We've talked about PWI memories now lets remember the "official" publication of the World Wrestling Federation I had a subscription from around 1988 until 2004 or so( yes until I was around 25). Loved this magazine as a kid and would read it from cover to cover.

 

oddly enough I think I enjoyed it the most during the horrific new generation years with stuff like "advice for the lovelorn with Shawn Michaels and Alundra Blayze, Scoop Sullivan, letters to the editor, the insider and all the video game stuff. For awhile our local cable wasn't offering WWF PPVs and I would go over all the results in the magazine.and lock them to memory including who pinned who

 

 

they would release PPV cards months in advance (off the top of my head Ahmed Johnson v Owen for the iC title was announced for Summerslam 96, etc.).

 

I think it lost some appeal when Vince Russo took over and it had a more cynical tone (like isn't wrestling so stupid if you really think about it) I liked the corniness of the kayfabe during the Linda McMahon years

I remember doing my best to scribble out Savage's face with a marker on the cover of every magazine I had after he turned on Hogan. It was a lot of fun being an 8 year old wrestling fan. I didn't have cable until 1991 so outside of catching Superstars on Fox, I was dependent on magazines for all wrestling content. Read WWF, PWI and depending on the cover, The Wrestler / Inside Wrestling / Sports Review Wrestling over and over and over to get my fix.

I read pretty much every issue since my dad bought me the issue previewing the 1990 Survivor Series until around 2003 or 2004. I loved the crazy, corny articles and the vibrant photos.

 

Vince Russo released the Raw Magazine with the Sunny and Sable dueling lingerie pictorials just in time for puberty.

 

One year I sent in a card to order a subscription and checked the "bill me later" box and the magazine kept coming to my house for a few years after that.

Stevie Richards had his own column at one point.

I also have fond memories of the WWF magazine. My father used to buy it for me each month along with the weekly tabloid and TV guide that had two page wrestling spreads. Try as you may, you can never recreate that sort of magic. I remember a slightly unpopular girl at school bringing a copy of the magazine to school to garner attention from the boys. Went well until someone brought a ninja turtle figure.

The feature on Foley in Japan was probably a seminal moment in my wrestling fandom.

Jerry Lawler did some weird knights of the round table piece with his coat of arms building up his KOTR '95 match with Bret Hart, there's also a picture of him barefoot stood in slop next to a horse. 14 year old me didn't like it.

The first issue I ever bought was right after Hogan won the title in 84. I remember it contained an article on the Von Erichs as well. Which I thought was super cool since I loved World Class just as much if not more than the WWF at the time.

I think I subscribed for a year between 94 to 95. The cover I always remember is Alundra Blayze showing off the implants in a bikini with Diesel eating watermelon. Bret and Razor are just looking on.

As someone who attended SummerSlam 96', I definitely recall the magazine prior to that show hyping Ahmed/Owen AND an Ultimate Warrior match that never happened.

 

I always liked the Vic Venom columns, too, but I was also 12 and for whatever reason believed his "inside scoops" were 100% accurate predictions of what was going to happen in the upcoming months, even the outrageous stuff about a "certain former WWF Champion coming back to RUN WILD, BROTHER!"

The first issue I ever bought was right after Hogan won the title in 84. I remember it contained an article on the Von Erichs as well. Which I thought was super cool since I loved World Class just as much if not more than the WWF at the time.

Wasn't it called Victory? It was the program you bought at shows and there'd be a loose mimeographed page with the night's card tucked in.

The first WWF magazine I ever bought was in 1993, with Bret holding Papa Shango in the Sharpshooter on the front cover. As a stocking filler for Christmas this past year, my girlfriend went on eBay and bought it for me again, which was pretty damn cool. But what struck me most in going through it was that in the middle of the usual WWF magazine fare is this one plain white page, which reads something like "The WWF has been coming under heavy fire from certain ex-wrestlers on improper allegations. Starting next month, WWF will break its silence and defend its image". I had no recollection of this at all.

