So here is the situation: As you’ve probably noticed, my website has been tapping out frequently and giving viewers an error message: “Unable to access site due to excess capacity” or something.
Sorry about that, wrestling fans! The problem has to do with exceeding the maximum data transfer my host server will allow in a day. Now that I’m posting more Animated GIFs (which I’m obsessed with), we seem to be exceeding maximum capacity more often.
So I researched the issue and it seems that some visitors to my site, wasting all our precious bandwidth, are not real wrestling lovers at all, but are “Heel Bots” — computer programs that endlessly grab, squeeze, and pound websites, forcing them to submit.
I also learned there is a way to Piledrive the Bots, by identifying their IP Addresses on my Forbidden List.
So I’ve been trying to prevent Wrestling Arsenal from constantly being pinned like a jobber — reviewing my traffic log, picking out users that seem to be Heel Bots by the volume and frequency of their downloads, then applying my patented Access Forbidden finishing maneuver.
But I’ve always hoped I wasn’t mistakenly blocking the view of a fellow wrestling lover.
Well I recently got an e-mail from a former loyal reader:
“I used to be a regular reader of your blog, but for a while now, I have received the message: ‘FORBIDDEN. You don’t have permission to access this server.‘ I presumed you’d shut your site down till I saw your comment on “He is Out. — Scott.”
So I requested Scott’s IP Address and immediately unblocked him. Then I unblocked all IP Addresses — Bot or not — because I can’t bear to think I’ve been denying any fellow wrestling lover access to this content! I know I’d feel unhappy if there was good pro wrestling that some fool blocked from me by mistake!
I also wanted to make it up to Scott for keeping him out (probably for a while because he was near the top of the Forbidden List.) So I asked him to tell me about his favorite pro wrestling scenes — gear, holds, a specific wrestler — so I could apologize by making a gallery that will float his boat.
Here is Scott’s reply:
“I grew up on 1970’s/80’s wrestling… my all time favourite was Ricky Steamboat in his early years when he wore trunks (he lost me with the tights). His matches in Japan were amazing… you’ve probably published all that there is of him, so if you can’t dig up any little gems of his, I always enjoy beefy/muscular Japanese wrestling (again in trunks, not crazy costumes!)”
The hottest moment from tomorrow's match is this sexy Bearhug.
So I dug up these vintage Steamboat images from my Hard Drive for Scott’s viewing pleasure just to prime the pump.
I also found an old video I had saved which included an All Japan tag team bout from 1981. Ricky and Chavo in matching blue trunks get beat up by two masked Mexican Heels (mostly Ricky).
I will upload the match to YouTube and write about it in more detail tomorrow.