Best Wrestling Books in 2024: 77 Top Books On Wrestling

If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, then we have an interesting article for you today. In this piece, we’re taking a look at wrestling books and dropping a list of the top books on pro wrestling out there.

If you’re looking for the best wrestling books, then you’ve come to the right place!

We’ve listed these wrestling books in no particular order, as we’re assuming most readers are looking for a full range of different wrestling books to dip into.

So within the list, we’ve also included wrestler autobiographies (and biographies), books on wrestling history, books on specific wrestling events or timelines, and more.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the list of the best wrestling books you can get your hands on!

Best Wrestling Books – The Top Books On Wrestling

Let’s jump in and look at the best books on wrestling out there.

Hooker

Who was the greatest pro wrestler of the 20th century?

The debate is a real one among those who seriously study the history of this American pop-culture creation.

Like the arguments over any effort to crown “the greatest,” “the best,” or “the worst,” that answer is unlikely to ever be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. One fact is indisputable, though.

For those who watched wrestling before it became “sports entertainment,” there is only one answer — Lou Thesz.

The son of European immigrants, Thesz discovered his love of amateur wrestling as a shy eight-year-old, scuffling with his father at night on the linoleum floor of the family’s kitchen in south St. Louis.

He was a natural at the sport, blessed with lightning-fast reflexes and a determination to succeed.

He was obsessive about conditioning and hungry to learn, and those qualities eventually led him, as a teenager, into the closed and secretive world of pro wrestling, the only place where he could continue to compete on the mat.

This is Thesz’ story — an adventure that took him to the heights of his chosen profession at a very young age and eventually into rings throughout the world.

A devoted fan of pro wrestling, he won the respect and friendship of many of the legends.

In the 1940s, when television demanded more action and a flashier style of wrestling, he became the transitional figure, the link to the past.

Thesz decried the rise of “gimmick” performers like Gorgeous George and Buddy Rogers, who diminished the importance of the authentic style of wrestling he loved and practiced, but he adjusted because the bottom line of pro wrestling, as with any pro endeavor, was making money, and he could see where the future lay.

In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, he was the world heavyweight champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, its standard-bearer, and he carried those colors with dignity and class. “My gimmick was wrestling,” he said, and it was evident to anyone who ever bought a ticket to see Lou Thesz that he was the real thing.

“Hooker” was something of a sensation among wrestling fans when it was first published in the 1990s because it was among the first accounts ever published by a major wrestling star that discussed the business with candor from the inside.

Academics praised the book, too, for its clear depiction of an era and the rise of a cultural phenomenon.

This is a book for everyone with an interest in professional wrestling.

This new edition published by Crowbar Press contains pages and pages of new material — stories and anecdotes — none of which has been published in any previous edition and all in the voice of one of the legendary figures of the game.

Every sentence has been thoroughly combed over and vetted in order to answer any questions previously asked by readers, or to correct and/or re-order the “facts” as Lou recalled them, and each chapter now has detailed endnotes to further supplement the text.

Combine all those ingredients with all-new, spellbinding forewords by Charlie Thesz and Kit Bauman (comprising 26 pages), an extensive 32-page “addendum” in Lou’s own words, and a comprehensive name-and-subject index, and you have the definitive tome devoted to wrestling’s golden era.

This is “no holds barred” material — far more open and truthful than anything ever written about professional wrestling.

The Squared Circle

A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact

The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts more than 1 million page views)—a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to—and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream.

Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who—like him—grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture.

To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world.

Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony.

Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture.

Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art.

Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscence—but also offering a compelling look at the sport’s rightful place in pop culture—The Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for.

In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.

505 Wrestling Matches To See Before You Die

505 Wrestling Matches To See Before You Die looks back at over seven decades of pro wrestling history, offering expert analysis on the industry’s most memorable matches, from the brilliant to the brutal to the downright bizarre.

From WWE to New Japan Pro Wrestling… This comprehensive volume spans the globe across dozens of promotions to celebrate and condemn the art of professional wrestling at its best, its worst, its most meaningless, and its most meaningful.

Whether it’s Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant, or an Electric Heater folding a ladder, it’s all here.

This is, simply, a gargantuan list of pro wrestling matches you must see before your date with the Mortician – who, incidentally, appears on several occasions throughout.

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The Death of WCW

In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television.

Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. It seemed the company could do no wrong.

But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company having lost a whopping 95% of its audience was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest.

What went wrong? This expanded and updated version of the bestselling Death of WCW takes readers through a detailed dissection of WCW’s downfall, including even more commentary from the men who were there and serves as an object lesson — and dire warning — as WWE and TNA hurtle toward the 15th anniversary of WCW’s demise.

I’m Sorry, I Love You: A History of Professional Wrestling

For fans of books from Chris Jericho, Steve Austin, Daniel Bryan, Mick Foley and Jim Ross.

‘We have all felt every emotion today. Remember today, the next time a family member or workmate tells you that wrestling is stupid.

We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve screamed our lungs out. Professional wrestling is the greatest thing in the entire world.’ – Jim Smallman, 2016

Comedian and PROGRESS Wrestling founder Jim Smallman takes us on a wild ride through the history of pro-wrestling, from its beginnings at the turn of the twentieth century to the pop-culture, pay-per-view juggernaut that it is today.

Join Jim as he looks at the most defining and iconic moments in wrestling’s history and attempts to nail down just why this ludicrous, over the top, compelling quasi-sport means so much to so many people.

Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks

“Classy” Freddie Blassie is universally acknowledged as one of the most hated heels in wrestling history.

Freddie really knew how to antagonize the fans — how to “get heat.” Death threats were frequent, enraged fans stabbed him twenty-one times, and he was even doused with acid.

Undeterred, Blassie just took the action up a level. He reveled in being the heel.

It was almost commonplace to see him biting his opponents and then spitting out their blood. Blassie would routinely “file” his teeth during interviews. His matches in Los Angeles’ Olympic Auditorium brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

Freddie’s style and unpredictability made him a natural for the medium and he became one of the biggest draws in the wrestling business. In the early ’60s, this notorious heel was invited to wrestle in Japan.

Blassie both horrified and mesmerized sedate Japanese society. It was reported that a number of Japanese television viewers suffered fatal heart attacks after seeing Blassie bloody an opponent in the ring.

A child of immigrants, Freddie grew up in a working-class neighborhood in south St. Louis.

At seventeen, Freddie made his wrestling debut in a carnival. Unhappy with his choice of occupation, his family persuaded him to keep his “real” job, and for a while he worked as a meatcutter.

But after serving in the Navy in World War II, Freddie returned to the world of wrestling, which was at the time still something of a carnival sideshow. Here he picked up his catch phrase: “pencil neck geek.”

Early in his career, Blassie wrestled on cards promoted by Jess McMahon, and would later work for both his son, Vincent James McMahon, and his grandson, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the current owner of World Wrestling EntertainmentTM.

Even after his active days in the ring came to an end, he showed that he still had the power to generate heat: “Classy” Freddie Blassie became the manager of heels, transferring to a whole new generation of wrestlers the style and knowledge that had made him a legend of wrestling.

Blassie is still provoking the public, with his autobiography — Legends of Wrestling: “Classy” Freddie Blassie – Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks – written with Keith Elliot Greenberg. Freddie weaves vibrant tales of his days in wrestling with the likes of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Rock, George “The Animal” Steele, Capt. Lou Albano, John Tolos, The Destroyer, Killer Kowalski, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Iron Sheik.

He frankly chronicles his dealings with colorful members of the wrestling fraternity and the promoters, even recounting the controversies – like the infamous “boxer vs. wrestler” match with Muhammad Ali, who was managed by Blassie. His out-of-the-ring stories are equally compelling.

Freddie details his countless sexual exploits and his three marriages. He reflects on the cult status that he gained after his song “Pencil Neck Geek” rocketed to the top of the Dr. Demento Show playlist.

He recounts his touching relationship with comedian Andy Kaufman, who cast him in Breakfast with Blassie — an underground classic in which Blassie uttered: “What the hell ever happened to the human race?”

The Stone Cold Truth

On 14 January 2003 Steve Austin was voted the best professional wrestler of the last ten years in a WWE fan poll.

In addition to the WWE he has wrestled in the ECW, the WCW and WWF. He has been known as The Ring Master, Superstar Steve Austin, Stunning Steve Austin and now Stone Cold Steve Austin.

He has held the tag team belt in WCW and WWF, the Million Dollar Belt and the Intercontinental Championship in WWF. He won the 1996 King of the Ring, the 1997 Royal Rumble and the Larry Flynt Freedom of Speech Slammy.

Steve Austin is by far the best and most exciting wrestler today. A notoriously private man, this is the book his fans have been waiting for: his own personal story, told in full for the first time.

A Lions Tale: Around the World in Spandex

Chris Jericho is the first undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and WCW, and has been called one of the fifty greatest wrestlers of all time.

Now retired, he is writing his memoir, telling the story of his journey from wrestling school in Canada to his time in leagues in Mexico and Japan to his big break in the WCW.

He’ll dish the dirt on how he worked his way through the ranks alongside major wrestling stars like Chris Benoit and Lance Storm to become a major superstar.

The Rock Says . . .

The Rock says. . . “Know your damn role–and shut your mouth!” But that simple catch-phrase, embraced by the millions ñand the millions–of The Rock’s fans, can’t begin to capture the spirit and larger-than-life personality of the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment.”

In this action-packed, revealing and outrageously funny memoir, World Wrestling Federation Superstar The Rock recounts his life in and out of the ring with unapologetic honesty and inimitable style.

From his boyhood days traveling around the world with his father (professional wrestler Rocky Johnson) to his years as a football player at the University of Miami to his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Federation, The Rock Says. . .chronicles in vivid detail the life story of one of sports-entertainment’s most innovative and best-loved personalities.

The Rock recalls his injury-plagued career at Miami and a subsequent foray to the Great White North, where he discovered that in Canada being a professional football player is not exactly a glamorous life.

After a few months of sleeping on putrid, stained mattresses that he dug out of the garbage and subsisting on nothing but plain spaghetti, “D.J.” ditched his cleats forever and set his sights on the path of his father and grandfather–wrestling.

