I/V: Mike Altamura, Boxing & Wrestling Journalist: 12th June 2003

Wrestling Journalists and Agents

What's your background?

I've been writing for almost 7 ½ years now, focusing mainly in the fields of professional boxing and wrestling. Boxing-wise, I've written for Fighter magazine and Ray Wheatley's World of Boxing,
as well as numerous websites. In wrestling, I would say the most prominent places I've worked for are Wrestling-Online newsletter, Pro Wrestling Daily, PWBTS, Power of Wrestling (POW) magazine, No Holds Barred Wrestling , SLAM! Wrestling, and Total Wrestling magazine. At this present time, I still work for the latter three wrestling mediums I listed.

What are your aims and objectives?

My aims are to become so powerful as a writer that I'll someday have world supremacy (laughs). Just kidding. My aim would be to keep producing work which doesn't insult the intelligence of the audience, and my objective would be to try and ensure those people who read my articles and interviews come away with a certain reaction, whether it is positive or negative.

What do you do on a day to day basis?

Well at the moment I'm a full-time university student. Writing is really only a part-time vocation for me, although I probably do devote 30-40 hours a week to it when you consider watching the latest tapes,
making countless phone calls to stay ahead of the game, and actually sitting down and scribbling something down.

What motivates you?

Good question. I'd probably say the drive to prove critics wrong, and the desire to keep earning the respect of the generation today and the generations to come. I can honestly say, when I started writing I
probably didn't have the skills of countless others that have never been granted the opportunity to showcase their works in high-profile places, but I had heart and desire and if you've ever watched Rocky,
you'd know it's difficult to stop a man on a mission.

What are some of your major accomplishments?

I'm not one to boast. I prefer to let my writing do the talking. But, if I had to outline anything, firstly it would be working for Bill Apter and the team at Power of Wrestling and now Total Wrestling over the last 1 ½ years. Secondly, I would probably say a story on Tammy Lynn Sytch, titled Sunny Days, Wintry Nights, which I wrote for SLAM! Wrestling in December 2001. The piece was extraordinarily long (like 5,000 words), and would have undoubtedly been long forgotten by people, but it reflected a change of fortunes for me and on that note, I would say its the best story I've written to date.

Do you have any mentors, and if so, who and why?

There's actually a few. Bill Apter. I grew up reading all the magazines Bill wrote in; PWI, The Wrestler, Wrestle America, Sports Review Wrestling and so on. I thought he had the most brilliant job in the world
(and still do), and I too, someday, wanted to have my name published in wrestling magazines. To work with him nowadays is just an honour. Hopefully in time he rubs off some of his creative wits on me. I'lll
forever be thankful for the opportunity he's given me.

Greg Oliver and John Powell, the editors at SLAM!, have also been an inspiration because of their fine examples of upholding journalism integrity and remaining true to themselves in doing so. And last, but
definitely not least, Australian wrestler Henry "Lobo" Jones, because of his work ethic, professional attitude towards the wrestling business, and his honesty.

What are you studing at University?

I am currently in my second year of a bachelor of journalism course at LaTrobe University.

What platforms of media do you prefer?

I like print journalism. I'm not the greatest of speakers, so that basically rules out any hope of ever making it in the radio and television streams (laughs).

How does the internet help you?

The internet is a tremendous resource. For instance, if it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't be able to communicate with editors in such a timely manner. And there's so much information out there. Some of the more experienced journalists tell me about the pre-internet days, where it took weeks to garner enough resources to compile a story and it was difficult to communicate with people in another country. The internet has changed all that. Instead of weeks it takes only minutes to collect relevant information for the bulk of stories.

What news media websites do you visit?

Other than the websites I work for, I'm a regular at maxboxing.com, boxrec.com, 1wrestling.com, wrestlingobserver.com, pwbts.com, and of course, I've recently become acquainted with mediaman.com.au!

What do you like about pro wrestling?

