Wrestling Books

Book SynopsisFormer WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz brings readers behind the scenes for an unprecedented look at the chaotic, surreal, unbelievable backstage world of the WWE.With untold stories from a career spanning over 15 years and featuring the biggest names and controversial moments in wrestling history, HEELS AND HEROES is an honest, unflinching look on how an introverted life-long fan unexpectedly became one the most powerful men in all of professional wrestling.For decades wrestling was shrouded in secrecy. It had larger than life personalities, bone crunching physicality and jaw-dropping theatrics but backstage it was an industry devoid of outsiders. Then in 1999, after working together on a special for MTV, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned to 26-year old television writer Brian Gewirtz and asked “You ever consider writing for WWE?” That question, and its answer, would have a profound effect on both of their lives for years to come.HEELS AND HEROES is a story about perseverance, tenacity, and steel chairs. Most writers in the WWE last for a matter of months; Gewirtz was there for over 15 years, writing some of most memorable and infamous storylines in WWE history (covering the “Attitude Era”, the “Ruthless Aggression Era” and into the “PG” and “Reality” eras). Throughout this journey Gewirtz found himself becoming both friend and antagonist to some of the biggest names in WWE history – Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Stephanie McMahon, Bill Goldberg, Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and the two men who he worked the most closely with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. These men not only shaped his life professionally but also personally, forcing him to grow and change both as a writer and a human being. So how does a lifelong fan and outsider break through to become the ultimate insider? How does a low-key personality deal directly with his boss, the most brash, unpredictable “alpha male” on the planet, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon? How does one gain respect in a locker room that wants nothing more than to see him disappear? Where does one go when every year in wrestling takes you further away from the writing career you always wanted? Taking advice from his idol, the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, when you’re so full of fear, there’s only one way to push through: become fearless.

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Book SynopsisSport? Entertainment? Art form? Perhaps a bit of all three with a certain intangible extra something thrown in for good measure making professional wrestling a truly unique entity unto itself. From its origins in carnivals and sideshow attractions of the 19th century right up to the multimillion-dollar multimedia industry of the present day and all the bizarre wild and woolly points in between ÊPro Wrestling FAQÊ delves into the entire history and broad scope of one of popular culture's most enduring yet ever-changing spectacles.ÞWith chapters devoted to the many fascinating eras in the history of the business as well as capsule biographies of some its most memorable and important figures this book will serve as the ultimate one-volume reference guide for both long-time wrestling nuts and initiates to the grappling phenomenon.ÞRevisit the legendary 1911 Match of the Century pitting World Champion Frank Gotch against archrival George Hackenschmidt the Russian Lion ; experience wrestling's TV golden age in the 1950s a time of such colorful personages as Gorgeous George and Antonino Rocca; relive the glory days of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant when WWF impresario Vince McMahon took the business mainstream; and get the lowdown on recent favorites such as John Cena CM Punk and others who have taken the business boldly into the 21st century.

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Book SynopsisA behind-the-scenes look at the biggest wrestling show of the year with unprecedented access to talent, and true stories from the creative team behind the matches.