Performing first in the minors as plain old Dwayne Johnson, then as “Flex Kavana” and later as “Rocky Maivia,” he quickly became one of the World Wrestling Federation’s hopefuls.

But no matter how he tried to get over with the fans, the stadiums greeted him with chants of “Rocky sucks! Rocky sucks!”

He then adopted the brash persona of The Rock–a snorting, spitting, snotting, swearing son-of-a-bitch with the soul of a smart-ass comic and the body of an Adonis–and he found his true calling as the “People’s Champion.”

The Rock will take fans on a guided tour of big-time professional wrestling, a highly competitive business in which a handful of gifted and lucky performers dominate, and all others dream of a moment in the spotlight.

He provides a breathtaking, minute-by-minute account of Wrestle Mania, the Super Bowl of pro wrestling, including an intimate backstage look at rehearsals with his opponent, Stone Cold Steve Austin. And he discusses in heartfelt detail the loss of his friend and co-worker, Owen Hart.

Filled with genuinely touching stories of love and strife, hilarious anecdotes, inside accounts of an industry whose machinations have long been shrouded in secrecy and dozens of previously unpublished photographs from The Rock’s personal collection, The Rock Says. . .is–as The Rock himself might put it–“the coolest thing since the other side of the pillow if you smell what The Rock is cookin’.”

The Wrestling

This is a book about Kendo Nagasaki, Mick McManus, Les Kellett, Klondyke Kate and Dr Death – men and women who used to fight each other every night for pride and money.

Margaret Thatcher once wrote adoringly to Big Daddy, and Frank Sinatra told Giant Haystacks that British wrestlers were the best entertainers in the world. The Duke of Edinburgh attended the live shows, expressing a preference for Johnny Kwango, who specialized in head-butts. Millions would watch this curious pursuit on television every Saturday afternoon. Many said it was a fake, yet many more didn’t seem to mind.

But then Big Daddy had a stroke, the commentator started making sexploitation films and a plumber from Wolverhampton made an unexpected housecall on Kendo Nagasaki.

They took it off the television shortly after wrestlers started dying during the bouts. These days, those who are left like to talk.

 

 

Wrestling’s 101 Strangest Matches

Full of revealing interviews with the sport’s past and present stars and candid shots from the world’s foremost wrestling photographers, this book celebrates the game at its very strangest

Culled from 100 years’ worth of mat mayhem, this collection reveals the pseudo-sport’s oddest bouts—from the contest in which a tag team lost their championship belts six days before they won them, to the match that took place in an exploding swimming pool.

With a cast that includes Hulk Hogan, Kendo Nagasaki, Muhammad Ali, Andy Kaufman, a wrestling robot, and a monkey, this book takes fans well beyond the accepted canon of headlock history.

Self Help

Professional wrestler Al Snow delivers highlights from his onscreen antics and never-before-heard tales from the road in this high-flying memoir spanning 30 years in the ring

In the late 90s, wrestling journeyman Al Snow looked in the mirror and saw a man who needed help. A man whose reputation within the wrestling industry was excellent but whose career was going nowhere.

Channeling his frustration into the gimmick for which he would become best known, Al began talking to (and through) a mannequin head. With Extreme Championship Wrestling, Al reinvented himself as an unhinged neurotic and became one of the hottest acts in the most cutting-edge promotion in America when wrestling’s popularity was at its peak.

This led to a journey back to the industry’s main stage, World Wrestling Entertainment, during the wildly popular Attitude Era, and in the central role as a trainer and father figure on the MTV reality show, Tough Enough.

Now, after 35 years in the industry, Al Snow tells the stories of the unbelievable yet true events that formed his career, from his in-ring recollections to out-of-ring escapades, including drunken midnight journeys with a van full of little people, overuse of Tasers at autograph signings, and continual attempts on his life by assorted members of the animal kingdom.

Self Help is Al Snow at his best, delivering what everybody wants and needs.

Bobby The Brain: Wrestling’s Bad Boy Tells All

Bobby the Brain unleashes the life story of Bobby Heenan, better known as “The Brain” in wrestling circles.

He tells all about his experiences with Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Vince McMahon, and all the other personalities that every wrestling fan knows like a relative. Just like his career, this tell-all has no holds barred.

Wrestling with the Devil

Lex Luger, wrestling megasensation and three-time world heavyweight champion, ruled the ring for years as “The Total Package.” Whether he was making a dramatic entrance from a helicopter, defeating champ Hulk Hogan, or sculpting a near-perfect physique, Lex was on top of his game.

Yet backstage, he was wrestling with addictions to sex, drugs, and alcohol―things he clung to even when his mistress died suddenly of a drug overdose and Lex went to jail.

There, Lex faced the truth: he was losing the fight for his life. And still awaiting him was his most brutal opponent yet, when the wrestling champ found himself helplessly paralyzed from the neck down.

In Wrestling with the Devil, Lex Luger reveals never-before-told stories from his career, his struggle with personal demons, and how, through unexpected faith, grace, and redemption, he overcame all odds to fight the only battle that really matters.

The History Of Professional Wrestling Vol. 1: WWF 1963-1989: Volume 1

Since 2002, The History of WWE.com has served as the premiere online resource for the in- and out-of-the-ring histories of multiple wrestling companies. Now, for the first time in print, you have access to the thousands of dates, cities, and ring results that comprise pro wrestling’s past.

You yourself can now find the hidden gems, the main events that drew thousands, and the ones that only drew flies.

This first volume in “The History of Professional Wrestling” series contains EVERY known result from the World Wrestling Federation from its inception in 1963 all the way through 1989.

Did you know…?

While Buddy Rogers was recognized as WWWF World Champion for the better part of 4 months, he wasn’t presented with the title belt until mere weeks before his title loss to Bruno Sammartino?

The WWWF was operated as a territory in the northeastern United States. But in the days before a national or global audience, it was not uncommon to see the heavyweight champion in Japan, Canada, Florida, Nashville, Indianapolis, or California. And he would often bring his belt to defend against the local star.

Bruno Sammartino was “defeated” for the heavyweight crown a few times by the likes of Gorilla Monsoon, Ray Stevens, and Prof. Tanaka. The title was returned on a technicality.

WWWF action aired on HBO as early as 1973.

Top names like King Kong Bundy, Curt Hennig, Jim Duggan, Eddie Gilbert, and Mick Foley all had their start on TV as enhancement talent during the timeframe of this book.

Many marquee matches at TV tapings never saw the light of day in the U.S. but some were later televised exclusively in Europe or Canada.

During the expansion of the 1980s, fans of other wrestling organizations didn’t always appreciate the WWF product when it debuted in their area.

Often, even with Hulk Hogan on the card, hosting events in a new part of the U.S. was not an immediate success when it came to attendance.

And there are countless others you’ll come across in this incredible “History of Professional Wrestling” series!

Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness

A compelling portrait of one of the most famous families in the history of the WWE as told by Dustin Rhodes, the first son of legendary figure Dusty Rhodes and the older brother of the emerging star, Cody Rhodes.

He first burst onto the scene in the nineties, covered in gold face paint and exhibiting a one-of-a-kind flamboyant style that bewildered his foes and thrilled his fans.

Inside the ring, Goldust is as tough as they come, known for using outrageous mind games and taking down his opponents with unparalleled ruthlessness.

It’s no surprise, then, that wrestling is in his blood; Goldust is the son of Dusty Rhodes, “The American Dream.”

What is it like to be the son of a wrestling icon and follow him into the same profession? In this no-holds-barred account, Dustin Rhodes speaks frankly and openly about his journey. He talks about being a young boy who desperately missed his dad.

A young man who only wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and threw aside a football scholarship to eke out a meager existence in regional wrestling.

A green wrestler struggling to prove to his peers that his work, not his name, had gotten him to where he was.

Rhodes describes how, in the midst of a painful five-year estrangement with his father, he finally made a name for himself as Goldust and then let it all go, tumbling into a descent of self-medication that led him away from a red-hot career as a WWE Superstar and nearly cost him his life.

When he finally hit bottom, Rhodes knew where to look for help from the family he always had: his father and World Wrestling Entertainment.

When he got clean and sober and was offered the chance to wrestle for WWE, he snapped up the offer.

The everyday existence of life on the road, working with and watching the new Superstars— like his brother Cody Rhodes—has reminded Rhodes of why he loves being a wrestler.

Cross Rhodes is an intimate portrait of one man’s road to redemption and a unique glimpse into one of the most famous families in WWE.

Gary Hart – “Playboy” My Life in Wrestling

The long-awaited autobiography of Gary Hart is more than just another wrestling memoir. It’s the book that everyone who loves old-school wrestling has waited years to read.

From his unique and privileged vantage point, Gary Hart shares, among other things, behind-the-scenes history of World Class and Texas wrestling, the compelling story of the plane crash that took the life of Bobby Shane, and detailed insight into some of the biggest wrestling angles of all time, such as “the Dusty turn” in 1974 and Christmas night 1982 in Dallas.

My Life in WrestlingWith a Little Help From My Friends is a ruthlessly honest look at one of the greatest wrestling minds of all time, written with humor, intelligence, and deep affection that only Playboy Gary Hart himself could provide.

Fritz Von Erich: Master of the Iron Claw

Fritz Von Erich: Master of the Iron Claw is the story about the life and times of Jack Adkisson, also known as pro wrestling legend Fritz Von Erich, and the famous Von Erich wrestling dynasty.

“Not since the Kennedys of Massachusetts has an American family publicly suffered personal tragedy after personal tragedy like the Von Erichs of Denton County, Texas.”

While the Kennedy family became famous worldwide for their political accomplishments and the tragedies of their sons, the Von Erich family became famous worldwide for their athletic accomplishments and the tragedies in their family.

Read how Fritz Von Erich and his five sons impacted the wrestling world with their family’s show World Class Championship Wrestling, which at one time was syndicated in 66 U.S. television markets, Japan, Argentina, and the Middle East.

The story, as told to Ron Mullinax by Jack Adkisson himself, follows his wrestling career and family tragedies beginning in the 1950s and continuing until his death in 1997.

Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore

He’s been a fixture in professional wrestling for five decades. He helped introduce a hardcore wrestling style that you see in the WWE and Japan today. He’s made his mark in Hollywood. He’s Terry Funk, and this is his story.

