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Sometimes people paid to get hit in the face for a living write books. Sometimes these books are actually quite good. Here is a place to talk about some of these books and recommend poo poo. I'll try to maintain a recommendation list in the OP so do share if you think people should read something. Naturally all books ever are on Amazon, most worth a drat are on Kindle or other eBook. Some might also be in your local library if you have one but you shouldn't use those because Lance Storm says it's basically stealing. Recommendations The Death of WCW (RD Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez) Great book on WCW's rise and fall that was recently updated and re-released for its 10th aniversary. A fun read if you're not burned out on hearing how stupid WCW was.
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Oct 29, 2014 13:55
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Yeah the recently reissued and updated Death of WCW isn't perfect but is definitely worth a read if you have any interest in that era of wrestling at all. I'd appreciate any recommendations for good books on the territory era or the Gold Dust Trio period.
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Oct 29, 2014 14:20
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Thauros posted:Yeah the recently reissued and updated Death of WCW isn't perfect but is definitely worth a read if you have any interest in that era of wrestling at all. Personal Recommendations: Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs by Pat Laprade Great look at Quebec wrestling. Really knowledgeable, easy to read, paints a good picture of the territory for people who don't have extensive background knowledge of it. Passion and Pain: The History of Stampede Wrestling by Heath McCoy A really loving good book. Provides a good look into the Hart Family. Goes well into the entire history of Stampede. Isn't afraid to be critical. Really in-depth. I read this book in like 3 days because I couldn't put the drat thing down. I've yet to read this book, but I've heard a lot of good things about Wrestling at the Chase by Larry Matysik about the St. Louis territory.
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Oct 29, 2014 16:08
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Jericho's first two books are mostly good and the first gives some cool insight into the Mexican and Japanese promotions he worked for, but personally I like Jericho's second book "Undisputed" the best. It's almost all about his career in WWF/E and gives one of the best perspectives on Vince McMahon I've seen in print. Skip everything to do with Fozzy and his dumb drunk escapades and this is pretty much a perfect wrestlebook IMO.
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Oct 29, 2014 16:14
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Anyone know of any good books on Catch Wrestling from around the turn of the century? Perhaps a nice biography of Frank Gotch?
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Oct 29, 2014 16:36
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 Titan Sinking: The decline of the WWF in 1995 quote:Throughout the history of the WWF, there have been times of prosperity and times of hardship, cycles that shape the ethos of the company by forcing changes to its infrastructure and on-screen direction. The one constant throughout three decades of change is Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the stalwart puppet-master who captains the ship. Unflinching, thick-skinned, and domineering, McMahon has ultimately outlasted all of his competition and come out on top of every wrestling war he has waged. I'm reading this at the moment and i'm very much enjoying it. I always hear how bad the mid 90s were for the WWF but never heard many documented facts/stories. This is explaining everything, from Randy Savage and stephanie [YEP], to the Kliq's doings and making GBS threads in duffell bags. It's nicely written too and fills in a good bit of history.
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Nov 19, 2014 15:40
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sportsgenius86 posted:I've yet to read this book, but I've heard a lot of good things about Wrestling at the Chase by Larry Matysik about the St. Louis territory. One of my favorites is Matysik's Wrestling at the Chase book. It's a really good run through of the time in St. Louis and how the wrestling business was. Matysik is kind of "Gee shucks" about a lot of stuff but I grew to enjoy it. Highly reccomend.
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Nov 19, 2014 19:54
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sportsgenius86 posted:Passion and Pain: The History of Stampede Wrestling by Heath McCoy I'll second this. I burned through it, couldn't stop reading. Loved it from cover to cover. I had the same kind of experience with Regal's book. It's intense at parts, really makes you respect the journey he's been on to get where he is. It's the kind of story that you don't really hear with wrestlers coming up today.
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Nov 19, 2014 19:56
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simosimo posted:
This looks amazing, why have I never heard of it?! Bret Hart's autobiography is the best wrestling book I've read, though it's somewhat dated now in his post-WWE comeback as a lot of the bitterness in the pages has subsided. Some of the stories and tales are fascinating though.
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Nov 19, 2014 20:01
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Highspots is also plugging a Lex Luger book called Wrestling with the Devil.
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Nov 19, 2014 21:27
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El Gallinero Gros posted:Highspots is also plugging a Lex Luger book called Wrestling with the Devil. that's been out for a while. I think there's a lot of religious crap in it.
