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Four Horsemen: A Timeline History
From the author of "Big Gold" and "Ten Pounds of Gold" comes a look back at the greatest faction in the history of professional wrestling: the Four Horsemen.
"Four Horsemen" is a complete month-by-month, year-by-year, linear timeline of the Horsemen, covering every version of the group and every member of each version over their thirteen years of existence.
From the glory days of Jim Crockett Promotions to the early WCW period to the Monday Nitro era, it’s all here in one concise timeline.
Every break-up and every reformation. All the championships. All the triumphs. All the betrayals. Month-by-month, year-by-year. It's the ultimate reference guide to wrestling's most infamous group, with clear timeline confirmations of keys dates and events.
Ric Flair, Ole and Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, Barry Windham, James J. Dillon, Sting, Brian Pillman, Steve McMichael, Dean Malenko and all the rest. Every wrestler, every manager, and every woman that walked the aisle with them.
Over 40 photographs, some rare, a few never published before.
They were pro wrestling’s greatest stable and the very foundation upon which every other great faction that followed was built.
They were the Four Horsemen!
"Four Horsemen" is a complete month-by-month, year-by-year, linear timeline of the Horsemen, covering every version of the group and every member of each version over their thirteen years of existence.
From the glory days of Jim Crockett Promotions to the early WCW period to the Monday Nitro era, it’s all here in one concise timeline.
Every break-up and every reformation. All the championships. All the triumphs. All the betrayals. Month-by-month, year-by-year. It's the ultimate reference guide to wrestling's most infamous group, with clear timeline confirmations of keys dates and events.
Ric Flair, Ole and Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, Barry Windham, James J. Dillon, Sting, Brian Pillman, Steve McMichael, Dean Malenko and all the rest. Every wrestler, every manager, and every woman that walked the aisle with them.
Over 40 photographs, some rare, a few never published before.
They were pro wrestling’s greatest stable and the very foundation upon which every other great faction that followed was built.
They were the Four Horsemen!
152 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 18, 2018
I could have done the research on this book. I learned nothing new.
May 29, 2018
In the immortal words of Arn Anderson, “What’s causin’ all this?” Dick Bourne’s new book Four Horsemen: A Timeline has been tearing up Amazon’s bestseller list, holding the title of its number one selling wrestling book. While that may have changed by the time this goes online, there were a lot of people excited about the book and after reading it, there are a lot of happy customers (myself included). Given the Four Horsemen’s legacy and their legion of fans, the book’s success isn’t surprising. However, what of the book itself? Does it do wrestling’s elite group justice or does it contain the same stories we’ve heard on message boards and DVD’s like Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen? After reading the book it’s clear that Dick Bourne spent his time researching the book and it’s an enticing read, particularly for Horsemen fans, but for wrestling fans in general. If you want to understand what makes for a good heel faction, this is the book for you, regardless of whether you watched the Horsemen or not. Unless you were a member of the Horsemen, you’re likely to learn some cool new facts about the group too.
Arguably wrestling’s greatest faction, the Four Horsemen entertained fans with their wild interviews that promoted their larger than life partying (and the stories were all true), affluent lifestyle, and desire to excel at everything they did. In the ring, they cheated their way to victory, playing heels who weren’t as good as some of their babyface opponents, but who were more than willing to take shortcuts. As Arn Anderson once succinctly said, “We are the original gang.” When a babyface wrestled one Horseman, they knew they were facing all four. Many a babyface would get a Horsemen beatdown, sometimes in the ring, but just as often backstage or in a parking lot somewhere.
Reading the book is like listening to a well-versed and well-spoken wrestling fan fill you in on some wrestling lore. Bourne is entertaining and he takes a complex timeline, breaking it down into something understandable and interesting. You’ll understand why the Four Horsemen were legends in their own time and appreciate their many contributions to the industry, particularly during their heyday during the Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) era. You’ll also understand that while the Horsemen’s glory days were behind them by the time of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), there was still gas in the tank for some memorable moments and angles.
That’s not to say that Four Horsemen: A Timeline is a deification of the group. Dick Bourne explains why the Four Horsemen were so important (and his favorite faction), but he’s not above pointing out their flaws, particularly their later runs when they suffered from inconsistent booking and questionable members (Heaven help us, Bourne even acknowledges Paul Roma’s inclusion in the group, and while he’s polite about his discussion of Roma’s value to the group, just about everyone besides Paul Roma will agree he wasn’t the best fit).
