WWE Superstar Handbook aimed at younger audience
The WWE Superstar Handbook is a 207-page stat-filled guide on over 300 superstars, from Smackdown, Raw, NXT, NXT UK, and legends alike.
Written by Jake Black and published by DK, this compact handbook is full of pictures and fun-fact bubbles to accompany, mentioning each superstar’s bios as well as a list of their finishing maneuvers and some of their rivals.
This book is a fun introduction of the WWE to younger fans of the product, as they will take nicely to the picture-heavy material and short, concise written biographies. Not only does the book cover superstars from today, but it also goes through many superstars from the past; names that younger fans may not be too familiar with coming into the book. Keep in mind, that some of these superstars included have already been released by the company since the book’s original publishing date.
Some of these legends of the past include Bam Bam Bigelow, Chief Jay Strongbow, Ken Shamrock, Cowboy Bob Orton and Vader, just to name a few. Growing up as a young fan myself, I would have loved to have a handbook like this, as it is an informative yet fun way to learn about the WWE superstars and legends. I was definitely clueless about the WWE legends that preceded the stars I watched on television at that time, and I wasn’t able to learn much about them using a guide like this, as this was not an available product at that time. For young fans today, they have the wonders of the internet and innovative books such as this one to fuel their wrestling knowledge.
This book reminds me of a very similar formatted handbook I purchased in 2015 called the WWE Ultimate Superstar Guide, also published by DK. Except that book featured cartoon versions of the superstars and legends, very children-oriented in a sense. However, this handbook is not limited to just young fans or new fans of WWE. I believe fans that love to read up on cool statistics and learn more about their favorite superstars, would absolutely enjoy this product also.
Even as an older fan of professional wrestling, I am never not open to the idea about learning more about the sport. Whether it be watching legendary matches of the past or reading articles, stories, and wrestling encyclopedias if you will, I am always searching for more ways to improve my wrestling knowledge. This handbook accomplishes that desire perfectly. It serves as an easy to read and easy to carry book that will surely keep you turning each page to learn more about every superstar included.
Many fans today are unable to keep up with all of the WWE shows. Some stick to the main shows, Raw and Smackdown. Others are able to catch NXT and NXT UK also. However, for those unfamiliar with the NXT superstars, they can utilize this handbook to keep themselves posted about the stars of those shows.
Adding on to that point, NXT and NXT UK are very niche products. They are definitely catered to more ‘hardcore’ fans of professional wrestling, as it varies largely different to its mainstream counterparts. Ergo by reading this handbook, the introduction of their superstars to younger fans or more ‘casual’ fans of the WWE product, they may tune into NXT and NXT UK to see exactly what these superstars are capable of in the ring.
Furthermore, I absolutely loved how each superstar’s finishing maneuvers were mentioned in their biographies. Of course, many wrestling maneuvers are named to the likeness of their execution, such as an elbow drop, suplex, bodyslam, or armbar. However, some superstars have unique names to their finishers to the akin of their wrestling personas. And so, for a fan that might not know the correct finisher names of every superstar, they can use the WWE Superstar Handbook to learn them.
Overall, the WWE Superstar Handbook is a fun read for any wrestling fan. Though it is definitely oriented towards a younger audience and for those not so familiar with the WWE, I think all fans can find this product to be an informative and entertaining read. At an affordable price of $14.99 USD / $18.99 CAD, this is a unique method to learn more about the WWE and its superstars.