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Nov 19, 2014 21:39
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sportsgenius86 posted:that's been out for a while. I think there's a lot of religious crap in it. Naturally, but it might be interesting anyways. Depends how much responsibility he takes for himself, I guess.
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Nov 19, 2014 21:41
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Edge's autobiography, Adam Copeland on Edge is fantastic.
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Nov 19, 2014 21:55
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Going to provide two quick write ups for a couple of books that are heavy on wrestling history. 1. Shooters: The Toughest Men In Professional Wrestling I read this about 2 years ago, and it had alot more about the history of professional wrestling then I was expecting (in the best way). The book does a good job of painting wrestling's history from the mid-late 1800s to present day via big match ups and the turn of the public's opinion from legitimate to fixed. The book also does a great job of giving alot of details of huge match ups for the time periods, which is really fascinating to see the public opinion on when two wrestlers from different countries/wrestling backgrounds would meet up. As a fan of early wrestling history, I really can't say enough in how informative this book was while not getting bogged down with particular disciplines or styles. The book also includes a pretty fascinating look at Pancrase near the end. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling Obviously, another book that will focus on the history of pro wrestling, but this is alot more focused. I would definitely recommend Shooters over this one if you are just jumping into pro wrestling history books. Not to say this isn't a well put together book, it is just obviously alot more focused on one set time period and the NWA. The most interesting aspects of this book was mainly hearing about the deep political battles that raged within the NWA. Between the promoters battling for more time with the champion, its really neat to see the ebb and flow of who is in and who is out. An example of this would be Buddy Rogers, who was notoriously known to bring in his "guys" into a territory as he started getting hot. When his guys started getting over, this would be used in Buddy's favor to pull strings since he had his guys ready to walk out if things didn't go their way. (Bruno Sammartino touched on this briefly on his Art of Wrestling episode, but the book expands on that one example and several others).
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Nov 19, 2014 22:04
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What are some books people should avoid? Rock's book was pretty bad, I'd love a new book going over his career. I'd really enjoy reading about the "clerical error" that ended up with his contract expiring haha.
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Nov 19, 2014 22:19
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Foley's books are basically a sliding scale from great > terrible if you want to retain any respect for him, stop after his second one.
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Nov 19, 2014 22:22
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Someone buy this book and tell me how it is. I would do it myself but, alas, I'm not booked. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...ZUVMYBS6MJ6DQJS
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Nov 19, 2014 22:34
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Endorph posted:Foley's books are basically a sliding scale from great > terrible Actually I quite enjoyed Countdown to Lockdown, but maybe that's just because Hardcore Diaries was so, SO bad. Also I'd recommend Vince Russo's book Rope Opera: How WCW Killed Vince Russo. I mean it's the usual Russo bullshit but it is pretty fascinating. Reading about the horrible concussions he got during the short time he was a "wrestler" was a bit scary.
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Nov 19, 2014 22:47
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triplexpac posted:What are some books people should avoid? Anything by Hulk Hogan
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Nov 20, 2014 01:46
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The Lou Albano co-penned Wrestling for Dummies book. The book written by the Grantland guy. Mick Foley's 3rd book. About half of Jericho's 2nd book (don't know how the 3rd one is). The Rock's book (I'll 2nd the thought he should revisit writing a bio in a couple years, preferably not in half-kayfabe). I've also heard that Jerry Lawler's and HBK's books are super disappointing. And Chyna's is supposed to be AWFUL.
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Nov 20, 2014 02:20
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I recommend Diana Smith Hart's book Under The Mat. It's not well written. The book itself is sort of a work of madness. She's nuts. Her book is nuts. But then again, most of the people she wrote about are nuts too. It was pulled from shelves directly after its release, for accusations of libel. There are so many provable inaccuracies in the book, I'm surprised it passed a publishing editors desk. Who knows whether any of the allegations she made in the book are true, I guess that's left to interpretation. Did Davey Boy Smith continually drug her with GHB and anally rape her? Possibly, maybe. Anyway, it'd be hard to find a printed copy, so I read the thing online. I read it for the same reason you'd read the list of sleaziest wrestling stories. It reads like that but from the other perspective of a woman who is victimized by these overgrown roid-bellied high-school mentality wrestlers. Part of the fun of the book is reading something so over-the-top in its bitterness. It's not much different than reading similar rock bios like Touching From A Distance by Debora Curtis, or M. Doughty's The Book Of Drugs. A bitter book written by the bitterest member of the bitterest family in the bitter business of professional wrestling. God Of Paradise fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Nov 20, 2014 |
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Nov 20, 2014 06:07
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Tato posted:Someone buy this book and tell me how it is. I would do it myself but, alas, I'm not booked. I'd actually expect it to be well written, after watching Stamp speak at a function honoring Terry Funk awhile back.