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Book SynopsisA touching and candid first memoir - on failure and modern-day masculinity - from the Granta Best of British novelist, Toby Litt.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Like a great pro wrestler has a signature move for taking down a rival, every student and scholar of sports media and professional wrestling should have a book like this to help them pin down the importance of the WWE on sports and culture."—Adam Earnheardt, editor (with Paul Haridakis and Barbara Hugenberg) of Sports Fans, Identity, and Socialization: Exploring the FandemoniumTable of ContentsIntroduction: Storyworld, Wrestling, Entertainment / Dru JeffriesPart I: Corporate Kayfabe: WWE as Media Empire1. World Building in the WWE Universe / Eero Laine2. The Work of Wrestling: Struggles for Creative and Industrial Power in WWE Labor / Andrew Zolides3. Mapping the WWE Universe: Territory, Media, Capitalism / Dru Jeffries and Andrew Kannegiesser4. Narrative Smarts: Negotiations of Creative Authority in Wrestling's Reality Era / Christian NormanPart II: Marks and Smarts: WWE's Unruly Fandoms5. Sport vs. Spectacle: Fan Discontent and the Rise of Sports Entertainment / Shane Toepfer6. The Marks Have Gone Off-Script: Rogue Actors in WWE's Stands / Sam Ford7. Botchamania and the Acoustics of Professional Wrestling / Christian B. LongPart III: Then, Now, Forever: Wresting with WWE's Past and Transmedia Future8. "Tout It Out": WWE's Experimentation and Failure with Social TV / Cory Barker9. "We're Not Just Cheerleaders": Reading the Postfeminist Polysemy of Total Divas / Anna F. Peppard10. Daniel's Specter: Daniel Bryan, Chris Benoit, and the Work of Mourning / Sean DesiletsIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Like a great pro wrestler has a signature move for taking down a rival, every student and scholar of sports media and professional wrestling should have a book like this to help them pin down the importance of the WWE on sports and culture."—Adam Earnheardt, editor (with Paul Haridakis and Barbara Hugenberg) of Sports Fans, Identity, and Socialization: Exploring the FandemoniumTable of ContentsIntroduction: Storyworld, Wrestling, Entertainment / Dru JeffriesPart I: Corporate Kayfabe: WWE as Media Empire1. World Building in the WWE Universe / Eero Laine2. The Work of Wrestling: Struggles for Creative and Industrial Power in WWE Labor / Andrew Zolides3. Mapping the WWE Universe: Territory, Media, Capitalism / Dru Jeffries and Andrew Kannegiesser4. Narrative Smarts: Negotiations of Creative Authority in Wrestling's Reality Era / Christian NormanPart II: Marks and Smarts: WWE's Unruly Fandoms5. Sport vs. Spectacle: Fan Discontent and the Rise of Sports Entertainment / Shane Toepfer6. The Marks Have Gone Off-Script: Rogue Actors in WWE's Stands / Sam Ford7. Botchamania and the Acoustics of Professional Wrestling / Christian B. LongPart III: Then, Now, Forever: Wresting with WWE's Past and Transmedia Future8. "Tout It Out": WWE's Experimentation and Failure with Social TV / Cory Barker9. "We're Not Just Cheerleaders": Reading the Postfeminist Polysemy of Total Divas / Anna F. Peppard10. Daniel's Specter: Daniel Bryan, Chris Benoit, and the Work of Mourning / Sean DesiletsIndex

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Book SynopsisChad Rowan left his home in rural Hawaii for Tokyo with visions of becoming a star athlete in Japan's national sport, sumo. Five years later, he became the first gaijin to advance to sumo's top rank, yokozuna. This book chronicles the events leading to that improbable scene, tracing his life from his Hawaii upbringing to his retirement ceremony.

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Book SynopsisChad Rowan left his home in rural Hawaii for Tokyo with visions of becoming a star athlete in Japan's national sport, sumo. Five years later, he became the first gaijin to advance to sumo's top rank, yokozuna. This book chronicles the events leading to that improbable scene, tracing his life from his Hawaii upbringing to his retirement ceremony.

