Book Pro Wrestlers

WrestleMania IV. Atlantic City. Trump Plaza.

Most fans spent that weekend trying to catch a glimpse of André the Giant.

Book Pro Wrestlers reader Ann Marie Plouffe Ellis was lucky enough to be sitting just a few tables away.

This photo was taken by Ann Marie inside the Trump Plaza lobby bar during WrestleMania weekend. She was friends with André’s handler, Tim, and remembers the scene better than almost anyone.

What struck her wasn’t André’s size.

It was what he was carrying.

“I felt so bad for that guy all the time,” Ann Marie told us. “He was in constant pain and never anywhere comfortable for him… except for home.”

After we shared the photo, another member of the Book Pro Wrestlers family chimed in with a memory of the very same night.

Nate Parks wasn’t sitting in the bar.

He was working security at Trump Plaza.

According to Nate (another reader of the page,) security operated under a strict WWF directive that weekend. If problems arose involving WWF talent, security was expected to contact WWF management and talent relations before involving local authorities. Everything possible was handled in-house.

Nate remembered that André had become heavily intoxicated that evening and that security ultimately coordinated with WWF personnel to help get him back to his room.

Not through the casino.

Not through the crowds.

Through the back hallways of the hotel.

Ann Marie remembers watching as security surrounded André and guided him out. Nate remembers the concern among hotel staff as they made the trip upstairs.

One detail stayed with both of them.

If André had fallen, nobody was entirely sure how they were going to get him back up.

Think about that.

The most famous attraction in professional wrestling.

The man who packed stadiums around the world.

The giant who seemed larger than life to millions of fans.

And on this particular night, an entire team of people was simply trying to help him get back to his room safely.

That is why stories like this matter.

Not because they make André seem bigger.

Because they make him human.

Nearly forty years later, a fan who sat a few tables away and a security guard who worked the hotel both remembered the same night, the same man, and the same feeling.

Nobody in that building ever forgot they were in the presence of André the Giant.

📸 Photo and memories shared by Ann Marie Plouffe Ellis. Special thanks to Ann Marie and Nate Parks for helping preserve a piece of WrestleMania IV history.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

THE DEFINITIVE MISS ELIZABETH PHOTO COLLECTION — A FULL LOOK

Miss Elizabeth’s story lives in moments… and every one of those moments is sitting inside this room.

Not replicas.
Not “inspired by.”
The real pieces from the real events — preserved exactly as fans remember them.

What you’re looking at today is the most complete visual archive of Miss Elizabeth ever assembled, and these photos barely scratch the surface.

Front and center:

✨ The actual SummerSlam ’89 red gown — the one she wore beside Randy Savage.
✨ Her late-80s black sequin dress — instantly recognizable from WWF television.
✨ Her original WrestleMania III necklace and jewelry, framed alongside a copy of a handwritten letter Liz sent to someone helping her shop for upcoming events.

Every frame, every dress, every note… it’s all tied directly to her career.

And that handwritten letter? One of our readers spotted it instantly. Jeremiah explained that it was a copy of a personal note Liz wrote to her stylist — something 99.9% of fans never even knew existed.

Surrounding these centerpiece items are museum-grade posters, outfits, promotional pieces, early photos, rare merchandise, and item after item that even hardcore collectors have never seen in person.

Some fans recognized pieces from the Frankfort exhibit last week. That’s because this entire collection belongs to Jeremiah Smith-Rouse, and he was the person trusted to loan those items to the museum.

Jeremiah told us he’ll be sending a full write-up after Thanksgiving, but he wanted readers to see the photos now — the same ones he shared privately with the museum.

This isn’t just a collection…
This is the preservation of Elizabeth’s legacy by someone who has protected her memory with care, passion, and respect.

Jeremiah, thank you for allowing fans to see this.
Liz, we still feel your magic every time we post you.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

After seeing all of the great posts that readers shared, I thought I would share mine.

Growing up, I didn’t watch a lot of wrestling because I grew up during the Attitude Era. My parents were worried that I would copy some of the language that was used.

I got into pro wrestling in 2011 when I was going through cancer. My friends invited me to join them on a road trip to Columbus, Ohio, on Labor Day to catch Monday Night Raw. Seeing John Cena preach about hustle, loyalty, and respect, and CM Punk say whatever was on his mind, got me hooked.

After that, I spent my time recovering from chemo watching and reading anything wrestling-related I could get my hands on. Eventually, that led to me going to any meet-and-greet I could find and attending every pro wrestling show near me.

