An opening chronology covers 708 BCE (wrestling added to the Olympics) to 2013 (wrestling dropped from, then reinstated to the Olympics; Wrestlemania 29). The introduction goes into more detail, alternating between sport and sports entertainment (e.g., "20th-Century Amateur Wrestling--1920-1948"; "20th-Century Professional Wrestling--Post-World War II"). . . .Dictionary entries range from a few lines to two pages and include people (e.g., Gorgeous George; Vincent K. McMahon; Dan Gable), organizations (e.g., World Wrestling Entertainment; Amateur Athletic Union), terms (e.g., lucha libre; kayfabe; featherweight). Entries give basic biographical information, titles held, postretirement activities, and occasional odd asides. . . .[R]esearchers in need of a reputable source to cite for basic data have it here. Cross-references and see/see also references are provided. The many appendixes include lists of champions for amateur wrestling, and real and ring names for professional wrestling. The bibliography may be useful for researchers. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers.

Choice Reviews

Wrestling in its pure form—at the high school, college, and Olympic levels—is an exciting, unpredictable, and very competitive sport. Monday night wrestling, or 'wraslin' is not. There is a reason for the 'E' in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is all about entertainment and this latest volume in the publisher’s Historical Dictionaries of Sports reflects the scripted version of wrestling. Although various wrestling holds, moves, and history are included, Grasso’s work is more about Monday Night Raw and other professional organizations—the televised versions. Readers will find out more about Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Harte than wrestling in its amateur form. The dictionary is an alphabetic listing of who, what, and when with a chronology, abbreviation list, and brief introduction included. Eleven appendixes document various features such as nicknames, hall of fame wrestlers, and prominent pay-per-view WWE events. There are references to NCAA champions and Olympic wrestling but the heavy emphasis is clearly the hulking athletes and entertainers who come alive on weekly television and now the newly launched WWE network.

American Reference Books Annual