Meet the Pro Wrestling Stories Team!
JP Zarka
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
JP Zarka is the founder of Pro Wrestling Stories, established in 2015, where he guides the site's creative vision as editor-in-chief. From 2018 to 2019, he hosted and produced The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo, brother of WWE legend Macho Man Randy Savage. His diverse background includes roles as a school teacher, assistant principal, published author, musician with the London-based band Sterling Avenue, and being a proud father of two amazing daughters. He has appeared on the television show 'Autopsy: The Last Hours Of' and contributed research for programming on ITV and BBC.
Evan Ginzburg
Senior Editor and Author
Evan Ginzburg is a published author and was an Associate Producer on the Oscar-nominated movie 'The Wrestler,' starring Mickey Rourke, and '350 Days,' with Bret Hart and Superstar Billy Graham. He is a 30-plus-year film, radio, and TV veteran and a voice-over actor on the radio drama Kings of the Ring.
Javier Ojst
Senior Author
Javier Ojst is an old-school wrestling enthusiast currently residing in El Salvador. Heโs been a frequent guest on several podcasts and has a few bylines on TheLogBook.com, where he shares stories of pop culture and retro-related awesomeness. He has also been published on Slam Wrestling and in G-FAN Magazine.
Jim Phillips
Senior Author
Jim Phillips is a senior author for Pro Wrestling Stories and a lifetime member of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He has been a passionate pro wrestling fan since the late โ70s and has spent the past decade as a journeyman writer, sharing his insights and stories with the wrestling community. He can also be heard in the BBC Radio production 'Sports Strangest Crimes: The Ballad of Bruiser Brody.'
Benny Scala
Senior Author
Benny J. Scala is a writer and co-host of the Dan and Benny In the Ring podcast. He is also a writer/promoter for Jimmy Valiantโs Boogieโs Wrestling Camp and Hall of Fame Museum (BWC). Benny is a licensed Florida Realtor and recently joined the writing staff of the Through The Fence Baseball website. He has been a fan of professional wrestling since the late โ60s.
Tim Buckler
Senior Author
Tim Buckler has been a writer for over a decade, penning articles for WhatCulture, Screen Rant, Inside The Ropes, and many more, but his heart will always belong to Pro Wrestling Stories! He presents a pop culture radio show called 'The Little Telly Upstairs,' which airs every Thursday 8-10 pm on Radio Woking, featuring news, views, music, and talk on film, television, comic books, video games, and, of course, pro wrestling.
Joseph Finnegan
Senior Author
Joseph Finnegan, a longtime contributor to Pro Wrestling Stories, is a published author and produced screenwriter with a BFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. Recently, he completed and released two feature films, now available as a double feature for just $5. Via the link below, you can gain access to and support a talented independent filmmaker.
Alexa Pruett
Senior Author
A wrestling fan since childhood, Alexa Pruett writes and produces a podcast called That Wrestling Wench. Alexa is a recent graduate from California State University, Northridge, with a focus on psychology and human sexuality studies, where she reveled in any opportunity to study and write about wrestling.
Marc Madison
Senior Author
Marc Madison was one of the very first writers to join the Pro Wrestling Stories family back in 2016. You can find his latest bylines on his website, ProWrestlingPost.com, where he gives a voice to independent wrestling promotions while also embracing the best and latest from wrestling past and present.
Ruslan C. Pashayev
Contributing Writer
Ruslan C. Pashayev is a professional ballroom and Dancesport dancer, coach, and choreographer based in Delaware, Ohio. Born in 1980 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ruslan began ballroom dancing at seven and pursued it throughout his youth. However, his passion for wrestlingโboth amateur Olympic style and professional wrestlingโwas ignited at age 12. Since 2005, Ruslan has been an avid student of wrestling history, with a particular interest in the origins and evolution of Lancashire Catch-as-catch-can wrestling. This deep-rooted passion led to the 2019 publication of his book, โThe Story of Catch.'
Richard Thompson
Contributing Writer
Richard Thompson is an aspiring screenwriter and longtime journalist, having written for online publications such as FanBuzz and MovieWeb. His favorite pro wrestler growing up was Scott Hall, and his childhood dream was to join the nWo. Sadly, while that dream never came true, getting the opportunity to write about wrestling is a solid consolation!