I was diagnosed with cancer again in 2018 and celebrated beating it a second time by going to WrestleMania 35 in New York/New Jersey with my dad and cousin.

Here are some pictures from my journey as a fan of this business.

— Aaron William Sherman, Book Pro Wrestlers Reader

In 1998 my mom took me and my brother to an independent wrestling show at the civic center in McMinnville, TN.

As soon as you enter the gymnasium. The Bushwhackers were doing photo ops and autographs. That day in 1998 was when I got to meet and get photos with wrestlers. It is one of my favorite memories.

— Lee Gann, BPW Reader

This one starts in Denver, Colorado, where our reader — Craig Mac and Brandi were getting married. Craig grew up on wrestling, worked shows, ring-announced, and stayed close with a lot of the boys—reached out to Chris Masters and asked him for one simple favor:

“Would you come to our wedding?”

Chris didn’t blink. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t make it complicated.
He showed up. In blue. Smiling. Proud to be part of their day.

But that was just the warm-up act.

Because Craig had an idea…
A wrestling fan’s dream idea…

He started asking wrestlers to sign their marriage license.

Not to officiate.
Not to do the paperwork.
Just to sign it like a living guestbook of the business he loves.

And then came the moment that pushed this story into legendary territory:

Jerry “The King” Lawler signed the marriage license… in the wrong spot.

Which means—according to the State of Colorado and anyone with a sense of humor—

“The King” is technically married to Craig’s wife.
(He’s still laughing about it, by the way.)

But it didn’t stop there.

Because once the boys heard what was going on…
the signatures started flowing like an autograph line on steroids.

Kane.
Kid Rock.
Sergeant Slaughter.
Jimmy Hart.
A ton of others—legends, stars, friends from the road.

Every one of them putting their name on a marriage license that no other couple on earth can ever replicate.

And the best part?

Craig and Brandi weren’t just two fans passing through.
They were really living this life.

They grew up together as kids, lost touch, reconnected years later when Craig was ring-announcing in Texas… and wrestling became the thread that tied everything back together. From Texas to Colorado to Tennessee, from indie shows to conventions to backstage moments, they’ve collected memories with everyone from Miranda Gordy to JR to The Masterpiece himself.

But nothing—and I mean nothing—tops the wedding where:

Chris Masters showed up as a guest…
Jerry Lawler accidentally married the bride…
Kane and Kid Rock signed the paperwork…
And a whole lineup of wrestling names turned one marriage license into a once-in-a-lifetime artifact.

I always enjoy everyone’s stories here that they share. What’s your wrestling story?

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

“Got to meet Bobby Heenan in 1993 when the then World Wrestling Federation did a fundraiser at my high school. He was the absolute nicest man I ever met.

He broke character and took the time to talk with me and my friends after the event ended. And he was telling us all kinds of stories.

They (WWF officials) tried to make him leave and he absolutely refused until he was done talking with us. I will never forget that day as long as I live. From that point on it didn't matter if he was a heel or not.

To me he was always Bobby The Brain.
Greatest Manager ever. May he rest in peace.
God Bless his daughter and family. Gone but never forgotten.”

— Rex Allen, BPW Reader

🌟📸 : David Dickens, Contributor

Dana Kromenaker started going to wrestling in the 1970s and became part of a close-knit group of fans who followed the American Wrestling Association throughout Wisconsin. She wasn’t sitting at home reading results in a magazine weeks later. She was there. Night after night. Show after show. Camera in hand.

Most of the photos you’re about to see were taken at either the Milwaukee Arena or Milwaukee Auditorium during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Vern Gagne’s AWA was one of the hottest territories in professional wrestling. This was the era when André The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, Ken Patera, Brad Rheingans, Wahoo McDaniel, Superstar Billy Graham, Sgt. Slaughter and countless others regularly passed through Milwaukee on their way to becoming legends.

One of the most fascinating photos in this collection shows Dana standing beside the mysterious Super Destroyer II. For years, many fans have wondered who was under that hood. Dana confirmed what wrestling historians know today — it was future WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter, Bob Remus, years before he became one of the most recognizable characters in wrestling.

There’s another detail that makes the picture even better.

Dana told us she’s actually wearing a Super Destroyer T-shirt in the photo, but you can barely see it because Super Destroyer II was shielding her from fans who were crowding around him. The character was drawing that much attention.

The collection also captures a young Hulk Hogan before the red-and-yellow phenomenon changed wrestling forever. At the time, Hogan was still one of the AWA’s rising stars, drawing massive reactions throughout the Midwest before Vince McMahon came calling and turned him into a global icon.

