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The Wrestling Observer Yearbook '93: The Year of Major Beginnings and Major Endings
Dave Meltzer's famous Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now available as both a print and digital book.The second of the series revisits all of the major wrestling stories from 1993 (all condensed into handy chapters for ease of reference), The Steroid Scandal- The Hulk Hogan Saga- Sid Stabs Arn Anderson- The Early Days of ECW- The Tragedy of Kerry Von Erich- Ric Flair leaves the WWF- All change in WCW- Lawsuits Galore- WWF Invades USWAPlus business analysis, supercard summaries, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards
- GenresNonfictionSports
377 pages, Paperback
Published December 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 12, 2021
This book collects reports that were published in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter about events and behind-the-scenes happenings in professional wrestling from around the world. in 1993. It's nice to see the reports in their original form (including some retractions along the way), which helps understand changing developments and the nature of the sport as it happened rather than making this just another summary with the benefit of hindsight. It also helps avoid the tone that is found in many retrospectives, which are often focused on telling you how bad everything was. Meltzer's connections made him one of a select few who really had their finger on the pulse of the sport.
The biggest drawback to this style of collected reports is that it can get repetitive. While it made sense to repeat some background information in a weekly newsletter, combining those reports into chapters can lead to seeing some of the same information several repeated several times over the course of a few pages. The use of chapters rather than republishing the entire collection of newsletters (probably) leaves out information, but it also makes individual storylines (e.g. the steroid trial) easier to follow.
The majority of the book is focused on 43 events or storylines, some of which are discussed extensively. In some cases, such as the deaths of Kerry Von Erich and Andre the Giant, the chapter includes a lengthy overview of their lives and careers. There is also a "Bits and Pieces" section that has smaller stories--either single reports or a handful of short updates. This is followed by "Ins and Outs," which gives information about wrestlers being signed or released by promotions (largely WWF and WCW, but some international organizations as well).
The major shows (not just American) are discussed in a section titled "Supercard Summary," as well as a "Big Shows Directory" that lists results in shorthand (some with star ratings, some with match times, some with real names--the format makes it a bit confusing but still a helpful reference). The book wraps up with the results of the newsletter's year end award voting (top five for each category, honorable mentions, and historical winners).
Altogether, it's a huge collection of information (563 pages). It discusses the two main American promotions as well as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and, to a lesser extent, the United States Wrestling Association. However, it also has a strong focus on some international promotions (primarily AAA, EMLL, AJPW, and NJPW, but also UWFI, FMW, and others). I found that the repeated information could get a bit disruptive at times, and it really could use some proofreading. I don't know if the errors are kept from the original newsletters or if they are typos that happened while retyping or formatting, but the misspellings and other errors can be quite distracting at times. It's a valuable resource, and some careful proofreading is the only thing keeping it from 5 stars. (Wrestling history and proofreading...maybe I should offer my services.)
The biggest drawback to this style of collected reports is that it can get repetitive. While it made sense to repeat some background information in a weekly newsletter, combining those reports into chapters can lead to seeing some of the same information several repeated several times over the course of a few pages. The use of chapters rather than republishing the entire collection of newsletters (probably) leaves out information, but it also makes individual storylines (e.g. the steroid trial) easier to follow.
The majority of the book is focused on 43 events or storylines, some of which are discussed extensively. In some cases, such as the deaths of Kerry Von Erich and Andre the Giant, the chapter includes a lengthy overview of their lives and careers. There is also a "Bits and Pieces" section that has smaller stories--either single reports or a handful of short updates. This is followed by "Ins and Outs," which gives information about wrestlers being signed or released by promotions (largely WWF and WCW, but some international organizations as well).
The major shows (not just American) are discussed in a section titled "Supercard Summary," as well as a "Big Shows Directory" that lists results in shorthand (some with star ratings, some with match times, some with real names--the format makes it a bit confusing but still a helpful reference). The book wraps up with the results of the newsletter's year end award voting (top five for each category, honorable mentions, and historical winners).
Altogether, it's a huge collection of information (563 pages). It discusses the two main American promotions as well as Smoky Mountain Wrestling and, to a lesser extent, the United States Wrestling Association. However, it also has a strong focus on some international promotions (primarily AAA, EMLL, AJPW, and NJPW, but also UWFI, FMW, and others). I found that the repeated information could get a bit disruptive at times, and it really could use some proofreading. I don't know if the errors are kept from the original newsletters or if they are typos that happened while retyping or formatting, but the misspellings and other errors can be quite distracting at times. It's a valuable resource, and some careful proofreading is the only thing keeping it from 5 stars. (Wrestling history and proofreading...maybe I should offer my services.)
April 6, 2021
If this is your niche, you’ll love it BUT there are countless typos, repeated sections (due to stories developing ) and an overall extreme hardcore slant that brings this down a notch. You do get to see Dave go over the top with his praise of Ajpw and the like and you’ll see some of the interesting behind the scenes shenanigans that happened in 93. If you’re a wrestling fan, you can’t really go wrong.
January 12, 2021
A terrific read. Great look back at a memorable year in wrestling with Dave Meltzer’s great insights.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews