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How did WrestleMania III legitimize wrestling as entertainment and reshape the industry? Greenberg lays it bare and offers insights into WWE's evolution and WrestleMania's lasting impact
On an overcast day in 1987, the pro wrestling landscape was altered forever when a reported 93,173 fans converged on the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit to see Hulk Hogan defend his championship against André the Giant. For several years, Vincent Kennedy McMahon had been transforming old-time rasslin' into mainstream "sports entertainment," incorporating A-list celebrities into storylines and forcing even cynics to follow the proceedings. But the massive turnout for WrestleMania III convinced sponsors, licensees, and media conglomerates that the company that would become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was no longer a fringe diversion for the unwashed masses; it was now legitimate physical theater worthy of global attention. From this point forward, it would be acceptable for devotees to make the annual pilgrimage to WrestleMania from the far corners of the Earth, the way others journeyed to the World Cup or Super Bowl.
BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! is the story behind the seminal event, told from the perspective of company executives, wrestlers who appeared on the card, fans who attended the show, and other wrestling personalities. But wrestling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg also examines the entire industry at the time, including insights from representatives from the rival promotions McMahon was putting out of business as pro wrestling transitioned from a regional phenomenon into an international juggernaut. Even without witnessing it, many remember Hulk Hogan's iconic slam of André the Giant at WrestleMania III. Greenberg examines how it legitimized wrestling as entertainment, reshaping the industry and all but ending regional promotions by going national, and offers insights into WWE's evolution and WrestleMania's lasting impact.
Keith Elliot Greenberg is a New York Times bestselling author, as well as a monthly columnist for Inside the Ropes Magazine. A lifetime New Yorker, he co-authored the autobiographies of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair and "Superstar" Billy Graham, as well as two editions of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. His previous books for ECW Press include Too Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution, Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19 and Best Seat in the House: My Life in the Jeff Healey Band, co-written with Tom Stephen. He regularly appears as a wrestling historian on A&E's WWE documentary series.
Sales and Market Bullets
• A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN WRESTLING HISTORY: Detroit, 1987. WWE owner Vincent Kennedy McMahon was using might and subterfuge to monopolize the industry, becoming the stand-alone superpower of professional wrestling. It all came to a head at WrestleMania III, drawing record-breaking crowds, silencing critics of the sport, and creating myths and moments that fans continue to covet to this day.
• LARGE, PASSIONATE FANBASE: Wrestling fans consistently show their passion for the sport through impressive book sales that show no decline. ECW's wrestling books consistently reach the top of Amazon's wrestling category.
• TIMED RELEASE WITH WRESTLEMANIA 41: With upwards of 70,000 fans attending each night of the two-night event, BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! releasing just weeks before WrestleMania 41 is sure to reach a wide and excited audience.
• PROLIFIC NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR: Author of over 40 books to date, Keith Elliot Greenberg continues to impress readers and critics with every new release. Alfred Konuwa of Forbes says: "I challenge anybody to find a book or publication that does a better job telling the story of pro wrestling."
On an overcast day in 1987, the pro wrestling landscape was altered forever when a reported 93,173 fans converged on the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit to see Hulk Hogan defend his championship against André the Giant. For several years, Vincent Kennedy McMahon had been transforming old-time rasslin' into mainstream "sports entertainment," incorporating A-list celebrities into storylines and forcing even cynics to follow the proceedings. But the massive turnout for WrestleMania III convinced sponsors, licensees, and media conglomerates that the company that would become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was no longer a fringe diversion for the unwashed masses; it was now legitimate physical theater worthy of global attention. From this point forward, it would be acceptable for devotees to make the annual pilgrimage to WrestleMania from the far corners of the Earth, the way others journeyed to the World Cup or Super Bowl.
BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! is the story behind the seminal event, told from the perspective of company executives, wrestlers who appeared on the card, fans who attended the show, and other wrestling personalities. But wrestling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg also examines the entire industry at the time, including insights from representatives from the rival promotions McMahon was putting out of business as pro wrestling transitioned from a regional phenomenon into an international juggernaut. Even without witnessing it, many remember Hulk Hogan's iconic slam of André the Giant at WrestleMania III. Greenberg examines how it legitimized wrestling as entertainment, reshaping the industry and all but ending regional promotions by going national, and offers insights into WWE's evolution and WrestleMania's lasting impact.
Keith Elliot Greenberg is a New York Times bestselling author, as well as a monthly columnist for Inside the Ropes Magazine. A lifetime New Yorker, he co-authored the autobiographies of "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair and "Superstar" Billy Graham, as well as two editions of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. His previous books for ECW Press include Too Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution, Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19 and Best Seat in the House: My Life in the Jeff Healey Band, co-written with Tom Stephen. He regularly appears as a wrestling historian on A&E's WWE documentary series.
Sales and Market Bullets
• A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN WRESTLING HISTORY: Detroit, 1987. WWE owner Vincent Kennedy McMahon was using might and subterfuge to monopolize the industry, becoming the stand-alone superpower of professional wrestling. It all came to a head at WrestleMania III, drawing record-breaking crowds, silencing critics of the sport, and creating myths and moments that fans continue to covet to this day.
• LARGE, PASSIONATE FANBASE: Wrestling fans consistently show their passion for the sport through impressive book sales that show no decline. ECW's wrestling books consistently reach the top of Amazon's wrestling category.
• TIMED RELEASE WITH WRESTLEMANIA 41: With upwards of 70,000 fans attending each night of the two-night event, BIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! releasing just weeks before WrestleMania 41 is sure to reach a wide and excited audience.
• PROLIFIC NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR: Author of over 40 books to date, Keith Elliot Greenberg continues to impress readers and critics with every new release. Alfred Konuwa of Forbes says: "I challenge anybody to find a book or publication that does a better job telling the story of pro wrestling."