You’ll also see Bobby Heenan during the period when he was still managing, wrestling, and causing trouble wherever he went. In the AWA, Heenan wasn’t just a manager — he was one of the promotion’s most entertaining attractions, constantly finding new ways to get under the skin of fans and opponents alike.

Dana also shared stories about the wrestlers staying near Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Airport. One of their favorite hangouts was a place called the Holding Pattern Night Club, located beneath the hotel where many of the wrestlers stayed. According to Dana, it wasn’t unusual to run into some of the biggest names in wrestling there after the matches. For fans lucky enough to be welcomed into those circles, the stories became memories that lasted a lifetime.

Every photograph in this set comes from Dana’s personal collection, preserved for decades in photo albums and boxes before finally being shared with all of us. Many have never been published before.

And that’s exactly why we love projects like this.

Because wrestling history doesn’t just belong to the wrestlers.

It belongs to the fans who lived it, documented it, and cared enough to save it.

Today we’re proud to share a small piece of Dana Kromenaker’s wrestling journey with all of you.

— Steve Stasiak
Book Pro Wrestlers

For most wrestling fans, seeing Randy Savage and Brutus Beefcake meant looking up at the ring from somewhere in the crowd.

For Chad Gregorits, it was a little different.

Thanks to his father Gene Gregorits — known to many as “Mean Gene” long before nicknames became trendy — Chad grew up around the wrestling business. Gene was deeply connected through the gym world and had friendships with many of the wrestlers who passed through Hershey, Pennsylvania during wrestling’s hottest years.

Because of that, Chad didn’t just watch the WWF come to town. He lived it when they were there.

He spent time backstage. Rode with the wrestlers. Listened to stories most fans never heard. While other kids were collecting action figures, Chad was shaking hands with the men those figures were based on.

July 17, 1988. Hershey Park Arena.

WWF Champion Randy “Macho Man” Savage and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake are making their way toward the ring. The crowd is waiting. The match is moments away.

And right between them is young Chad Gregorits.

Not because he won a contest.

Not because he bought a ticket.

Because for a brief moment in wrestling history, this was simply his world.

📸: Chad Gregorits

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

Joseph Lampo messaged the page and said he had a handful of candid photos from the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era — the kind of shots fans never get to see, the kind you could only take if you were in the right place at the right time.

Next thing you know… he starts sending them.
And these are the real deal.

Triple H in peak condition.
Shawn Michaels relaxed and laughing in the wild.
Steve Austin.
The Rock.
Chyna.
Stephanie McMahon.
Eddie Guerrero.
Moments frozen in time from 2000–2006… a period that shaped everything the business became.

These aren’t promo shots.
These aren’t media day photos.
These are the candid, unfiltered, real-life polaroids of the biggest stars in the world at a time when wrestling was changing every single night.

Joseph told us these were part of his personal collection — pictures he never even posted on his own Facebook — but when he saw how this community treats wrestlers with respect, he shared them with all of us.

Joseph, thank you for allowing us to share these.
For fans who lived through that era… and for younger fans discovering it now… these pictures are a gift.

More are coming as he goes through his collection.

— Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers

⭐️ Long before iPhones, long before filters, long before you could take 12 pictures just to pick one… you either got the shot or you didn’t. And thank God David Dickens Sr. always did.

His collection hits you right in that Golden Era heart. This is prime WWF—the kind of shots you grew up staring at in magazines and wishing you were there for. You’ll see Mean Mark Callous before the world called him The Undertaker, Paul E. Dangerously before he became the most powerful voice in the business, and legends from every corner of the map who somehow all crossed paths through David’s lens.

But here’s what makes this set different…
It’s not just Golden Era WWF—even though that’s the backbone.
It’s everybody.
Every territory. Every era. Every style.
If they meant something to wrestling, chances are David caught them in Camden, back when a fan with a camera could freeze a moment that would outlive the business itself.

These aren’t polished, rehearsed, media-day shots. These are the real ones—the moments that happened once, would never happen the same way again, and survived only because someone like David took that one chance before the wrestler walked past and the moment was gone forever.

And decades later?
We’re still talking about them.

David Dickens Sr. didn’t just take pictures… he preserved an era. Multiple eras, really. His eye, his timing, and his love for the business gave us a window back into the world we all wish we could revisit.

We’re proud to shine the spotlight on David—a trusted contributor whose photos remind us exactly why we built this page in the first place.

—Steve Stasiak, Book Pro Wrestlers