Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Tributes II is a vast improvement over the original. As much as I enjoyed the first volume of "Tributes," I feel it was riddled with way too many photographs at the expense of the stories. Several of the tributes ---most notably those of Giant Baba and Junkyard Dog--- were edited down from the original appearance in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (not to mention the original "Grassroots" paperback publication of Tributes). In the case of the Junkyard Dog obituary, the omissions took out a lot of the emotion behind the story.
The appearance and text of Tributes II really shines. Dave Meltzer's journalism is every bit as sharp as before, but much less of his written word winds up on the cutting room floor to make room for the umpteenth full page color photo.
For those of you who have never read Dave Meltzer's work before, you will find that The Grim Reaper is often his finest muse. While a collection of obituaries might seem like a grim read to those unfamiliar with the inner workings of the pro wrestling industry, this is far from the case. Dave does an especially good job covering both the glory and complications in the life of a wrestler. You will read about wrestlers who lived long, fascinating lives (Freddie Blassie, Johnny Valentine, Stu Hart), as well as wrestlers who lived fast and fell hard (Davey Boy Smith, Hawk, Curt Hennig). Perhaps the most difficult read is the tribute to Owen Hart, who did not live fast, and whose tragic accident seemed preventable.
Bret Hart writes a particularly moving foreward to Tributes II, where he talks about the love/hate relationship he and other wrestlers had with Dave Meltzer's newsletter when it first became the rage in the mid 1980s. The wrestling community resented Meltzer for spilling the secrets of a tight-lipped industry, but its members were always asking fellow wrestlers if they had a copy of the current issue they could borrow. Hart tells about his own transformation from a hesitant Wrestling Observer reader to a wrestler who realizes that an insider sheet can benefit the wrestlers in an industry where the grapplers often get short changed by unscrupulous players.
A nice bonus is the DVD that accompanies the book, which has Meltzer sharing his thoughts on the wrestlers featured in this edition. When I popped the DVD in, I was expecting a 15 minute "take it or leave it" interview. I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a little over one hour of high quality interview time!
While the previous edition of Tributes is a must read, Tributes II immensely exceeds its depth and quality. If you want to shell out your money on only one edition, "Tributes II" wins by a wide margin.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Tributes II: Remembering More of the Worlds Greatest Wrestlers (Wrestling Observer)
This detailed chronicle looks at the lives, times, and deaths of the biggest names that the sport of professional wrestling has produced. Picking up where Tributes: Remembering Some of the WorldÂ's Greatest Professional Wrestlers left off, author Dave Meltzer focuses on sports entertainmentÂ's most recent and high-profile losses, including Road Warrior Hawk, Curt Hennig, Elizabeth, Stu Hart, Tim Woods, Davey Boy Smith, Gorilla Monsoon, Terry Gordy, Wahoo McDaniel, Johnny Valentine, The Sheik, Freddie Blassie, and Lou Thesz. Tributes II: Remembering More of the WorldÂ's Greatest Wrestlers also offers expanded versions of some of the most popular profiles from Tributes, including Owen Hart, and Andre the Giant. Offering candid and detailed accounts of bona fide wrestling legends and a foreword by Bret Hart, Tributes II takes its place among the most important books ever written on the world of pro wrestling. Tributes II also includes an in-depth interview with Dave Meltzer that will take readers Beyond the Book. This very candid, personal interview will give fans even more insight into the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling.
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