If it hasn’t become abundantly clear by now, I’m a big pro wrestling fan. As with all wrestling fans, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. Revisiting and celebrating the wrestlers, matches, and memories of my youth — through streaming services, DVDs, magazines, and books — is a complete joy. Most recently I read We Promised You a Great Main Event: An Unauthorized WWE History by Bill Hanstock.
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This is the third and final piece in my “Pro Wrestling Demystified” series. In my first article I focused on people calling wrestling fake, while in the second one I discussed the suspension of disbelief. If you haven’t already done so, read both. Today, I’m going to focus on the most important aspect of professional wrestling: fans.
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Women’s wrestling is more popular than ever. The renaissance of women’s wrestling started in TNA Wrestling — now known as IMPACT Wrestling — at Bound For Glory in 2007 when Gail Kim became the first Knockouts Champion. Prior to this event taking place, female competitors were seen as less than, not equal to, their male counterparts. They were celebrated only for their looks, not their ability. It was a sad state of affairs that was rectified, at least in TNA, in 2007. Today, women’s wrestling is hot in every promotion on the planet, including IMPACT Wrestling, WWE, and AEW. For fans that can’t get enough of the women’s revolution in wrestling, you’ll want to read Women Love Wrestling.
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The Junkyard Dog (JYD) is one of those wrestlers from the 1980s who I’m familiar with because he was part of the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling era, but not to a great degree. I was excited to check out The King of New Orleans, an Audible Original, for a couple reasons. First, I attended WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans — my first and only WrestleMania, so far — and it was a blast. And, second, because, in these racially charged times, now seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn about one of the most successful modern-day black wrestlers.
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While 2020 seems to blow by and drag on at the same time, the January 2021 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is here — and Bayley, WWE’s SmackDown Women’s Champion, has claimed the #1 spot on PWI’s Women’s 100 list.
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“Exotic” Adrian Street is one of the most influential professional wrestlers ever and he was way ahead of time — keeping fans guessing with a gender-bending persona replete with provocative mannerisms and flashy attire. His new documentary, You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story, is excellent, and you can read my review of it here. I sat down with Adrian for my first-ever video interview, and we talked for two hours! The interview covers his illustrious career, Adrian’s close calls with death, his thoughts on WWE, and much more. You can watch the full interview below. Enjoy!
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Debuting on August 8, 1957, “Exotic” Adrian Street is, perhaps, the most influential professional wrestler you’ve never heard of. I only learned about this Welsh legend last year — and I know a great deal about wrestling — because I watched a documentary that aired on the WWE Network called Adrian Street: Imagine What I Could Do to You. One year later, this androgynous gender-bending brawler is back with his own documentary — You May Be Pretty, But I Am Beautiful: The Adrian Street Story — and it’s one every fan should see.
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My first “Pro Wrestling Demystified” article focused on wrestling being “fake.” If you haven’t read it, do so. I’m proud to bring you the next entry in this series. Today, we’re going to take a look at suspension of disbelief — a commonly used term in professional wrestling parlance when describing the total immersion of oneself in the storyline and/or match that’s taking place.
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The WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment is the ultimate reference guide to all things WWE. Released on September 29, the brand-new edition features more than 250 new or updated profiles, with nearly 2,000 full-color images.
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The Squared Circle by David Shoemaker was released in 2013, and it examines the careers of deceased professional wrestlers. Not exactly the most uplifting premise, yet the author tackles different eras, promotions, and grapplers with aplomb. Almost all of the big-name wrestlers who are no longer with us are featured in this book, including Chris Benoit, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, and more.
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