Jon Robinson
Brady Games / DK Publishing, 2015
Hardcover, Ebook
A few years ago, with competition from WCW at its peak, the once family friendly - often times live action cartoon - WWF began producing a racier product. The period, best defined as mid 90s to early 2000s, has become known as The Attitude Era. With a beer-swilling, middle-finger raising and foul-mouthed champion, scantily clad women, pimps, porn stars, octogenarians giving birth to appendages and very thinly veiled race wars in the forefront of the product; the wrestling industry came as close as ever to entering the main stream of entertainment. Traditionalists criticized the era for its excesses, but the vast majority of fans - many of them initially attracted by the adult themes and shocking story lines - loved it.
In 2001 the WWF purchased both the WCW and ECW - a smaller but very influential company based in Philadelphia that pushed the envelope even further than the WWF Attitude Era did - creating a virtual monopoly of the national professional wrestling scene. Neither the WWF nor the professional wrestling scene as a whole has yet to match the overall success it had during the Attitude Era. Jon Robinson's book WWE: The Attitude Era is an illustrated time capsule of the WWF during the period. Robinson is also the author of Rumble Road: Untold Stories From Outside the Ring and My Favorite Match: WWE Superstars Tell the Stories of Their Most Memorable Matches.
In 2001 the WWF purchased both the WCW and ECW - a smaller but very influential company based in Philadelphia that pushed the envelope even further than the WWF Attitude Era did - creating a virtual monopoly of the national professional wrestling scene. Neither the WWF nor the professional wrestling scene as a whole has yet to match the overall success it had during the Attitude Era. Jon Robinson's book WWE: The Attitude Era is an illustrated time capsule of the WWF during the period. Robinson is also the author of Rumble Road: Untold Stories From Outside the Ring and My Favorite Match: WWE Superstars Tell the Stories of Their Most Memorable Matches.
The book, at 208 pages, gives a very good broad picture of the WWE Attitude Era and is packed with comments from past and current members of the roster/staff. Each chapter does a good, though at times too brief, job focusing on one key person/event/theme from the period. There are, naturally, the required chapters devoted to such key players/events as The Rock, Steve Austin and the Mankind/Undertaker Hell In A Cell match, but Robinson wisely includes some content covering some of the less prominent characters. There are some questionable choices regarding the amount of space devoted to individual mid-card performers. Considering the quantity and quality of the roster at the time, some tough choices were inevitable. The true highlight of the book is the wealth of photographs contained within. While some of the choices of photos or placement choices are questioned (i.e. a half page photo of Degeneration-X in the WCW section) the photos do a great job illustrating Robinson's text.
As with most WWE publications, this book has a tendency to tow the company line far more than an independent publication would. While some argue the WWE has completely re-written history to suit its needs, others take a softer approach by suggesting that the company has merely chosen to shift the focus of history to their own product. In regards to this publication either can be somewhat forgiven as the book is meant to chronicle the WWE and not the competition, however, readers wanting a more complete picture of the era may be disappointed.* The same could be said for readers who take issue with the timeline used to define the Attitude Era - King of the Ring 1996 to Wrestlemania XVII.** Interestingly, the book features some content related to Chris Benoit, Vince Russo, Owen Hart, Chyna and Jeff Jarrett which, though controversial in their own ways, would have been noticeably absent.
Content wise, there is very little new information in the book and many of the stories would be familiar to even a novice fan. That being said, the book provides a suitable amount of information in a very nice package. A new or a long time fan who is not overly familiar with the backstage stories of the period will likely be pleased with the book.
All things considered, WWE: The Attitude Era is a good book. For those looking for a hard-hitting expose of the WWE during the period or a good broad picture of a booming industry, there are better options. Readers who would like a small sample of the late 1990s / early 2000s WWE or who were avid watchers looking for a taste for nostalgia will probably enjoy the book. It, like many of Brady Games / DK Publishing's works, does not require cover to cover reading. Rather, it is a book that can be picked up and leafed through and revisited in small bits. It is perfect for the coffee table and (meant in the nicest way possible) the bathroom magazine rack.
* Since the acquisition of the intellectual properties of their former competitors, the WWE often produces historical based content featuring key events and personalities from these other companies.
As with most WWE publications, this book has a tendency to tow the company line far more than an independent publication would. While some argue the WWE has completely re-written history to suit its needs, others take a softer approach by suggesting that the company has merely chosen to shift the focus of history to their own product. In regards to this publication either can be somewhat forgiven as the book is meant to chronicle the WWE and not the competition, however, readers wanting a more complete picture of the era may be disappointed.* The same could be said for readers who take issue with the timeline used to define the Attitude Era - King of the Ring 1996 to Wrestlemania XVII.** Interestingly, the book features some content related to Chris Benoit, Vince Russo, Owen Hart, Chyna and Jeff Jarrett which, though controversial in their own ways, would have been noticeably absent.
Content wise, there is very little new information in the book and many of the stories would be familiar to even a novice fan. That being said, the book provides a suitable amount of information in a very nice package. A new or a long time fan who is not overly familiar with the backstage stories of the period will likely be pleased with the book.
All things considered, WWE: The Attitude Era is a good book. For those looking for a hard-hitting expose of the WWE during the period or a good broad picture of a booming industry, there are better options. Readers who would like a small sample of the late 1990s / early 2000s WWE or who were avid watchers looking for a taste for nostalgia will probably enjoy the book. It, like many of Brady Games / DK Publishing's works, does not require cover to cover reading. Rather, it is a book that can be picked up and leafed through and revisited in small bits. It is perfect for the coffee table and (meant in the nicest way possible) the bathroom magazine rack.
* Since the acquisition of the intellectual properties of their former competitors, the WWE often produces historical based content featuring key events and personalities from these other companies.
** While the book uses this time frame as a basic guide line for the Attitude Era. The change in content was a very gradual one - elements of the Attitude Era began to show up much earlier than KOTR 96. Goldust simulating a B.J. to a set of bagpipes in very early 1996, for example - and did not completely disappear on a regular basis until WWE switched to PG in the spring of 2008.
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| Ebook | Ebook | Ebook | |
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