In this captivating look at the life of a living legend, Funk opens up about growing up in a wrestling family, working with various entertainment companies (including the ECW, WWE, and WWF), and so much more.

Ric Flair: To Be the Man

“Woooooo!”

With that triumphant yell, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair surpassed his predecessors and his peers to become one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history.

Throughout the years, there may have been equally charismatic performers, comparable athletes, and even better interviews, but none were blessed with the same combination of talents to manage to stay on top for over three decades.

To wrestling fans, the Nature Boy is a platinum-blond deity, a sixteen-time world champion who accurately boasted that he could have a five-star match with a broom.

No matter how limited the opponent, Flair had the skill and determination to bounce all over the mat, transforming his rival into a star.

When the camera light went on, “Slick Ric” could convince viewers that, if they missed an upcoming match, a momentous life experience would pass them by.

Flair’s opponents were challenged with this simple taunt: “To be the man, you have to beat the man.”

Away from the arena, Richard Morgan Fliehr spent years struggling with his own concept of what it meant to be a man. He suffered periods of crushing self-doubt, marital strife, and — in a profession where there was room for only one Ric Flair — broken friendships.

Ric Flair: To Be the Man, cowritten with Keith Elliot Greenberg, chronicles the anguish and exhilaration of Flair’s life and career — in painfully honest detail.

From the moment he was born, Flair was enmeshed in controversy. Like many of the other children adopted through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, he was apparently stolen from his birth parents and placed on the adoption black market.

Raised just outside Minneapolis by a gynecologist and a theater writer, Ric was a distracted student, brilliant athlete, and wild party boy.

Through a chance meeting with weightlifter Ken Patera, Flair was directed to the place where his athletic proficiency and personality quirks were highly valued: the pro-wrestling circuit.

After beginning his pro-wrestling career in the Minnesota area, Flair relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1974, and never left, igniting the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling promotion.

He was almost forced to retire a year later when his back was broken in a plane crash.

Flair recuperated, winning his first National Wrestling Alliance championship in 1981. As the most traveled champion ever, he journeyed from one regional “territory” to another, once wrestling eighteen hour-long cards during a fourteen-day stretch.

On television, Flair portrayed himself as the consummate ladies’ man, a role he also felt compelled to play in his private life, holding all-night parties.

Few fans realized there was also a traditional side to Flair, who battled to reconcile his nocturnal antics with his love for his family.

Before Ted Turner purchased World Championship Wrestling in 1988, Flair was given assurance that the Nature Boy would come with the package. But his clashes with WCW management would drive Flair into World Wrestling Entertainment, where he’d win the group’s championship in a dramatic match at the Royal Rumble 1992. Flair later returned to WCW, where he collided in and out of the ring with Hulk Hogan, and — as the company disintegrated over the next few years — began losing all shreds of his self-esteem.

Arriving back at the WWE in 2001, Flair was a broken man, unsure if he still fit into the business; what he didn’t know was that wrestlers who’d grown up idolizing him now inhabited the WWE locker room. With their support, he was finally able to claim his legacy and receive the credit he so richly deserved.

In addition to his own words, Flair’s story is enriched by anecdotes from ring greats like Superstar Billy Graham, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Harley Race, Sgt. Slaughter, David Crockett, Arn Anderson, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar.

To Be the Man traces the rise of one of wrestling’s most enduring superstars to the pinnacle of the sports entertainment universe, and is a must-read for every wrestling fan.

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Ten Pounds of Gold: A Close Look at the NWA World Championship Belt

In October of 2008, Dick Bourne and Dave Millican had the rare opportunity to inspect and photograph the genuine NWA world heavyweight championship belt worn and defended in the 1970s and 1980s by Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Harley Race, and others. Not long afterwards, Bourne decided to put together a book about the history and construction of the NWA belt, a chance to share with others the opportunity they had been fortunate enough to have. The result was “Ten Pounds of Gold”.

This Revised & Expanded Second Edition of the 2009 book contains 70 additional pages of photographs, memorabilia, and historical information, plus a new title history chapter with behind the scenes details, and an expanded chapter on the night the belt was first presented and defended.

Plus all the material in the original book including champion profiles, detailed and close-up photos of the belt itself and a detailed history of how it was made.

Drawing from their interest, experience, and research, Bourne and Millican proudly present the NWA belt as you’ve never seen it before.

A belt enthusiast’s dream come true. As one of their customers once wrote, “The only thing that could be better would be to hold the actual belt. This book is that good.”

Holy Ground: 50 Years of WWE at Madison Square Garden

For the first time ever, the entire history of the WWE at Madison Square Garden is compiled into one single publication! Including some of the top names in the industry as they speak about their experiences at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” including “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino, “The Innovator of Violence” Tommy Dreamer, “The Mountie” Jacques Rougeau, Matt Striker, George “The Animal” Steele, Bill Apter, “The Genius” Lanny Poffo, Kevin Kelly, “The Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant, Dr. Tom Prichard, PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson, “The Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff, Drew McIntyre, J.J. Dillon, and many more!

Since 2002, The HistoryofWWE.com has served as the premiere online resource for the in- and out-of-the-ring histories of multiple wrestling companies.

Now, for the first time in print, you have access to the thousands of dates, cities and ring results that comprise pro wrestling’s past.

You can now find the hidden gems, the main events that drew thousands and the ones that only drew flies.

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling

In his own words, Bret Hart’s honest, perceptive, startling account of his life in and out of the pro wrestling ring.

The sixth-born son of the pro wrestling dynasty founded by Stu Hart and his elegant wife, Helen, Bret Hart is a Canadian icon. As a teenager, he could have been an amateur wrestling Olympic contender, but instead he turned to the family business, climbing into the ring for his dad’s western circuit, Stampede Wrestling. From his early twenties until he retired at 43, Hart kept an audio diary, recording stories of the wrestling life, the relentless travel, the practical jokes, the sex and drugs, and the real rivalries (as opposed to the staged ones). The result is an intimate, no-holds-barred account that will keep readers, not just wrestling fans, riveted.

Hart achieved superstardom in pink tights, and won multiple wrestling belts in multiple territories, for both the WWF (now the WWE) and WCW.

But he also paid the price in betrayals (most famously by Vince McMahon, a man he had served loyally); in tragic deaths, including the loss of his brother Owen, who died when a stunt went terribly wrong; and in his own massive stroke, most likely resulting from a concussion he received in the ring, and from which, with the spirit of a true champion, he has battled back.

Widely considered by his peers as one of the business’s best technicians and workers, Hart describes pro wrestling as part dancing, part acting, and part dangerous physical pursuit.

He is proud that in all his years in the ring he never seriously hurt a single wrestler, yet did his utmost to deliver to his fans an experience as credible as it was exciting.

He also records the incredible toll the business takes on its workhorses: he estimates that twenty or more of the wrestlers he was regularly matched with have died young, weakened by their own coping mechanisms, namely drugs, alcohol, and steroids.

That toll included his own brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith. No one has ever written about wrestling like Bret Hart. No one has ever lived a life like Bret Hart’s.

Pure Dynamite: The Price You Pay for Wrestling Stardom

Pure Dynamite is a blow-by-blow account of the career of Tom Billington, who wrestled solo as The Dynamite Kid, and with Davey Boy Smith as half of the British Bulldogs tag team.

Twice world champion, Billington was featured in the pages of Playboy magazine and was an international celebrity.

Although he should have been a millionaire when he retired in 1993, after 16 years of professional wrestling, he had little but memories are scar tissue to show for it.

As one of the first bona fide superstars in the World Wrestling Federation, Billington’s career parallels the development of the WWF, from the early days to the decade following the first Wrestlemaina event at Madison Square Gardens in 1985.

He worked with every major promoter, and wrestled with some of the biggest names in the sport.

His story is a candid expose of the highs and lows of a cultural phenomenon that is still growing today.

Now confined to a wheelchair as a result of serious damage to his back and legs, his years of steroid use have also damages Billington’s heart and personal life. Pure Dynamite is as much a cautionary tale as it is a glimpse into the world of a wrestling legend.

A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable

What does it take to be an Olympic gold medalist and to coach a collegiate team to fifteen NCAA titles?

In A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler, and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the Banachs to the Brands; life-changing friendships he made along the way; and tales of his family life off the mat.

A celebration of determination, teamwork, and the persevering human spirit, A Wrestling Life captures Gable’s methods and philosophies for reaching individual greatness as well as the incredible amount of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from working as part of a team.

Whether we are athletes or not, we all dream of extreme success and are all looking to make our future the best it can be, but along the way, we will undoubtedly need time to recover and rejuvenate.

Let these stories inspire you to find your path to strength and achievement along whatever path you take.

Have A Nice Day: A Tale Of Blood And Sweat Socks

Mick Foley is a nice man, a family man who loves amusement parks and eating ice cream in bed. So how to explain those Japanese death matches in rings with explosives, golden thumbtacks, and barbed wire instead of rope? The second-degree burn tissue?

And the missing ear that was ripped off during a bout-in which he kept fighting? Here is an intimate glimpse into Mick Foley’s mind, his history, his work, and what some might call his pathology.

Now with a bonus chapter summarizing the past 15 months-from his experience as a bestselling author through his parting thoughts before his final match.

A tale of blood, sweat, tears, and more blood-all in his own words-straight from the twisted genius behind Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind.

Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling

In Foley Is Good, Mick Foley — former Commissioner of the World Wrestling Federation, aka Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind — picks up right where his smash #1 New York Times bestseller Have a Nice Day! left off, giving readers an inside look at the behind-the-scenes action in the Federation.

With total honesty and riotous humor, Mick Foley shines a spotlight on some of the hidden corners of the World Wrestling Federation.

From the ongoing controversy surrounding “backyard wrestling” to the real story behind his now-infamous “I Quit” match with The Rock, Foley covers all the bases in this hysterically funny roller-coaster ride of a memoir.

King of Strong Style: 1980-2014

The life of the internationally famous professional wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura, from his childhood to the International Wrestling Grand Prix championship, and beyond!

Before he became a star of American professional wrestling, Shinsuke Nakamura was Japan’s “King of Strong Style.”

