Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel by Larry Matsyik - I'm excited about this release as Matsyik is always a wonderful guest on Bryan Alvaerez's Figure 4 Daily Audio shows and Brody is a wrestler I never got to watch first hand, but nonetheless fascinates me greatly.
Here's the hype: The most unpredictable and charismatic grappler of all time? The brute that made brawling an art before the term “hardcore” was coined? The confrontational businessman who fought for every penny he felt he deserved? “Bruiser” Brody had no peers when it came to blood and guts, controversy and independence. Most wrestling promoters portrayed their top talent as exactly that kind of free-spirited, take-no-guff personality. They didn’t mean it, though — which explains why so few would admit to respecting Brody even as they featured him time and again.
So why did they give him work? Simple. “Bruiser” Brody delivered the goods in the ring and at the box office.
In the 1970s and early 80s, Brody was one of the few performers, along with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, to be recognized as a national star. With his fiery personality, Brody also conquered the international market.
Nearly two decades after his murder in Puerto Rico, Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel delivers a complete portrait of Brody’s remarkable life. Co-authors Barbara Goodish, Brody’s widow, and Larry Matysik, a close friend, offer a first-time opportunity to truly understand one of the sport’s most complex and controversial human beings. Goodish’s account of her husband’s horrific murder and its aftermath is both heartbreaking and compelling, while Matysik’s insider knowledge of the business puts Brody’s place in wrestling history into perspective. With a foreword by WWE announcer Jim Ross, Brody offers readers the unvarnished truth about one of the greatest wrestling legends of all time.
This one looks like a winner. CLICK HERE to pick up your copy.
Sex, Drugs, and Wrestling: The Truth, the Lies, and the Extremes by Tod Gordon - As a huge fan of the old ECW, this book looks like a must to add to my library.
Here's what the P.R. guy says: An underground, counter-culture success story, Extreme Championship Wrestling revolutionized the sport in North America. Superstars like Shane Douglas, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and the Dudley Boys all established their names at ECW. Even industry legends like Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin established their legacy here. Behind it all, from day one, was Tod Gordon.
Sex, Drugs and Wrestling chronicles how Gordon—first and foremost a fan—created a company that respected the intelligence and integrity of his paying customers. He started as an independent investor in the late ’80s with his Eastern Championship Wrestling promotion. Realizing change was needed for his promotion to survive, Gordon and his booker Paul Heyman exchanged “Eastern” for “Extreme” and ECW was born.
Now, Gordon talks about the sex, drugs, and stories that made ECW the innovator of “hardcore.” From the great angles—the “blinding” of Sandman, Gordon
I've listened to several interviews with Gordon and he is a great storyteller, and God knows there are a ton of stories from that era of ECW to tell. CLICK HERE to order your copy.
This Side of the Mic by Jeff Gorman - I actually had written a full on review of This Side of the Mic last year, but it was during the month of my hernia surgery and I honestly have know idea where the review went. For those who do not know, Jeff Gorman is the former ring announcer for Ring of Honor and this book details the passion he had in getting to live his "dream job," if only for a little while. The book is also a love letter to Gorman's wife, who Jeff gives a lot of credit for helping him
achieve his goals in life.
Here's the hype: Jeff Gorman grew up dreaming of a career as a sportscaster, but he never imagined that he would land in the pro wrestling ring. Join Jeff on a bizarre trip through the minor leagues of wrestling and follow his rise up the ladder. Learn about the inner workings of a business filled with bikers and bullies, heroes and hillbillies. It’s more real than you would think. Find out what it was like to be a part of the early days of Ring of Honor, one of the hottest promotions in wrestling. Discover what happens when you chase one dream and find another. You’ve heard the wrestlers talk on TV, now find out what it’s like on THIS SIDE OF THE MIC.
It was interesting to read exactly what it is like to be "successful" on the indy scene, which sounds about as glamorous as us online writers. CLICK HERE to get your copy.
How I Helped Kill Kayfabe: From Internet Geek to Pro Wrestling Insider by Bob Ryder - Now, I'm not a fan of Bob Ryder, in fact there are days I think he is just about everything wrong with wrestling put into one person. That said, this is one book I'm going to have to read, if only to see if he continues his modus operandi of spouting complete bullshit.
Here's the hype: “Kayfabe,” originally carnival slang, means “to be fake” – wrestling-speak used to describe the protection of industry secrets from wrestling fans.Some say that with Bob Ryder’s pioneering Web site, 1wrestling.com, the magic that cloaked wrestling’s once-secretive entertainment empires was killed. Now, Ryder describes the Internet’s effect on the “Kayfabe” wrestling mindset, when he and his peers scooped WWF storylines in the early ’90s. He chronicles the rivalry between Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, and himself, as well as his insider role in ECW, WCW, and TNA.
The most explosive, history-making moments in contemporary professional wrestling history are all here – from Bret Hart’s defection to WCW to Owen Hart’s death. Unlike many other wrestling writers, Ryder was backstage at every promotion, and even became one of ECW’s creditors. At WCW, he witnessed the birth of the nWo, became a WCW “Hotline” personality, and booked Ric Flair’s last title win. After WCW failed, Ryder pitched an idea to Jerry and Jeff Jarrett – which, today, is known as TNA Wrestling on Spike TV.
You just know he's going to take shots at Dave Meltzer and Wade Keller, who Bob laughably calls his "rivals." It reminds me of Juvi-Juice coming out on Nitro apparently thinking he was in the Rock's league. CLICK HERE to order your copy.
Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling - Talk about a book that has received a ton of praise. Dave Meltzer himself can't stop talking about how great this book is, and that's good enough for me.
So what does the hype machine say? Pain and Passion is a book about the history of the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling, a wild western promotion that spawned some of the biggest wrestling stars in the world, from the big names of yester-year like Gene Kiniski and Superstar Billy Graham to modern heroes like Bret Hart, the British Bulldogs and Chris Benoit.
Pain and Passion is based on "Butchers, Stompers and Cheats," published in the Calgary Herald's Swerve Magazine, and winner of the Gold Award for Best Article in Alberta at the 2005 Western Canadian Magazine Awards. This book is more than just a pro-wrestling story. It is a tragedy--the story of the world famous Hart family and their family business. It's a story of the Hart's rise and fall from glory. It is also a tale of a wild and brutal bunch, these being the wrestlers that passed through the Hart's promotion over the years.
Pain and Passion, is a fascinating, largely undocumented chapter in the history of western Canadian pop culture. Make no mistake, the stars of Stampeded Wrestling were folk heroes in their day and their legacy is still fondly remembered in the west, and with the wrestling fans across the world.
I haven't even read this, and yet I can highly recommend it thanks to great reviews given by Meltzer and prominent members of the Pro Wrestling Torch staff. CLICK HERE to get your copy.
Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal by Irv Muchnick - I'd get this book only for the never-before-published investigative story on the death of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's girlfriend. Damn, I've been hearing about that story in vague details for years!
"Irv Muchnick knows wrestling like Anna Wintour knows fashion, and his intriguing collection of ring tales is written with passion and savage humor." —Frank Deford, bestselling author and National Public Radio contributor
Here's the hype: Irvin Muchnick — a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick — has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon, he traces the demise of wrestling’s old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWE’s Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the public’s late-empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became.
What truly distinguishes Wrestling Babylon, however, is Muchnick’s ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur-carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His People magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sport’s signature superstar. His award-winning Penthouse profile of the ill-starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV-style production values. His never-before-published investigation of the death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend suggests the cover-up of a murder. The book’s appendix — a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention — is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.
Muchnick is one hell of a writer and this will be a fantastic book. CLICK HERE to order your copy.
How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life by Steve Williams - When I went to the first WrestleReunion down in Tampa, Florida, one of the big events was the unannounced appearance of Steve Williams. The entire room went into a standing ovation and Williams went on the stage to deliver an emotional speech. As a lifelong WWE fan, my biggest impression of Dr. Death was seeing Bart Gunn knock him out in the disastrous Brawl For All, but I'd really like to see Williams in Mid South and Japan and reading about him in the Observer for years.
