Review: Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left To Know About The World's Most Entertaining Spectacle By Brian Solomon

Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left To Know About The World's Most Entertaining Spectacle

Brian Solomon

Backbeat Books, 2015

Paperback, Ebook

Former WWE magazine editor Brian Solomon pens a very complete look at the history of professional wrestling. Solomon is the former editor of WWE and Smackdown magazines and is the author of the WWE release WWE Legends.

Covering the evolution of the sport from its carnival days to the present, Pro Wrestling FAQ touches on many of the industry's most influential people and most significant events with a level of detail that is often not seen in books that cover such a wide timeline. Solomon is at his best when covering significant events of the late 19th and early 20th century as he presents a historical narrative in a concise yet comprehensive look at the dark ages of professional wrestling.  The book is rife with biographical and/or historical information concerning many different personalities, events and regions.  While it is essentially a reference book, it is also written in a manner that makes it an entertaining and - despite its length - a very easy read.

Some readers may be critical of the book's inability to delve very deeply into certain personalities / eras / geographic regions in the industry's history. While not exclusively so, there is -- perhaps by the very nature of the current state of the industry and/or Solomon's own personal experiences and preferences - a great deal more weight and space devoted to certain times and places than others. WWE and WCW of the late 90s is dealt with significantly more than the territorial era of the 1970s. Some of this imbalance is most notable in some of the lists of important individuals/teams/stables/etc that the author has opted to include. This will be very moot to some readers and very important to others. That being said, Solomon was likely forced to make some editorial decisions that, while they may not sit well with every fan, were necessary evils in order to publish the book in one volume.

All things considered, Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left To Know... is a very good book that should be on the to read list of most pro wrestling fans.