Read this full blog post at the author's site
As you might have seen over on the PTC forums, the game has lost a giant. Pete has made his farewell post, effectively ending an impressive stay in the game of e-wrestling. As someone who has worked closely with Pete over the years, I feel I’m reasonably equipped to run down his career in honor of his departure. Now, as anyone in GCW will tell you, I have difficulty remembering things that happened ten minutes ago, much less seven years ago. So consider this fair warning that this post will likely contain glaring omissions, factual errors, and liberal use of creative license. Oh, and it wouldn’t be a post about Pete if I didn’t unabashedly slander him (actually, it would be libel, but slander sounds better).
I first encountered Pete some time in 2001. I don’t recall the exact date, though I quite fondly remember the character. Pete initially joined GCW as the Ticking Timebomb JNightmare. The character had a nervous “tick” that Pete would implement when writing him. I searched long and hard for a JNightmare promo but was unable to find one, much to my disappointment. The character was ludicrous, but Pete did bring with him a few friends. Jeff Wylde, Bryan Mayhem, The Almighty Kippo (and perhaps others) were all part of a former fed that had closed, a fed I remember very little about and will leave Pete to describe to you.
It didn’t take very long for Pete to retool himself. Come to think of it, Pete could have used a few more retoolings in his career. But he transformed himself into The Dark Messiah Jason O’Neil, and a star was born. During 2001 O’Neil captured the Tag Titles twice, but that’s all the gold he’d see in GCW.
It wasn’t for lack of talent. Pete simply stood out among the roster as a leader, a guy who was never suited for life among the masses. I had been searching for a right-hand-man for a long time, privately to train as a replacement for my impending retirement in 2002 (ha!). Pete was it. As O’Neil Pete took part in some memorable feuds, including one of my all-time favorites that saw O’Neil have sex with NBK’s mother and then throw him off the roof of an arena. God, that’s good stuff. He also (mercifully) ended the Tag Team reign of terror (and by terror, I mean complete, unadulterated crap) of Double Cool.
But Pete really distinguished himself as my partner, and without his service GCW would not have been as good as it was in 2002. He did a ton of work during this time in GCW, as much if not more than I. Pete was there for all of our initial successes, and fondly remembers all my greatest leadership miscues (yeah, I’m still haunted by the Ghost of Register).
GCW during this first run was a really unique place. Never before have I seen a fed so close-knit, so truly involved with one another. Pete recently related a story on PTC Radio about September 11th, 2001, and what was perhaps GCW’s defining moment. That day the entire GCW roster, both American and otherwise, came on to the forums to make sure everyone was safe and sound, that their families were safe, and to share in our mourning. One of the first instincts we all had was to jump online and make sure our fedmates were all right. That was special, and that’s the kind of family Pete helped to build.
Around the middle of 2002, when GCW was still riding high thanks is large part to Pete’s efforts, we began to collectively burn out as a fed. We’d been working closely together for a long time and really shared the same journey. Consequently, our torrid pace led to the inevitable end. O’Neil joined The Establishment and Badger Benandanti went heel in an attempt to change things up, but it was not my better work and things slid downhill. I remember very little of what happened during the “dark ages” of 2003-4. I did, however, get the chance to work with Pete in an environment where neither of us was in charge.
We both landed in FSW for a time, along with Jeff and some others. As Kimbusa I got to work with Deville and O’Neil, two guys I still hold in very high regard. Alas, it didn’t last long, as Pete was forced to step away for a time and Jeff promptly wiped the floor with me. Still, for a few weeks we got to work together and I seem to remember having a pretty good time of it.
There was a long stretch where Pete wasn’t around at all. He just up and disappeared, and the game seemed somewhat empty without him. I don’t recall precisely where he went (I’m fairly certain he volunteered for government testing of chemical weapons, resulting in the disfigured face he wears today). Pete and I weren’t always especially close, and there have been times when we’ve been at odds, but it did seem quite strange to participate in the game without Pete out there somewhere.
Pete returned and took part in tSC, and later ran his own fed, RPW. He’s also headed GCW solo, as well as PRIME and, no doubt, others. But other than a two-week stint in RPW, I never worked under Pete. I can’t really speak to his fedheadding abilities, though I do have observations. The results were no doubt mixed; Pete’s initial tries at running GCW were a huge success, but his later attempt in 2006 was a failure (not his fault, the fed sucked). RPW was a runaway success for a while, and the fed itself is deserving of its own biography. But there are those out there with a much better knowledge of the subject, so I leave the telling of that story (and of tSC) to those who were there. I certainly hope you’ll comment below to help fill in these blanks.