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Nov 20, 2014 06:11
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triplexpac posted:What are some books people should avoid? Every Scott Keith book.
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Nov 20, 2014 06:17
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triplexpac posted:What are some books people should avoid? chyna's book is just heinous. chris & nancy: the story of the benoit murder-suicide is sensationalist garbage thats maybe good for a laugh
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Nov 20, 2014 06:18
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I like Jericho's second book because he spends most of the WWF parts figuratively making GBS threads on Chyna
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Nov 20, 2014 06:32
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Eddie's biography is written like a 9 year old's book report but I enjoyed it on a long car ride.
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Nov 20, 2014 06:36
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hardcore-Truth-The-Bob-Holly/dp/1770411097 The Hardcore Truth quote: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. For those going 'fuckin Bob Holly! Try this one out, I found it fantastic also. Another great look into early days WWF and into some of the workings of the Attitude era. Including May Young (or Moolah?!) telling Bob to 'bring it motherfucker' before one of their segments. A nice humble read.
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Nov 20, 2014 06:57
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WWE released a biography of Andre the Giant called Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life. Avoid it at all costs. It starts out semi-promising in the first couple chapters despite its lack of breaking kayfabe. Then once he gets into wrestling, it kills page time by literally doing play-by-play of his matches. poo poo's bad. Meanwhile, I totally recommend Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, a graphic novel biography by Box Brown. Brown makes an entire book out of Andre stories, trying to weed out the ones that are a little too unbelievable. Mixed in there are adaptations of televised events (Andre on Letterman, his match with Hogan, his final WWF promo, etc.) with opinionated narration by Brown. Through the book, you get a look at a guy who on one hand seems like this awesome badass who knew he was going to die young, so he lived life to the fullest under his own rules, but on the other hand, you also see him as an irresponsible rear end in a top hat who was constantly depressed over the way normal people looked at him in public.
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Nov 20, 2014 07:16
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Gavok posted:Meanwhile, I totally recommend Andre the Giant: Life and Legend, a graphic novel biography by Box Brown. I agree. You should read this comic. I'm pissed that I bought this exactly when it hit the shelves. It's now much cheaper.
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Nov 20, 2014 08:13
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Make me another recommendation for Andre the Giant: Life and Legend. I picked it up on a whim while I was on a trip to Oregon, and it was overall great stuff. Well-written, well-drawn, well thought-out.
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Nov 20, 2014 09:04
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The Watchmen is the only comic book I've read over the last 15 years but that Andre one seems pretty interesting and I can see how the medium would work well for it. Might check a local shop to see if they have it.
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Nov 20, 2014 13:30
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Thauros posted:The Watchmen is the only comic book I've read over the last 15 years but that Andre one seems pretty interesting and I can see how the medium would work well for it. Might check a local shop to see if they have it. Have you read the old Modern Drunkard feature on Andre? Just stories of him as a herculean drinker.
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Nov 20, 2014 15:51
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Beer, Blood and Cornmeal. It's probably the best wrestling book about a non-major federation. It's by Bob Calhoun, who used to be known in in Incredibly Strange Wrestling as Count Dante (yes, named after the guy who claimed to be the master of the Martial Arts Death Match in 70's comic books), and chronicles his time as co-booker, color commentator and performer for Incredibly Strange Wrestling. It was started in the mid 90's, and right down to the initials, was sort of a precursor to Interspecies Wrestling, although the wrestling is a fair bit worse (at one point Calhoun mentions that adding a few dudes with a modicum of proper training who could do high flying stuff "upped their workrate". Yes, really.). This company was voted worst company something like 3 yeras in a row in the WON. I think my favorite gimmick has to be 69 degrees, the scientologist boy band. Although Harley Racist and El Hijo de Executivo are close. The most hosed up gimmick had to be the Man from NAMBLA, which is exactly what it sounds like.
