Bill Apter
Encyclopedia
Bill Apter is a journalist
specializing in professional wrestling
and best known for the kayfabe
or so-called "mark" magazine
s for which he edited and photographed matches from the 1970s to the present. The magazine he became most prominently known for was Pro Wrestling Illustrated
. Apter was so closely associated with these popular magazines that they were often known colloquially as "Apter mags."
for several wrestling and boxing
magazines published by Stanley Weston
, including The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling. He eventually moved up to the top editorial spot at Weston's wrestling properties. When wrestling boomed in popularity in the 1980s, Apter's (actually Weston's) magazines rode the wave, commenting and expanding on the storylines of the World Wrestling Federation
, Jim Crockett Promotions
and the American Wrestling Association
in addition to a multitude of smaller companies, plus providing readers with a wealth of exclusive interviews and photographs.
covers other sports. Despite Apter's reluctance to let his readers in on wrestling's "big secret" (both Apter and his mentor Stanley Weston were trusted by wrestlers and promoters, and were given information about match outcomes ahead of time), fans who bought the so-called "Apter mags" became more informed about the business than most casual wrestling viewers, especially if they were fans of the dominant WWF, which tended to act as if other promotions did not exist.
Apter also hosted a TV segment, the PWI Scouting Report, on Best of World Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett's NWA TV show broadcast weekly on Ted Turner's WTBS, as well as a stint with the nationally syndicated Pro Wrestling This Week TV news magazine, and segments on dozens of other televised wrestling shows. He was also the co-host of Pro Wrestling's very first commercial video (distributed by Vestron) called "Lords Of The Ring." His co-host was the "Walter Cronkite of Pro Wrestling" Gordon Solie.
In 1991, Apter helped compile the PWI 500, a detailed ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the world (according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated). PWI has published the list every year since its inception, and it has been and remains quite influential. Although Apter never wrote the actual list, he was one of the members of the staff who influenced the rankings.
Starting in the mid-1990s, the wrestling industry went through a radical transformation. As the Internet
became more and more popular, more fans gained access to news and information on the inner workings of the wrestling business. Promotions were no longer able to openly claim or imply that wrestling was legitimate competition, and ultimately, neither was Apter.
Eventually he left his kayfabe magazines and accepted the editorship of WOW Magazine
, a new glossy publication that assumed its readers knew the truth about wrestling. He also was a regular contributor on 'Sunday Night Slam', a wrestling talkshow on WCKG in Chicago from 1999 to 2000.
. Apter also contributes to the Italian wrestling magazine called "Tutto Wrestling Magazine" in a section called "Apter's Alley." He is the main face of wrestling website 1wrestling.com and has recently signed on with The Wrestling Federation (TWF), a league about to launch an internet-based show. Apter is also the Commissioner of Hawaii Championship Wrestling and several other International promotions.
In April 2011 Apter began working as a monthly columnist for Germany's Power Wrestling magazine.
family of magazines in Volume 20, 2008 of The Wrestler with a 90 minute question and answer session with Tammy Sytch. Apter has also done an interview with Nick Bockwinkle for another edition of "The Wrestler" magazine. He was a periodic contributor only and not an employee of the PWI family of magazines. Bill has not done any further work for the PWI family since the Bockwinkle interview. He maintains a friendly relationship with the magazine editors but no longer does any freelance work for them.
Apter works for www.1wrestling.com as an Editor, writer, and video-interviewer. He's also a columnist for the UK's Fighting Spirit Magazine. In addition Bill does award presentations and broadcasting (play-by-play and color commentary) for many promotions (including overseas for groups such as German Stampede Wrestling). He is a frequent host and guest at wrestling conventions all over the United States most notably WrestleReunion (see www.wrestlereunion.com).
Despite the changes in the industry, Apter is still passionate about the business and has no plans to retire!
Apter currently is a regular guest on the broadcast of the Voice Of Choice Nation wrestling radio show on 1360 WNJC in Philadelphia with The Voice of Choice Bruce Wirt. Wirt and Apter met while performing together at a show to help raise funds to battle breast cancer Apter also travels with Wirt periodically to promote the radio show.
In recent years Bill Apter has become a regular face as a host of pro wrestling fan conventions both in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The most prominent of these being WrestleReunion (www.wrestlereunion.com.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
specializing in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and best known for the kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
or so-called "mark" magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s for which he edited and photographed matches from the 1970s to the present. The magazine he became most prominently known for was Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
. Apter was so closely associated with these popular magazines that they were often known colloquially as "Apter mags."
Early career
Apter was a successful reporter-writer-photographerJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for several wrestling and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
magazines published by Stanley Weston
Stanley Weston
Stanley Weston was a prolific sportswriter and sports photographer. He promoted the sport of boxing in innumerable ways throughout his career...
, including The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling. He eventually moved up to the top editorial spot at Weston's wrestling properties. When wrestling boomed in popularity in the 1980s, Apter's (actually Weston's) magazines rode the wave, commenting and expanding on the storylines of the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
and the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
in addition to a multitude of smaller companies, plus providing readers with a wealth of exclusive interviews and photographs.
