{"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\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e ECW Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/25\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781770417854\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.50d","brand":"Keith Elliot Greenberg","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45276332458165,"sku":"9781770417854","price":19.51,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_65bc30bd-33fb-449c-932a-c876dc834782.jpg?v=1744122847","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/bigger-better-badder-wrestlemania-iii-and-the-year-it-all-changed-9781770417854","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}