Here's the hype: Steve Williams, better known to wrestling fans as "Dr. Death," faced his greatest opponent in 2004 - advanced throat cancer. After multiple surgeries and months of radiation treatments, he is now cancer-free. In How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life, Williams tells his inspiring story, from his childhood and adolescent years, to his amateur college wrestling and football career at the University of Oklahoma, to his stint with All Japan and New Japan Wrestling, the NWA, WCW, and WWF, to his recent battle with throat cancer. It's an inspirational and powerful story that no football, amateur wrestling, or professional wrestling fan can afford not to read.
This could be a decent read. CLICK HERE to get your copy
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the monopoly that Strangled Wrestling by Tim Hornbaker - I don't know too much about this one, but anyone who has the guts to put out a book with a cover like that better have something worthwhile in it.
Here's the hype: In the 1950s, in Las Vegas, a businessmen’s conglomerate dominating a $25 million-a-year sports industry hid their illegal practices from the U.S. Department of Justice until they were caught. The sport that privileged cold hard cash over honest competition was professional wrestling, and the conspirators were members of the famed National Wrestling Alliance.
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling examines the NWA promoters’ overwhelming success, and the relationships to influential politicians and writers that protected their financial interests for over 50 years. Breaking the façade of sports production, it shows how promoters actually twisted arms to edge out their opponents. Hornbaker documents the life of the NWA, from its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II, to its worldwide expansion. He chronicles the Department of Justice’s investigation, providing sports fans with a never-before-told side of wrestling’s legacy.
The most noteworthy exploits of the National Wrestling Alliance were behind locked doors. Now, the conspiracies of a century-old brand of entertainment will finally be revealed.
CLICK HERE to get your copy.
Hardcore Diaries by Mick Foley - I can't possibly see how this wouldn't be a five star book, but I've gotten some mixed reactions from my friends who have actually read it. It seems a big problem that a lot of people have is that Foley is too cute by half in mentioning how much he does for charity in an "aw shucks" kind of way. Bruce Mitchell also made some interesting comments concerning Foley's description of
his relationship with WWE's divas and the lack of mentions his actual wife gets. I will say that the skits with Foley and the divas on WWE TV are just about nauseating. Much like Kevin Smith, I will always be a fan of Foley and buy support just about anything that has his name on it, but man, this guy has a lot of make-good to do for his hardcore fans that have had to watch Foley become almost a parody of his former self.
What does sound intriguing is that Foley spends a large part of the book talking about the angle he was involved in at ECW's second One Night Stand PPV. Foley gives his thoughts on the entire angle, including what he thinks about WWE Creative's ideas that differed from his own. Unlike WWE, Foley didn't give up on Terry Funk after the first promo in which Funk came across badly, and also describes how the angle ultimately failed because fans had no reason to believe in the tag team of Funk and Tommy Dreamer. Hard to argue with the latter part at least.
CLICK HERE to get your copy.
Controversy Creates Cash by Eric Bischoff - This is the biggest disappointment in the wrestling book department since, well, it's actually the biggest ever. This could have been an eye opening book featuring the thoughts of someone who was directly in the middle of the Monday Night Wars. We could have read all the inside dirt on one of the most amazing times in wrestling history from someone who was a part of all the meetings and was directly involved in many of the biggest events.
Instead we got a half assed book that pretty much told us absolutely nothing. Bischoff should be ashamed to even has his name associated with this book. As Wade Keller pointed out, there is even an instance of Bischoff not remembering the date of a particular PPV and yet he, his co-writer, nor his editors cold take the FIVE FUCKING SECONDS to look up the date on the mysterious world wide web. Where is all the inside detail on working with Vince Russo and the seemingly daily mishaps that led to the downfall of WCW? Where is the bravdo of the Eric Bischoff that taunted Vince McMahon back in the 90s? Was he neutered? Did he die along with WCW?
I can't recommend the book, but you might want to click on over to Bischoff's blog, in which the Bisch routinely paints all "insider" fans as morons.
The Sinking Ship by Ian Hamilton - Here's another book that I should have a review up for, but I simply can't find it. That's how absurd the last quarter of 2006 was for my life. It's like I "lost time" like Edward Norton in Primal Fear. You can always read the reviews by Wrestling Observer's own Joe Babinsack or
Slam's Brian Elliot, both of which are surely much better than my review would have been anyway.
