On June 19, 2024, I announced that I would be launching a wrestling website in August of that year.
One month later I released this video for the launch of GrapPro:
I technically started my launch of the website (full of issues) on August 15, 2024, accompanied by Katsuyori Shibata in a trash can.
For me, however, the official launch I feel is actually in the writing of The New Standard which I wrote on August 16, 2024. That’s why I’m publishing this one year retrospective today.
It’s been a struggle of mine in starting and stopping projects and for most of my life if I was trying to create something and it wasn’t hitting the deadline I would have just delayed it and delayed it until it no longer existed and everyone forgot about it. This time I went through with it, no matter how messy and how much that messy launch likely ruined the opportunity for me to make money off the website through donations. Most saw an incomplete website, incomplete promises, and after the first few donations it fizzled quick.
I had plans of doing a newsletter which definitely died quick when I saw nobody was really signing up for it and I had plans of doing match reviews, until realizing how much I hated writing match reviews and getting anxiety over having to draw pictures again. I didn’t want to just steal the old GamePro review images (even if the image of the site is absolutely GamePro. It is after all a love letter not a copy) and wanted to create my own and even purchased a tablet then forgot I haven’t drawn much in years and tablet drawing is very different from pencil and paper.
Essentially a lot of what I envisioned for the website I haven’t had the time to do. Because of this, a large part of my plan originally was to write small match reviews to scatter throughout the week and then do a long form once or twice a week. Because I didn’t have a review portion created the long form would end up being the entire website.
I have written 212 long form editorials/news articles for GrapPro since the launch, the majority of which were over 1,000 words and averaged between 1,500 and 2,000 words. This includes two pieces for Social Suplex Newsletter.
As someone who thinks he has a little bit of skill writing I’m proud of how much I was able to write in that time. Part of this isn’t just writing about pro wrestling but proving to myself I can consistently write. While that consistency has at times dropped (especially lately, call it summer blues) it’s at least proof I can do this if I got the time and I work on my focus.
Going into the second year of GrapPro, I know the areas that are going to need some work. I certainly don’t advertise enough and trying to join Facebook groups or Twitter gangs is a fruitless endeavour. I’ve tried to use Discord but often discords ask you shove your links into a plug section that few read. Trying to join a thousand groups to share the stuff manually and be a “contributing member” just isn’t a path of success.
In the future I’m going to have to see how I can build something up without having to take on my own Discord group or something of the sort. It might be impossible but I’ve never run a Discord (no matter how many times accused) and am trying to avoid the responsibility. Being a moderator to a Discord server is being a monitor. I’d rather not.
Writing 58% of the year is honestly way better than I thought I was going to do, and I would love to maintain that pace. The goal was originally to write every day but that’s hard when you have to come up with new things to write about every day for one wrestling promotion. Until I launch the ProReview section (which I still have some plan to), it’s going to be tough to have content every day.
There is still a plan in place to launch advertisements on the website. I’ve just never really had time to sit down and do it. I promise once I do it won’t be intrusive as I have no interest in having a website that I would personally adblock.
I get asked from time to time if I plan to do more video work. I’d love to, but the difficulty of that first video reminded me what a perfectionist I am about that stuff. Maybe one day I’ll learn how to just do the quick cuts but I’m such a stickler at just getting it right. I would love to create more video content and think that’ll eventually be a good way to get more of the word out.
The goal of year one of GrapPro was to prove I could do it. Now I plan to put more time into growing it. I also still feel like the website is pretty incomplete and it’s my goal to get it to a place where I don’t look at it and wonder the potential.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported the website, whether by sharing articles, reading articles, or donating. I would also like to thank All Elite Wrestling for allowing me to use their photos off their website. You may have me blocked on Twitter still but I get it; your old social media team didn’t like me pointing out how often they screwed up.
What Can You Expect From GrapPro in 2025-2026?
The same great long form writing
Pay Per View Preview and Predictions Week for every AEW PPV
Advertisements (eventually)
New sections and website updates
Get an RSS feed going again
Less Twitter and more Bluesky
What Can You Expect To Never See From GrapPro in 2025-2026?
Generative AI
Another two hours a week podcast from an old white guy yelling at clouds (I originally promised weekly audio drops when I was launching the website. I would hate to do another dumb podcast, but I might explore the audio updates idea again. If I do any audio it’s going to be under 30 minutes with hopefully some financial incentive.)
WWE Coverage (if I’m discussing other companies it’s going to be in relation to AEW. This will never be a WWE website.)
Once again, thank you for your support. Here’s to the 2025-2026 season of GrapPro. Feel free to help support by clicking the PayPal Donation Page.
