Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle

by Greg Oliver, Jon Waldman (Editor)

Founded by Greg Oliver and John Powell, SLAM! Wrestling (http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/h...) changed the way North America’s true favorite pastime was presented on the web. With the backing of Sun Media and Canoe, SLAM! Wrestling brought pure journalism to the muddy waters of the pro wrestling media coverage. Never in the Internet Age had the squared circle been viewed with a keen eye by reporters and analysts who broke down the philosophy of wrestling and feted its legends, while also not being afraid to show the very human side of the locker rooms that are hidden from the plain eye inside the world’s biggest arenas. SLAM! Wrestling takes readers on a journey through SLAM! Wrestling’s first dozen years and the often all-too real world of professional wrestling. From WWE to the independent leagues that dot North America’s landscape, SLAM! Wrestling gives the unique view of the reporter’s eye as history unfolds, including interviews with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson, Trish Stratus and many others. Plus, for the first time ever, SLAM! Wrestling’s writers take you behind the scenes and share their insights into what made the site stand out as one of the most respected sources for information in all of the Internet wrestling community. From the celebration of WrestleMania XVIII in Toronto, to the tragic death of Owen Hart and many others, SLAM! Wrestling has covered it all and now brings the history of the mat wars straight to your bookshelf.

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

A writer, editor, and stay-at-home dad, Greg Oliver has written extensively about hockey and professional wrestling. He's done two children's books, and, in December 2020, self-published the biography of Canadian comic genius Billy Van, titled Who's The Man? Billy Van!

He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.

In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.

Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.

He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.

A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

SLAM! Wrestling has compiled a variety of their online articles into this book and it represents the best that the website has had to offer over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed this wide sample and it has made me eager to access their archives for more. In particular, I enjoyed the articles from Genevieve "LuFisto" Goulet (a wrestler I greatly admire), Bret Hart and the ones about various wrestlers from different times and promotions. It's well worth adding this to your wrestling library collection.