Titan Shrinking: How Wrestling's Muscle Lost Its Power

by James Dixon, Dave Meltzer (Foreword)

James Dixon returns with his first Titan book in almost a decade, commencing the start of a brand new trilogy. Titan Shrinking places the microscope on the WWF in 1992, as scandal threatens to derail Vince McMahon’s previously unstoppable pop culture phenomenon.

Stories detailed include the departure of company icon Hulk Hogan, the sex scandal, the return of the Ultimate Warrior, headliners quitting, pushing new characters, Bret Hart’s ascent to the top of the WWF, Bill Watts taking over at WCW, and the ongoing success of the WWF in Europe climaxing with the historic SummerSlam 1992.

Exclusive author-conducted interviews and deep research help re-tell this fascinating time period in incredible, never-before-seen detail.

“As someone whose pro wrestling fandom was at an all-time peak in the early 1990s, I was enthralled with every page. This is a valuable and meticulously presented overview of wrestling in 1992, one of the most important yet often-overlooked years of modern wrestling history.”
- BRIAN R. SOLOMON

“For European fans, the emergence of WWF as a pop culture powerhouse in 1992 is the equivalent of Roman Emperor Constantine’s 4th Century conversion, the moment when Christianity shifted from an outlier faith to the dominant religion on the continent. The pro wrestling milestone, highlighted by the SummerSlam spectacular in Wembley Stadium, resulted in a generation of children forsaking the indigenous promotions of the past and carrying the collective spirit of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker into adulthood. But this triumph occurred amidst a backdrop of fading North American attendance, U.S. government investigations and backstage dissension. With James Dixon’s classic, the grown-up followers who filled Wembley can separate fact from innuendo and appreciate this true historical turning point.”
- KEITH ELLIOT GREENBERG

389 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2025

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as James Dixon

See also:
James Dixon = Wrestling writer, frequent WhatCulture contributor [James^^Dixon]
James Dixon = London-born, Glasgow-based novelist, poet, and playwright, author of The Billow Maiden [James^^^Dixon]
James Dixon = Scottish author of "99c"/"bitesize" horror stories [James^^^^Dixon]
James Dixon = Actor, screenwriter, movie producer [James^^^^^Dixon]
James Dixon = Sports writer, author of The Fix [James^^^^^^Dixon]

James W. Dixon

Reviews

[Lucy Simons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of this book but it feels like the author was clutching at straws for things to talk about for the second half. The steroid scandal and the ring boy scandal makes for interesting reading but beyond this, this book is far too long & meanders around topics that are boring in comparison. The long detailed recount of Summerslam was really unneeded. I also got the sense, the further in I got, that it may have been written with the assistance of ChatGPT. I have no doubt that the author is a very knowledgable wrestling historian but there are definitely some AI-isms. Wasn’t helped by the clearly AI-generated front cover; giving the first impression that the publishers couldn’t be arsed paying a graphic designer or photographer for proper cover art and leaving an AI taste in your mouth as you read.

[Michael Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literary Crack for the 80s wrestling fan

This book is literary crack for the 80s wrestling fan. James Dixon has written this in a way that makes it nearly impossible to put down. Which draws a stark contrast between living through 1992 as a wrestling fan and reading his account of 1992 in this book. I can't wait for 1993 and the continuation of this trilogy.

[Eric Zerbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, amazing stories, and fascinating insights into WWF’s make-or-break year of 1992.