Rick Fields
Contributing Writer
Rick Fields has been a devoted follower of the pro wrestling business since 1979, captivated at the age of six when he saw a wrestler with his own name on Georgia Championship Wrestling. His early favorites included Austin Idol, Kevin Sullivan, Mr. Wrestling II, and the Masked Superstar, even naming his first cat after Austin Idol. After retiring early due to Parkinsonโs Disease, Rick co-authored 'The Kanawha County Football Almanac,' a book on high school football in his local area.
Nati Feliciano
Contributing Writer
Nataly "Nati" Feliciano, a proud Richmond, Virginia native, is a full-time student at VCU, where she is pursuing a bachelorโs degree in Mass Communications and Media Production. A passionate wrestling fan, Nati credits her lifelong love for the sport with sparking her interest in storytelling and world-building through larger-than-life characters. As she continues her studies, she is dedicated to exploring the intersection of media and storytelling, with wrestling serving as a central inspiration in her creative journey.
Matthew Redeppening
Contributing Writer
Matthew Redepenning has been an avid fan and historian of professional wrestling for nearly twenty years. After graduating from high school, he attended culinary school, but destiny had other plans for him, and he ultimately earned his bachelor's degree in history from Texas Wesleyan University. He follows MMA and practices kickboxing in his free time.
Mike Gentry
Contributing Writer
Mike Gentry is a lifelong professional wrestling fan whose production work in theater caught media attention and was featured on BBC South East Today, KMTV, Kent Online, and BBC Radio Kent. In 2021, he received an Accolade of Excellence for the National Operatic and Dramatic Association โ South East awards.
Rahul Amare
Contributing Writer
Rahul Amare has been a dedicated professional wrestling fan since the age of nine. He views wrestling as a confidence booster and a motivation to maintain physical fitness. His favorite wrestlers include Daniel Bryan, Bret Hart, and Edge.
April Hunter
Special Guest Contributor
April Hunter is a television writer, short story author, and blogger. Her work appears in a variety of publications, including RxMuscle, Page & Spine, Medium, and European journal FONT. She is a model and former pro wrestler and can be heard on The A Show with April Hunter & Aron Stevens.
Bob Roop
Special Guest Contributor
Bob Roop had an active career in wrestling from 1969 to 1986. He is regarded as one of the great mat technicians, wrestling with Championship Wrestling from Florida, National Wrestling Alliance territories including Japan and Australia, and a dozen additional foreign countries. He also wrestled for outlaw group International Championship Wrestling run by the Poffo family.
Richard Steinberg
Special Guest Contributor
Richard Steinberg is a retired Corporate Advertising, Marketing, and Research Executive with credentials covering all facets of television and professional sports (including MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, roller derby, and professional wrestling). One of his most unique engagements was as Director of Marketing Services for World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Jon Finkel
Special Guest Contributor
Jon Finkel is the award-winning author of Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage, Hoops Heist, The Life of Dad, Jocks In Chief, The Athlete, Heart Over Height, 'Mean' Joe Greene, and more. His books have been endorsed by everyone from Mark Cuban and Tony Dungy to Spike Lee, Kevin Durant, and Chef Robert Irvine. He has written for GQ, Menโs Health, Yahoo! Sports, The New York Times and has appeared on CBS: This Morning, Good Morning Texas, and hundreds of radio shows, podcasts, and streams.
Joel Eisenberg
Special Guest Contributor
Joel Eisenberg is an author, screenwriter, and producer. Joel has also developed or sold projects to TNT, Fox Studios, CBS-Decades TV, Atari, Roddenberry Entertainment, Garry Marshall, Cinemax, Warner Brothers, EUE/Sokolow, and Reelz Channel, among others. Joel frequently writes articles on sports entertainment, politics, social issues, and the arts.
Arthur Nager
Special Guest Contributor
Arthur Nager is an award-winning photographer, photo educator, and author of the book, 'Wrestling โ Sunnyside Garden Arena, November 27, 1971.' The discovery of the Sunnyside Arena photographs has inspired his interest in wrestling history and the stories behind the wrestlers.
