Dave Meltzer Issues Apology For Reporting ‘Hoax’ Stories

Dave Meltzer

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has issued an apology for reporting on ‘hoax’ stories.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer noted that he had spoken with someone who he believed worked in the Dragon Gate company office.

Sharing a statement on the misinformation he shared, Meltzer wrote:

“Over the past week, I was alerted that a lot of Dragon Gate information I had received and used last year came from one or two people doing a hoax.

“During that period I received correspondence from someone who allegedly worked in the company office and from one of the company’s top wrestlers.

“The hoaxter, who could have been one person or two, largely complained about alleged power gains by Nosawa Rongai in regard to taking more and more control of booking.

“Nosawa actually was booking the Open the Triangle Gate titles for a time, because the belts were being defended in both Dragon Gate and his home promotion, Pro Wrestling NOAH.

“There is a lot more I will probably say about this in the future, but it is my job not to fall for these things and I did, and am very unhappy about it.

“In looking back, I probably should have figured it out and eventually was told information wasn’t real and stopped with it, but did not know it was a hoax as much as I thought it was people with an agenda against Nosawa perhaps embellishing stories.

“But each corroborated other stories, and while at first, when I checked them out, others close to the company denied the stories. In time, if I would check it out, people didn’t respond and the stories did keep coming.

“There was a lot of behind-the-curtain news that I didn’t print. What also made it believable is Kaito Ishida was the name of the wrestler, and the person masquerading as Ishida claimed he was unhappy and would be leaving the company.

“Then Ishida did leave the company and is now wrestling for GLEAT. Then when it became public later he was leaving, the fake Ishida explained why.

“It was noted to me that Ishida actually doesn’t know English, and I should have checked with people, but in doing so, that would violate me allowing people to know sources.

“But the information regarding Nosawa and the booking of the company was not true and I apologize for that.

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• Hoax
• apology
• Dragon Gate
• dave meltzer

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