Top Ten Gift Ideas for Wrestling Fans

As an obsessed wrestling fan myself, I know what is important to me and my peers. Building a large video library of wrestling footage, wearing T-Shirts of our favorite wrestlers, and actually going to the shows. Wrestling fans often have other interests besides just the big company, World Wrestling Entertainment, and may want items from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Ring of Honor, or another smaller company. Make sure you know what kind of a wrestling fan you're buying for. Here are my Top Ten Gift Ideas For Wrestling Fans:

For "Smart Fans":

Many passionate wrestling fans try to amass as much knowledge as they can about wrestling. There are many great ways to feed their hunger for information such as particular DVD's and books. "Forever Hardcore" is a DVD featuring a collection of interviews with Extreme Championship Wrestling stars such as Sabu, Raven, Francine, Shane Douglas, Sandman, Joey Styles, and others giving their candid comments on their experiences with the company. I highly recommend it for any wrestling fan, regardless if they liked ECW or not. It gives plenty of insight into how the wrestling business works and a lot of juicy details about historical events. "Controversy Creates Cash" is Eric Bischoff's new book about his experiences running World Championship Wrestling and other aspects of his career in wrestling. Although I wouldn't put too much stock into how honest he is, it is still an interesting look into his perspective of how things transpired. "Ultimate Insider: Matt & Jeff Hardy" is an interesting DVD about the career of The Hardy Boyz. In it they talk about their tag team career as well as their singles careers. I am not particularly a fan of theirs', but I found the DVD to be very interesting and again, insightful. It is simply a 3 hour interview and there is nothing exciting, but it is worth the money in my opinion.

TNA: Best of the X-Division Vol. 1 + 2:

The X Division is sort of like a lightweight division, but it involves incredible skill and agility. AJ Styles, Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt, and Chris Sabin are just a few of the incredible athletes that make the X Division so popular. Sometimes they overdo it and make the matches look incredibly fake (yes, I know wrestling is staged), but when they do it right they really do it right! In my opinion Volume 1 is far superior to Volume 2, as the X Division has been on a bit of a decline, but regardless of the bad storylines, the matches are always solid. Anyone who has not seen these guys in action will be blown away as they witness the reality bending stunts. Wrestling fans familiar with the X Division most likely already love it for the most part. While sometimes I criticize them for doing too many stunts per match, I truly love what TNA chooses to put on the DVD's. I consider it to be a very important collection in wrestling history and it would make a fantastic gift.

Pay-Per-Views:

My aunt gave me a card and told me that I could order $150 worth of wrestling Pay-Per-Views. It was a fantastic gift because I often can't save up enough money to order wrestling PPV's as frequently as I'd like to. Wrestling Pay-Per-Views generally run from $30-$35 for the 3 hour event, but Wrestlemania is always around $50 because it is significantly longer than other PPV shows and it's the biggest wrestling event of the year. Pay-Per-View DVD's are always a great addition to any fan's collection. You can pick them up at most video stores. I find that Best Buy has fair prices while Sam Goody usually charges $5 extra or more.

Tickets To A Show:

If you know of a local wrestling company or the WWE is coming to town, buying wrestling tickets for a fan is a great way to let them know you care. Smaller companies usually only charge around $10 per ticket and WWE charges $20 for most seats and $40 for lower level seats close to the ring, except for at Pay-Per-View shows where the prices get significantly higher sometimes. Although, make sure that the person isn't bothered by large crowds. Sometimes it can be very frustrating going to a wrestling show when people are constantly blocking your view by standing and putting up their signs. But usually it's a great experience. The lights, the music, the pyrotechnics, and just seeing your favorite wrestlers in person is a great thrill. I will always remember my experiences at wrestling shows and I look forward to the next time I get to go to another show.