The book is well-researched and contains a number of charts and timelines to track the various incarnations of the Four Horsemen. Dick Bourne digs deep, looking at instances where fans still debate whether someone was a Horseman (such as Gene Anderson and Kendall Windham). The Horsemen have a long history with a number of members, associates, and managers/valets. Thanks to Bourne’s book, you can understand who participated in wrestling’s elite group and what the big programs were they participated in.
Four Horsemen: A Timeline contains a lot of eye-catching black and white pictures, including promotional photos from wrestling events, photos from wrestling trading cards, and of course, cover photos from the Apter mags. As wrestling’s elite group of bad boys, the Horsemen had plenty of coverage in wrestling publications, usually mentioning their latest sins against top JCP stars such as “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Sting, “Magnum T.A.,” and the Rock-n-Roll Express.
At 152 pages, the book may seem like a light read, but it punches above its weight, and it includes behind-the-scenes information, important dates in Horsemen history, evaluations of each incarnation of the Horsemen, and a discussion of why the Horsemen were so important in wrestling. Bourne even breaks things down by the time frames the Horsemen wrestled in, whether it’s the heyday of the Jim Crockett era, WCW’s early years, or the era of Monday Night Nitro.
It bears mentioning the book is not a collection of road stories (although that would be an entertaining book as well). Nevertheless, this is a comprehensive book and a fascinating read. Whether you’re a Horsemen fanatic or not, this book is sure to entertain any wrestling fan. Dick Bourne has done a fantastic job with this book of giving the devils their due.
Arguably wrestling’s greatest faction, the Four Horsemen entertained fans with their wild interviews that promoted their larger than life partying (and the stories were all true), affluent lifestyle, and desire to excel at everything they did. In the ring, they cheated their way to victory, playing heels who weren’t as good as some of their babyface opponents, but who were more than willing to take shortcuts. As Arn Anderson once succinctly said, “We are the original gang.” When a babyface wrestled one Horseman, they knew they were facing all four. Many a babyface would get a Horsemen beatdown, sometimes in the ring, but just as often backstage or in a parking lot somewhere.
Reading the book is like listening to a well-versed and well-spoken wrestling fan fill you in on some wrestling lore. Bourne is entertaining and he takes a complex timeline, breaking it down into something understandable and interesting. You’ll understand why the Four Horsemen were legends in their own time and appreciate their many contributions to the industry, particularly during their heyday during the Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) era. You’ll also understand that while the Horsemen’s glory days were behind them by the time of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), there was still gas in the tank for some memorable moments and angles.
That’s not to say that Four Horsemen: A Timeline is a deification of the group. Dick Bourne explains why the Four Horsemen were so important (and his favorite faction), but he’s not above pointing out their flaws, particularly their later runs when they suffered from inconsistent booking and questionable members (Heaven help us, Bourne even acknowledges Paul Roma’s inclusion in the group, and while he’s polite about his discussion of Roma’s value to the group, just about everyone besides Paul Roma will agree he wasn’t the best fit).
The book is well-researched and contains a number of charts and timelines to track the various incarnations of the Four Horsemen. Dick Bourne digs deep, looking at instances where fans still debate whether someone was a Horseman (such as Gene Anderson and Kendall Windham). The Horsemen have a long history with a number of members, associates, and managers/valets. Thanks to Bourne’s book, you can understand who participated in wrestling’s elite group and what the big programs were they participated in.
Four Horsemen: A Timeline contains a lot of eye-catching black and white pictures, including promotional photos from wrestling events, photos from wrestling trading cards, and of course, cover photos from the Apter mags. As wrestling’s elite group of bad boys, the Horsemen had plenty of coverage in wrestling publications, usually mentioning their latest sins against top JCP stars such as “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Sting, “Magnum T.A.,” and the Rock-n-Roll Express.