But what most of you reading this now will remember is the Pete who helped to run PTC these last few years. In this capacity a new Pete was seemingly born. Pete was always capable of being a complete and total prick (a necessary quality to have as a leader), but PTC Pete made use of this quality early and often. He alienated people and made no apologies for it. But please don’t read that as a criticism; in truth, to effectively run such a large organization one must be willing to be unpopular. Ron was the most hated guy in the game’s history, and also the most successful. That isn’t a coincidence. Pete never reached Ron’s level of megalomaniacism, but he was a major success for a reason.
I won’t speak for him, but I suspect Pete became much like me in the sense that he simply needed to lead. I still fondly remember my days as an active handler, but I cannot imagine myself participating in this game in any capacity other than a fedhead. Pete stood out early and distinguished himself as a man with ideas, ambition and gumption. This is why I am not terribly surprised that his recent return to handling was so short-lived. The game is not as we remember it, and Pete was never meant to just be one of the guys.
Pete is not a smart man. He’s not very charismatic and his radio voice mimics a less enjoyable Gilbert Gottfried. He’s abrasive and reclusive and very difficult to get to know if you don’t know him already. Nobody likes him, and his friends have been plotting his death for the better part of the millennium. That punch to the face from Lindz? Just the beginning.
But despite these obvious truths (read: slight exaggerations) Pete retires as one of the most influential people in the history of the game. Why is that? Ironically, it’s his heart. Despite his rough exterior Pete, I believe, has always had a soft spot in his heart for the game. He wanted it to succeed and he wanted to help other people enjoy themselves. Sure, he’d never admit it, and I’ve no doubt some part of Pete enjoyed the power, but I really think his true motivation was a noble one. He liked this game and he wanted others to like it, too.
Pete remains something of an enigma to me. I must confess that the above paragraph might have completely missed the mark and I’d never know. There are those he’s encountered in this game since his arrival in GCW that he has come to know better than me. We spent quite a long time out of contact and even now don’t speak terribly often. Yet I think, despite our ups and downs, Pete and I have always shared a mutual respect dating back to our first ventures into the larger structures of the game. It’s because of that that I’m disappointed to see him go.
Still, it’s time. Pete’s heart has not been in it for a while now, I fear. This is the comedic inevitability all leaders must face. Pete served PTC with distinction and selflessness, but those are trying traits to have. Eventually they weigh you down and drive all shreds of enjoyment out of you. Leading like Pete has led is certainly the most thankless job imaginable. He sacrificed all personal goals in the game to help maintain PTC, and without him our last ties to the glory days of e-wrestling would have long ago been lost.
I hope you’ll all send Pete your thanks. Even those who are newcomers to the community (if there is such a thing), or those that never worked with him, owe him gratitude. PTC is in a steady state of decline and the game is waning, and I feel this is due, in part, to the lack of strong leadership figures on the landscape. There are few with the drive, the willpower and the wisdom to stand above the rest and affect the direction of an entire community. Pete did that for a long time, and his loss is an ending of an era.
There are many who don’t like Pete and never will. I can certainly understand that; hell, there are times when I didn’t like Pete myself. But I always respected him, and that’s the key. I’m not asking you to like Pete. But if you don’t respect him, you don’t know anything about this game. If you’re one of those who ran off to create the “I HATE PETE” Fed, or if you go to sleep at night dreaming of his gruesome death (well, in all fairness, I do that one), you don’t truly understand the nature of our community. Even in decline PTC remains the best community there is, home of the best writers this game has ever seen, and that world exists due in great part to Pete’s efforts.
Oh, and Pete was a pretty good writer, too. *tick*
Pete hasn’t always been successful in this game. He’s taken some licks and made some decisions many would deem questionable. Yet at the end, looking back on it all, I hope Pete will view his time with us as a success. I know I do. Ultimately I think Pete will be viewed as the greatest caretaker the game has ever seen. He never really had a fed of his own, and he was never the man in charge of PTC. He was always the second guy, or the top guy operating as a stand-in. But that’s to his great credit, because it shows again how selfless he truly was. He was never in it for his own personal glory. He was always willing to help out, to do what was necessary and never spoke a word of anger when the thanks were given to someone else. Much of the credit for GCW belongs to Pete yet I am the one who reaps it. And when PTC goes Pete’s name will never don the list of those who stood at the helm (and, cruelly, mine will). But Pete’s name sits in the background of all those lists of top leaders, and in that respect he has had more to do with the success of this game than most of us will ever dream of. So I hope this serves as an appropriate tribute to one of the game’s great contributors, because I guarantee you that whatever you think Pete did for this game, he did more.
Thanks, Pete, you curmudgeonly asshole.
(Addendum: Pete, I actually found an RP you posted titled “Rivero, we are one and the same.” Ain’t that the truth?)
