Sitting Ringside, Volume 1: WCW

by Guy Evans, David Penzer

500 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
As a lifelong wrestling fan, I’ve read a lot of wrestling books (probably pretty closer to all of them!)
Anyway, that being said, if you were a fan of WCW, Nitro, and/or the Monday Night Wars, this is a must read. Penzer saw and knows a lot… looking forward to volume 2!

[Tony Farinella · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Penzer worked for WCW from 1991 to 2001. He was the ring announcer during the Monday Night Wars. He was a jack-of-all-trades in the company, so I was curious to read his book. Plus, his co-author was Guy Evans, who wrote the amazing “Nitro” book.

Overall, this is a fun and entertaining read. The book is mostly a memoir, but it also has a lot of scrapbook stuff, like TV formats and documents.

I liked David Penzer. He was honest about himself and a good storyteller. The only reason I didn’t give the book five stars is because he seemed a bit gunshy when talking about other people he worked with. He also didn’t share any new information about angles or matches that we didn’t already know.

The book is best when David Penzer talks about himself, his struggles with anxiety, and his worries about his job. Because I liked the author, I liked the book. I’m looking forward to reading Volume Two.

[Matt B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't realise just how much Dave Penzer did while in WCW other than announcing, but he goes into a lot of depth here with some of the stories and what he did behind the scenes. It does say a lot more of these are coming in volume 2, but that's not taking anything away from this one. Solid 5 stars.

[Joe Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Penzer was the Ring Announcer for WCW during the late '90s pro-wrestling boom period known as the "Monday Night Wars". In that role, he had a front row seat to every major WCW moment, as he did not miss a single episode of either NITRO or THUNDER. So this book is packed full of great stories regarding some of the biggest moments in pro-wrestling history. And not just the on-screen moments! David's role meant that he was also backstage and got a very clear look at what made the company successful, as well as what lead to its downfall. And unlike most wrestling books, David makes no effort to "put himself over" or settle any scores. He's just here to share some stories of what he saw, and to explain how it all happened.

Also worth noting is that David has (wisely) followed the lead of his old boss (Eric Bischoff) and partnered up with author Guy Evans to put this book together. Guy previously established himself as a premiere pro-wrestling writer with his 2018 book NITRO, so (thanks to Guy) David's stories here are fully contextualized, fact-checked, and presented in a very accessible way. This book is a must-read for any fans of classic wrestling.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I certainly knew of the name ‘David Penzer’ but I didn’t know his story and it sure is a fascinating story. I always enjoy learning more about the business and certainly learning about the rise and fall of WCW. look forward to reading volume 2! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the business or WCW.

[Fresh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penzer has enough stories to tell that the reader doesn't need ANOTHER rehash of the Monday Night Wars, including the full text of promos. We are die hard wrestling fans actively seeking out to read the experiences of one of its ring announcers -- we already know most of this.