At 152 pages, the book may seem like a light read, but it punches above its weight, and it includes behind-the-scenes information, important dates in Horsemen history, evaluations of each incarnation of the Horsemen, and a discussion of why the Horsemen were so important in wrestling. Bourne even breaks things down by the time frames the Horsemen wrestled in, whether it’s the heyday of the Jim Crockett era, WCW’s early years, or the era of Monday Night Nitro.
It bears mentioning the book is not a collection of road stories (although that would be an entertaining book as well). Nevertheless, this is a comprehensive book and a fascinating read. Whether you’re a Horsemen fanatic or not, this book is sure to entertain any wrestling fan. Dick Bourne has done a fantastic job with this book of giving the devils their due.
January 12, 2018
Great book if taken as a timeline of Four Horsemen events. The book is a timeline of all story-line events that took place within the wrestling faction The Four Horsemen throughout their existence. I learned a lot about the different events in Horsemen history and got a lot of ideas for things to check out on the WWE Network or YouTube (Barry Windham's Midnight Rider attack and limo reveal, Windham and Arn Anderson's "Back to Basics" vignettes, fake Sting at Halloween Havoc 1990). The author does not provide a lot of behind the scenes rumors, but the ones he does are interesting (An April 1998 reforming if Flair had not been fired from WCW that included Goldberg).
It was a quick read and I feel I know everything about the Four Horsemen now. This book includes great pictures and probably would have been best presented as a color coffee table book, but at that price point I probably would not have purchased it. The only thing that could have made the book more complete is if the author had seeked out interviews with the participants (Flair, Arn and JJ Dillon have all written books and I know others involved have participated in interviews in the podcast circuit). The book is great as it is, a definitive timeline of the Four Horsemen that will be enjoyed anyone with fond memories of the faction or anyone like me that was too busy watching WWF during the heyday of the Horsemen.
Be sure to check out the last chapter, the author does a good job defending the legacy of the Four Horsemen. He distinguishes the Horsemen as the first faction by differentiating them from managerial stables that existed before. He discuses their current influence in other sports and explains how Evolution and the Dangerous Alliance were influenced by the Horsemen and shared members (I had never considered the degrees of separation of wrestling factions through shared members before). The part I most enjoyed was how the author discusses that Ole Anderson validated the Horsemen when they first formed and does a great job putting over what a great performer Ole was. I liked the opinion expressed here because I feel Ole may get lost in history due to his own stubbornness and refusal to participate in the Horsemen legacy (DVD projects, Hall of Fame induction etc.).. I enjoyed this book greatly and recommend it to fans of the author or fans that want to learn about story-lines and members of the Four Horsemen.
It was a quick read and I feel I know everything about the Four Horsemen now. This book includes great pictures and probably would have been best presented as a color coffee table book, but at that price point I probably would not have purchased it. The only thing that could have made the book more complete is if the author had seeked out interviews with the participants (Flair, Arn and JJ Dillon have all written books and I know others involved have participated in interviews in the podcast circuit). The book is great as it is, a definitive timeline of the Four Horsemen that will be enjoyed anyone with fond memories of the faction or anyone like me that was too busy watching WWF during the heyday of the Horsemen.
Be sure to check out the last chapter, the author does a good job defending the legacy of the Four Horsemen. He distinguishes the Horsemen as the first faction by differentiating them from managerial stables that existed before. He discuses their current influence in other sports and explains how Evolution and the Dangerous Alliance were influenced by the Horsemen and shared members (I had never considered the degrees of separation of wrestling factions through shared members before). The part I most enjoyed was how the author discusses that Ole Anderson validated the Horsemen when they first formed and does a great job putting over what a great performer Ole was. I liked the opinion expressed here because I feel Ole may get lost in history due to his own stubbornness and refusal to participate in the Horsemen legacy (DVD projects, Hall of Fame induction etc.).. I enjoyed this book greatly and recommend it to fans of the author or fans that want to learn about story-lines and members of the Four Horsemen.
March 10, 2024
I enjoyed the way this book was written. When I ordered it I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Because so many people are involved, a traditional biography approach wouldn't work. I was a bit skeptical when I saw that it truly was a timeline, but I think it was actually a good way to present the information. I disagree with other reviews that say it was like Wikipedia or that anyone could have put it together--yes, the events are listed in a manner that could work on a website, but there is enough additional detail that it really seems like the author went back and watched the events in question. The addition of some chunks of interviews/promos helps the reader understand what was happening and how it would have been received by the audience. There are no personal interviews, which could have helped take it to the next level.