Read this full blog post at the author's site
As you might have seen over on the PTC forums, the game has lost a giant. Pete has made his farewell post, effectively ending an impressive stay in the game of e-wrestling. As someone who has worked closely with Pete over the years, I feel I’m reasonably equipped to run down his career in honor of his departure. Now, as anyone in GCW will tell you, I have difficulty remembering things that happened ten minutes ago, much less seven years ago. So consider this fair warning that this post will likely contain glaring omissions, factual errors, and liberal use of creative license. Oh, and it wouldn’t be a post about Pete if I didn’t unabashedly slander him (actually, it would be libel, but slander sounds better).
I first encountered Pete some time in 2001. I don’t recall the exact date, though I quite fondly remember the character. Pete initially joined GCW as the Ticking Timebomb JNightmare. The character had a nervous “tick” that Pete would implement when writing him. I searched long and hard for a JNightmare promo but was unable to find one, much to my disappointment. The character was ludicrous, but Pete did bring with him a few friends. Jeff Wylde, Bryan Mayhem, The Almighty Kippo (and perhaps others) were all part of a former fed that had closed, a fed I remember very little about and will leave Pete to describe to you.
It didn’t take very long for Pete to retool himself. Come to think of it, Pete could have used a few more retoolings in his career. But he transformed himself into The Dark Messiah Jason O’Neil, and a star was born. During 2001 O’Neil captured the Tag Titles twice, but that’s all the gold he’d see in GCW.
It wasn’t for lack of talent. Pete simply stood out among the roster as a leader, a guy who was never suited for life among the masses. I had been searching for a right-hand-man for a long time, privately to train as a replacement for my impending retirement in 2002 (ha!). Pete was it. As O’Neil Pete took part in some memorable feuds, including one of my all-time favorites that saw O’Neil have sex with NBK’s mother and then throw him off the roof of an arena. God, that’s good stuff. He also (mercifully) ended the Tag Team reign of terror (and by terror, I mean complete, unadulterated crap) of Double Cool.
But Pete really distinguished himself as my partner, and without his service GCW would not have been as good as it was in 2002. He did a ton of work during this time in GCW, as much if not more than I. Pete was there for all of our initial successes, and fondly remembers all my greatest leadership miscues (yeah, I’m still haunted by the Ghost of Register).
GCW during this first run was a really unique place. Never before have I seen a fed so close-knit, so truly involved with one another. Pete recently related a story on PTC Radio about September 11th, 2001, and what was perhaps GCW’s defining moment. That day the entire GCW roster, both American and otherwise, came on to the forums to make sure everyone was safe and sound, that their families were safe, and to share in our mourning. One of the first instincts we all had was to jump online and make sure our fedmates were all right. That was special, and that’s the kind of family Pete helped to build.
Around the middle of 2002, when GCW was still riding high thanks is large part to Pete’s efforts, we began to collectively burn out as a fed. We’d been working closely together for a long time and really shared the same journey. Consequently, our torrid pace led to the inevitable end. O’Neil joined The Establishment and Badger Benandanti went heel in an attempt to change things up, but it was not my better work and things slid downhill. I remember very little of what happened during the “dark ages” of 2003-4. I did, however, get the chance to work with Pete in an environment where neither of us was in charge.
We both landed in FSW for a time, along with Jeff and some others. As Kimbusa I got to work with Deville and O’Neil, two guys I still hold in very high regard. Alas, it didn’t last long, as Pete was forced to step away for a time and Jeff promptly wiped the floor with me. Still, for a few weeks we got to work together and I seem to remember having a pretty good time of it.
There was a long stretch where Pete wasn’t around at all. He just up and disappeared, and the game seemed somewhat empty without him. I don’t recall precisely where he went (I’m fairly certain he volunteered for government testing of chemical weapons, resulting in the disfigured face he wears today). Pete and I weren’t always especially close, and there have been times when we’ve been at odds, but it did seem quite strange to participate in the game without Pete out there somewhere.
Pete returned and took part in tSC, and later ran his own fed, RPW. He’s also headed GCW solo, as well as PRIME and, no doubt, others. But other than a two-week stint in RPW, I never worked under Pete. I can’t really speak to his fedheadding abilities, though I do have observations. The results were no doubt mixed; Pete’s initial tries at running GCW were a huge success, but his later attempt in 2006 was a failure (not his fault, the fed sucked). RPW was a runaway success for a while, and the fed itself is deserving of its own biography. But there are those out there with a much better knowledge of the subject, so I leave the telling of that story (and of tSC) to those who were there. I certainly hope you’ll comment below to help fill in these blanks.
