A new pro wrestling book is on the horizon. I have been fortunate to get my hands on an advance reading copy thanks to its publishers - ECW Press.
As the title states, Greenberg focuses his latest work on what is arguably one of the most important professional wrestling events in history - WrestleMania III - which took place from the Detroit Silverdome in front of, well - in front of a lot of people, on March 29th 1987.
The author does a lot more than take a historical look at that one event, though.
To convey how important WrestleMania III is, Greenberg spends half of the book with as thorough a job on the history of American professional wrestling leading into the '87 showcase. To do this, Greenberg evidently obtains a lot of sources to help with this narrative. And it is perfectly sewn together by the writer.
Anyone who has followed WWE for a fairly decent length of time are sure to have came across the legends of the two major bouts on the '87 card. First, the show-stealing contest between 'Macho Man' Randy Savage and Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat as well as the main event which saw Hulk Hogan bodyslam Andre the Giant to retain the WWF Championship.
Greenberg details everything about those two contests and their legacy in WrestleMania history.
I was curious to see if the announced attendance of the event would also get a spotlight in this book. I can report it is a topic in one of the chapters about the event.
World Wrestling Entertainment still boasts Mania III had an attendance of 93,173. However, there has been conjecture - even to this very day - which has strongly argued that the number was heavily inflated. Greenberg covers all angles on this controversial note.
Bigger! Better! Badder! does not end with the conclusion of WrestleMania III. The final few chapters cover how the WWF (now WWE) operated in the years beyond Mania III. One of the things which stood out to this European wrestling fan, was seeing how WWF kind of became a 'World' product following March 29th 1987's extravaganza.
Leading into his coverage of WrestleMania III, Keith Elliot Greenberg details Vince McMahon Jr. and the WWF's expansion across the USA. There's also the moves into Canada. However, once the Mania III portion ends, we witness how the WWF/E machine then begins its assault on more foreign soil with its first show in France. That was followed by the company's move across to other countries like the UK and Ireland.
WrestleMania III sure was a springboard to what had become the norm for pro wrestling: events held in huge stadiums fairly regularly. To punctuate the point, consider this: tonight's WWE Elimination Chamber event is expected to hold thousands inside a domed stadium in the form of Toronto's Rogers Centre.
Bigger! Better! Badder! is a strong book for anyone with an interest in professional wrestling. I've thought hard about who would enjoy it the most, and I believe the perfect audience would be those keen to learn about the WWF's expansion years especially those who may be starting out as wrestling fans thanks to WWE's expansion into Netflix and other streaming platforms across the world.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thank you to ECW Press for allowing me to read an advance reading copy of Bigger! Better! Badder!: WrestleMania III and the Year It All Changed by Keith Elliot Greenberg. Amazon UK customers can purchase a copy below:
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