Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers (Wrestling Observer)

Rating:
Summary: A Tough Read
Review: As a lifelong wrestling fan who enjoyed watching every wrestler profiled in the book, I anxiously awaited its arrival after I had ordered it. However, since I started reading, it has grown increasingly difficult to continue because of the poor writing and editing displayed on the pages. The profiles have poor flow, as Meltzer jumps back and forth in chronology. Despite one review saying the book was not "heavily edited" like the first, it appears as though each profile was indeed edited, as numerous unclear references to people/places/events occur. Despite the fact that I like the material covered in the book, the basic elements of good storytelling really make this a tough book to read. I especially dislike that - aside from Owen Hart - the actual deaths and circumstances for the various wrestlers are completely left out of the book. If you simply like looking at pictures and don't care that the text is sorely in need of a good editor, buy this book. If you prefer to actually have what you read make sense, you may want to skip this one.

Rating:
Summary: Dave Meltzer Does it Again However..........
Review: I am a subscriber to this author's weekly news letter and I had purchased and read tributes one so I know the quality of this author's work and his awesome writing skills. This book is great and the wrestlers covered are superb. I hope he writes a tributes three. You can read the others reviews for specific content all I want to mention is there needs to be photo progression of the people written about and for some reason this did not flow quite like the first one did. However, I strongly encourage everyone to buy this book because dave Meltzer is still a better writer than 90% of the wrestling writers churning out books today.

Rating:
Summary: Omission?
Review: I am sure this will be an excellent book with a lot of details on the deceased, but a question lingers: Why wasn't Mike "Crash Holly" Lockwood included? I wrote this letter to Dave Meltzer and to the Wrestling Observer website's comment board and have received no answer:

**Dave:

Almost eleven months ago, you wrote this on the WO site:

"Got a few comments to make before the report starts. With the Smackdown tapings over, and unless this is inserted into the show late, the WWE would not have acknowledged the death of Mike "Crash Holly" Lockwood on either of its major shows this week. While Lockwood was not the superstar in the industry that people like Mike Hegstrand were, or a legendary figure like Stu Hart, he still worked for the company for more than five years, and was with them until only a few months ago. After praising Vince McMahon for how he's handled some of wrestling's recent tragedies and his personally going out of his way to do things like attend Hegstrand's funeral (and, as an understatement of the year, most of the time the two didn't see eye-to-eye) on the day of a television shoot, I'm even more disappointed in this. I'm not sure who made the call, or even why the call was made not to acknowledge it. Granted, from a television standpoint and with expected negative publicity coming regarding deaths of wrestlers in USA Today, the company has just done a lot regarding the Hawk death and it is "too soon." Unfortunately, that is part of the problem. But ultimately is was a call that comes across very callous to his friends and family about the company he wanted to work for since his childhood and that he defied a lot of odds, given his size, to have a nice run with."

Now, I know Crash never worked for you but I see something of a double standard here regarding your new Tributes II book. As a pro wrestling journalist -- some would say as THE pro wrestling journalist -- you have a responsibility to report. Granted, you did what was probably a wonderful piece on Mike Lockwood in your newsletter, and granted, it could be argued that he wouldn't be a "draw" in the new book, but it just stands out that you lambasted WWE for not immediately acknowledging the death while not including a profile in your new book. That said, was Art Barr a "draw" in the first book? Long time fans like myself know who Mr. Barr was, but do newcomers and people who may want to read the book based on the legendary names on the cover know who he was? Nope. But this is all assuming that the "drawing power" is the reason you chose not to include Mike Lockwood in the book. I'd hate to think that you forgot. We all loved Owen and Andre, but it would have been nice to get a newer profile in this new book, instead of profiles on wrestlers we've already had profiles on, albeit updated ones.

This is nothing personal. I just thought I'd point out what to me was a glaring mistake on your part. Good luck with the book, and I will still be buying it. **

I am not discouraging anyone from purchasing the book, but I would like some kind of answer to this question. Enjoy the book, as I will.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Really confused. One person wrote a review "Tommy G" admits that he hasn't read the book yet...gives it 5 stars.

Paul Salecker gives it 2 stars, based on his review he didn't read it either. He asks "how did Groilla and Terry Gordy pass" had you read the book IT TOLD YOU! If you write a review at least read the book.

This book is infiitely better than the first. This is not heavily edited and the content is so much better. Not to mention (which is why I know Paul didn't read the book) an exclusive DVD whis is incredible! The DVD alone is worth the book price of $24.95, but is free with the purchase of the book. In the video Dave talks for nearly an hour on all subjects of wrestling. This is clearly a great wrestling book one that every fan will enjoy. If you don't want to read the book just play the video, trust me you will love it...how do i know? unlike Paul and Tommy G I've read the book

Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than Volume One!
Review: 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.