 

Also, I remember asking my mom to drive me to buy an early 94 copy (Shawn Michaels on the cover I think?) from a newsagent. On the way back, as I'm immersed in it, my Mom runs over somebody who was sprinting across the road. Ahhh nostalgia.

 

Glazing at this advert for hours and hours...

I seem to recall Stephanie McMahon briefly having a monthly column that was a mix of kayfabe and shoot. One story was her getting flack from a teacher for wearing too much make up and too short of a skirt (which I believe was true and she has told before) Also one of her going to a party with a guy and Shane showing up and forcing her to come home. This was when she was a babyface being strung along by Shane and Vince.

 

also, poor Alundra appeared more in the magazine than she did on WWF television. They had a story of her getting well from Bertha Faye breaking her nose. In reality she was getting a nose job and a new set of implants (as seen by the aforementioned cover)

 

and of course there is the famous Bret/Bart Simpson cover which I kept for years

 

The first issue I ever bought was right after Hogan won the title in 84. I remember it contained an article on the Von Erichs as well. Which I thought was super cool since I loved World Class just as much if not more than the WWF at the time.

Wasn't it called Victory? It was the program you bought at shows and there'd be a loose mimeographed page with the night's card tucked in.

No this was after the Victory mag. I believe it was the first official WWF magazine. I still have it.

I don't see the earliest WWF Magazine commercial online, which is unfortunate, as it's a pretty cool piece of history.

This site has pics of all the WWF magazine covers organized by name and year. Kind of cool to look back on.

 

http://www.thewrestlingfanatic.com/magazines_wwf.html

The first WWF magazine I ever bought was in 1993, with Bret holding Papa Shango in the Sharpshooter on the front cover. As a stocking filler for Christmas this past year, my girlfriend went on eBay and bought it for me again, which was pretty damn cool. But what struck me most in going through it was that in the middle of the usual WWF magazine fare is this one plain white page, which reads something like "The WWF has been coming under heavy fire from certain ex-wrestlers on improper allegations. Starting next month, WWF will break its silence and defend its image". I had no recollection of this at all.

 

 

I remember at least one of these columns, titled something like "Now It's Our Turn" and it was a mass of text refuting the steroid and sex allegations of 1992. As a nine-year old boy reading this stuff during my lunch period at elementary school my head was spinning out of control.

 

 

Glazing at this advert for hours and hours...

Me, too!

 

The first WWF magazine I ever bought was in 1993, with Bret holding Papa Shango in the Sharpshooter on the front cover. As a stocking filler for Christmas this past year, my girlfriend went on eBay and bought it for me again, which was pretty damn cool. But what struck me most in going through it was that in the middle of the usual WWF magazine fare is this one plain white page, which reads something like "The WWF has been coming under heavy fire from certain ex-wrestlers on improper allegations. Starting next month, WWF will break its silence and defend its image". I had no recollection of this at all.

I remember at least one of these columns, titled something like "Now It's Our Turn" and it was a mass of text refuting the steroid and sex allegations of 1992. As a nine-year old boy reading this stuff during my lunch period at elementary school my head was spinning out of control.

 

 

There never was a part 2...

"Hey Kids, this clown you've never heard of is saying bad things about your heroes, like Bret .

I always thought it was weird that Savage and Liz's divorce was announced in WWF Magazine

My favorite memory is the WWE Magazine piece that launched a major WrestleMania angle - the pics of Ric Flair and Elizabeth. "She was mine before she was yours. Wooooooooo!"

 

Even as a kid, I knew the pics were somehow bullshit because Flair had short hair in them, even though he had long hair earlier in his career when this supposed relationship with Elizabeth was going on. Still, it was a cool as hell storyline - much different and more "mature" than what the WWE was offering back then.

This thread has made me want to buy a copy of the WWE Magazine. I know it's entirely different now but the next time I'm at the grocer I'm going to grab a copy.

 

I might grab a PWI, too, but they're $9.99 USD these days.

victim of the budget cuts

 

last issue will be in October

 

1984-2014

Amazed by this one. I know print is going out of style but still gets you when you see stuff like this go bye bye. Thought maybe they would go with the digital version only or something.