Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle [Paperback]

Greg Oliver (Editor), Jon Waldman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009

From the celebration of WrestleMania XVIII in Toronto to the tragic death of Owen Hart, this collection features highlights from SLAM! Wrestling's 12-year history. Interviews with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, John Cena, "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson, and Trish Stratus seamlessly mesh with stories about the World Wrestling Entertainment megalith and the independent leagues that dot the North American landscape while striking photographs tell a visual tale. Founded by journalists yearning to break free from traditional sports coverage, the SLAM! Wrestling website has been a haven for fans and an inspiration to the internet wrestling community; behind-the-scenes information on the site's staff and insight into its ever-growing popularity is also included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Greg Oliver is the cofounder of SLAM!, a website dedicated to professional wrestling in North America. He is the author of The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians and coauthor of The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels and The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. He lives in Toronto, Ontario. Jon Waldman is a veteran SLAM! staffer. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550228846
• ISBN-13: 978-1550228847
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,523,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Canada's Own Wrestling Stories, January 30, 2011

By 

msmith42001 (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle (Paperback)

I had really high hopes for this book, but was greatly disappointed at what I found when I got it. 90% of the stories in this compilation are about Canadian wrestling and Canadian "superstars". (I put that in quotes because most of them you will have never heard of or seen before.) The stories are usually really short and don't offer any real behind the scenes insight. Most of the interviews are referenced in the short stories, but never appear. An interview usually consists of a series of questions, followed by the interviewee's answers. This book has hardly none of that. On story with quotes from Jim Ross is literally copied and pasted from earlier in the book, I assume to pad the latter story. If you are Canadian, live in Canada, or follow old Stampede Wrestling, buy this book. If your American, watched WWF in the 80's and 90'S, this book will disappoint you greatly.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Mix of Stories from Old to New, February 8, 2010

By 

Christopher Schramm "Chris in Michigan" (Detroit, Mich. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle (Paperback)

Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle is a collection of stories from SLAM! Wrestling, one of the most premier wrestling web sites. What makes SLAM! Wrestling different than other wrestling sites is that they don't just post gossip and news. They take a journalistic approach to wrestling. And unlike Apter-type magazines, they are hard hitting and not fluff. The site researches articles and interviews much like a regular newspaper would. In fact, their web site is owned by the Sun Media out of Canada, which owns all the major papers in Canada like the Toronto Sun, Edmonton Sun, etc.

The stories are newspaper article length. And they are good blend of old to new. So if you love the history of wrestling, this is for you. Everyone can read and learn something.

The book is packed, maybe too packed, so there is a lot to read. And I liked how I could read a few articles before going to bed and not have to pick up where I left off. As all I had to do is start a new article the next evening.

I strongly recommend it. Thumbs up!