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Nov 20, 2014 15:58
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Everyone should read Dirty Dick Slater's book. Not because it's good, but because it's so loving bad and bullshit that it's worth the experience. e: Also, here's a breakdown of Todd Martin's reviews. Todd is loving annoying, but he's generally pretty correct when it comes to rating books, from my experience. Tier 1: Best of the Best Chokehold by Jim Wilson Wrestlers are Like Seagulls by JJ Dillon Tangled Ropes by Superstar Billy Graham Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks by Freddie Blassie Have a Nice Day by Mick Foley Hitman by Bret Hart Foley is Good by Mick Foley A Lion’s Tale by Chris Jericho Hooker by Lou Thesz My Life in Wrestling by Gary Hart Tier 2: Highly Recommended Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook by Jim Cornette Inside Out by Ole Anderson Cheating Death Stealing Life by Eddie Guerrero Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart by Martha Hart Queen of the Ring by Jeff Leen To Be the Man by Ric Flair The Pain and the Passion by Heath McCoy Mondo Lucha A Go-Go by Dan Madigan The Cowboy and the Cross by Bill Watts National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling by Tim Hornbaker Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson It’s Good to Be the King Sometimes by Jerry Lawler Blood in the Cage by L. Jon Wertheim Fall Guys by Marcus Griffin Walking a Golden Mile by William Regal Catch Wrestling by Mark Hewitt Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson No Holds Barred: Evolution by Clyde Gentry Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden Becoming the Natural by Randy Couture Stone Cold Truth by Steve Austin Pure Dynamite by Dynamite Kid More than Just Hardcore by Terry Funk Brisco by Jack Brisco Undisputed by Chris Jericho Let's Get It On by John McCarthy Last Outlaw by Stan Hansen King of New Orleans by Greg Klein Shooters by Jonathan Snowden Mad Dogs Midgets and Screw Jobs by Pat LaPrade and Bertrand Hebert Hardcore Truth by Bob Holly Pound for Pound by Brian D'Souza Rags Paper and Pins by Jim Cornette and Mark James Is This Legal? by Art Davie and Sean Wheelock Live as a Man Die as a Man Become a Man by Enson Inoue Tier 3: Solid Reads Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America by Scott Beekman How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life by Steve Williams Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians by Greg Oliver Batista Unleashed by Dave Batista Rise and Fall of ECW by Thom Loverro Hardy Boyz: Exist to Inspire by Matt and Jeff Hardy Bruiser Brody by Emerson Murray Stu Hart: A Lord of the Ring by Marsha Erb Gorgeous George by John Capouya Bang Your Head by Missing Link Heart for the Fight by Brian Stann The World According to Dutch by Dutch Mantell Catch Wrestling Round 2 by Mark Hewitt Little Evil by Jens Pulver Made in America by Matt Hughes Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin 100 Years of Australian Professional Wrestling by Libnan Ayoub Swimming with Piranhas by Howard Brody Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time by John Molinaro Bodyslams by Gary Michael Cappetta Brody by Larry Matysik and Barbara Goodish Wrestling at the Chase by Larry Matysik Bobby the Brain: Wrestling’s Bad Boy Tells All by Bobby Heenan Reflections of an American Dream by Dusty Rhodes Controversy Creates Cash by Eric Bischoff Why I Fight by B.J. Penn Godfather of Grappling by Gene LeBell Lita: A Less Traveled Road by Lita Hardcore Diaries by Mick Foley Adam Copeland On Edge by Edge Heartbreak and Triumph by Shawn Michaels Between the Ropes by Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray Brawl by Erich Krauss Hardcore History by Scott Williams Drawing Heat the Hard Way by Larry Matysik Countdown to Lockdown by Mick Foley MMA Encyclopedia by Jonathan Snowden and Kendall Shields Straight from the Hart by Bruce Hart Too Much Too Soon by Tony Atlas Wrestling Reality by Chris Kanyon Last Laugh by Bill De Mott Hey Boy Where'd You Get Them Ears by Paul Boesch Gatekeeper by Gary Goodridge Nikita: A Tale of the Ring and Redemption by Nikita Koloff Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story by Hacksaw Jim Duggan From the Fields to the Garden by Stitch Duran Uncaged by Frank Shamrock Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons by Steven Johnson and Greg Oliver Superfly by Jimmy Snuka The Three Count by Jimmy Korderas Fightnomics by Reed Kuhn Into the Cage by Nick Gullo Tier 4: Only If You Have Particular Interest in the Subject Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask by Joe Hamilton Behind the Mask by Rey Mysterio Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography of Wrestling’s Living Legend by Bruno Sammartino Mouth of the South by Jimmy Hart Arn Anderson 4 Ever by Arn Anderson King of the Ring by Harley Race Sex Lies