But what most of you reading this now will remember is the Pete who helped to run PTC these last few years. In this capacity a new Pete was seemingly born. Pete was always capable of being a complete and total prick (a necessary quality to have as a leader), but PTC Pete made use of this quality early and often. He alienated people and made no apologies for it. But please don’t read that as a criticism; in truth, to effectively run such a large organization one must be willing to be unpopular. Ron was the most hated guy in the game’s history, and also the most successful. That isn’t a coincidence. Pete never reached Ron’s level of megalomaniacism, but he was a major success for a reason.
I won’t speak for him, but I suspect Pete became much like me in the sense that he simply needed to lead. I still fondly remember my days as an active handler, but I cannot imagine myself participating in this game in any capacity other than a fedhead. Pete stood out early and distinguished himself as a man with ideas, ambition and gumption. This is why I am not terribly surprised that his recent return to handling was so short-lived. The game is not as we remember it, and Pete was never meant to just be one of the guys.
Pete is not a smart man. He’s not very charismatic and his radio voice mimics a less enjoyable Gilbert Gottfried. He’s abrasive and reclusive and very difficult to get to know if you don’t know him already. Nobody likes him, and his friends have been plotting his death for the better part of the millennium. That punch to the face from Lindz? Just the beginning.
But despite these obvious truths (read: slight exaggerations) Pete retires as one of the most influential people in the history of the game. Why is that? Ironically, it’s his heart. Despite his rough exterior Pete, I believe, has always had a soft spot in his heart for the game. He wanted it to succeed and he wanted to help other people enjoy themselves. Sure, he’d never admit it, and I’ve no doubt some part of Pete enjoyed the power, but I really think his true motivation was a noble one. He liked this game and he wanted others to like it, too.
Pete remains something of an enigma to me. I must confess that the above paragraph might have completely missed the mark and I’d never know. There are those he’s encountered in this game since his arrival in GCW that he has come to know better than me. We spent quite a long time out of contact and even now don’t speak terribly often. Yet I think, despite our ups and downs, Pete and I have always shared a mutual respect dating back to our first ventures into the larger structures of the game. It’s because of that that I’m disappointed to see him go.
Still, it’s time. Pete’s heart has not been in it for a while now, I fear. This is the comedic inevitability all leaders must face. Pete served PTC with distinction and selflessness, but those are trying traits to have. Eventually they weigh you down and drive all shreds of enjoyment out of you. Leading like Pete has led is certainly the most thankless job imaginable. He sacrificed all personal goals in the game to help maintain PTC, and without him our last ties to the glory days of e-wrestling would have long ago been lost.
I hope you’ll all send Pete your thanks. Even those who are newcomers to the community (if there is such a thing), or those that never worked with him, owe him gratitude. PTC is in a steady state of decline and the game is waning, and I feel this is due, in part, to the lack of strong leadership figures on the landscape. There are few with the drive, the willpower and the wisdom to stand above the rest and affect the direction of an entire community. Pete did that for a long time, and his loss is an ending of an era.
There are many who don’t like Pete and never will. I can certainly understand that; hell, there are times when I didn’t like Pete myself. But I always respected him, and that’s the key. I’m not asking you to like Pete. But if you don’t respect him, you don’t know anything about this game. If you’re one of those who ran off to create the “I HATE PETE” Fed, or if you go to sleep at night dreaming of his gruesome death (well, in all fairness, I do that one), you don’t truly understand the nature of our community. Even in decline PTC remains the best community there is, home of the best writers this game has ever seen, and that world exists due in great part to Pete’s efforts.
Oh, and Pete was a pretty good writer, too. *tick*
Pete hasn’t always been successful in this game. He’s taken some licks and made some decisions many would deem questionable. Yet at the end, looking back on it all, I hope Pete will view his time with us as a success. I know I do. Ultimately I think Pete will be viewed as the greatest caretaker the game has ever seen. He never really had a fed of his own, and he was never the man in charge of PTC. He was always the second guy, or the top guy operating as a stand-in. But that’s to his great credit, because it shows again how selfless he truly was. He was never in it for his own personal glory. He was always willing to help out, to do what was necessary and never spoke a word of anger when the thanks were given to someone else. Much of the credit for GCW belongs to Pete yet I am the one who reaps it. And when PTC goes Pete’s name will never don the list of those who stood at the helm (and, cruelly, mine will). But Pete’s name sits in the background of all those lists of top leaders, and in that respect he has had more to do with the success of this game than most of us will ever dream of. So I hope this serves as an appropriate tribute to one of the game’s great contributors, because I guarantee you that whatever you think Pete did for this game, he did more.
Thanks, Pete, you curmudgeonly asshole.
(Addendum: Pete, I actually found an RP you posted titled “Rivero, we are one and the same.” Ain’t that the truth?)
Read this full blog post at the author's site