Follow his life and career from the amateur grappling ranks to the Nippon Budokon, thrill to his matches against such legends as Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, his reign as the youngest New Japan Pro-Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, and his success as a mixed martial artist.

Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story

One of the most inspiring stories in wrestling history, Cheating Death, Stealing Life sees Eddie Guerrero recount his saga in a remarkably candid fashion, chronicling a life of heartbreaks and painful personal struggles in frank, graphic detail.

Guerrero was born into Mexico’s first family of sports entertainment. His father, Gory Guerrero, was a Mexican wrestling legend. Before Eddie turned twenty, he was wrestling in Mexico. Soon Guerrero was blowing away fans as part of the upstart Extreme Championship Wrestling.

World Championship Wrestling was looking for innovative new talent, and Guerrero’s unique style fit the bill.

Unfortunately, the backstage politics of WCW kept Guerrero away from the spotlight.

Eddie sought solace from the pressures of life on the road by living hard and partying harder. Even a series of drug overdoses and a near-fatal car accident could not change his ways.

When a group of wrestlers opted to leave WCW, Guerrero joined them, signing with World Wrestling Federation. Unfortunately, a freak injury in Guerrero’s debut match took him out of the action. Upon his return, Eddie was paired with Chyna, which launched his indelible Latino Heat character.

However, years of the wrestling lifestyle, of nightly partying and frequent injury, led to addictions to both alcohol and painkillers.

Guerrero spent four months in a rehabilitation facility. Sadly, he had not yet hit bottom. A relapse into alcohol abuse resulted in a DUI conviction and the loss of his job.

Though Guerrero had lost everything — his family, his money, his job — he never allowed himself to lose his pride. Eddie returned to the independent circuit, where he regained his reputation as one of wrestling’s most electrifying performers.

Guerrero searched deep within himself and fought to regain the life he had lost. His journey of self-discovery reawakened his relationship with Jesus Christ, and he found peace and strength in the Bible.

Before long, World Wrestling Entertainment offered Guerrero a second chance. From the moment of his return, it was clear he was instilled with a new focus and passion.

With his nephew, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Eddie made up one half of the wildly successful Los Guerreros tag team.

The pair became one of WWE’s hottest attractions.

Ultimately, Guerrero not only regained his life, he surpassed his wildest dreams, becoming WWE Champion.

Cheating Death, Stealing Life offers a no-holds-barred glimpse into the secret world of wrestling.

It’s also the story of Guerrero’s private struggle, of a son caught in the shadow of a larger-than-life father and three older brothers, of a marriage that reached the brink of disintegration before being reborn.

Throughout, Eddie Guerrero pulls no punches describing his battles with self-doubt and inner darkness.

Sadly, in November of 2005, Eddie died due to complications of a heart condition. Cheating Death, Stealing Life is a story of great courage and personal redemption.

Through The Shattered Glass

It began as the classic rags to riches story of a girl who escaped a life of misery to attain accidental fame and fortune in the United States.

But what happened to the girl when the American dream became a living nightmare?

Jeanie Clarke, who shot to wrestling stardom as Lady Blossom, reveals all in this frank account of her individual rise, fall and retribution, and struggles to sustain a family with a husband who was driven to become the greatest wrestling star the world had ever known.

For years, she suffered in silence to survive personal tragedy, the pressures of fame, and drug addiction: a self-destructive lifestyle that spiraled out of control.

This uncompromising autobiography exposes the dark nature of the substance abuse culture which gripped the entertainment industry, examining the consequences to a broken family that is created.

It is a detailed account of her highs and lows during a lifetime in the wrestling business, and the ultimate cost it had on those around her.

This is a story of personal survival that remained unknown… until now.

NITRO: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner’s WCW

In April 1999, Entertainment Weekly asked its readers what many were surely wondering to themselves: how did wrestling get so big?

As a consequence of the heated rating competition between World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the spectacle had taken over Monday nights on prime-time cable television.

But in a departure from the family-friendly programming produced by the last industry boom – the 1980s wave, which made household names of Hulk Hogan, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, and Andre the Giant – the new era of wrestling combined stunning athleticism with a raunchy sex appeal, engrossing storylines and novel production techniques that reflected a changing society and its shifting values.

Once again, wrestling was a ubiquitous phenomenon – only this time, it seemed as though the fad would never end.

With both WCW and WWF expanding into other forms of entertainment – movies, video games, music, and the like – the potential for growth appeared to be limitless.

But with uncertainty surrounding its corporate future, and increasingly uninspired programming eroding its audience, WCW stood on the verge of collapse.

Three years into a five-year plan devised by its charismatic leader – a former Blue Ribbon Foods salesman named Eric Bischoff – the company whose unexpected ascension initiated the entire boom was operating on borrowed time.

By the end of the five-year plan, WCW ceased to exist.

But NITRO is a story about much more than WCW and the Monday Night Wars. It is a story of an era, a time in which the media and cultural landscape precipitated – and later supported – pro wrestling’s mainstream popularity.

It is a story of how a company made in the image of an intuitively brilliant risk-taker betrayed its original promise. It is a story of how a handful of men, each struggling with their own limitations, facilitated a public obsession that changed television forever.

And so, with the inside knowledge of a journalist, the perspective of a historian, and the passion of a fan, author Guy Evans provides a fresh look at an unfortunate inevitability – the downfall of World Championship Wrestling.

Bolstered by exclusive interviews with over 120 former TBS and WCW employees, NITRO is the definitive picture of the last wrestling boom.

The WWE Championship: A Look Back at the Rich History of the WWE Championship

Now in paperback—a celebration of fifty years of no-holds-barred sports entertainment!

Suddenly it’s over, and in the center of the ring, one man is victorious. The referee raises his hand, and from somewhere (you’re not quite sure where because you’re still cheering), the shining symbol of this momentous win appears.

With the crowd still roaring, the winner stands alone in the ring and raises the championship belt high over his head. The lights shine off the WWE Championship title belt, and in that instant, the winner’s life will be changed forever.

For over half a century, Superstars have battled to win the WWE Championship. While the name may have changed, the prestige attached to the champion­ship has exploded.

That is due in no small part to the immortals of wrestling who have held this coveted title—Bruno Sammartino taking the title from the first holder, Buddy Rogers…the totally unexpected win of “Superstar” Billy Graham…Hulk Hogan’s win over the Iron Sheik, who had refused a payoff to injure Hogan…Andre the Giant’s surrender of the title to Ted DiBiase…the newcomer win of the Undertaker…the commanding wrestling abilities of Bret Hart…Shawn Michaels’s win in Montreal…the stunning victories of Stone Cold Steve Austin…the triumph of the People’s Champion, The Rock…Triple H playing the game…the never-surrender attitude of John Cena.

This is the chronicle of how the title that is now known as the WWE Championship became sports-entertainment’s most coveted prize.

Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar

In Wrestling for My Life, WWE superstar Shawn Michaels shares from his heart about the highs and lows of his life inside the WWE. Included are some never-before-shared stories and an intimate look into his career as well as stories of hunting, family, and faith.

With millions of fans, Michaels had adulation and all the attention he could ask for, but he discovered there was something more.

When he became a committed Christian during his years in the WWE it had to affect everything.

Michaels reveals what it is like to be a man of faith in this unusual world and shares insights for all of us.

Sisterhood Of The Squared Circle

Documenting the rise of women’s wrestling from sideshow to WWE main event

Sisterhood of the Squared Circle presents the fascinating history of women’s wrestling, from the carnival circuit of the late 1800s to today’s hugely popular matches.

With more than 100 wrestler profiles, find out how backstage politics, real-life grudges, and incredible personalities shaped the business.

The careers of many well-known trailblazers, including Mildred Burke, the Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Penny Banner, Wendi Richter, Trish Stratus, Chyna, and Lita, are celebrated alongside today’s stars, like Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley.

With rare photographs and an exploration of women’s wrestling worldwide — including chapters on Japan, Mexico, England, and Australia — Sisterhood of the Squared Circle is a priceless contribution to the history of professional wrestling.

Titan Screwed

Titan Screwed provides a look at the WWF from January 1997 through WrestleMania XIV, covering every major element of the WWF’s evolution into the Attitude Era.

Stories detailed include the rise of Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels losing his smile, the heel turn of Bret Hart, WWF vs. ECW with Jerry Lawler pulling the strings, the death of Brian Pillman, Austin vs. Tyson, the seedy story elements that overtook WWF programming, the birth of the nefarious Mr. McMahon, and of course, Montreal: the build-up, the secret plotting, the match, the moment, and the aftermath in all of its incredible details.

Exclusive author-conducted interviews for Titan Screwed include Ken Shamrock, Rob Van Dam, Jim Cornette, “The Patriot” Del Wilkes, Dr. Tom Prichard, Danny Doring, former ECW owner Tod Gordon, and many more.

Tributes: Remembering Some of the World’s Greatest Wrestlers

Tributes: Remembering Some of the World’s Greatest Wrestlers, sometimes known as Wrestling Observer’s Tributes: Remembering Some of the World’s Greatest Wrestlers or just Tributes is a 2001 book by sports journalist and professional wrestling historian Dave Meltzer, with a foreword by Jeff Marek.

The book contains tributes and obituaries for wrestlers such as Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Rick Rude, André the Giant, Bruiser Brody, Fritz Von Erich and his son Kerry Von Erich, Yokozuna, Junkyard Dog, Giant Baba, Buddy Rogers, Big John Studd, Dino Bravo, Ray Stevens, Louie Spicolli, Art Barr, Eddie Gilbert, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Gordon Solie.

Meltzer rewrote the eulogies which had been previously published in his newsletter to fit a tone more common for books.

Wrestling Observer Tributes II: Remembering More of the World’s Greatest Professional Wrestlers

This detailed chronicle looks at the lives, times, and deaths of the biggest names that the sport of professional wrestling has produced.

Picking up where Tributes: Remembering Some of the World’s Greatest Professional Wrestlers left off, author Dave Meltzer focuses on sports entertainment’s most recent and high-profile losses, including Road Warrior Hawk, Curt Henning, Elizabeth, Stu Hart, Tim Woods, Davey Boy Smith, Gorilla Monsoon, Terry Gordy, Wahoo McDaniel, Johnny Valentine, The Sheik, Freddie Blassie, and Lou Thesz.