Simply put, the wrestling. I don't mind the sideshow stuff, like the backstage vignettes, but I think you need a reasonable balance and the in-ring action should be, predominantly, the main focus. I enjoy the
athletic and psychological side of the business. The matches that strike a chord with me are generally those that are able to temporarily suspend your disbelief.

How have you been described?

Tall, well-tanned, the body of an Adonis (laughs). Kidding again. It's difficult because there are so many various accounts of who and what I am circulating. I think most people would see me as hard-working,
honest, somewhat stubborn, and conservative.

What are your short, medium and long term goals?

Short is keep doing what I'm doing. I'm quite happy with the way proceedings are going at the moment, and so I'm hoping to just maintain my current status. Medium term would be to probably start writing more on boxing, as I've drastically reduced that aspect of my game in recent months. Long-term, that's a difficult one. Maybe to have some job security, so I can FINALLY pay off my university bills once I finish my degree, and to keep entertaining the readers for however long I'm around, because without them we wouldn't have the avenue to have our pieces published.

What else would you like to share with our media and wrestling savvy audience?

I would like to thank everyone for reading this interview and like I said before, making it possible for me to share something I'm passionate about with all of you. I think that too often people in the wrestling
business forget about those people that contributed to their ascent by shelling out money for them and buying their products. If for whatever reason you'e interested in contacting me, please don't hesitate to
email me at icemanalt@aol.com I respond to every e-mail I receive (that's not spam!), and I'm not just saying that. Thank you again, it's been a privilege to chat today.

Editors note: I am dam impressed. You will be seeing a lot more of Mike Altamura in the future. We hope to further work in with Mike. See you at the top.

Bio

Date of Birth: September 15, 1983
Height: 6'1
Weight: 216 pounds
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Brief Resume: Just listed a small percentage of websites I've worked at

List of Credits

Magazine/Newspaper Work

* Total Wrestling Magazine (August 2002 - Present)
* Power Of Wrestling Magazine (POW) (February 2002 - August 2002)
* Plan Dementure Wrestling Ghoul (PDWG) Magazine (August 2002 - November 2002)
* Fighter Magazine (October 2002 - November 2002)
* The World of Boxing (March 1998 - September 1999)
* The Wrestling Enquirer (Senior Editor August 2000)
* Squared Circle Magazine (March 2001 - July 2001, April 2003)
* The Calgary Sun (August 17, 2001)
* Sun Media (based in Canada) August 2001 - May 2002, April 2003 - Present
* The Factor (December 1996 - 1999)
* The Wrestling Spectator (January 2000 - July 2000)
* Wrestling Weekly (December 1999 - July 2000)

Online Work

* Slam! Wrestling http://www.canoe.ca/slamwrestling (June 2001 - May 2002, April 2003 - Present)
* No Holds Barred Wrestling http://www.noholdsbarredwrestling.com (December 2002 - Present)
* Audio Wrestling http://www.audiowrestling.com (January 2003 - Present)
* Moonsault Network http://www.moonsault.com (February 2003 - Present)
* Pro Wrestling Between The Sheets http://www.pwbts.com (February 2003 - April 2003)
* Wrestling Defined http://www.wrestlingdefined.com (February 2003 - April 2003)
* Dragon Press King " http://www.dragonpressking.com (February 2003 - April 2003)
* The Official Caryn Mower website http://www.Carynmower.com (February 2001 - Present)
* The Wrestling Online Newsletter http://www.wrestling-online.com (March 2002 - April 2002)
* USA! Indy http://www.usaindy.com (June 2002 - August 2002)
* Wrestle Geeks http://www.wrestlegeeks.com (July 2002 - August 2002)
* The Spear http://www.thespear.com (January 2000- April 2000)
* Pro Wrestling Daily http://www.Prowrestlingdaily.com (January 2000 - February 2000)
* WWF Down Under http://wwfdownunder.com (November 1999 - March 2002)
* Wrestling Resources wrestlingresources.com (February 2001- December 2001)
* Marking Out Network markingout.com (January 2001 - May 2001)
* TN ( The News) Newsletter (January 2000- May 2000)
* Red Hot Divas redhotdivas.com (June 2001- July 2001)

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