Review: Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians By Greg Oliver

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians
Greg Oliver with Foreword By Jacques Rougeau
ECW Press, 2002
Paperback, Ebook

Slam! Wrestling's Greg Oliver is one of the wrestling industry's most respected and prolific historians.  Oliver's The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians (2002) is one of Oliver's masterful works that thematically chronicle key individuals and events in the history of professional wrestling. The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series also includes: The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams (2005), The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (2007) and The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons (2012). The Canadians is the only book in the series that was not co-written with Steven Johnson. Oliver is also the co-writer of Slam! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle (2009) and was one of four contributors to Benoit: Wrestling With The Horror That Destroyed A Family and Crippled A Sport (2007) and has also written several books on the history of hockey.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians is a very interesting read that gives a great insight into both the individuals and the territories that wove the rich tapestry that is Canadian professional wrestling history. Oliver dips into his rich well of interviews with those featured and their contemporaries to give as complete as possible a picture of the Canadian pro wrestling industry via stories that pertain to several individuals, eras and regions.  The book successfully demonstrates the important role that Canadians have played in the industry's history and, equally importantly, a staggering amount of important events took place "north of the border."

Some may have issue with the individual rankings in Oliver's top 20 at the beginning of the book and there may be some duplication of biographical information between this and the other books in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series.  The Canadians is often seen as the weakest of the books in the series, however, this should be taken as a testament to the strength of the other books and not as knock on this one. None of these points should dissuade readers from finding a copy of this book. Those interested in pro wrestling history and/or Canadian sport history will absolutely find this book a great reading choice.