From The Musty Yellowed Pages--2001 WrestleAmerica Guide To Professional Wrestling

What in the world happened where 2001 is suddenly fifteen years ago? It's true. It feels like yesterday. Some of you reading this may barely remember 2001 if you're young enough. It was a notable year in many respects. For me personally, the year had been ingrained in my head since 1987 when I was in pre-school. That is where I first remember hearing that my group would be the "high school graduating class of 2001." Who knew that the year would end up housing one of the most infamous days in world history? No, I'm not referring to the day that Shane McMahon showed up on Nitro, although that is the direction in which we're heading. We're about to dive into the WrestleAmerica 2001 Annual that features "Your Guide To Professional Wrestling."

If you had any interest at all in wrestling in 2001, you needed this magazine. Sure, the Internet had plenty of info, but here were 125 American wrestling promotions bundled in one place with a generous profile included for each. Sure, most were small independent promotions that shared similar rosters and "name" wrestlers doing one-shots, but this was wrestling fifteen years ago. In many respects, it's the same today. The cover may say "Unraveling WWF/WCW/ECW," but in reality they were all one at this point. And who does that cover feature? Shane and Stephanie McMahon, the stars of Smackdown and Raw. In 2001. And 2016.

It's a lot of fun to look through the pages just to see who "made it" and who didn't. In 2001 if you were talking independent wrestling and proverbial "Internet darlings," you had to be talking Reckless Youth. Nicknamed "The King of the Indies," Reckless Youth had quite the following and seemed destined to be a name that went down in wrestling history. Despite much press and a stint in WWE Developmental, Youth is now long out of professional wrestling. He is featured in several promotion profiles in the magazine along with names like Samoa Joe, Alexis Laree, Low-Ki, Michael Shane, Colt Cabana, and Phoenix who all would go on to some degrees of fame.

There are also legends like Jerry Lawler, Brian Blair, Honky Tonk Man, Jimmy Snuka, and Jacques Rougeau who were still plying their trade on the indy scene. In the case of those cousins from Tennessee, they're still at in 2016! Lastly, there are those who look like they stumbled out of the nearest bar to play "champion" in their nearest indy on weekends. I won't name any names, as they all deserve respect for at least getting into the ring at some level. And how about this Prince Justice guy shown as the champion of NWA Wildside? Guys like him often disappeared into a veritable abyss, never to be seen again.

The magazine also features "The Indy 30: The Top Prospects In Wrestling." Shall I list them? Air Paris, Scoot Andrews, Chad Collyer, Nova, Qenaan Creed, Christopher Daniels, The Island Boys (later Umaga and Rosey), Billy Fives, Russ and Charlie Haas, Tony Kozina, Randy Orton, Michael Modest, Donovan Morgan, Onyx, Brock Lesnar, Nick Dinsmore, Hotstuff Hernandez, Horseshu (later Luther Reigns), Adam Pearce, The Prototype, Jason Rumble, Mike and Todd Shane, Damien Steele, Trent Acid, Shelton Benjamin, Rico Constantino, Minoru Fujita, Dalip Singh (later The Great Khali), Lance Cade, and Jayson Reign. I guess teams count as one. What an interesting list full of highs, lows, fame, and tragedy looking back on it all these years later.

We end with a Book of Lists. "Wrestling's 10 Most Powerful People" is really the only one interesting enough to explore. We have Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, Antonio Inoki, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Motoko Baba, Jim Ross, Triple H, Steve Austin, and Paul Heyman. In 2016, the McMahon's are still in power, though Linda has taken a step back. Inoki, long out of New Japan Pro Wrestling, barely makes a ripple. Motoko, widow of Giant Baba, doesn't seem to be involved in much anymore, at least to the extent of puroresu that comes to my attention. Ross, Austin, and Heyman all have their own ventures but their voices are still heard loudly either in or regarding the business. As for Triple H? Some would say that he is more powerful than Vince, others would disagree. If you look at the changes in WWE over the past several years you could make a pretty good argument that in 2016, HHH tops this list.

There's too much fun stuff in this issue to show it all here. It isn't a rare magazine by any means and can be found for under $20. It's definitely a time capsule of a time when the business, and the world, was changing. Will we do this again in 2031? There may not be a magazine to show us exactly where the business was, but I fully believe that there will still be a wrestling business to showcase. I'll see you there.

WWE Magazine Bids Farewell

Two weeks ago on this page we were celebrating the thirty-fifth anniversary of one wrestling magazine.  This time we are lamenting the loss of another.  The issue cover dated October 2014 is indeed the last installment of WWE Magazine. Though it barely resembled the magazine that many of us grew up with, seeing it on the shelves was almost comforting.  Along with the main monthly title, the WWE Kids title and special titles released periodically will also be seeing their end.

