PREORDER: Suplex T-Shirt

THIS IS A FUNDRAISING PREORDER! PLEASE READ:

FROM THE DESK OF THE BRUISER-IN-CHIEF

Josh Shepard has been a bruiser since we first ran his erasure poems in 2023, which led directly to the next year’s zine, CUTTING PROMOS. Early this year, Josh joined the BRUISER masthead, and soon took on the onerous task of managing the webzine, from primary editorial work to daily social media posting. His deep poetics and creative interest in professional wrestling has fit BRUISER like a glove; during his tenure the magazine has grown substantially. Josh works incredibly hard to make BRUISER happen every day. I cannot thank or praise him enough for what he has so selflessly contributed to this project—and to me personally as a close collaborator and friend.

In late October, Josh and his partner Zel were struck by an uninsured driver on the way to their Oklahoma City home, resulting in an expensive ER trip and a totaled car. With over $6,000 (and counting) in medical and auto-related expenses to recover, Josh and Zel have a long road ahead.

I am calling on bruisers, online lit freaks and wrestling fans alike to come together to support one of the very best of us. To help defray the heavy costs of this accident, BRUISER is offering two new t-shirts, the complete proceeds from which will go directly to helping Josh and Zel get back on their feet.

When I approached Josh with this idea I asked what he’d want on a shirt, and we worked together on two designs that he (and I, and anybody cool) would love to wear. They’ll be printed on high quality shirts by Baltimore’s Black Collar Screen Printing, who has offered us a generously discounted rate in an effort to raise more funds. Preorders will run until WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3rd so we can get these shipped before the holidays. We can’t guarantee additional stock after the preorder ends, so please don’t sleep on this one.

THANK YOU

Mark Wadley