Under-the-radar wrestling book recommendations

[Al]

I think Apter's book is under the radar because I totally forgot about it.

 

Any good?

Give me a week to read it and I'll get back to you.

[grapplin' apple]

I think Apter's book is under the radar because I totally forgot about it.

 

Any good?

 

I would give it a very mixed review. I was really looking forward to it, and it disappointed me. One, it is a series of essays which generally works for what he is trying to do. The most interesting parts were talking about compiling the territorial rankings for PWI, and the early days of publication of PWI. His tone is very second and third book Jericho in that he constantly puts himself over and who he knows in the wrestling industry. I don't mean this as a compliment. He talks about he good he is at impressions. A lot. To the point of annoyance.

 

I don't really know how else to say this, but it lacks maturity. There is very little reflection, and you get the feeling he wants to be the cool kid at the party telling everyone what wrestlers he knows.

 

On a more positive note, I read "Drawing Heat" last week and that is an excellent book. A really good look at running an outlaw territory while all of the territories were drying up in the late '80s. A fantastic look at the Sheik as well.

 

Has anyone read Dean Silverstone's book? It looks interesting, but I don't know much about him.

[Hoya Saxa]

Dean Silverston's book is very good, especially if you enjoyed the outlaw territory aspects of Drawing Heat, as it it describes his efforts to run a promotion in the Seattle area. One of the better Scott Teal books, in my opinion.

[JRH]

A few years ago i heard a rumor that Taka Michinoku wrote an autobiography that was only released in Japan. Any truth to this rumor? I'd be interested in reading it if it ever got translated.

[C.S.]

This is FREE on Kindle. No idea how it is, but free is free.

 

William Muldoon: The Solid Man Conquers Wrestling and Physical Culture
by Ken Zimmerman Jr.

 

http://www.amazon.com/William-Muldoon-Conquers-Wrestling-Physical-ebook/dp/B00OEE6TQW/

[...TG]

So I follow Chris Charlton on Twitter, who's a great follow. He's an English speaker living in Japan who will post English-language translations of Japanese interviews. (There were a couple of great ones a few weeks back with Great Kabuki talking about Terry Gordy, and Tenryu where he talked about a lot about Hansen and Brody, and ripped Tommy Rich of all people, out of nowhere.) Anyway, his book on New Japan was mentioned above, and it's available on Amazon Unlimited and also if you have Prime, the Prime Lending Library. If you know absolutely nothing about the history of New Japan, it's a good introduction. I'm certainly no expert, but I know just enough that it's way too surface level for me to enjoy. A lot of the stuff I'm really interested in is just glossed over - the 70s-80s stuff, UWF, various Inoki sleazy business doings. And its coverage of the modern day is basically a recap of the in-ring feuds, and way too cheerleader-ish from the business standpoint. A big disappointment, alas.

[Soko]

Doesn't fall under the category of wrestling autobiography, but I'm interested to know if any of you have read Paul O'Brien's Blood Red Turns Dollar Green, and what did you think of it?

[kingliam]

Doesn't fall under the category of wrestling autobiography, but I'm interested to know if any of you have read Paul O'Brien's Blood Red Turns Dollar Green, and what did you think of it?

 

I read the first one. I enjoyed it enough. Simple, yet engaging.

[Judy Bagwell]

I haven't read Sunny's book, but I have read this review which might help sway your decision.

 

http://jojomellon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/a-star-shattered-rise-fall-rise-of.html?m=1

 

Seems like it's the usual fare from Sytch.

 

As for some recommendations, I have just finished Bob Backlunds autobiography, which is excellent, although it only focuses on his run up to 1984. His Mr Backlund heel run is touched upon briefly though.

 

Another book worth seeking out may be Lions Pride - The turbulent history of New Japan Pro Wrestling by Chris Charlton, which is a decent read, and quite up to date as well.

he liked to bend me over the bathroom counter and watch as he did me from behind, while I was applying ruby red lipstick, over and over again, just applying thick coats until I looked like the Joker from Batman. I never really understood what he got out of it, but it turned him on something fierce and got him rock hard.

[C.S.]

