Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
Being a young wrestling fan nowadays, seems to offer them every imaginable aspect of the wrestling business like never before. From the “dirt sheets” to websites, to streaming services and everything in between…a fan can access anything and everything. Growing up in the 1980’s, it was a much different era. The internet was in its infancy and cable TV was a luxury that most couldn’t afford. To be a wrestling fan back then, meant you usually watched just one promotion and really weren’t familiar with much else. It was the wrestling magazines that invited the reader into a whole other world outside of their one territory.
For me, living in the northeast, it was of course, the World Wrestling Federation. I grew up with the likes of Bob Backlund, Jimmy Snuka, Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan, the Wild Samoans and later Honkytonk Man, the Ultimate Warrior, Demolition and the Hart Foundation. It wasn’t until I walked into a small grocery store that had a small newsstand inside, that my world in pro wrestling expanded. Countless magazines like The Wrestling Insider, The Wrestler, Wrestling Superstars, the World of Wrestling and of course my personal favorite, Pro Wrestling Illustrated were at my fingertips and could educate me on wrestlers and promotions I never knew existed before.
I would read up and learn about wrestlers like ‘Hot Stuff’ Eddie Gilbert, the Von Erich brothers, Abdullah the Butcher, Biff Wellington, the Stud Stable and many others. I would read about the Universal Wrestling Federation and guys like Terry Gordy, Savannah Jack and the One Man Gang. I would learn the difference between the two territories of the CWA and the CWF.
Every month would be a new learning experience for me and countless others that did not have cable television or invested in wrestling newsletters. I would have a major crush on the NWA’s Misty Blue Simmes who I never got to see actually wrestle. Learn all about “apartment wrestling” and look at advertisements for wrestling hotline numbers like that of the legendary Coach Kurt. The magazines are what introduced me to women like Dark Journey and Missy Hyatt.
Most of the magazines wrote strictly in kayfabe to protect the sanctity of pro wrestling. There were a few writers in the mags that wrote as heels and favored talking up all the bad guys like Ric Flair and put down all the babyfaces like Dusty Rhodes. Writers like Dan Shocket and Eddie Ellner….these were writers that I really enjoyed because I had grown more of a fondness for heel wrestlers. Of course I also appreciated the stylings of Stu Saks and Bill Apter as well…after all…some of my favorite magazines were the “Apter Mags.”
Of course, my absolute favorite edition of any magazine was the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Year End Awards. This was the one time of the year, where I would make it my business to save enough money to purchase my copy. It featured awards for best manager, wrestler of the year, tag team of the year and rookie of the year.
As the years went by and the internet became more of the way to get information…I slowly turned away from wrestling magazines and looked at wrestling sites to get my wrestling news and daily wrestling knowledge. There is no question, however, how I miss the days when wrestling mags ruled the day.
David Fullam
Hate the term “Apter Mags.” Always called them The Weston Magazines, after Stanley Weston, the publisher.