Greg Oliver (born February 2, 1971 in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sports writer Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

. He currently resides in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada.

Early life and education

He earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts in journalism, newspaper major, in 1993 from Ryerson Polytechnic University.

Writing

He is the author of seven books on professional wrestling, and six books on hockey. He is also the co-founder and producer of the Slam Wrestling website, which began as a part of the Sun Media family on the Canoe.ca website. On June 1, 2020, Slam Wrestling ended its association with Postmedia and established SlamWrestling.net. Oliver has contributed to many other publications, including ''

The Hockey News ''The Hockey News'' (''THN'') is a Canadian-based ice hockey magazine. ''The Hockey News'' was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Will Cote and has since become the most recognized hockey publication in North America. The magazine has a readers ...

'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', The ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'', ''

Kingston Whig-Standard ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by Postmedia. It has ...

'', ''

Kitchener-Waterloo Record The ''Waterloo Region Record'' (formerly ''The Record'') is the daily newspaper covering Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada, including the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, as well as the surrounding area. Since December 1998, the ''Re ...

'', '' Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', ''

Fighting Spirit Magazine ''Fighting Spirit Magazine'' (''FSM'') was a monthly professional wrestling and mixed martial arts magazine published in the United Kingdom by Uncooked Media. The publication launched in 2006, becoming the UK's largest professional wrestling magazi ...

''. As a teenager, he published ''The Canadian Wrestling Report'' (1985-1990). Oliver's work has been reviewed by ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', ''

Quill and Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'', ''Publishers Weekly'', ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...

'', '' London Free Press'', ''Kitchener-Waterloo Record'', ''New York Journal of Books'', and one book, ''Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys'', made ''

'' Top 10 for non-fiction in October 2013. The 2017 documentary, Sweet Daddy Siki, about professional wrestler Daddy Siki, Reginald "Sweet Daddy" Siki, was written by Oliver. In September 2021, it was announced that Oliver is working with

Madusa Debrah Ann Miceli (born February 9, 1964), better known as Madusa, is an Italian-born American monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is currently working for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as a producer. In 2015, she has ...

Debrah Miceli on her autobiography, covering her time in wrestling and in monster trucks. It will be out in the spring of 2023 from ECW Press.

Criticism

In July 2008,

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

, spoke at the

George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame The George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame museum located within the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum's Dan Gable Museum. The hall of fame honors wrestlers with a strong amat ...

, during the induction banquet for his father,

Stu Hart Stewart Edward Hart (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian amateur and professional wrestler, wrestling booker, promoter, coach, trainer, football player and sailor. He is best known for founding and handling Stampede Wrestling, a ...

, about Oliver. Upset over his ranking in one of Oliver's books – #14 in the greatest Canadian performers, behind

midget wrestler Midget wrestling is professional wrestling involving people of exceptionally short stature. Its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when wrestlers such as Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook, toured North America, and Sky Low Low was the first holder ...

Sky Low Low Marcel Gauthier (July 21, 1928 to November 6, 1998) was a Canadian professional midget wrestler who wrestler under the ring name Sky Low Low (a reference to Sky Hi Lee). Professional wrestling career Known by his midget wrestler persona "Sky Lo ...

– Hart called Oliver a "charlatan". Sports journalist

Heath McCoy Heath McCoy is a Canadian sports journalist and author, best known for his work on professional wrestling, having wrote two acclaimed books about Canadian professional wrestling. Career McCoy has written two non-fiction historical books about pr ...

also criticized Oliver for his placement of Hart, asking if he was joking with that decision and saying the book was highly biased toward Ontario wrestling.

Works

*''The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians'' (2002) *''The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams'' (with Steven Johnson) (2005) *''The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels'' (with Steven Johnson) (2007) *'' Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport'' (with Steven Johnson, Irv Muchnick and

) (2007) *''The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons'' (with Steven Johnson) (2012) *''SLAM! Wrestling: Shocking Stories from the Squared Circle'' (Editor, with Jon Waldman) (2012) *''Written in Blue and White: The Toronto Maple Leafs Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt'' (2014) *''The Goaltenders' Union: Hockey's Greatest Puckstoppers, Acrobats, and Flakes'' (with Richard Kamchen) (2014) *''Don't Call Me Goon: Hockey's Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys'' (with Richard Kamchen) (2015) *''Duck with the Puck'' (with Quinn Oliver) (2015) *''Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines: Hockey Contracts and Historical Documents from the Collection of Allan Stitt'' (2016) *''Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey'' (2017) *''Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton'' (2017) *''Santa's Day Job'' (2018) *''The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers (From the Terrible Turk to Twitter)'' (with Steven Johnson) (2019) *''Who's The Man? Billy Van!'' (with Stacey Case) (2020) *''Mat Memories: My Wild Life in Pro Wrestling, Country Music, and with the Mets'' (with John "Alexander" Arezzi) (2021)

Awards

*2021

Bill Fitsell John Walter "Bill" Fitsell (July 25, 1923December 3, 2020) was a Canadian journalist, writer and historian. He was a columnist for ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' from 1961 to 1993, and was the founding president of the Society for International ...

President's Award from the Society for International Hockey Research *2020

James C. Melby James C. Melby (1949-February 11, 2007) was an American professional wrestling historian and magazine editor, publishing almost 100 wrestling projects since 1991. Career Melby's first publication was ''Matmania'' which he started aged 15 in his h ...

Historian Award from the

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...

*2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalism from the

Personal

He is married to author Meredith Renwick, and he worked on the book, "Duck with the Puck," with their son, Quinn Oliver. His brother, Chris Oliver, is a well-known college basketball coach and instructor.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Greg Canadian sportswriters 1971 births Writers from Kitchener, Ontario Living people Professional wrestling journalists and columnists Professional wrestling historians