Tributes II: Remembering More of the World’s Greatest Wrestler also offers expanded versions of some of the most popular profiles from Tributes, including Owen Hart, and Andre the Giant.

Offering candid and detailed accounts of bona fide wrestling legends and a foreword by Bret Hart, Tributes II takes its place among the most important books ever written on the world of pro wrestling.

Sex, Lies And Headlocks: The Real Story Of Vince McMahon

Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the backstabbing, scandals, and high-stakes gambles that have made wrestling an enduring television phenomenon.

The man behind it all is Vince McMahon, a ruthless and entertaining visionary whose professional antics make some of the flamboyant characters in the ring look tame by comparison.

Throughout the book, the authors trace McMahon’s rise to power and examine the appeal of the industry’s biggest stars—including Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, and, most recently, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

In doing so, they show us that while WWE stock is traded to the public on Wall Street, wrestling remains a shadowy world guided by a century-old code that stresses secrecy and loyalty.

With a new afterword, this is the definitive book about the history of pro wrestling.

The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling

From the host of the critically acclaimed pro wrestling podcast Straight Shoot, this graphic novel history of wrestling features the key grapplers, matches, and promotions that shaped this beloved sport and form of entertainment.

As a pop culture phenomenon, professional wrestling–with its heroic babyfaces and villainous heels performing suplexes and powerbombs in pursuit of championship gold–has conquered audiences in the United States and around the world.

Now, writer/podcaster Aubrey Sitterson and illustrator Chris Moreno form a graphic novel tag team to present wrestling’s complete illustrated history.

Featuring legendary wrestlers like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock, and modern-day favorites like John Cena, Kenny Omega, and Sasha Banks, the book covers wrestling’s progress from the carnival days of the Gold Dust Trio to the dominance of the WWF/WWE to today’s diverse independent wrestling scene, and it spotlights wrestling’s reach into Mexico/Puerto Rico (lucha libre), the U.K. (all-in), and Japan (puroresu).

Missy Hyatt: First Lady Of Wrestling

Missy tells all … and there is a lot to tell. First came Missy. Then came Sable, Sunny, Chyna, and the rest.

Missy Hyatt was professional wrestling’s first character — the original sexy “socialite” sidekick whose trademark Gucci purse and tough-girl attitude made her the most loved — and most hated — woman in wrestling.

Now, fifteen years after she first shimmied up to the ring, Missy Hyatt takes fans inside the world of wrestling.

From her high school days as a hard-core fan, cheering from her living room to the cover of Wrestler magazine, Missy has done it all.

In this no-holds-barred memoir, Missy discloses the behind-the-scenes secrets of table-throwing, chair-smashing, hair-pulling, and the technique of “juicing” — how wrestlers make themselves bleed on cue.

Find out about her intimate relationships with Jake the Snake, Wonder Years’ Jason Hervey, Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert, and many many more.

Missy has worked with wrestling’s biggest stars, from Hulk to Jesse, from Vince to the Rock, and she tells everything.

Four Horsemen: A Timeline History

From the glory days of Jim Crockett Promotions to the early WCW period to the Monday Nitro era, it’s all here in one concise timeline.

Every breakup and every reformation. All the championships. All the triumphs. All the betrayals. Month-by-month, year-by-year. It’s the ultimate reference guide to wrestling’s most infamous group, with clear timeline confirmations of key dates and events.

Ric Flair, Ole and Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, Barry Windham, James J. Dillon, Sting, Brian Pillman, Steve McMichael, Dean Malenko, and all the rest. Every wrestler, every manager, and every woman that walked the aisle with them.

Over 40 photographs, some rare, a few never published before.

They were pro wrestling’s greatest stable and the very foundation upon which every other great faction that followed was built.

They were the Four Horsemen!

The King of New Orleans: How the Junkyard Dog Became Professional Wrestling’s First Black Superhero

Telling the remarkable tale of a man who is still remembered on the streets of New Orleans and in the hearts of professional-wrestling fans, this book aims to restore the overlooked Junkyard Dog to his proper place in the history books.

In 1979, Sylvester Ritter, also known as the Junkyard Dog, managed to break one of the final color barriers in the sport by becoming the first black wrestler named undisputed top star of his promotion, and this biography reveals all the famous feuds and business backstories that made him a wrestling legend.

By 1985, New Orleans was one of the hottest cities in the Mid-South for pro wrestling due in large part to the Junkyard Dog; he became a legend in the Big Easy, drawing sellout crowds to the Downtown Municipal Auditorium and huge crowds to the Superdome, a feat unparalleled by any other wrestler.

The King of New Orleans delves into wrestling’s recent past and recounts how a region known for racial injustice became the home of the sport’s first black idol.

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

In the latest offering from the best-selling author of World Wrestling Insanity, James Guttman tells the real story behind contacting, cajoling, convincing, interviewing, and learning from more than 100 of professional wrestling’s most beloved stars.

From former World Champions to Playboy models, from grizzled veterans to slick promoters, Radio Free Insanity, Guttman’s popular and groundbreaking weekly web broadcast has featured an environment that fosters discussion and leads to countless memorable tales.

In Shoot First… Ask Questions Later you’ll journey with Guttman through the business of sports entertainment, making startling discoveries about the way the industry truly works. For the first time ever, Guttman offers keen insight into the true personalities of wrestling stars.

Who’s the nicest guest off-air? And who was the most abrasive? Who was the funniest? And who was the worst interview in the history of interviews?

What’s the bizarre story behind speaking with Scott Steiner, and why was Guttman worried? Why was Corporal Kirschner answering JG’s phone?

What’s the inside scoop on the now infamous Ole Anderson shoot? What were crazy pre-interview conversations with people like Jerry Lawler, Diamond Dallas Page, Juvi “The Juice” Guerrera, and others really like?

Discover all this and more from James Guttman’s two years behind the curtain and inside the work/shoot world of professional wrestling. Shoot First … Ask Questions Later, with over 100 names you’ve come to know and love and sometimes hate, comes from the outsider who makes it his mission to find out what makes them tick.

Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash

The exciting no-holds-barred autobiography of former WCW president and current WWE Raw General Manager, Eric Bishoff—the only person who was able to beat Vince McMahon and the WWE at their own game.

Eric Bischoff has been called pro wrestling’s most hated man. Booed, reviled, and burned in effigy, he’s been struck by everything from beer bottles to fists.

Though industry critics have scorned his spectacular rise and fall at World Championship Wrestling, Bischoff’s influence still resonates.

For years, Bischoff kept quiet while industry “pundits” distorted the truth about the infamous Monday Night Wars, basing their accounts on rumors and innuendo. Finally, Bischoff tells what really happened.

Beginning with his days as a salesman for the American Wrestling Association, Bischoff exposes the industry’s inner workings, from the real numbers behind WCW’s red ink to the devastating impact of the corporate mergers.

Among his revelations: How WCW became a national brand and revolutionized the industry.

How Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, and Steve Austin shaped WCW, and how corporate politics killed it. And how he found his inner heel and learned to love being the guy everyone loves to despise.

Reflecting on his childhood, his family, and the pressures of notoriety, Bischoff tells how he found contentment after being unceremoniously “sent home.”

Love him or hate him, readers will never look at pro wrestling the same way again after reading Eric Bischoff’s story in Controversy Creates Cash.

Blood Red Turns Dollar Green

Professional wrestling meets Empire in a trilogy that RollingStone.com called “a one-of a kind literary offering for die-hard wrestling fans.”

New York City, 1969. Danno Garland is a middling member of the National Wrestling Council, a secretive syndicate of pro-wrestling promoters.

He’s kept his head down for fifteen years, but now he’s found a new heavyweight champion, Babu, and plans to use him to build a wrestling empire.

Blocked, though, by the NWC, Danno makes a deal with Florida boss Proctor King to ensure Danno’s man will be the next title holder.

In exchange, the belt will go to Proctor’s son, Gilbert, once he’s out of prison in a couple of years.

But things don’t go according to plan, and now Danno is standing in a sold-out Shea Stadium on the night of biggest wrestling card of all time, and neither Babu nor Gilbert has shown up.

Meanwhile, Lenny Long, Danno’s driver, is walking dazedly from the overturned van that was supposed to bring them to the venue, and the only sign of Gilbert is his foot.

Across the country, Proctor nervously watches the show on TV, wondering why his screw-up of a son doesn’t already have the championship belt in his hands.

It’s taken four years of pay-offs, double-dealing, and bone-breaking to arrange this match, and if all that’s gone to waste, he might just have to take a business trip to New York. The “fake” world of professional wrestling is going to get very real.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more.

While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story

The biggest pro-wrestling bio since Bret Hart’s Hitman: legendary Rowdy Roddy Piper’s unfinished autobiography, re-conceived and completed by his children, actress/musician Ariel Teal Toombs and wrestler Colt Baird Toombs.

In early 2015, Roderick Toombs, aka Rowdy Roddy Piper, began researching his own autobiography with a trip through Western Canada.

He was re-discovering his youth, a part of his life he never discussed during his 61 years, many spent as one of the greatest talents in the history of pro wrestling.

Following his death due to a heart attack that July, two of his children took on the job of telling Roddy’s story, separating fact from fiction in the extraordinary life of their father.

Already an accomplished wrestler before Wrestlemania in 1985, Roddy Piper could infuriate a crowd like no “heel” before him.

The principal antagonist to all-American champion Hulk Hogan, Piper used his quick wit, the explosive ring style, and fearless baiting of audiences to push pro wrestling to unprecedented success. Wrestling was suddenly pop culture’s main event.

An actor with over 50 screen credits, including the lead in John Carpenter’s #1 cult classic, They Live, Piper knew how to keep fans hungry, just as he’d kept them wishing for a complete portrait of his most unusual life. He wanted to write this book for his family; now they have written it for him.

The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story

Long before he became “Hardcore Holly,” Robert Howard was a fighter. From humble beginnings to fame as an internationally known superstar, The Hardcore Truth tells the story of Bob’s life including his 16 years working for Vince McMahon.

In this rollercoaster tale of success and frustration, replete with missed opportunities, broken promises, and a broken neck, Bob shares his uncompromising views on the present wrestling landscape with fascinating insights into the world leader in sports entertainment.