Success
Apter directed his publications at the common fan and usually operated under the premise that professional wrestling was not in any way scripted or predetermined. The editors of the magazines had the mentality that they were covering wrestling just like Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
covers other sports. Despite Apter's reluctance to let his readers in on wrestling's "big secret" (both Apter and his mentor Stanley Weston were trusted by wrestlers and promoters, and were given information about match outcomes ahead of time), fans who bought the so-called "Apter mags" became more informed about the business than most casual wrestling viewers, especially if they were fans of the dominant WWF, which tended to act as if other promotions did not exist.
Apter also hosted a TV segment, the PWI Scouting Report, on Best of World Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett's NWA TV show broadcast weekly on Ted Turner's WTBS, as well as a stint with the nationally syndicated Pro Wrestling This Week TV news magazine, and segments on dozens of other televised wrestling shows. He was also the co-host of Pro Wrestling's very first commercial video (distributed by Vestron) called "Lords Of The Ring." His co-host was the "Walter Cronkite of Pro Wrestling" Gordon Solie.
In 1991, Apter helped compile the PWI 500, a detailed ranking of the top 500 wrestlers in the world (according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated). PWI has published the list every year since its inception, and it has been and remains quite influential. Although Apter never wrote the actual list, he was one of the members of the staff who influenced the rankings.
Starting in the mid-1990s, the wrestling industry went through a radical transformation. As the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
became more and more popular, more fans gained access to news and information on the inner workings of the wrestling business. Promotions were no longer able to openly claim or imply that wrestling was legitimate competition, and ultimately, neither was Apter.
Eventually he left his kayfabe magazines and accepted the editorship of WOW Magazine
WOW Magazine
WOW Magazine was a professional wrestling magazine which existed from 1999 to late 2001. It was originally launched with its debut issue in March 1999 by Mike Morris and H&S Media...
, a new glossy publication that assumed its readers knew the truth about wrestling. He also was a regular contributor on 'Sunday Night Slam', a wrestling talkshow on WCKG in Chicago from 1999 to 2000.
2000s
Apter is now a feature columnist for Fighting Spirit magazineFighting Spirit magazine
FSM is a monthly professional wrestling and mixed martial arts magazine published in the United Kingdom by Uncooked Media...
. Apter also contributes to the Italian wrestling magazine called "Tutto Wrestling Magazine" in a section called "Apter's Alley." He is the main face of wrestling website 1wrestling.com and has recently signed on with The Wrestling Federation (TWF), a league about to launch an internet-based show. Apter is also the Commissioner of Hawaii Championship Wrestling and several other International promotions.
In April 2011 Apter began working as a monthly columnist for Germany's Power Wrestling magazine.
Brief Return to PWI and More ...
Apter made his return (freelance) to the Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
family of magazines in Volume 20, 2008 of The Wrestler with a 90 minute question and answer session with Tammy Sytch. Apter has also done an interview with Nick Bockwinkle for another edition of "The Wrestler" magazine. He was a periodic contributor only and not an employee of the PWI family of magazines. Bill has not done any further work for the PWI family since the Bockwinkle interview. He maintains a friendly relationship with the magazine editors but no longer does any freelance work for them.
Apter works for www.1wrestling.com as an Editor, writer, and video-interviewer. He's also a columnist for the UK's Fighting Spirit Magazine. In addition Bill does award presentations and broadcasting (play-by-play and color commentary) for many promotions (including overseas for groups such as German Stampede Wrestling). He is a frequent host and guest at wrestling conventions all over the United States most notably WrestleReunion (see www.wrestlereunion.com).
Despite the changes in the industry, Apter is still passionate about the business and has no plans to retire!
Other careers
Along with former wrestler "Concrete Cowboy" Paul Swanger (aka "Paul Big Bear") Apter sings and does comedic work in an "old school" nightclub act. Apter also works for a non-profit company, AHEDD in Pennsylvania as an Employment Specialist. The company helps find jobs for people with disabilities and job coaching.Apter currently is a regular guest on the broadcast of the Voice Of Choice Nation wrestling radio show on 1360 WNJC in Philadelphia with The Voice of Choice Bruce Wirt. Wirt and Apter met while performing together at a show to help raise funds to battle breast cancer Apter also travels with Wirt periodically to promote the radio show.
In recent years Bill Apter has become a regular face as a host of pro wrestling fan conventions both in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The most prominent of these being WrestleReunion (www.wrestlereunion.com.
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling Institute and Museum
- Jim Melby Award (2012)
- National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Hall of FameNWA Hall of FameThe National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame is an American professional wrestling hall of fame maintained by the NWA. It was established in 2005 to honor select wrestling personalities, mostly alumni of the NWA. Inductees receive commemorative medals that have their names inscribed on it with the...
(Class of 2011)
- NWA Hall of Fame