Haven't read these, but they sound interesting:

 

Shrapnel of the Soul and Redemption Kindle Edition

by Pepper Martin (Author), Penny Lane (Author)

 

Slam Wrestling write-up: http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2016/04/20/22625791.html

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Shrapnel-Soul-Redemption-Pepper-Martin-ebook/dp/B01DOQRPJ0/

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Shrapnel-Soul-Redemption-Pepper-Martin/dp/1682894509

 

Thrashing Seasons: Sporting Culture in Manitoba and the Genesis of Prairie Wrestling
by C. Nathan Hatton (Author)

 

Slam Wrestling write-up: http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Reviews/2016/05/10/22631717.html

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Thrashing-Seasons-Sporting-Manitoba-Wrestling-ebook/dp/B01EZG8S08/

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Thrashing-Seasons-Sporting-Manitoba-Wrestling/dp/0887558003/

 

Through The Shattered Glass
by Jeanie Clarke (Author), Bradley Craig (Author, Cover Design)

 

Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Through-Shattered-Glass-Jeanie-Clarke/dp/1530387019/ (no Kindle edition)

 

- Pepper's book is reasonably priced on Kindle and sounds interesting from the Slam piece.

 

- The Prairie book is $25 on Kindle. Good luck selling any at that price!

 

- Jeanie Clarke is better known as Lady Blossom, AKA Stone Cold Steve Austin's ex-wife ("your tea's about to get stone cold!"). No Kindle version for her book, but I hope it eventually happens.

[Judy Bagwell]

Ron Bass put out an audiobook a few years back

[Hoya Saxa]

I recently read Bill DeMott's book, "The Last Laugh." He was very honest about his drug use and there are some interesting stories, but there is no analysis of the industry and he really comes across as a dumb person. For instance, he signed all his contracts without reading them and to this day does not understand how WWE's downside contacts work.

 

This book is on the lower end of the Scott Teal books.

[raul]

any good books on japan wrestling?

[Hoya Saxa]

Stan Hansen's autobiography has a lot of material about Japan, but mostly from the 70s and 80s. I would have loved to have read more about the 90s All Japan scene. This is a very good book and I recommend it.

 

I have not read it, but Lion's Pride is about the history of New Japan. I heard you probably would not learn much if you are already a fan of the product.

 

I thought the Ring of Hell chapter on Japan was very interesting, but like the rest of the book, it is not a pleasant read and almost makes you feel ashamed to watch wrestling.

 

Also, Total MMA has a nice history of the beginnings of MMA and the Japan influence, especially with UWF, Pride, etc. Great book for MMA fans.

 

There may be other books on Japan, but those stand out for me.

[C.S.]

Haven't read this yet, but it sounds interesting (especially since someone just asked for books about Japan).

 

Ali vs. Inoki

 

http://www.newsweek.com/muhammad-ali-antonio-inoki-mixed-martial-arts-ufc-japan-mma-boxing-wrestling-474502

[grapplin' apple]

I just finished "Bruiser: The World's Most Dangerous Wrestler" by Richard Vicek. It's really good, like almost everything I've read from Crowbar Press. Besides serving as a pretty exhaustive biography, it also functions as a great history of the Indianapolis territory and Bruiser's dealing with other territories, which covers basically every major Midwestern territory. I also appreciate it because it focused on his childhood and being a young adult and why he became a wrestler, which is not covered in many other wrestling books that I've read. I highly recommend it.

[JRH]

I just got a free trial of kindle unlimited, so i decided to use it to check out the "Titan trilogy" by James Dixon. Titan Sinking was more interesting than you'd think, and seeing all the backstabbing and behind the scenes political maneuvering going on gave me a whole new perspective on the WWF in 1995. Titan Shattered wasnt as good, but that's more due to the fact that a lot of the facts have already been detailed in various other books, shoot interviews, and dvd documentaries. Still, lots of intriguing stuff on a struggling product. Planning on starting Titan Screwed soon, and i wouldnt mind seeing Dixon do a series of books about wcw's turbulent pre-Hogan 90s (1990-1993).

[C.S.]

I just got a free trial of kindle unlimited, so i decided to use it to check out the "Titan trilogy" by James Dixon. Titan Sinking was more interesting than you'd think, and seeing all the backstabbing and behind the scenes political maneuvering going on gave me a whole new perspective on the WWF in 1995. Titan Shattered wasnt as good, but that's more due to the fact that a lot of the facts have already been detailed in various other books, shoot interviews, and dvd documentaries. Still, lots of intriguing stuff on a struggling product. Planning on starting Titan Screwed soon, and i wouldnt mind seeing Dixon do a series of books about wcw's turbulent pre-Hogan 90s (1990-1993).