Hamilton goes over in great detail what happened in the world of wrestling once WWE announced it had bought WCW. Watching Raw lately, it is almost easy to forget how god awful the booking was not that long ago and how much money has been pissed down the drain over the years. The Sinking Ship covers all the memorable angles, such as the WCW InVasion and Katie Vick and talks about all the wrestlers who were almost criminally misused during one of the worst five year runs, creative wise, in modern wrestling history. Reading this book almost brought my blood to a boil as I think my mind tries quickly to forget all the dumb bullshit in wrestling and Hamilton has one example after another in vivid detail that will make you want to pull your hair out. The one saving grace is that Hamilton also goes over what WWE did right during the time, which unfortunately is precious little.
Clearly Hamilton is a WWE fan and, like the rest of us, wants the company to succeed. I definitely can recommend this one to any wrestling fan out there looking for a good read, especially fans of Death of WCW. Ian's from across the pond, so check out his website at www.sinkingshipbook.co.uk for more details on how to order the book. Or become a member of the Empire atwww.F4Wonline.com as Ian regularly posts on THE BOARD~!
And now for something completely different, James Hold's Out of Texas. Talk about a complete mind fuck. James Hold combines wrestling with a ton of other seemingly "out there" stuff for an almost acid trip-like experience.
Here's the description of what you are about to get into:The clock was
nearing midnight when John Parradine heard the knock at the door. "Now who could
that be on such a stormy night?" he mused, and summoning the maid, said, & Bela
Lou, go see.
--excerpt from "Brainstorming," one of ten adventures in Out of Texas, in which a cat-turned-human explores the world of men for reasons all his own.
If you're a fan of old dark houses, lost civilizations, and pretty princesses in
peril...
If you like crazed villains with their fiendish plans to conquer the world...
If you've ever wondered what would happen in a fight between a robot and a cabbage...
Or what to do when feminist basketballs attack...
If you want the real truth behind the extraterrestrial origins of Texas...
Or if you just don't like Dallas,
Then Out of Texas is for you.
I have to say, the constant jabs at Dallas throughout the book always got a laugh out of me.
Time for a COMIC BOOK PLUG!
Finally, A prequel to Scarface~! Who among us isn't a fan of Tony Montana and the movie Scarface? Recently there was some big news in the comic world when it was announced at Wizard World L.A. that a prequel to the movie would be produced in comic form.
Here's a little bit from the link above: Those who say you can't learn from the past, sure haven't seen a certain film from 1983, where we were taught, from lead Tony Montana, "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women." Unless you're new to American cinema, you probably recognize the quote from Al Pacino's now classic "Scarface," a film that debuted to mediocre reviews but has become a pop culture staple. IDW Publishing recently published a sequel to the film, but as announced at Wizard World LA, the company will hit rewind and present a prequel entitled "Scarface: Devil In Disguise." Writing this five issue mini-series, which ships in July, is Joshua Jabcuga and he spoke to CBR News about the project.
"I’ve seen 'Scarface' countless times, right, and DVD sales suggest I’m not the only one infatuated with this movie," Jabcuga told CBR News. "The DVD is like one of those perennial bestsellers; it’s to DVD sales charts what Pink Floyd’s 'Dark Side of the Moon' is to album sales. Everybody either owns it or is familiar with it. The film has an amazing pedigree, with Brian DePalma directing, a screenplay by Oliver Stone, and Pacino in that fucking brilliant over-the-top iconic performance. The whole thing is outlandish yet it was so forward-thinking in many ways, that not only does it stand the test of time, but that crazy violence and gang mentality and drug pusher as rock star lifestyle isn’t far-fetched anymore. Hell, if anything, it served as a template. But the film always left me wanting more.
Hell yeah is this good news and I think Joshua Jabcuga is going to bring it with this one. Check out this article from WizardUniverse.com for more details.
Don't forget to check out Derek's:
Monthly look at DVDs
Bryan vs. Vinny DVD - The review with special "guest reviews" from a who's who of the wrestling world including Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, Vince Russo, the late James Barnett and many more!
MySpace page~!
Derek Burgan has been writing for the Wrestling Observer/Figure 4 Weekly~! family since October, 2005. He dreams of one day writing a Chris Hero/Necro Butcher comic book. If you have any questions, corrections, feedback, comments and ideas, he can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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