and Headlocks by Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham In the Pit with Piper by Roddy Piper Hollywood Hulk Hogan by Hulk Hogan Ring of Hell by Matthew Randazzo My Life Outside the Ring by Hulk Hogan Is That Wrestling Fake by Ivan Koloff Under the Mat by Diana Hart The Solie Chronicles by Robert Allyn Chairshots and Other Obstacles by Bobby Heenan Adventures in Larryland by Larry Zbyszko Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man by Ted DiBiase I’m Next by Bill Goldberg Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George by Joe Jares First Lady of Wrestling by Missy Hyatt Life and Legacy of Frank Gotch by Mike Chapman It's True It's True by Kurt Angle Octagon by Kevin Lynch Iceman: My Fighting Life by Chuck Liddell Inside the Lion’s Den by Ken Shamrock Tales from a Dirt Road by Dutch Mantell The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and the Rush of Wrestling by Animal Often Imitated Never Duplicated by Lou Albano Woo Mercy Daddy by Jimmy Valiant Masked Decisions by Vincent Evans The Voice of Reason by Chael P. Sonnen When Wrestling Was Rasslin by Peter Birkholz Wrestling with the Devil by Lex Luger Mid Atlantic Memories by Mike Mooneyham The Third Man by James Beard Tier 5: Avoid Wrestling with the Truth by Downtown Bruno Master of the Iron Claw by Fritz Von Erich The Story of the Development of NWA TNA by Jerry Jarrett Tales from the Ring by Tito Santana First Goddess of the Squared Circle by Fabulous Moolah Rock Says by Rock Rope Opera: How WCW Killed Vince Russo by Vince Russo Gordon Solie: Something Left Behind by Robert and Pamela Allyn If They Only Knew by Chyna Positively Page by Diamond Dallas Page Forgiven by Vince Russo True Lies and Alibis by Blackjack Mulligan Be Ready When the poo poo Goes Down by Forrest Griffin Every Man Has His Price by Ted DiBiase Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story by Mike Chapman This Is Gonna Hurt by Tito Ortiz Sheikh of Baghdad by Adnan Al Kaissy Cross Rhodes by Goldust Death Clutch by Brock Lesnar Say Uncle by Jake Shannon Wrestling the Hulk by Linda Hogan Best of Times by Jerry Jarrett If You Don't Want the Answer Don't Ask the Question by Bill Dundee Physical Chess by Billy Robinson From Prison to Promise by Booker T 1000 Lives by Dick Slater 50 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time by Larry Matysik It's Time by Bruce Buffer Animal by George Steele Hart Strings by Julie Hart Who's Your Daddy by Ryan Danes Multiple Personalities of Mark Lewin by Mark Lewin Truther Vandross fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Nov 20, 2014 |
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Nov 20, 2014 16:04
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simosimo posted:
This is only about $5 on Kindle, so I grabbed it. I have a vague idea of what was going on backstage at that time, but it will be interesting to learn some more.
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Nov 20, 2014 16:09
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It sucks that Gary Hart's book is loving impossible to find and his family has no inclination to ever re-release it, as it's in the top tier of every wrestling book list I've seen.
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Nov 20, 2014 16:37
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Tato posted:It sucks that Gary Hart's book is loving impossible to find and his family has no inclination to ever re-release it, as it's in the top tier of every wrestling book list I've seen. The MLW radio guys are in good talks with this subject and apparently the publisher dude isn't interested in the project 
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Nov 20, 2014 22:16
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Anyone read DDP's book?
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Nov 20, 2014 23:09
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simosimo posted:
What did it say about this rumor? I watched the Macho Man DVD two days ago and have him on my mind. His relationship with a preteen girl in the documentary seemed kind of odd to me, with this rumor always swirling. Every time Lanny spoke I thought of this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJUqmM97G-k God Of Paradise fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Nov 20, 2014 |
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Nov 20, 2014 23:35
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Tato posted:It sucks that Gary Hart's book is loving impossible to find and his family has no inclination to ever re-release it, as it's in the top tier of every wrestling book list I've seen. It's going for $400 on ebay. Really disappointed to know it's never getting republished as I've been on a WCCW kick lately and would love to read it.
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Nov 21, 2014 00:32
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