Al Getz

Al Getz has been involved in professional wrestling in various capacities since the mid-1990s. He founded WHOO! Wrestling, one of the first websites dedicated to independent wrestling. Al also worked as a manager and color commentator for several different promotions. In 2018, Getz began Charting the Territories, a unique, data-driven look at pro wrestling in the territorial era. It began with his desire to create “back of the baseball card” statistics that could be applied to all wrestlers, instead of just focusing on the achievements of the superstars and legends. Many of these men and women led nomadic lives, and Al’s work quantifies the roles that various wrestlers had as they moved from place to place. With a website, a monthly podcast, and a series of books, Al Getz’ work has been recognized by historians, fans, and wrestlers alike as ground-breaking. In July 2024 he received the Jim Melby Award from the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa. This award is given annually to recognize excellence in professional wrestling writing or historical preservation. Past winners include Dave Meltzer, Bill Apter, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson, J Michael Kenyon, Koji Miyamoto, and Mike Mooneyham.