Still to this day whenever I pass by a grocery store magazine section I have to look for the wrestling magazines. So I wondered the other day, does anyone else still read the wrestling mags?
Due to all of the wrestling web pages and podcast like this one and others produced by professional outlets I would think that the demand has dropped a little. I on the other hand still am excited to see who is in the PWI Top 500.
In today’s day and age it maybe hard to image but those magazines were like the internet for fans in the territory days of the business.
Back in those days there were a lot of regional promotions that were very popular in their respective markets. The promoters respected each others boundaries and their television shows rarely crossed markets. So for a performer to build up a buzz in other areas, he or she had to get his or her name in the magazines. Also for the fans to know what was going outside of their area they read the magazines. If you lived in the New York area then you may not have seen too much Ric Flair in 1982 but if you saw him in 3 different publications then you knew he was a player. Unlike today’s day and age the books also kept the kayfabe alive where today’s publications may talk the sport in real terms.
In today’s wrestling landscape it is s a little different but the magazines are still a good resource to find out whats going on in the independent organizations. You are able to familiarize yourself with names like Adam Pearce, Yamoto and Kenta Kobayashi through the magazines.
If you have stopped reading you might want to stop by and pick up a wrestling magazine sometimes to see whats inside…
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