Dr. Mike Lano
Special Guest Contributor
Dr. Mike Lano, DDS, has had his photography and writing featured in wrestling magazines since the 1970s. He has done freelance work for WWF/E, was on staff for the WCW Magazine in the 1990s, and has been the Cauliflower Alley Clubโs board photographer since 1987 after serving on its executive board in the โ90s.
Ian Douglass
Special Guest Contributor
Ian Douglass is a columnist for The Ringer, Splice Today, Interim Fitness, and editor for Mel Magazine. He is a former reporter for NBC News in Flint, Michigan, and a co-author of the autobiographies of Dan Severn, Hornswoggle, Buggsy McGraw, B. Brian Blair, and more.
Ian Matthew Harper
Special Guest Contributor
Ian Matthew Harper is a Kentucky Colonel and Jefferson Award-winning teacher from Lockport, New York, residing in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Additionally, he is a freelance writer, professional wrestling personality, and lead producer of The Colonelcast podcast.
Dan Sebastiano
Special Guest Contributor
Dan Sebastiano is a historian and host of the podcast Dan and Benny in the Ring. He is a US Navy Veteran and journeyman contributor appearing at wrestling shows and conventions across the Mid-Atlantic region. Dan has been a fan of pro wrestling for nearly forty years.
Christa Pagliei
Alumni Contributor
Christa Pagliei lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her fiction and poetry have been published in various outlets such as Fictionvale, Frostwriting, Strangelet, and Pseudopod. Christa is also the co-creator of the audio drama Lost Signal Society. In film, sheโs worked on Succession, Sneaky Pete, and Mr.Robot. In addition to pro wrestling, Christa enjoys NJ Devils hockey, hiking, botany, 35mm photography, collecting rotational media, and cooking.
Aaron Young
Alumni Contributor
Graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato, Aaron Young was a sportswriter and columnist for their student newspaper, 'The Reporter.' He is currently a Guest Experience Member for Minnesota United and at US Bank Stadium and enjoys volunteering for the ThreeSixty Program and MN Aurora FC.
Logan Medenica
Alumni Contributor
Logan Medenica is a relatively new, albeit enthusiastic wrestling fan based in Rhode Island, USA. His favorite wrestlers, old and new, include Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, The Rock, Malakai Black, Stan Hansen, The Undertaker, Katsuyori Shibata, and above all else, Shinsuke Nakamura.
Chris Dreibelbis
Alumni Contributor
Chris Dreibelbis has been a wrestling fan since his youth. He has fond memories of watching Jim Crockett Promotions and WWF programming on television with his father and witnessing The Junkyard Dog win a Battle Royale at the old Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, in the 1980s.
Jordan Talbot
Alumni Contributor
Jordan Talbot is a lifelong wrestling fan who loves to write about the business. He enjoys helping out with the local wrestling promotions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and can be heard on the Wrestle Geeks Podcast on YouTube.
Chris Fason
Graphic Designer
Chris Fason is a Cartoonist, Graphic Designer, and all-around Illustrative Juggernaut from Birmingham, AL, who designed most of the t-shirts on sale at the Pro Wrestling Stories merch shop (PWSTees.com). He is the co-creator of indie comics 'Hero Happy Hour' and 'Donald of the Dead' with writer Dan Taylor and the illustrator of another indie comic with Taylor Mosbey, 'Velour & Tweed,' and childrenโs book 'Elkbar.' He currently works as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator in Film & Television and is plugging away with his own comic, 'Wild Waste.' Reach out at the links below for commissions, comic work, or to talk nonsense!
Joe Stasi
Social Media Team Alumni
Joe Stasi was behind many of the great, nostalgic wrestling photos you saw shared on our social media accounts from 2018-2022. He has been a wrestling fan since the โ70s, is an avid belt collector, and was a neighbor of the Poffo family before their WWF years in Lexington, Kentucky! He runs the 'International Championship Wrestling โ ICW The Poffo Years' and 'Bruiser Brody โ Wrestlingโs Last Rebel' Facebook groups and has been mentioned on various podcasts such as the 605 Superpodcast, Jerry Jarrett, Jim Cornette, Booking the Territory, Kentucky Fried Rasslin, The Genius Cast with Lanny Poffo, Breaking Kayfabe with Bowdren and Barry, amongst many others!