful for what he did and for continuing to host Mrs Id's Photos. Ty's own site is Prattis Productions. He also has a new thing going called The Tyler Prattis Show - an internet TV show.

The OWIE Team - There have been many people who have contributed to OWIE over the years... Chris Crucifx, Peter Bisson, Terry Mathis, Steve Corino, Vance Nevada, Lee Longpre and many more. Their contributions, big and small, have helped OWIE grow to become the site it is today. I couldn't have done it without them. Like with any team, members come and go but the team remains and continues to contribute content. (And I'm always open to more so if YOU want to contribute to OWIE contact me HERE)

Mrs Id - I saved the best for last... OWIE would not exist without Mrs Id. It's as simple as that. I (and OWIE fans) owe a lot to Mrs Id... and not just for her photos! Her patience during the literally thousands of hours of work on OWIE over the years - all the struggle, the ups and downs, (especially while I taught myself web design and built the version of OWIE you're looking at now)... her support kept me sane.

Every single fan of Ontario indy wrestling owes a debt of gratitude to:

Emanuel Melo - Where would Ontario indy wrestling coverage and exposure be if not for Emanuel Melo? His site, OntarioIndyWrestling.com was the first to truly put the stars of Ontario indy on the map. With THOUSANDS of photos and the most viewed and used Message Board in the province, Melo's site was instrumental in creating the community of Ontario indy - that unifying bond that makes us all one big (if somewhat dysfunctional at times) family. Thank you Manny, for blazing the way.

Greg Oliver - If you're already a fan of OWIE then you know how much I like the SLAM! Wrestling website. Greg Oliver is the man! He is rightfully regarded as the formost wrestling historian in Canada. Greg's site often puts the SLAM spotlight on Ontario indy and its stars... and that's a damn big spotlight!

Tha O Show - These days it seems like there are internet podcasts and radio shows everywhere but none of them have spread the word about Ontario indy wrestling like Tha O Show. Hosted by Big Daddy Donnie & Dan-e-o with an amazing supporting cast of contributors, Tha O Show continues to be an innovator in internet wrestling media. When they talk about Ontario indy you can bet there's a LOT of people listening.

Now then, about the new OWIE...

Not everything is finished yet... a couple sections are still under construction while others are incomplete. In a perfect world, I could have held off launchng the site until it was 100% ready but there's enough content here now to keep you busy while I continue to load content from the old site. It's a lot of work and since almost every section has at least some content it seemed crazy to work on two sites at once by continuing to run the previous version while updating this version with much of the same content. Now I can take that "old OWIE" update time and apply it to loading back-content into this one... and YOU can enjoy an OWIE site that doesn't require a gazillion clicks to navigate.

You will notice that OWIE remains free of ads. For as long as I'm able it will remain that way. One of the biggest annoyances I hear about "pro wrestling sites" is the plethora of ads. I want OWIE readers to see what matters - info about Ontario indy wrestling... without a bunch of distractions intended to part you from your money. Save that for a ticket to a show in your town or buy some merch from indy workers. THEY are the ones really busting their asses to entertain you.

So... I hope you enjoy the new OWIE. (I also hope that when Ontario promoters see the new fed-specific pages for news items they'll be more inclined to send me their stuff so I don't have to go searching for it.)

And Speaking of Sending Stuff... Ontario Wrestlers - I will gladly share the match videos and promos you post on Youtube with OWIE readers - just send me the link. It's as easy as THIS

Um, I guess that's it... Enjoy your stay at OWIE. Look around, come back often. There's almost always something new to see here, something new to learn about the stars of Ontario indy wrestling. If you like OWIE, feel free to tell your friends about us.

And don't be shy... tell me what you think. OWIE is for you, the fans. Suggestions, crticisms, praise - they're all welcomed. The contact button on every page will get your message to me.

Stay happy.
Play safe.
And remember... SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDY WRESTLING!

Gordo, the wizard of id

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