WOW!! (World of Wrestling (WOW))

Member Name: Smark1985

Product:	World of Wrestling (WOW)
Date:	28/02/01 (369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Covers all three major federations, not written in kayfabe.

Disadvantages: To be honest....I don't think there are any!

WOW (World Of Wrestling) magazine is the best wrestling magazine around, and that's the bottom line!

Unlike most other wrestling magazines available, WOW covers all three major wrestling federations, WWF, WCW and ECW. This makes for a far more interesting read, and because they compare each, that gives you the thoughts of the top wrestling journalists in the world.

When I say the "top wrestling journalists in the world", I mean it. The editor-in-chief, Bill Apter, is the most well respected and highly thought of wrestling journalist in the world. He knows most wrestlers very well, and is good friends with them. Not only is he a superb journalist, he is also a veteran wrestling photographer, he has been involved in the business for years and certainly knows his stuff.

A lot of wrestling magazines are very similar as they all pretend that wrestling is real. Of course, it is not. But does that mean I do not like it....in the words of a famous wrestler....hell no!! WOW, however, is unique as it does not pull the wool over anyones eyes. It treats wrestling the way it should be treated, as the best brand of entertainment in the world, but they also appreciate that the wrestlers are still incredibly talented, and that they are amazing athletes. No one is under any illusion that wrestling is real, so why pretend different?

The monthly columns in this magazine are a really big reason to subscribe to this superb magazine. Such columns as "Apter Thoughts", "The Smark" and "Parts Unknown" provide compulsive reading each month, and they are usually what I read first.

"Apter Thoughts" is a column that speculates rumours, supply gossip and generally keeps you up to date with the fast-paced wrestling world. If there are any new signings, injuries or deaths concerning your favourite wrestlers, this is where you will find out.

"The Smark" is a monthly column which co
vers one particular topic in the wrestling world. The journalist who writes this column, Dave Conroy, is perhaps my favourite monthly columnist. It covers two pages and is an in-depth look into wrestling, be it past, present or future. Conroy really speaks his mind and has been known to be very controversial. He actually has a big influence within wrestling, for instance, he once commentated that he felt a particular tag team was getting boring, just a few weeks after, the team was disbanded. Coincidence? Possibly, but that is just one example, it has happened before... it will probably happen again.

"Parts Unknown" is a shorter column, but still adresses relevant and interesting subjects. This is the real "smart" column ("smart" means a wrestling insider) of the magazine. This column is where you will learn the "wrestling language". Subjects covered recently have included "shoot" incidents (incidents which occur which were not planned to happen, eg- wrestler refusing to lose etc.). Steve Anderson, who writes "Parts Unknown" never fails to give his opinion on the matters at hand, and whether you agree or disagree with him, you will always come back for more.

"The Phantom Of the Ring" is WOW's equivalent to "This is your life". Whether it is a wrestler, a federation or even a title belt, this column gives you the background to them all, and you will rarely finish reading this without learning something. As suggested in the title, the magazine keeps the writer of this column a secret...maybe it is better left that way. Considering all of the history that the writer appears to know, he/she can be no youngster!

WOW ends its magazine each week with its "Dawghouse". Written by Jason Scales, this part of WOW is where they review what is good and bad in wrestling at the time. Being "In the Dawghouse" is a bad thing, that means WOW (or maybe just
Jason Scales) does not like that particular wrestler or storyline. Being "Outside the Dawghouse" is where you want to be. Everything that WOW likes currently is included ranging from events to wrestlers catchphrases. To be included on this page is either a good thing, or a very bad thing, but most wrestlers usually find someway onto it. This is a light hearted look at the current world of wrestling in all three federations.

Not only does WOW cover the "big three" federations, it also has many pages on the independent and international federations, reporting on all of the localised action which the majority of fans do not know about.

As well as all of the excellant columns, this magazine is the best around for interviews with your favourite wrestlers and features that dominate the mag. Unlike a lot of the current wrestling magazines availbale, WOW only interviews the best. Be it Triple H from WWF, Scott Steiner from WCW or Steve Corino from ECW, the big names are always here.

Occasionally, WOW will do an article which really stands out. Recent examples include "Who's Hot, Who's Not" and "The Magnificent Seven".

"Who's Hot, Who's Not" was an excellant article which organised the most famous wrestlers into two groups, "Who's Hot" and "Who's Not". Few were left off the list as WOW ruthlessy criticized wrestlers, picking up on any slight problems with their recent performances. On the contrary, they also praised wrestlers for their recent displays. It was highly interesting to see how your favourite wrestler fared, and if your most hated performer was in the "Who's Not" category. After a lot of poistive feedback about this article, WOW have took the wise decision to do the same next year.

"The Magnificent Seven" was my favourite feature in a long time, WOW picked out the seven best WWF World Champions of all t
ime, and rated them in order. They judged the wrestlers on several aspects, "On the mat" rated how well they actually wrestled. "On the stick" judged their microphone work, which is a very important part of modern wrestling. "Beyond the mat" looked at what other ventures they entered into, eg- movies, T.V appearances etc. "Wearing the strap" told how many times the wrestler was World champion, and last but not least, "Final Bell" was an overall review of their career up to that point. This feature went into great depth about the pros and cons of some of wrestlings all time greats, and whilst I did not agree with their selections, it was still a truly superb feature.

As with most magazines, WOW is no different in the fact that it has a "letters" page. Obviously, this is the section of the magazine where readers voice their own opinions and feelings about wrestling. Readers can also rate who they think are the best/worst wrestlers and their favourites. Although not always the case, WOW usually leave a note at the bottom of each letter, where a reader has asked for more Chris Jericho articles, WOW states that there will be one in the next issue, that sort of thing.

One of my personal favourite regular features is the "Video and DVD Reviews". Because I am a collector of WWF videos, I really like this feature as WOW rates all of the new video and DVD releases. It has a rating system that is treated like the holy grail by many readers, if WOW says don't buy a video, you don't buy it!

Even with all of these articles, features and extras, WOW still has many more treats inside. As is expected with the majority of sports magazines, it has a poster section, usually containing five wrestlers from the three federations.

What I find with a lot of magazines is that there are more adverts than actual magazine content. Thankfully, this is not the case with WOW as there
are very few adverts, and the few that there are all relevant as they are usually advertising something to do with wrestling.

Overall, ever since it's release in mid-1998, it has been my favourite magazine available. To be honest, I do not see that two year trend ending anytime soon....and nor do I want it to.

Quite simply, WOW forces the rest of the wrestling magazines into submission!

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