Pat Patterson – Accepted

Pat Patterson, one of the first-ever openly gay athletes, pens a no-holds-barred memoir about his career and his life as an openly gay wrestler.

When Pat Patterson was 17 years old, he was thrown out of his house after telling his parents he was in love with a man. Crossing into the United States from Montreal in the 1960s, barely knowing a word of English, he was determined to succeed in the squared circle. Back when homophobia was widespread, Pat lived in the super-macho world of pro wrestling.

One of the most unlikely stories of revolutionary talent, pioneer and creative savant, Patterson recalls the trials and tribulations as he climbed to the upper ranks of sports entertainment – as a performer and, later, as a backstage dignitary – in this fascinating and revealing memoir.

After making his mark in the ring as the prestigious first holder of WWE’s Intercontinental Championship, Pat set out to conquer the WWE world behind the curtain.

He became the lead creative force behind the Royal Rumble match and countless innovations that have shaped the way the WWE Universe has enjoyed sports entertainment for generations.

Many WWE fans know Pat Patterson as a ring legend, WWE Hall of Famer, and one of Vince McMahon s ‘stooges’ during the Attitude Era.

But Patterson is no stooge. He has long been one of Vince McMahon’s trusted advisers, his impact and importance to the nascent stages of WWE nearly comparable to the Chairman himself.

Still active in WWE today, Pat delivers his no-holds-barred story from unknown to WWE luminary.

Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the World’s Most Entertaining Spectacle

Sport? Entertainment? Art form? Perhaps a bit of all three, with a certain intangible extra something thrown in for good measure, making professional wrestling a truly unique entity unto itself.

From its origins in carnivals and sideshow attractions of the 19th century, right up to the multimillion-dollar, multimedia industry of the present day, and all the bizarre, wild, and woolly points in between, Pro Wrestling FAQ delves into the entire history and broad scope of one of popular culture’s most enduring yet ever-changing spectacles.

With chapters devoted to the many fascinating eras in the history of the business, as well as capsule biographies of some of its most memorable and important figures, this book will serve as the ultimate one-volume reference guide for both long-time wrestling nuts and initiates to the grappling phenomenon.

Revisit the legendary 1911 “Match of the Century” pitting World Champion Frank Gotch against archrival George Hackenschmidt, “the Russian Lion”; experience wrestling’s TV golden age in the 1950s, a time of such colorful personages as Gorgeous George and Antonino Rocca.

Relive the glory days of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, when WWF impresario Vince McMahon took the business mainstream; and get the lowdown on recent favorites, such as John Cena, CM Punk, and others who have taken the business boldly into the 21st century.

Development Hell: The NXT Story

Development Hell: The NXT Story, penned by former Power Slam scribe and WhatCulture.com’s own Michael Sidgwick, chronicles the history of WWE’s NXT brand.

NXT has drawn universal critical acclaim for its fan service fusion of old-school booking philosophies and progressive body of in-ring work – but the road to critical acclaim was arduous.

When WWE destroyed its territorial and mainstream competition, the monolith had also annihilated the talent pool.

Replenishing it was an unenviable task made all the more difficult by a blasé and counterproductive attitude and a curiously myopic direction.

All of which is documented in a book covering the inauspicious beginnings of the dusty Stamford Farm warehouse and the murmurings of Memphis Power Pro, the halcyon days of Ohio Valley Wrestling, the infamous disaster of Deep South Wrestling, and the literal lunacy that was Florida Championship Wrestling.

The roots of the triumph that was NXT were toxic…

It’s Good to Be the King…Sometimes

Jerry Lawler is hailed as one of sports entertainment’s most enduring and colorful characters.

His life has been filled with hilarious, never-been-told stories…until now! His reign consists of thirteen championships (one of which he’s held more than forty times), three marriages, and two children.

He’s dominated Memphis radio and television airwaves. Starred in feature films. Recorded albums. Tolerated countless sprains, broken bones, concussions, and contusions. The way Jerry “The King” Lawler tells it, if you’re good at something, do it more than once.

It’s Good To Be The King…Sometimes is a no-holds-barred personal account from the “puppies”-pantin’ King of one-liners, who steps out from behind the announcer’s desk of WWE Raw to hold court about everything.

His passion for art first drew him to the ring of a rundown West Memphis movie theater over thirty years ago. The comic adventures and tragic bumps endured journeying down the “Music Highway” of Interstate 40 with the National Wrestling Alliance.

Earning his royal personage in the Bluff City of the Mighty Mississippi against his own mentor, “Fabulous” Jackie Fargo.

Grappling with mat legends Ric Flair, Lou Thesz, Jesse Ventura, Andre the Giant, Terry Funk, and Bret “Hitman” Hart. And his crowning achievements as co-ruler of the United States Wrestling Association contributed to the rise of future WWE Superstars Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock.

It’s time you lackeys pay heed as the King reveals the schemes and outrageous storylines to many of wrestling’s most fantastic theatrics and all-too-real moments.

Lawler tells of his legendary “feud” with Andy Kaufman, and his much-publicized confrontation with the actor portraying the late comedian on the set of Man on the Moon, and the “Karate-versus-Wrestling” match that almost occurred between Lawler and Memphis’s other King.

And be sure to honor his royal proclamations regarding former wives, and his mother’s opinion of wrestling; why he once sued future boss Vince McMahon…and won, and the body part he truly worships on a WWE Diva.

Death of the Territories

For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally-based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans.

Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom.

Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late ’70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters.

An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion nationally soon capitalized on the situation.

A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent.

By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever.

Providing never-before-revealed information, Death of the Territories is a must-read for fans yearning to understand how McMahon outlasted his rivals and established the industry’s first national promotion.

At the same time, it offers a comprehensive look at the promoters who opposed McMahon, focusing on their noteworthy power plays and embarrassing mistakes.

Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man

Ted DiBiase, known to his fans as ‘The Million Dollar Man’, is considered by many to be the greatest ‘heel’ wrestler of all time.

Raised around the wrestling ring from childhood, he has been involved in wrestling all his life, learning early on that triumph could lead to tragedy when his stepfather, the well-remembered ‘Iron Mike’ DiBiase, sensationally died in the ring.

When the WWE created the Million Dollar Man character for him, DiBiase played the role to the hilt, surrounding himself with money, limousines, and all the luxuries that went along with life in the fast lane.

Among the most flamboyant wrestlers of the 1980s, he rapidly rose to the top of his profession, where he remained for twenty years.

Sidelined by a neck injury he began a second career as a manager, working with some of the biggest stars in wrestling, from Andre the Giant, Bam Bam Bigelow, and King Kong Bundy to a newcomer known as The Ringmaster — who would later become Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Only recently ending his WWE career, DiBiase has seen many of the biggest Superstars rise to fame and, in some cases, disastrously fall.

Now, in this fascinating book, he steps back and gives readers a full and frank first-hand account of what he saw and experienced over three action-packed decades.

Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal

The undisputed king of the literary ring is back with another handwritten, hardcore home run. Forget the ghostwriter and the computer keyboard – this mesmerizing memoir is straight from the pen and notebook paper of the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley, chronicling the heart-pounding build-up to “Lockdown”, one of the most important matches of his long and storied career.

Foley’s every limit is tested, as he battles back the formidable tag-team of Father Time and Mother Nature – overcoming a host of injuries and serious self-doubts to get back in the ring with one of his all-time favorite foes.

With his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, wildness and warmth, Foley dish previously untold stories from his remarkable life, including:

• his transition from WWE to TNA,
• his ill-fated stint as a television commentator,
• his tumultuous relationship with Vince McMahon,
• his thoughts on performance-enhancing substances in sports,
• the troubling list of wrestlers dying way too young, and
• his soul-saving work in Sierra Leone.

Have A Good Week… Till Next Week

For six years, the stars of Britain’s ITV wrestling told their stories to Fighting Spirit Magazine’s John Lister.

Now, these in-depth biographies of more than 50 grapplers come together in the ultimate history of the ‘World of Sport’ era. From Adrian Street to William Regal, from Tiny Tom Thumb to

Giant Haystacks, these are the true stories of amazing lives in and out of the ring.

About the author:

John Lister is a professional freelance writer who has been writing for wrestling publications since 1990. Author of Slamthology, Turning The Tables: The Story Of Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Purodyssey: A Tokyo Wrestling Diary, he formerly worked for Power Slam and The Fight Network and is now a regular contributor to Fighting Spirit Magazine.

Pete Gas – Looking At The Lights

How did an untrained former college football player end up in the middle of a ring, wrestling during the highest-rated segment during the WWE’s acclaimed Attitude Era?

That’s the story behind Looking at the Lights. As a childhood friend of Shane McMahon, Pete Gas was given the opportunity most only pray for.

Beginning with appearances to interfere in McMahon’s matches, his role blossomed into becoming a full-fledge wrestler and leading the Mean Street Posse to WrestleMania, becoming one of the most fascinating success stories of the era.

From his humble upbringing and friendship with Shane (and the McMahon family as a whole), Gas shares how a 9-to-5 average Joe got the chance of a lifetime and made the most out of it.

But getting your foot in the door is one thing; staying is a completely different animal. With all eyes on him, knowing his lack of training and meal ticket being the boss’s son, Gas knew he had to win over all those doubters: from the fans and announcers to the wrestlers themselves.

Knowing he had to prove himself, Gas took beatings, chair shots, and additional training to not only show that he could wrestle, but that he belonged with such superstars as The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.

Featuring forewords by Edge and JBL, who famously nailed Gas in the head with a steel chair, readers will get an inside look into not only the training and sacrifice these athletes go through, but the behind-the-scenes workings of a day in the WWE.

Crazy Is My Superpower

Recently retired WWE superstar AJ Mendez Brooks is a powerhouse—strong, quirky, and totally confident. But that wasn’t always the case.

With humor and tremendous heart, she opens up for the first time about her harrowing struggle to understand her demons and the diagnosis that helped her gain control over her life.

Everything I was told should be my greatest insecurities and weaknesses, everything that I’ve been labeled—SHORT, NERDY, SKINNY, WEAK, IMPULSIVE, UGLY, TOMBOY, POOR, REBEL, LOUD, FREAK, CRAZY—turned out to be my greatest strengths. I didn’t become successful in spite of them. I became successful because of them.