WWE Magazine officially considered their first issue to be the WWF Victory Magazine.  Victory lasted two issues before it evolved into WWF Magazine.  Despite the company not really wanting to acknowledge it, their first in-house publication was actually Wrestling Action.  Five issues were produced in all in midst of the transition between WWWF and WWF.  I was once offered an explanation as to why they did not consider it part of WWF/WWE Magazine, but it didn't amount to much.  If you want to see the true evolution of WWE Magazine, you start with Wrestling Action.  It captures an amazing time in the history of the company and the fifth and final issue features the first magazine cover of Hulk Hogan, or so The Hulkster himself told me.

Whereas the Wrestling Action issues showcased amazing cover art, the first Victory/WWF Magazines had great photography of the "Rock N Wrestling" era stars.  Jimmy Snuka, Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan, Wendi Richter, Captain Lou Albano, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Cyndi Lauper, and even Mr. T shined on those early covers. Inside was an interesting mixture of features on WWF action and some stories that might surprise readers today.  Articles on wrestling's past were not uncommon, and despite being well into the WWF's national expansion, even the first WCCW David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions was covered.

As the WWF grew further and further away from anything aside of their own bubble, so did the magazine.  In fact, the magazine began to almost directly reflect the formats of WWF television programming.  These days, WWE pay-per-view lineups often don't seem settled upon until the weekend or day of.  In the early days of the magazine, lineups for WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and other events were often included, in print, months in advance.  In the instances where bits and pieces of shows were changed, those magazines offer an interesting glance at what could have been.

The magazine also helped with the company's direct merchandise sales long before Shop WWE existed. Most every issue included a merchandise catalog full of items that weren't usually available outside of attending an event.  Shirts, posters, caps, and teddy bears were just some of the items featured, often modeled by young Stephanie and Shane McMahon.  That shirt of "The Rebel" Dick Slater?  Here.  The poster of Miss Elizabeth actually donning bikini?  Here.  Mine?  Yep, he was here, too.

As the WWF steered more towards an adult slant, the magazine followed.  Edgy covers and content eventually led to the spin-off of Raw Magazine.  When the brand split and change to WWE occurred, the original WWF/WWE title was switched to Smackdown Magazine.  In 2006, the title was finally amalgamated back to WWE Magazine.  This version tried to be a cross between Maxim and a wrestling magazine.  It included seemingly "shoot" interviews, "Best of" lists, and features on fans both male (even me!) and female.

One of the coolest issues in this final form of the magazine was April 2010.  In honor of WrestleMania XXVI, twenty-six different covers were produced, each featuring a different WWE Superstar.  John Cena, CM Punk, Bret Hart, and Santino Marella are just a few of the stars featured, and others like Drew McIntyre and Evan Bourne may have received their only cover thanks to this gimmick.  Distribution was not even as far as the variant covers upon their initial release.  Since then, various back issue sales have evened up the ability to acquire certain covers.

Although Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns all have a great shot at making the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated in the future, the final issue of WWE Magazine is their cover debut. It's a great shot, and the issue itself makes no secret that it's the end.  Budget cuts have been the reported reason as to why the title is ending. There were rumors that an outside company would pick up the publication, but that does not seem to be the case.  With the great characters that continue to churn out of WWE, it's a shame that they will no longer have this sort of exposure that once meant so much to the warriors of the ring.

A 30 (or 37...depending on your belief) year run is nothing to sneeze at.  Thanks for the covers, the articles, the merch catalogs, the Sunny centerfolds, The Informer, Scoop Sullivan, and...the memories.

Wrestling MarketWatch: What The World Was Watching!

It never ceases to amaze me how every fan of wrestling has a different era that they consider "golden." This can be said for many different forms of entertainment and sports, however wrestling fans seem to be the most loyal to their respective favorites.

Fans of the '60s and '70s often find the '80s to be the decade marking the end of their fandom. The same can be said for fans of the "Rock 'n Wrestling" era that find the infamous "Attitude Era" a dark spot on the colorful legacy of the previous decade.

No matter which decade you prefer, dating back to the 1960's you will find a glorious selection of mat memorabilia sure to bring back memories and keep your favorite stars alive. Discussing those great collectibles is why we're here, and more than likely why you're here, too.

