It’s different wrestling world we now live in.
Back in the day, professional wrestlers would travel from city to city like a circus, with performers who acted like nomads and put on great acts to hordes of fans who watched in amazement. Matches were booked where the strong survived and in a rare instance, the underdog would pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
Today, even with the abolishment of Kayfabe, matches are booked to play to the strengths of the crowds. There are more “Davids” winning matches and Goliaths who are kinder and gentler. The most important person in this dance is the booker who decides everyone’s fate.
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The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa defined a booker in 1956 as "...any person who, for a fee or commission, arranges with a promoter or promoters for the performance of wrestlers in professional wrestling exhibitions."
Booking is also the term a wrestler uses to describe a scheduled match or appearance on a wrestling show.
Over the years, due to different regions, promotions and fans’ sensibilities, booking has become somewhat of a lost art.
Given that almost every angle has been explored and rehashed in time, finding new and innovative ways to get characters over has become a chore. Still, there are some “bookers” who got it right and made wrestling into what it is today.
Here’s a look at the five greatest bookers of all time:
#1 Vince McMahon
Regardless of what has happened with WWE over the past five years or so, there has never been a better booker in this business – period. Even before McMahon bought WWE from his father, he was working behind the scenes to produce a better product.
When he took over and created sports entertainment, which led to the creation of Hulkamania and later WrestleMania, McMahon showcased talent in ways others had never thought of. He made The Rock, Steve Austin and John Cena household names.
McMahon also produced vibrant pay-per-view events and created one of the greatest characters in wrestling history – The Undertaker – and of course, his own character, Mr. McMahon. There likely will never be another owner/promoter with such a keen foresight of the constantly-evolving pro wrestling business.
For the most part. McMahon has tried to keep up with the times.
#2 Dusty Rhodes
One of the best and worst things about Rhodes in his career could have been his position as a booker in the NWA and WCW.
The three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion was known to create matches that were exciting (The Dusty Finish), events that engaged fans in the southern US (The Great American Bash) and feuds that were downright nasty (Anything having to do with the Four Horsemen).
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Rhodes was ridiculed for some of his decisions and for the way he and Jim Crockett became an exclusive couple in the NWA with its Board of Directors. The one thing he did well, amidst everything in his career, was book Ric Flair as the greatest world champion of all time.
In an era where champions toured from promotion to promotion, Rhodes made sure that the NWA Title was showcased week after week.
#3 Ole Anderson
Anderson’s work in Georgia with Georgia Championship Wrestling is one of the reasons why territories thrived in the early 1980s. Anderson was responsible for bringing the Road Warriors from the AWA to the NWA.
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He helped make Jake Roberts a solid regional star and gave Tommy Rich a real foundation as a babyface (which included a run as NWA Champion for four days). Anderson followed the paths of others like Eddie Graham, Rhodes, and Bill Watts – playing to the strengths of the rosters he had.
As a wrestler and a tag team specialist, he was also a mega heel back in the day as a member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. He and Gene Anderson were brawling-type wrestlers who beat their opponents into submission. Anderson’s work paved the way for the Four Horsemen.
#4 Paul Heyman
It seems that wherever Heyman has landed, he has become a focal point in front of and behind the scenes. Never has that been so true as his time in ECW. Heyman took a niche brand of house shows and made it a national staple as “extreme” wrestling became a real thing in the pro wrestling business.
Heyman played to his strengths. The fans wanted to see wrestlers push themselves to the limit, trying the bizarre and putting their bodies on the line. Table matches, playing with fire, the usage of weapons and more. ECW was unconventional and Paul Heyman made it work. Heyman took his chances and still does today with his promos.
Heyman helped create a following for Justin Credible, Sandman, Raven, Tommy Dreamer and others. He has a bigger impact on pro wrestling history than you may think.
#5 Bill Watts
Watts is famous for being the promoter of Mid-South Wrestling. Watts was the first man to create the current and popular "episodic" style of television. He also helped to make household names of Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, Ted DiBiase and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Watts used his promotion to make wrestling popular in Louisiana and Oklahoma. His work also brought the Midnight Express and the Rock and Roll Express to mainstream America. Watts was the first real booker to push African American talent to the top of the card.
Watts’ UWF promotion was benefitted by Jim Ross doing play-by-play and the addition of Jim Cornette as a manager of the Midnight Express. Most of Watts’ talent eventually moved over to the NWA and WCW.
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