Growing up AJ was a quiet girl trying to act “normal” when she felt anything but. As her family struggled with drug addiction, poverty, and mental illness, she found escape through comic books and video games and was inspired by the tough and unconventional female characters. It wasn’t until she discovered pro wrestling that she learned superheroes could be real.

Determined to become the superhero she’d always admired, AJ trained and sacrificed for years to achieve her dream of wrestling professionally.

Yet she quickly faced industry pressure to play the role of the damsel in distress and to dress more provocatively to cater to male fans.

But she fought back and created an ass-kicking alter ego that was a genuine representation of herself: nerdy, enthusiastic, and a little bit crazy.

With humor and tremendous heart, AJ opens up for the first time about her harrowing struggle to understand her demons and the mental illness diagnosis that helped her gain control over her life.

What most people view as a hardship, AJ embraced as inspira­tion for her superhero persona, shattering the stigma attached to mental illness.

Charting her journey from a scrappy girl in an unstable home to an empowered wrestling champion, Crazy Is My Superpower is an un­flinchingly honest story and brave confessional about her long road to self-acceptance.

Slobberknocker

New York Times bestselling author! Here is the story of how Jim Ross, an Oklahoman farm kid with a vivid imagination and seemingly unattainable dreams, became “The Voice of Wrestling” to record TV audiences and millions of fans around the world.

There are few people who have been in the wrestling business longer than Jim Ross. And those who have made it as long as he has (half a century to be exact) probably made enemies or burned bridges. But that’s just not JR.

He’s recognized as the man who built and nurtured a once-in-a-generation talent roster that took the WWE to new heights, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock to name a few.

Readers will finally get the opportunity to hear never-before-told stories about the politics, wackiness, and personalities of all the biggest stars.

Jim opens up about his life as an only child on a working farm, who became obsessed with professional wrestling having first seen it on his grandparent’s TV.

Even though the wrestling business was notoriously secretive and wary of “outsiders,” he somehow got a foot in the door to start a historic career, one where he held almost every job in the business—from putting up the ring to calling matches, from driving his blind, drunk boss towards revenge, to consoling two naked 600-pound brothers in the shower room after a rough match.

This isn’t just a wrestling story. It’s a story about overcoming adversity and achieving your dreams, as success did not come without significant costs and unforeseen challenges to JR, including multiple bouts of severe facial paralysis called Bell’s Palsy.

Currently the host of the podcast The Ross Report, any fan of wrestling—from the territory days to today—will be enthralled with stories from the road and behind the scenes. Slobberknocker is the first time Ross tells his story—and you don’t want to miss it!

Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey

Justin Roberts always dreamed of being a ring announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment. From playing with action figures of the Ultimate Warrior, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret Hitman Hart, and Hulk Hogan to actually announcing these larger-than-life characters to the ring, Roberts lived out the dream of countless, passionate wrestling fans worldwide.

Best Seat in the House is the inspirational story of Roberts’s ambitious journey to becoming a full-time ring announcer at WWE performing all over the world and announcing weekly live events, TV shows, and the enormously popular pay-per-view spectaculars for more than a decade.

In addition to announcing the top wrestlers in sports entertainment from Nature Boy Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy and the Iron Sheik to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and The Undertaker, Roberts also relives entertaining and candid moments with his real-life superhero co-workers, workplace politics, grueling travel schedules, harsh requirements of WWE talent, and the overall merciless treatment from the higher-ups whose decisions can affect nearly the entire wrestling industry.

This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses, and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling.

Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching, and living his dream.

No is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed in Spelling But Succeeded in Life

New York Times bestselling author and six-time WWE champion Chris Jericho shares 20 of his most valuable lessons for achieving your goals and living the life you want.

Chris Jericho has known what he wanted out of life since he was a teenager: to be a pro wrestler and to be in a rock ‘n’ roll band. Most of his high school friends felt that he lacked the tools necessary to get into either, but Chris believed in himself.

With the wise words of Master Yoda echoing through his head (“Do or do not. There is no try.”), he made it happen.

As a result, Chris has spent a lifetime doing instead of merely trying, managing to achieve his dreams while learning dozens of invaluable lessons along the way.

No Is a Four-Letter Word distills more than two decades of showbiz wisdom and advice into twenty easy-to-carry chapters, including:

• Developing a strong work ethic thanks to WWE chairman Vince McMahon,
• Remembering to always look like a star from Gene Simmons of KISS,
• Learning to let it go when America’s Funniest Home Videos hosting gig goes to his rival,
• Adopting a sense of perpetual reinvention from the late David Bowie,
• Making sure to sell himself like his NHL-legend father Ted Irvine taught him, and
• Going the extra mile to meet Keith Richards (with an assist from Jimmy Fallon).

Now, in the hopes that those same principles might help and inspire his legions of fans, Chris has decided to share them while recounting the fantastic and hilarious stories that led to the birth of these rules.

The result is a fun, entertaining, practical, and inspiring book from the man with many scarves but only one drive: to be the best.

After reading No Is a Four-Letter Word, you’ll discover that you might have what it takes to succeed as well…you just need to get out there and do it. That’s what Jericho would do.

Wrestlers are Like Seagulls: From McMahon to McMahon

For more than 40 years, James J. Dillon has been involved in the world of professional wrestling. Now he speaks candidly on all aspects of both his career and his personal life.

This book has something for wrestling fans of all generations and ages:

• Being a wrestling fan in the ’50s.
• Breaking into the wrestling business as a referee during the ’60s.
• Wrestling in the territorial system of the ’70s.
• Taking leadership of the legendary Four Horsemen during the ’80s.
• Working with Vince McMahon in the WWF during the ’90s.
• Watching the monumental collapse of WCW in the ’00s.

J.J. Dillon offers a first-hand account and detailed history of one of the most influential wrestling promotions in wrestling history — the World Wrestling Federation.

For 7½ years, JJ served in the WWF as Vince McMahon’s top lieutenant, right-hand man, and Vice President. Never before has someone from McMahon’s inner circle written a book with an insider’s perspective of the company.

JJ also gives an insider’s perspective on the ludicrous business decisions made by executives who took World Championship Wrestling down a path that led to the company’s destruction and eventual demise.

From the highs of making big money, winning championship titles, rubbing elbows with top celebrities, and appearing on television every week — to the lows of filing for bankruptcy, extramarital affairs, divorces, and drug use — no stone is left unturned when J.J. Dillon tells his story.

In this book released by Crowbar Press, there are truly “no holds barred.”

Lion’s Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling

Japan has long been the most respected territory in the field of professional wrestling, and the most appreciated by hardcore fans worldwide. New Japan Pro Wrestling is the country’s most recognizable brand.

It attracts scores of fans to annual Tokyo Dome shows, has made household names of its most prominent talent, and is increasingly in demand by a rabid international audience. Yet NJPW’s 40+ year history has been a rocky one.

The company has ensured strong competition, scandals, and riots, and for a time it seemed like poor decision-making would sink what was once a national institution.

For the first time in English, Lion’s Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling explores NJPW’s triumphs and tribulations.

Starting with the origins of pro wrestling in post-war Japan, Lion’s Pride covers the company’s inception in 1972, through its boom in the early 1980s, its influence on the medium at large in the ’90s, and its downturn and subsequent revival in the last two decades.

Alongside a detailed and informative history are essays detailing the intricacies of Japanese wrestling psychology, how NJPW’s key players shaped the company and much more besides.

A crucial reference guide for any wrestling fan, Lion’s Pride offers an entertaining and insightful glance behind the scenes of the ‘King of Sports’.

Eggshells: Pro Wrestling in the Tokyo Dome

THREE DECADES. HUNDREDS OF MATCHES. COUNTLESS STORIES.

With huge global attention and a legacy of significant moments, the Tokyo Dome is inarguably one of professional wrestling’s most iconic venues.

Over three decades, ten different wrestling promotions have staged over 60 shows in the building. Now, CHRIS CHARLTON (Lion’s Pride: The Turbulent History of New Japan Pro Wrestling) tells the story of those stories.

From UWF to NJPW, from the biggest gate in Japanese wrestling history to the biggest empty arena match, EGGSHELLS goes show by show and blow by blow.

Extensive research uncovers behind-the-scenes information never before seen in English, and exclusive interviews with Kota Ibushi, Kenny Omega, and many more reveal insight never before available anywhere. This is an exhaustive but accessible guide that does the ‘Big Egg’ the justice it deserves.

Big Gold: A Close Look at Pro Wrestling’s Most Celebrated Championship Belt

Wrestling’s most celebrated championship belt is examined as never before: its origins, its secrets, its amazing story. All presented with beautiful color photographs.

It is commonly known as the “Big Gold belt” and it has been photographed up-close in amazing detail, on both the original 1986 brown leather and the black leather that replaced it. Plus, for the first time since 1991, the original 1986 “Ric Flair” nameplate is back on the belt.

The book includes a special interview with Ric Flair about the earliest days of the Big Gold belt. Plus, special photographs with the “Nature Boy” were taken earlier this year as he was reunited with the belt for the first time in over 14 years.

From 1986-2000, the Big Gold belt represented the NWA, WCW, and WCW International world titles. And don’t forget the “Real World Championship” in the WWF in 1991! Twenty-six different champions held the belt throughout those years.

Complete, detailed background on the companies and craftsmen that were involved in making the belt, both the plates and the leather.

Plus the real story of who had the belt made, why it was made, and how it was delivered. Dozens of details, large and small, never known or published before.

The book includes a complete title history of the belt including all three different championships it represented over 14 years.

Plus rare archival documents and concept art from Crumrine Jewelers, amazingly detailed photographs, related memorabilia, and much more.

From North Carolina to Nevada to the sunshine state of Florida, follow along the amazing journey of the creation of the Big Gold belt.

Also included is a brief foreword by the voice of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling for four decades, broadcaster Bob Caudle and a special introduction by legendary wrestler and manager James J. Dillon.

Dillon managed Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen when Flair defended the Big Gold belt around the world.

