C.S.

Should that really be a knock on him though? I mean, I understand why it is. but very few wrestlers are still as good after 15 years. What a major missed opportunity that no major U.S. wrestling league ever signed someone as talented and levelheaded as Michael Modest, save for the one WCW match he had at the end with Christopher Daniels, which Keller and DDP both ripped to shreds, because "no psychology, bro" even though they were only given five minutes and told to be flashy. The excuse given, that he "exposed the business" on that stupid NBC special (even though Harley Fucking Race and others were on the same special and did the same thing), really grates on my nerves.

I tried reading the 1PW book, but the default font is miniscule (I can increase it, but still, why should I have to change my settings for one book?) and it is an oral history involving people I've never heard of and don't care about. Obviously, that's my own bias. It's possible I'm missing out on a truly great book. If so, my loss. With that said, I'm really enjoying the Titan Sinking book so far. It hasn't gotten into 1995 specifically yet, and there's very little written about the years before that I didn't already know, but it's still interesting to read. I can't really judge the book accurately until it gets into 1995 itself, but so far so good. I can't think of any names for 1996 (maybe something with Stone Cold?), but if he ever gets to 1997, From New Generation to D-Generation could be good.

Both Matt Murphy books are well worth reading. One fascinating tidbit from The Professional Wrestler in the World of Sports-Entertainment: It offers advice for wrestlers who want to send a résumé to John Laurinaitis (yeah, it's a bit dated now, haha). Apparently, Big Johnny wanted PowerPoint presentations. WTF??? IMO, there are few programs more useless, obnoxious, and bloated than PowerPoint. On that note, I just found this a few minutes ago: http://www.businessinsider.com/universities-should-ban-powerpoint--it-makes-students-stupid-and-professors-boring-2015-6 I'll look for the Dixon 1PW book and add it. It sounds awesome. Nice review of the Dixon 1995 book. I'll post my own thoughts here when I get around to reading it. BTW, I love the idea for your site. Bookmarked!

Haha, yeah, that's why I offered to let the reader fill in his/her own favorite "vanilla midget." I was just too tired to think of a better example than Malenko.

Don't get me wrong: I didn't like it either, but I can see why it might have seemed like a good idea before it happened. Credible was fairly well-liked by the fans (both people I knew and the internet in general), from what I remember. But the minute he won the title, it was obvious what a monumental mistake it was.

I am reading The Professional Wrestler in the World of Sports-Entertainment (Matt Murphy) now. It's basically a "how to" book if you decide to become a wrestler. Not the moves, but how to act, what to do, bathe, wash your gear, etc. Despite that, it's surprisingly compelling. Can you link to these? I can't find them. Edit: I found them, I think. What is KB though, and who is Thomas Hall? http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6/ Except, Bret's alleged physical abuse and family abandonment are new wrinkles. I don't remember Bret's book ever going into any of that. He did admit to fucking around though. Sounds interesting. I just added it. James Dixon has about twenty other books, so I assumed he was a hack pushing out quick cash grabs. I may be wrong on that (or I may be right). I know nothing about the author, to be honest.

Nope. AGAIN I'll repeat (for the 10th time, it seems), I'm not saying that at all. Good artists can want to make millions and actually do it. Nothing wrong with that. Van Gogh could've been a millionaire (he wasn't) and he'd still be an artist. But 90% of the people in wrestling seem to have the mindset that it's all about making the most money you can (again, nothing wrong with that) and - here's why they're not artists - you're a "mark" if you're in it for any other reason. If the majority of "the business" treats it that way, then it stands to reason that "artistic merit" is way down the list of goals, if it's there at all. No, that doesn't mean wrestlers don't take pride in their work, don't want to have a good match, don't care, etc. But Hulk Hogan is considered the best worker in the business by many other wrestlers, why? Not because he knew a thousand moves and "created art." It's because he made the most money, drew the biggest houses, and everyone else benefited from being on the card with him. If a "starving artist" like Van Gogh was a wrestler, he'd be looked at with contempt. It's all about who drew the houses, made the most money, etc. There's a reason "vanilla midget" became a phrase behind-the-scenes. Malenko (or fill in the name of your favorite "vanilla midget") could tie Nash (or fill in the name of your favorite/least favorite "main eventer") into a thousand pretzels, but he didn't draw the money. Instead of being respected as an "artist," he was ridiculed for being "short and bland." That's the mindset most wrestlers and promoters seem to have. Nash's entire Hall of Fame speech was seemingly about what? Money, guaranteed contracts, yadda yadda. HBK's introduction, same thing. That's why Dusty's words about Nash surprised me.

I don't know... Credible didn't seem like a bad idea until it happened. Then, immediately after the fact, it was obvious it just didn't work. But before that, he was fairly popular and - sorry - credible.

Brock Lesnar An Undertaker-like special attraction...great. A World Champ holding the belt hostage...not so hot.

Has anyone else tried this? I signed up for a free month and loaded it up with wrestling books. Several of them are available through this service. You can check out ten books at a time and keep them for as long as you want. When you're done, return one and add another. There is a ton of rubbish - and searching for wrestling books in Kindle Unlimited, funnily enough, also gives you listings for gay erotica (lol). But there are enough good wrestling books to make a free month worthwhile. What I've found so far: Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story Dusty: Reflections of Wrestling's American Dream Hart Strings (Julie Hart) Black Bart & Me And a Few Other Wrestling Tales (Dusty Wolfe) Animal (George Steel) Superfly: The Jimmy Snuka Story JUSTICE DENIED: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino's Death in Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room (Irvin Muchnick) Legends of Memphis Wrestling (Steve Crawford) The Stamp Collection (Dennis Stamp) A Pro Wrestling Curriculum: Advice, suggestions and stories (Tom Prichard) Latin Thunder: My Journey Off The Top Rope! Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore The Somebody Obsession: A Nobody's Desperate Journey to Stardom (Matt Murphy) The Professional Wrestler in the World of Sports-Entertainment (Matt Murphy) The ones I've read: - Terry Funk: I actually read this years ago and remember it being good fun. - The Somebody Obsession: I also read this years ago, and even though I still have no idea who the hell Matt Murphy is, it was actually a very interesting book about a low-level journeyman wrestler. He talks about training with Harley Race, dealing with bitter wrestlers like Malia Hosaka, etc. I highly recommend it. He has a second book, but I haven't read it yet. - Hacksaw: Surprisingly good. Much better than I expected, actually. He's very open about people and behaviors he doesn't like, including violence against women (naming Steve Austin, among others), what a wreck WCW was (he seemed bitter about people like DDP acting like they were big stars even though business was in the toilet), etc. - Dusty: I actually thought he had written this himself, because for better or worse, it reads like he's talking to you the whole time. I was surprised by how much bad language he used. Good book. I only wish he had updated it to include more recent events. At the time it was written, Cody was still an aspiring actor, etc. - Hart Strings: This is the whole book in a nutshell: Bret Hart was physically abusive, slept around, did drugs, used her for sex after they split up, abandoned his kids, etc. I have no idea what's true and what isn't, but man, she's bitter (maybe rightfully so, maybe not - I don't know). She had a tough upbringing, even ending up in a detention center at one point. It's hard to know what's true and what's bullshit, but it's still an interesting look at the Hart Family. She thanks Bret at the end, despite everything she claims he put her through. I'm not sure what to make of that. Not sure what to read next. I was surprised and delighted when I discovered THE STAMP COLLECTION though. The Dusty Wolfe book is actually just a few pages (I haven't read it yet), and he has several others. I don't know why he didn't just combine all of these into one book, but maybe he makes more money this way? I think I've found just about every worthwhile wrestling book this service offers, but if you know of any others, please share them. I'm not sure yet if Kindle Unlimited is worth $10 a month, but I'm definitely enjoying my free month.

Holy crap, my innocent (I thought) little pet peeve has been spun off into its own thread, with seven pages already. I don't mean to ignore any posts directed toward me (if there are any), but I just wanted to jump in with a quick little aside: I finished Dusty's book last night, and he talked about - of all people - Kevin Nash being one of the wrestlers who acted like money was the only thing important to him, but in reality, Nash actually cares about his overall performance (not Dusty's exact words, just the general gist of what he said). Now, the word "art" was never used, but still, Dusty's words do lend credence to the people here who say that most wrestlers aren't really in it for the money. Dusty was surprisingly high on Nash - talked about his incredible charisma, etc.

Kind of an oversimplification IMO. 1. There were great wrestling matches 30 years ago too. 2. The schedule back then was a lot more brutal than it is now, which lent itself to more phoning it in, shorter matches, etc. 3. Today's wrestlers are better athletes because the world in general is more knowledgeable about health, fitness, etc. I realize I'm oversimplifying matters too, but all of those factors do make a difference in today's style and speed of wrestling vs. 30 years ago.

Never said any of that though. An artist can indeed make a ton of money. Other people misinterpreting previous posts of mine doesn't change what I actually said. The difference is this: 90% of successful wrestlers place a high importance on the money. Art is way down the list, if it's there at all. Doesn't mean they don't work hard at their craft, take pride in it, etc. Whereas, there are actors who - yes - make a lot of money, but the majority of the long-lasting successes (not all) genuinely identify themselves as artists and make a conscious effort to create art. Some have the "one for me, one for them" approach where they'll rotate a big studio flick with something more artistic, but they use that big Hollywood money to fund the art. Local indy wrestlers who work for peanuts are the same as actors in college plays. Good stuff some of the time, but not really true professionals yet. I don't include the bigger indies like TNA, ROH, etc. when I say that, just the really local ones. I'm generalizing, obviously, but you get the point.

Except, that wasn't their gimmick - at all - when they were faces, so I'm not really sure what you mean exactly. Your interpretation of their heel act is the kind of meta bullshit I hate, but I honestly don't think that's the intention anyway. They're just bland. "Funny" hairstyles and a valet don't really change that. It's just window dressing.

They weren't any better or more interesting, awesome, charismatic, etc. as faces though.

It's hard for me to say he's being used badly though when one of his first "televised" matches was against World Champion Kevin Owens. True, he hasn't been on any of the "Specials" yet - and you could probably argue that he's more worthy than, say, Blake and Murphy, who are awful too. But at least they're awful in a way that makes me root for Enzo and Cass or some other team to clean their clocks and win the belts. On that note, I can only assume they know something about Blake and Murphy that we don't. A few months ago, I thought Becky Lynch was a boring waste of time with no personality. At the last "Special," she proved everyone wrong and blew me away. Is she quite ready for the main roster yet? No, but she's miles ahead of where she was only a few months ago. B&M, in their defense, have played both face and heel and made tweaks to their character, which at least fits the the spirit of what a developmental promotion is supposed to be - trying new stuff out, seeing what works and doesn't, learning and improving, etc. All of that may happen for Crowe too, but he was shockingly bad from the minute he first appeared on NXT after all of the build-up with the "hacked" TitanTron, etc. I've never seen someone so goofy and "indy." He is absurdly awful as a character and personality. He is badly in need of a complete gimmick overhaul and a lot more time in "promo class" or whatever it is that Dusty used to run.

People seem to think I'm saying only "starving artists" can be real artists. No. Of course there's a monetary component. Never suggested otherwise. But when that is the primary motivating factor of 90% of the people in the industry, and the "art" aspect is way down the list, then it ain't art (IMO). Whereas, to use movies as an example, how often have you heard of Clooney, Leo, Molly Ringwald or whoever agreeing to "work scale" or "give up a percentage of their profits" - or whatever it is - to get a smaller movie made. Of course, that doesn't mean every movie is a work of art either or that actors don't do big budget schlock to pad their bank accounts - they do.

Steamboat takes pride in his work, as he should. But so did Joe Montana and Michael Jordan (or whoever - pick your favorite players for this example). So does the stock boy at the grocery store. So does a secretary who keeps the office running smoothly. They're all the best in their fields. Doesn't make any of those other things art though. Plus. as others have said, Steamboat really is the exception to the rule. I'm sure he believes he's an artist and tries to create art, and he probably succeeds. Bret Hart is probably in the same camp as Steamboat. PN News, on the other hand, probably didn't think that way. But I'll use someone "good" and go with Bobby Heenan again, who also didn't think that way. Lex Luger is another example. 10% fall into the Steamboat/Bret camp. The other 90% are in "the business." I think this comes down to two camps: people who see art in the way a ketchup bottle is designed (for example) and people apply that term more literally. The former would consider wrestling art because certain aspects of it have artistic merit. The latter thinks in broader terms and wouldn't classify wrestling as art. I'm going with the 90% of the people in "the business" who don't treat it that way. Hard to argue against that IMO. BTW, oy vey, had no idea I'd be opening such a can of worms by listing "it's art" as one of my pet peeves. This has been going on for how many pages now?

Because Crowe is a complete and utter goof, that's why. His persona makes Jericho at his hammiest look subtle. Awful and embarrassing. I cringe whenever he's on.

http://www.tpww.net/2015/06/update-goldust-stardust-post-their-eulogies-to-dusty-rhodes/ No offense intended if that happens to be your website, but holy shit, the color scheme is right out of an 1984 video game and the sketchy link at the end - "100% DIRECT LINK (PHOTOS): Layla In Hot CAMO Outfit! (24 SMOKIN’ HOT *MUST-SEE* Pics)!" - is like something from a 1996 "newz" site. Good God!

Yep, every "scholarly" piece I've ever seen written about wrestling has been poorly researched and generally full of shit.

Yeah, he was a nice guy and easy to work with. The same is probably true of the guy who mops the floor at Titan Towers. Doesn't make his profession art either.

Even though 99% of the people in the business don't treat it that way? There's a reason everyone calls it "the business" - because that's what it is and how it's approached by damn near everyone in it. I doubt "artistic integrity" and other such pretentous buzz phrases are considered much, if at all. Even Bobby Heenan stresses that the point was to make as much money as possible.

Which blog? Why even hide what you're talking about?! That's weird, honestly. Not like anyone from there is going to see it and get offended. Anyway, the "wrestling is an art form" silliness that gets thrown around here is one of my pet peeves. Wrestling may indeed be an art form, but when the executives and most of the wrestlers don't think so or treat it that way, it becomes a very empty, pretentious talking point.

What a ridiculous criticism. "Too lazy"?! Dusty died less than a week ago. They didn't exactly have a lot of time to put something together, and what we got was top notch from a production quality standpoint. I will agree that I didn't particularly love seeing so much recycled footage either, but I understand it considering the circumstances. The new footage was all tremendous. One question about the Stephanie/Dusty in-ring promo: At the time, I heard murmurs that Stephanie (or was it Vince?) was unhappy with it because Dusty ad-libbed. Was that internet bullshit? On this special, Steph seemingly confirmed the ad-libbing but then went out of her way to say she loved it when Dusty walked away from her, forced her to grab his mic, smirked at her when she did, and what an honor it was to have such a moment with a legend, etc.