According to the WWF, the 1980's is when the world was watching. Of course, present-day WWE will imply the same thing (today it'd be the universe), but back then they actually came out and told you. In fact, it was none other than my "good, close, personal, longtime friend" Mean Gene Okerlund that informed us all of that. Give me a break! Are you putting me on?

Humorous "Gene Mean" quotes aside, if you talk to any child of the '80s they will prove to you that indeed the world was watching. Names like Brutus Beefcake and Koko B. Ware are just as well remembered as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. The figures we all know as the LJN WWF line are known by every male currently between the ages of 25-40 as "those big rubber wrestlers." In 1987, Christmas was the second most looked forward to event of the year. For so many, March 29 took precedence.

Yes indeed, the world was watching.

In this installment of MarketWatch, we look at just how valuable some of those great '80s WWF items currently are. A little of this, a little of that, and a word as to why personal value is more important than monetary gain.

*What better way to start than the most recognizable star of the era (and probably the entire industry) and the architect behind it all. The much discussed LJN WWF figure line often seems to follow a roller coaster ride of value. While carded examples of the figures don't usually fall below $40 for the most common, recent selling prices for Vince McMahon and the first release of Hulk Hogan have skyrocketed. Hogan recently sold for $195 while Vince saw a selling point of $96. The McMahon price is particularly striking as the manager and announcer figures often sell for $40-$50. This is due to the figures largely being "shelf warmers" in stores during the 1980's. Some Toys "R" Us stores were known to have had LJN manager figures on clearance as late as 1992!

*With the advent of digital entertainment, many of the WWF Coliseum Video VHS releases dramatically dropped in price. The Coliseum Videos were often also clipped leaving fans hungry for the full-length events that they originally viewed. Easier access to copies of the full-length events diminished demand as well. Nonetheless, some fans just have to have "official" copies with the original packaging. Who can blame them? The WWF's first advertised pay-per-view (WrestleMania I *was* available in a few trial markets) known as The Wrestling Classic recently sold for $45.00. The event features a tournament including The British Bulldogs, Ricky Steamboat, Junkyard Dog, and Randy Savage as well as a Hogan-Piper championship match.

*Programs of events are often as desirable as actual footage. WrestleMania programs are another animal that go up and down in price. WrestleMania IV was the event that ultimately introduced the "What The World Is Watching" slogan and therefore that is the program highlighted here. The program recently sold for $25 marking a higher trend than usual. The programs from WrestleMania's I thru IX are plentiful and are simply in higher demand at certain times.

*Another great publication of the era worth mentioning is the Superstars magazine. This was a yearly WWF publication featuring photos and text of most of the roster. This series continued into the '90s and similar magazines are produced to this day. Again, while the magazines are plentiful they often command a higher price than their monthly counterparts. The third installment, featuring a great cover shot of the Macho Man, recently sold for $25.

While I do enjoy providing info on the value of these items that so many of you own, I always like to take the time to remind every collector that personal value is what these things are truly worth. I always advise to collect what makes you happy, not something that you only like because others have it and/or want it.

While the items above are some currently higher priced examples, so many great collectibles from the 1980s WWF and any other era in professional wrestling can often be had for very affordable prices. This is especially true now when it's a buyers market. Items that sold for extreme prices during the "Monday Night Wars" can now be had for but a fraction. Remember...buy what YOU like!

****"From The Musty, Yellowed Pages..."****

WWF Magazine, December 1988, Merchandise Catalog

The merchandise catalog? What could possibly be in there? A ton of merchandise. But besides that, a humorous look at two members of wrestling's royal family. These "cameo appearances" are a bit more circulated than Taz's appearance that we highlighted awhile back, but still certainly worthy to be shown here.

The WWF Merchandise catalog was often as fun to look at as the rest of the WWF Magazine. Those great photos showing the wrestlers modeling their t-shirts. The sought-after wall posters. The Ultimate Warrior suck-cup. (Dusty's words!) All of that pales in comparison to the two models we'll be showing today.

Take a look at this page from the late '88-early '89 catalog. Take a good look. Who's the stern-faced Hogan shirt model? Who's that little girl wearing the Hogan cap? Why, it's the McMahon children! I believe their names are Shane and Stephanie. I wonder whatever happened to them?

And of course, no child is complete without a t-shirt of their favorite wrestling mascot, Matilda. There's little Stephanie again, showing allegiance to her favorite pooch. If Matilda ever gets kidnapped by a bleached blond manager and two island boys, you should send her a "Get Well" card. I bet that she'll compile a list of all of the nice children who send her a card and have lil Steph mail one of these catalogs as a "thank you."

The world was indeed watching. How could they avoid it?