Over 200 pages of Big Gold history, over 120 color photographs, and dozens of rare documents and illustrations. It’s the Big Gold belt as you’ve never seen it before.

Drawing Heat The Hard Way: How Wrestling Really Works

Thrilling but flawed, entertaining despite the swerves and double-crosses, captivating even when repugnant… professional wrestling has enjoyed the attention and loyalty of untold millions for nearly a century.

How and why is precisely what Larry Matysik examines in his third book, Drawing Heat the Hard Way: How Wrestling Really Works.

Wrestlers have their own private language, and in the unique world of wrestling “drawing heat” is a very good thing: the successful generation of crowd reaction and fan excitement.

The Hard Way? That’s both exactly what it sounds like and something no one in the industry plans for a legitimate and unintentional wound suffered because something’s gone awry.

In Drawing Heat the Hard Way, Matysik explains what it takes to win the hearts and minds of wrestling fans, and how, at times, mistakes, controversy, and unexpected turns of events have damaged the reputation or forever changed the business he loves.

If anyone understands wrestling, the problem-child offspring of whatever “real” sport is, it’s Matysik. Drawing Heat the Hard Way takes on the way wrestling is booked or planned; analyzes the roles of wrestlers and announcers, and explores steroids as an industry and fan issue.

It also considers wrestling’s power-brokers, from those who influence the business by reporting on it, as Dave Meltzer, to those who make the final decisions on what gets broadcast every week, like the omnipresent Vince McMahon, and even to those who influence the sport with their pocketbooks — the fans themselves.

At times humorous, occasionally heartbreaking, always insightful, Drawing Heat the Hard Way is ultimately an objective take on what it means to be a wrestling fan, from someone who knows the business inside and out.

Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair and the Rise of Charlotte

“Every person that aspires to be a professional in this business should take notes from Ric Flair.” John Cena

WOOOOOO! Are you ready for this, WWE Universe?

For the first time ever, wrestling’s illustrious father-daughter duo Nature Boy Ric Flair and Charlotte come together to tell their legendary story.

Ric Flair is a 16-time World Champion and two-time WWE Hall of Fame Inductee. His four-decade-long wrestling career is recognized as one of the greatest of all time, but with success comes a price.

Despite his effortless brilliance in front of the cameras, his life away from the cameras includes personal struggles, controversy, and family tragedy. Through his bond with Charlotte, he’s becoming the father he needs to be while rediscovering the legend he has always been.

Charlotte grew up in the shadow of her famous father, “the dirtiest player in the game,” but now she is poised to take the Flair name to new heights.

As the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte has had an impressive career, and she’s just getting started.

With the (dare we say it) flair of the Nature Boy running through her blood, Charlotte is destined for greatness. Find out how she embraced her heritage and battled her own challenges through her rise to the top of WWE.

For these two Champions, sports entertainment is simply SECOND NATURE.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons

The most marvelous good guys worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

At its core, professional wrestling has always been about the forces of evil trying to undermine everything well ― and a red-hot heel needs a valiant hero to battle against, someone fans can root for, identify with, and look up to.

Wrestling heroes like Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, The Rock, and André the Giant are celebrated worldwide.

But in Heroes & Icons, Oliver and Johnson dig deeper to include more than just the household names, telling the stories of forgotten heroes and regional stars, like Tiger Jeet Singh, who has an elementary school named after him, and Whitey Caldwell, whose gravesite still sees flowers from fans 40 years after his passing.

Based on the comprehensive research and numerous in-depth interviews for which their acclaimed Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series is known, authors Oliver and Johnson lead readers through the 1930s to the present day, as they examine what truly makes a great hero.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels

The colorful villains, heels, bad guys, and rule-breakers worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

In The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels, critically acclaimed authors Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson take readers on an informative and entertaining ride through mat mayhem.

With their signature mix of original research, interviews, and anecdotes, they describe the rise and development of wrestling’s bad guys, from riots in small-town arenas in the 1920s to the mega-event pay-per-views of today.

The Heels explains how a barrel-chested Milwaukee brewer became wrestling’s first Nazi, then served his country with distinction in World War II, as well as how bleached blond bad guys like the legendary Ric Flair trace their lineage to Gorgeous George ― and about the little-known Ohioan that George himself emulated.

And of course, Oliver and Johnson’s list of the most influential heels in history is sure to spark debate.

Like its predecessors in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series, The Heels features more than a hundred rarely or never-before-seen photos of wrestling’s most despised characters.

From the casual fan to the wrestling historian, anyone interested in the unique world of sports entertainment should have this on their bookshelf.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams

The dynamic duos worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

When you put four pro wrestlers in a ring, you double the athleticism, mischief, and entertainment. That’s the equation behind The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams.

Through hundreds of extensive interviews with well-known wrestlers, promoters, and managers ― a who’s who of wrestling since the ’50s ― Tag Teams regales us with tales of pain, measly payoffs, and a trade that was practiced as much for love as for money.

Detailed insider information guides the authors’ explanation of how tag team matches actually work ― and why, sometimes, they do not.

Fans will get to see how their favorites stack up on the list of the top teams of all time. With its impressive collection of rare, historic photos, and fascinating profiles chock-full of little-known facts, as well as humorous anecdotes, this comprehensive and historical look at wrestling’s tag team phenomenon will stand out as a reference source and talking point for years to come.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians

The Canucks are worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

Bret Hart, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Chris Benoit… did you know they were Canadian? By population, no other country on Earth has sent as many top performers to the upper echelon of the squared circle.

But to this day, the origins of these superstars have been hidden or played down by promoters ― Canada has been the dark secret of professional wrestling.

But everything’s about to change as respected wrestling author Greg Oliver blows the lid off the secrets: Rowdy Roddy Piper was never from Scotland, he’s from Saskatchewan; Mad Dog Vachon, billed from Algeria, was from Quebec; Abdullah the Butcher learned to use a fork in Windsor, Ontario; Val Venis isn’t a porn star from Las Vegas but a wannabe helicopter pilot from Southern Ontario.

The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians details all of the top stars to come out of the Great White North. Top wrestlers such as Chris Jericho, Whipper Watson, Chris Benoit, Gene Kiniski, Rick Martel, Killer Kowalski, Edge and Christian, Chris and John Tolos, Yvon Robert, and Sky Low Low are profiled.

Plus, a special section features such famous fighting families as the Harts, the Cormiers, and the Rougeaus.

Full of photos and fascinating stories and facts, The Canadians is a must-read for any wrestling fan ― whether they hide their country of origin or not!

The Pro Wrestling Hall Of Fame: The Storytellers: From the Terrible Turk to Twitter

The legendary storytellers worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

You can’t escape pro wrestling today, even if you want to. Its stars are ubiquitous in movies, TV shows, product endorsements, swag, and social media to the point that they are as many celebrities as they are athletes.

Pro wrestling has morphed from the fringes of acceptability to a global $1 billion industry that plays an everyday role in 21st-century pop culture.

In this latest addition to the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson explain how the sport’s unique take on storytelling has fueled its remarkable expansion.

Hundreds of interviews and original accounts inform this exploration of the imaginative ways in which wrestlers and promoters have used everything from monkeys to murderers to put butts in seats and eyes on screens.

From the New York City Bowery in the 1890s to a North Carolina backyard in 2017, readers will encounter all manner of scoundrels, do-gooders, scribes, and alligators in this highly readable, heavily researched book that inspires a new appreciation for the fine (and sometimes not-so-fine) art of storytelling.

Grappler: Memoirs of a Masked Madman

He defeated Andre the Giant, tutored the Ultimate Warrior, and helped Jake “The Snake” Roberts invent the DDT. He was also Harley Race’s booker, Ric Flair’s driver, and Roddy Piper’s right-hand man. This is the true story of pro wrestling’s overlooked legend

GRAPPLER chronicles the rags to almost-riches journey of Lynn “The Grappler” Denton. A star of pro wrestling’s territorial era, Denton worked alongside the biggest stars of the 1980s.

GRAPPLER recounts his adventures with wrestling legends such as Bret Hart, Dynamite Kid, Junkyard Dog, Ted Dibiase, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler, and Bill Goldberg.

Denton also gives wrestling fans a behind-the-scenes look at several legendary promotions, including Mid-South, World Class, Memphis, and Portland Wrestling. The book chronicles the territories’ “glory days”, and offers a ringside seat for their demise.

From Denton’s humble beginnings in a Texas dance hall to the bright lights of the “Monday Night Wars”, this is the story of one man chasing his dream through 35 years of wrestling history.

With a foreword from WWE legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, GRAPPLER is a must-have for any fan who wants to learn about the unsung heroes of professional wrestling.

This humorous and heartfelt autobiography is proof that not every legend wears a Hall of Fame ring.

Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn’t Know It Was Broken!

The anticipated memoir from a sports entertainment fandom legend

As a kid growing up in New York in the late ’50s, Bill Apter fell in love with professional wrestling, and it wasn’t long before he was rubbing shoulders with the greats as a young reporter and photographer.

He’s since become the world’s best-known wrestling magazine personality, and he’s had professional and personal relationships with a who’s-who of the business, like Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Sting, and Ric Flair.

In his fun-loving memoir, Bill Apter takes us from the dressing rooms of the Bruno Sammartino era and the last days of the territories to the birth of WrestleMania, the emergence of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the “Attitude Era,” to today’s WWE Superstars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns.

He also shares stories of his days photographing boxing stars like Muhammad Ali and other champions, and he documents his appearances on the WWE Network and his work as editor of 1wrestling.com.

Find out which wrestler threatened him, learn about the dead wrestler who was really alive, and discover how hanging out with Andy Kaufman led to the comic’s notorious feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler. Still intimately involved in the wrestling business, the award-winning Apter has a story on everybody.

Best Wrestling Books – Wrapping Up

We really hope this list of awesome wrestling books has been useful to you. We’ve given you a range of different books here.

As ever, it really depends on what you’re looking to jump into – whether that’s wrestler autobiographies, books on specific wrestling history or events, or anything else.

These books will give you glimpses into aspects of the wrestling world that you maybe haven’t considered yet and reading just a few of these will give you so much more knowledge than the average wrestling fan.

What did we miss? If we missed out your favorite wrestling book, let us know in the comments below!
 

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