{"product_id":"bigger-better-badder-wrestlemania-iii-and-the-year-it-all-changed-9781770417854","title":"Bigger! Better! Badder!: Wrestlemania III and the Year It All Changed","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow did \u003ci\u003eWrestleMania III\u003c\/i\u003e legitimize wrestling as entertainment and reshape the industry? Greenberg lays it bare and offers insights into WWE's evolution and \u003ci\u003eWrestleMania\u003c\/i\u003e's lasting impact\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn an overcast day in 1987, the pro wrestling landscape was altered forever when a reported 93,173 fans converged on the Pontiac Silverdome outside Detroit to see Hulk Hogan defend his championship against Andr? the Giant. For several years, Vincent Kennedy McMahon had been transforming old-time rasslin' into mainstream \"sports entertainment,\" incorporating A-list celebrities into storylines and forcing even cynics to follow the proceedings. But the massive turnout for \u003ci\u003eWrestleMania III\u003c\/i\u003e convinced sponsors, licensees, and media conglomerates that the company that would become World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was no longer a fringe diversion for the unwashed masses; it was now legitimate physical theater worthy of global attention. From this point forward, it would be acceptable for devotees to make the annual pilgrimage to \u003ci\u003eWrestleMania\u003c\/i\u003e from the far corners of the Earth, the way others journeyed to the World Cup or Super Bowl. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eBIGGER! BETTER! BADDER! \u003c\/i\u003eis the story behind the seminal event, told from the perspective of company executives, wrestlers who appeared on the card, fans who attended the show, and other wrestling personalities. But wrestling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg also examines the entire industry at the time, including insights from representatives from the rival promotions McMahon was putting out of business as pro wrestling transitioned from a regional phenomenon into an international juggernaut.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKeith Elliot Greenberg\u003c\/b\u003e is a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author, as well as a monthly columnist for \u003ci\u003eInside the Ropes Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. A lifetime New Yorker, he co-authored the autobiographies of \"Classy\" Freddie Blassie, Ric Flair and \"Superstar\" Billy Graham, as well as two editions of the \u003ci\u003eWWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment\u003c\/i\u003e. His previous books for ECW Press include \u003ci\u003eToo Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFollow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBest Seat in the House: My Life in the Jeff Healey Band\u003c\/i\u003e, co-written with Tom Stephen. He regularly appears as a wrestling historian on A\u0026amp;E's WWE documentary series.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"ECW Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51200826409234,"sku":"9781770417854","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_19381018-733b-483d-a69d-a8f59cb2d6bf.jpg?v=1744903294","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bigger-better-badder-wrestlemania-iii-and-the-year-it-all-changed-9781770417854","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}