Ads From a 1987 Pro Wrestling Magazine

Being a big wrestling fan growing up, I bought all of the “Apter mags” I could get my hands on.  They were great for the news, which was already 3 months old by the time you read it, and the stories about my favorite wrestlers.  What I didn’t discover they were great for at the time was the advertisements found within.  Sure, I would see something advertised and drool over it, but I never gained the appreciation for all those ads until much later in life.

I was flipping through an issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated the other day, and it was filled with cool ads that I thought I would share with you.  So here they are, a collection of pro wrestling ads from 1987.

Pro wrestling VHS tapes were the holy grail for a young wrestling fan like myself.  I wanted both of these tapes back in the day, but could never swing the ridiculous price to own them at the time.  Fortunately, I did get an uncut, satellite feed copy of Starrcade ’86 a few years ago.

And speaking of videotapes, here is a real gem!  For just $45.20 ($98.60 in 2018 dollars) I could have owned this awesome tape.  If you don’t know what this match is, it is the legendary, riot inducing, hair vs. hair steel cage match in Memphis TN. between Jerry “The King” Lawler and Austin Idol.  If you’ve not seen it, check it out here on YouTube, and be sure to watch for the surprise ending that caused the riot.

The NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions was my favorite wrestling to watch in the ’80s, and this “official” merchandise is one of the things that used to make me salivate.  I’ll take the Rock & Roll Express and Magnum T.A. shirts, please.

This Champions of the Galaxy Game always intrigued me as a young fan.  I always wondered how it worked, and a few years ago, I picked up Legends of the Ring game from the same company.  It is a well-designed game, and it’s no wonder it has lasted 30 years with the fantastic gameplay it delivers.

This is one of many ads you could find in all the wrestling magazines advertising their subscriptions.

Michael P.S. Hayes had a pretty decent song in Badstreet USA, but I have no idea how good this follow up album was.  I wonder what it cost him to run these ads in all the magazines at the time?

Here is another pro wrestling role-playing game from the era.  Unfortunately, I don’t have any info on the game, other than this advertisement.

Now you too can show your support for Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine by sporting this cool merchandise.  Did anyone really love the magazine so much they paid those prices just to advertise for them?

And last, but not least, an ad for the very first two pro wrestling videotapes released.  Both were put out in conjunction with Pro Wrestling Illustrated, and both were very pricey….especially considering each was only a half-hour tape of highlights.  The Ringmasters tape featured highlights of Great American Bash ’85, while Lords of the Ring was a compilation of highlights from various territories.