If you have been around the Wrestling scene, especially the Indie Wrestling scene then you know of Larry Goodman or at least have read one of his wrestling reports. Larry is easily one of the most despised people involved with Wrestling Media because he reports the truth, and you better bet your last dollar that most people involved in Indie wrestling can not handle the truth, yeah, yeah, yeah, R-Truth says that, duh shit. Most can not handle the truth from Larry because in Indie wrestling there is a lot of crap in the ring and Larry calls them on it. Out of all the reports I have read, Larry gives the most accurate, he knows his stuff, unlike others who do not even know the names of certain moves, not everything is a suplex, right Ben Masters...lol.
I have been in locker rooms where promoters or bookers will get nervous because "Goodman" is out there. Why you ask, because they are afraid of a negative report and the truth. I watched the folks at GCW, not the newest bunch that actually run shows, but the old Gr8t GCW in Columbus/Phenix shity panic. Quinton Michaels (the Booker) & Diane Hewes (the clueless owner) would crap themselves because Larry was there. Sure enough, a day later Larry would report the truth about the attendance at Gr8t Championship Wrestling, that there was 110 people in the crowd, not the 315 that Michaels (the Booker) & Diane Hewes (the clueless owner) had reported constantly for the last 2 months.
Then there is the wrestlers. Oh yeah, the "Goodman Report" is like their holy grail, do not let them lie to you. You see other reports may be from wrestlers, like say Velvet Jones, so some wrestlers will dismiss it as Velvet having a chip on his shoulder blasting certain people, but Goodman is non-bias and is not a wrestler thus making his report seem more legit, which brings me to my next topic.
I hear this a lot, especially from guys who get ripped/exposed by a "Goodman Report", who will always respond with "He is not a worker" or "He has never laced up a pair of boots". I always thought those comments where ridiculous, because that is what makes his reports have more stroke, he reports from a fans point of view, he reports on what he sees and how it looks. He also reports on the crowds size and reaction to what happens in the ring.
Larry is the best at giving an in depth report and gives the reader a vibe of not just the results, but also of the atmosphere of the show, for example here is a link to an example:
http://www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com/news-notes/2011/07/24/14.html
Did these guys do great? No, but they can use the report to try to improve the next time. Larry also can give a report on the fly with less details, but nail the bullet points, for example:
http://www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com/news-notes/2011/07/24/19.html
Did these guys do great? It seems so, but an in depth report may shine some more light on different things, but they still can use it to improve.
In ending, there are a lot of fly-by-night wrestling reporters who are popping up on facebook and message boards. Some have potential and some are lost like a fart in a hurricane, but being that HotLikeLava.com is a media hub and hundreds of people are hitting this site a day, those said reporter's reports and comments will be reviewed and put on blast. Do not think for one moment that we are kissing Larry Goodman's ass, we have pointed out his flaws and taking shots at him from his car to his hat to his confusion on which black guy takes a pin fall. Larry's reports are not above being criticized, but at the moment he is the top dog and what most will be compared to. So, to all the reporters out there, good luck, you will need it.