It's a short book. Maybe some more detail could have helped. Maybe some more development of topics like Flair and Hogan's feud in the mid-1990s. Some background would help explain the formation of the Alliance to End Hulkamania. However, the information given provides an overall decent understanding of the Four Horsemen.
Some information gets repeated, either from event to event or in the additional chapters near the end. It would be nice to develop the Legacy chapter. There is some mention of the WWE Hall of Fame and a statement that the Four Horsemen influenced later stables, but maybe some comments from a variety of wrestling insiders about what made the Horsemen so special would wrap it up nicely.
Like most (all?) self-published wrestling books, it could use some editing. It steers clear of the usual trap of misspelled names. But someone else going over the manuscript could catch some basic errors (in the last chapter, for example, there is a mention of how WWE "tired" something (instead of tried), and the final page uses the wrong form of to/too. As I say with every wrestling book review, I'm available to go over manuscripts and help avoid the usual pitfalls.
As for the book itself, it's a fun topic with some good information. More detail could help to develop the wrestlers' personalities. But a fun, quick read.
It's a short book. Maybe some more detail could have helped. Maybe some more development of topics like Flair and Hogan's feud in the mid-1990s. Some background would help explain the formation of the Alliance to End Hulkamania. However, the information given provides an overall decent understanding of the Four Horsemen.
Some information gets repeated, either from event to event or in the additional chapters near the end. It would be nice to develop the Legacy chapter. There is some mention of the WWE Hall of Fame and a statement that the Four Horsemen influenced later stables, but maybe some comments from a variety of wrestling insiders about what made the Horsemen so special would wrap it up nicely.
Like most (all?) self-published wrestling books, it could use some editing. It steers clear of the usual trap of misspelled names. But someone else going over the manuscript could catch some basic errors (in the last chapter, for example, there is a mention of how WWE "tired" something (instead of tried), and the final page uses the wrong form of to/too. As I say with every wrestling book review, I'm available to go over manuscripts and help avoid the usual pitfalls.
As for the book itself, it's a fun topic with some good information. More detail could help to develop the wrestlers' personalities. But a fun, quick read.
September 17, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this comprehensive history of one of pro wrestling's most infamous groups -- the Four Horsemen. I grew up watching pro wrestling, and I would almost always cheer for the good guys. However, in the mid-80s I started watching World Championship Wrestling on TBS run by Jim Crockett and I watched the formation of the Four Horsemen. What made them unique is that this "gimmick" wasn't part of the script devised by bookers in the back office but came together organically. That's what made it so much fun. The Horsemen were cool. They could wrestle and they could talk. They either held all the top championships or challenged for them. I still don't think there was a better edition of the Horsemen than the original -- Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Ric Flair. There were no Horsemen without Ric Flair or Arn Anderson. The editions with Lex Luger (who replaced Ole Anderson) and Barry Windham (who replaced Lex Luger) were also great but you just cannot beat the original. This book would be loved by all wrestling fans, but especially those who remember the Original Horsemen of the Crockett era.
September 10, 2019
The Four Horseman were *the* best stable in Wrestling, and one that subsequent stables, such as The Dangerous Alliance and Evolution, were based upon.
This book is a treat for any long-time Pro Wrestling fan! It's a timeline of the Four Horseman, both in storyline and in real-life, and contains a ton of notes, stories and facts about the group.
From their early days in the National Wrestling Alliance, through the dark days of WCW, this book was a fascinating reminder of why I loved watching the Horseman on TV.
Well worth reading for any true Horseman fan!
This book is a treat for any long-time Pro Wrestling fan! It's a timeline of the Four Horseman, both in storyline and in real-life, and contains a ton of notes, stories and facts about the group.
From their early days in the National Wrestling Alliance, through the dark days of WCW, this book was a fascinating reminder of why I loved watching the Horseman on TV.
Well worth reading for any true Horseman fan!
February 23, 2018
Nicely researched and very thorough history of the Horsemen, well done.
January 14, 2019
I'm not saying it's a bad book. But I feel that it felt like I was reading Wikipedia.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews