The King of New Orleans

[Dylan Waco]

So I picked this up the other day and breezed through it. I figured I would give it it's own thread even though there is going to be some spillover HoF talk.

 

I'm not going to give a standard review here, but I will say is that I think it is a book everyone should read. I absolutely think you can make serious criticisms of the book, but I also think it is a bit different from other wrestling books in it's scope and the way it attacks it's subject. At worst it will be a unique read folks don't quite love. At best I could see it being a "sleeper" favorite book for many readers.

 

I'll list the books Pros and Cons here, starting with the Cons:

 

Cons

 

1. The book is just too short. I understand this may not have been the author's fault but 180 pages is really too brief for a book of this sort, particularly when you are looking at a range of social issues that go far beyond wrestling.

 

2. This is related to the first issue, but the amount of time spent on the Dog himself is far too short. Klein does a great job setting up the backdrop and importance of JYD, but for such a brief book there is at least as much time spent on other figures like Ernie Ladd, the Birds and Bill Watts. This would have been excellent in a more lengthy book - in a book this length it left you wanting more on JYD himself.

 

3. I felt too much emphasis was put on JYD's weaknesses and not enough on his strengths. Klein clearly things Dog was a major player and late in the book openly lobbies for him in the HoF. He correctly notes that JYD proved to be without a replacement in NOLA and that Watts spent much of the rest of his career in the business searching in vain for another Dog. Unfortunately he seems to go out of his way to credit others with Dog's accomplishments and only makes passing reference toward the end of the book to the innate charisma that made Dog what he was.

 

4. A few minor inaccuracies and/or questionable statements which I think probably has to do with an over reliance on certain sources. The most personally annoying to me was when he was making a case of sorts for JYD as a WON HoF at the very end of the book and claimed JYD had been rejected by voters and fallen off the ballot - in reality JYD has never been on the ballot, most likely because Dave Meltzer (who is clearly one of Klein's main sources for the book) was never a fan.

 

Pros

 

1. I like that he went out and interviewed people that knew Dog in his youth and random fans in the Mid-South area including casuals. Gave the book a nice flavor that was somewhat distinct from the average wrestling book.

 

2. Though the length of the book made the depth of the writing on Watts, Birds, Ladd, et come across as meaty, in reality it did wonders at illustrating the significance of JYD and his importance to the wrestling business. In particular I was impressed by how Klein followed the history of race and the massive importance of JYD's place as the first true black anchor (especially in the South) in the business without shirking guys like Ladd, Sailor Art Thomas, Bobo, et.

 

3. I thought for the most part he did a good job pointing out how immensely valuable JYD was to New Orleans itself. He did this with a combination of facts, stories, details, et. which gives one a more complete picture that what you often get from fans trying to make the case for their favorite regional stars.

 

4. I really enjoyed the chapter on Klein's personal history as a fan, connection to the Dog and the value JYD had to a close friend of his as a kid. I could see this being a distraction or seeming out of place to some readers. To me it added a sort of honesty to the book, that I think is missing from even the best wrestling books.

 

5. I think the book makes an interesting case for JYD in the Observer HoF despite the fact that Klein seems to go out of his way to diminish the Dog's role in his own success. At the very end of the book he even directly lobbies for it. The crux is that Dog probably drew more (in a previously dead market as Klein notes) in one town over a five year period than just about any one in wrestling history. If you follow the details in the book Dog comes across as the biggest American draw in the immediate pre-Hogan era and though it is only covered briefly I think Klein was right to note that JYD was a bigger part of the expansion than he is sometimes given credit for.

 

Over all my thoughts may come across more negative than I intend. The book is very worthwhile and is something that could spark discussion on a variety of topics from race and wrestling, to 80s/territorial history, to the importance of individual stars, et. I would recommend it highly, despite the low page count to price point ratio