 

I read all three of these, and they were surprisingly good. I don't know if I necessarily learned anything new, or at least not much, but it was still a great reminder and travel down memory lane.

[JRH]

Update: Finished up the titan trilogy and i have to say that while Titan Screwed was a bit confusing narrative-wise (it seemed to skip around at points, and was stuff on Piper and Nash's backstage scuffle and Tod Gordon really necessary in a book focused on the WWF?), it really picked up when it got to the part about the screwjob, showing everyone's side of the story, not favoring either side (though it's more sympathetic to Bret obviously) but giving all the facts and backstory.

[RyanClingman]

I'm not quite sure how under the radar this is, but Shooters by Jonathan Snowden is probably the best wrestling book that I have ever read -- if not the best certainly top 5. He gives some fairly in-depth biographies of top legitimate tough guys throughout the history of the business, but the book is laid out in such a way that it also serves as a decent introduction to the general history of pro-wrestling in North America and Japan. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[WingedEagle]

I'm not quite sure how under the radar this is, but Shooters by Jonathan Snowden is probably the best wrestling book that I have ever read -- if not the best certainly top 5. He gives some fairly in-depth biographies of top legitimate tough guys throughout the history of the business, but the book is laid out in such a way that it also serves as a decent introduction to the general history of pro-wrestling in North America and Japan. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

Not to pour cold water on it, but I'd recommend a sub to the WON and seeking out the appropriate back issues that cover this history over the book. Dave goes deeper on the various topics over the years than the book and I found his work much more engrossing. Just some food for thought.

[C.S.]

I'm not quite sure how under the radar this is, but Shooters by Jonathan Snowden is probably the best wrestling book that I have ever read -- if not the best certainly top 5. He gives some fairly in-depth biographies of top legitimate tough guys throughout the history of the business, but the book is laid out in such a way that it also serves as a decent introduction to the general history of pro-wrestling in North America and Japan. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

Read a sample of this on my Kindle last night. Really well-written and compelling stuff. I remember it being posted here at the time, so I'm not sure why I never bought it.

 

Any reason to get the Kindle edition over the physical book? (Glossy photographs, etc.?)

 

Some others I've read recently:

 

- I really doubt this is under-the-radar, but the new Pat Patterson book - Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE - is excellent. It covers everything, from his childhood to Legends House. There are a couple of instances of homophobia or discrimination where he doesn't name the perpetrator because he doesn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing their name in print, and you kinda wish he'd go into even more detail at times (especially about the Alley Fight with Sgt. Slaughter), but those are nitpicks. One person he does go into detail about is Ray Stevens, who gets an entire chapter dedicated to him. It's a fantastic book overall, and it will probably end up being the best wrestling book of the year. I highly recommend it.

 

- I also finished Ali vs. Inoki, and it's a bit dry but quite good. Goes into wrestling a lot more than I expected - including quite a bit of detail about side characters in the story, like Freddie Blassie. The Kindle version has formatting issues though - missing dashes and words clumped together likethis - so the physical version might be the way to go, assuming that doesn't also have the same problems. I've made the author aware, but a fix has not been issued yet. I hope they just don't ignore it.

 

Really drives me crazy when this happens on Kindle books. Ring of Hell was a catastrophe in this regard, and the butthead author and publishers of that completely ignored me. Looks like it's not even on the Kindle store anymore. That's one way to solve the problem, I guess. Still wish I had gotten a refund at the time.

 

Thankfully, the Ali vs. Inoki author acknowledged me and said he was unaware of the problem but would be looking into it, so I really hope a fix is forthcoming.

[Al]

The Kindle version of Patterson's book is on sale for $4.99.

[goc]

I've been reading Greg Oliver's book Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels lately and it's really good. I wasn't sure that a book that's nothing but short bios was really going to cut it for me but Greg Oliver does a great job of packing in a lot of good stuff in those short bios. It's especially interesting reading about the REALLY early heels from the 20s and 30s.

[C.S.]

The Kindle version of Patterson's book is on sale for $4.99.

 

Paid $15 for the hardcover - and don't get me wrong, it was worth every cent - but I kinda wish I had waited for this.