Toys & Miscellaneous:

Some fans are so into wrestling that they buy all of the products and memorabilia they can. There are literally thousands of wrestling action figures, replica championship belts, lucha (Mexican wrestling) masks, and other fun items available. Often times there are cool T-Shirts available for just about every wrestler, so finding out what kind of shirt a particular fan would wear would allow you to give them a unique gift. Some fans are embarrassed about liking wrestling and don't want to advertise, but if you know a fan who is fine with representing their love for wrestling, getting them their favorite wrestling shirt will make them very happy. Wrestling games such as RAW vs. SmackDown 2006 (and now 2007) are pretty advanced and entertaining. They are available for the Playstation 2 and PSP (Playstation Portable). Finding a lot of these things in stores is very difficult, so I'd recommend searching the internet for these special items.

TNA: Best of the Bloodiest Brawls:

While many responsible adults might feel somewhat leery about buying a DVD full of blood and weapons for their son or nephew, an older fan is a perfect recipient for this amazing collection of matches. Featuring Raven, Sabu, Abyss, and many others this DVD is a brutal, intense, and dramatic collection of the best of TNA's hardcore matches. I am not necessarily a fan of hardcore wrestling but the way that these matches played out were amazing. If you are buying for a fan of the old ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), this DVD will give them a nostalgic trip back to when hardcore wrestling was at its finest.

Traditional Wrestling:

There are many wrestling fans who still prefer wrestling from a previous generation. I recommend buying them the Dusty Rhodes DVD or the Ric Flair collection. Both are available at World Wrestling Entertainment's official online store. There are many other books and DVD's still available for fans of that 1970's-1980's era. If they have a VCR still, there's a ton of other classic VHS tapes that can be found on the internet at various places as well.

TNA: Best of Raven

Raven is a hardcore icon, most known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling. His character is that of a sick and twisted genius, a self-proclaimed underdog who uses underhanded tactics to get ahead. Even though he usually portrays a heel (bad guy), he is respected and loved around the world for his talents, and is actually a certified genius. Although he has only been in TNA for a few years, his matches have already garnered enough praise to put into a DVD collection. This DVD is one of my favorites in my wrestling collection. Matches against Sean Waltman (X-Pac), Sabu, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, and many others make for a spectacular viewing experience. If you are buying for a fan of hardcore (bloody) wrestling or that just loves Raven, this is an absolute must buy.

TNA: Best of Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is one big dude. But he flies across the ring with ease and his skill has gained him the respect of the wrestling world. Kurt Angle, a former 6 time Heavyweight Champion and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, praised Joe and called him the best in the wrestling business, besides himself of course. Joe's mixture of grace and intensity make him incredibly fun to watch. The DVD contains a plethora of his best matches including his classic match against AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in a triple threat at Unbreakable 2005, and singles matches against Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Sonjay Dutt, and many others. I am very fond of this DVD and I would suggest it to any wrestling fan who appreciates true wrestling ability. Samoa Joe has no frills, no silly character, just hard hitting wrestling skills.

Eddie Guerrero Merchandise:

It has now been one year since Eddie Guerrero's tragic and unforeseen death. For a true fan of Eddie, there is no better way to remember and celebrate his life than to relive classic moments and matches on his DVD, learn about his life in his book, and represent him with pride by wearing his specially made tribute T-Shirt. The DVD features Eddie's best matches such as his WWE Heavyweight Championship win over Brock Lesnar, his tag team matches with his nephew Chavo Jr., and his earlier matches such as vs. Chris Benoit at the Super J Cup Tournament in Japan. Whenever I go back and look at footage of Eddie Guerrero I get chills because he had such an amazing spirit. I can not imagine ANY wrestling fan not wanting the Eddie Guerrero DVD.

Those are my Top Ten Gift Ideas For Wrestling Fans. I hope that my list has been helpful in selecting a proper gift for the wrestling fan in your life. I always feel that it is important to find out what the person really wants, as they have their own tastes and you may end up giving them something they don't really want if you don't talk to them first. Have them make a list of possible gifts that they want and choose from that. Good luck in your search!