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Book Synopsis Few sports are as intense as wrestling. The physical training demands total dedication. The mental side requires focus, anticipation and resilience. No letup. No excuses. Wrestling Tough, Second Edition, will inspire and guide you to achieve the mind-set of a champion. Whether you need to identify the flaws of an opponent, get optimally psyched for a big match, or overcome the adversity inherent in participating in the sport, Wrestling Tough will prepare you to excel and win. Mike Chapman, known for his unique expertise, analysis, and insight into the great sport of wrestling, has had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with many of America’s greatest amateurs and professional wrestlers. In the second edition of Wrestling Tough, he shares his insights to take you beyond the physical attributes needed to succeed on the mat: • Explore the attacking mind-set and the importance of psyching up for competition. • Gain perspeTrade Review"Wrestling Tough is much more than learning about being successful on the mat. It's for all who would like to dominate or develop a passion for any sport. Incredible reading! Get energized and be entertained at the same time,"; Dan Gable; Olympic champion and 2-time NCAA champion wrestler; Olympic and 15-time NCAA team champion wrestling coach; "Wrestling Tough "is what our sport is all about! Get an inside look at the greatest competitors in wrestling as told by Mike Chapman, the best writer in the history of the sport,"; Mark Johnson; Head Coach, University of IllinoisTable of Contents Part I. The Path to Wrestling Tough Chapter 1. Choosing to Wrestle Chapter 2. Understanding Toughness Chapter 3. Building Confidence Chapter 4. Dedicating and Committing to Goals Chapter 5. Gaining Desire and Discipline Chapter 6. Adding Intensity and Effort Chapter 7. Achieving the Right Mind-Set Chapter 8. Searching for The Zone Chapter 9. Paying the Price Chapter 10. Dealing With Adversity Part II. Essentials for Wrestling Tough Chapter 11. Mind–Body Link Chapter 12. Art of Preparation Chapter 13. Sense of Fun Chapter 14. Spirit for Competition Chapter 15. Overcoming Obstacles Chapter 16. Will to Win Chapter 17. Power of Heart Chapter 18. Attacking Mind-Set Chapter 19. Mental Wrestling Mastery Chapter 20. Life–Wrestling Balance Chapter 21. Enduring Lessons of Wrestling

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Book SynopsisIn A Wrestling Life 2, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable shares even more gripping stories of his life. Readers will learn about the start of his wrestling career in Waterloo, important connections he made with wrestlers at Iowa State, how he went from being an Iowa State wrestler to a University of Iowa coach, and about his international and Olympic wrestling and coaching. Gable tells stories about Hawkeye fan favorite wrestlers of the past; the stories behind the great Hawkeye wrestling posters of the 80s and 90s; and about some of the greatest failures and mistakes that made him one of the most successful wrestlers and wrestling coaches in the sport’s history.When most people think of Dan Gable, they think of an almost mythic intensity toward wrestling. A Wrestling Life 2 explains what have come to be known as the Gable Trained principles that Gable follows to keep his life full of “wins,” revelations about how to cultivate success at the highest levels, and the reasons behind these steps for living well. Gable brings together his thoughts about his words, actions, failures, and achievements, while telling countless engaging stories.A Wrestling Life has sold more than 30,000 copies to date, spent two months on the New York Times sports bestseller list, and has become an instant classic of sports memoirs. A Wrestling Life 2 is sure to add to Gable’s ever-growing legacy and entertain and inspire wrestling fans everywhere.

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Book SynopsisPerformance and Professional Wrestling is the first edited volume to consider professional wrestling explicitly from the vantage point of theatre and performance studies. Moving beyond simply noting its performative qualities or reading it via other performance genres, this collection of essays offers a complete critical reassessment of the popular sport.Topics such as the suspension of disbelief, simulation, silence and speech, physical culture, and the performance of pain within the squared circle are explored in relation to professional wrestling, with work by both scholars and practitioners grouped into seven short sections:   Audience Circulation Lucha Gender Queerness Bodies Race A significant re-reading of wrestling as a performing art, Performance and Professional Wrestling makes essential reading for scholars and students intrigued by this&nbTable of ContentsIntroduction: Hamlet Doesn’t Blade: Professional Wrestling, Theatre, and PerformanceAudienceCh1 The dissipation of "heat": changing role(s) of audience in professional wrestling in the U.S.Ch2 Pops and promos: speech and silence in professional wrestlingCh3 Playful engagements: Wrestling with the attendant massesCirculationCh4 Stadium Sized Theatre: WWE and the World of Professional WrestlingCh5 Wrestling’s Not Real, It’s Hyperreal: Professional Wrestling Video GamesLuchaCh6 Don't Leave Us in the Hands of Criminals: The Contested Cultural Politics of Lucha LibreCh7 Wrestling With Burlesque, Burlesquing Lucha LibreGenderCh8 The Impact of Women’s Pro Wrestling Performances on the Transformation of Gender Ch9 "Most women train with mostly men, so why not wrestle them?" The performance and experience of intergender professional wrestling in BritainQueernessCh10 Grappling and Ga(y)zing: Gender, Sexuality and Performance in the WWE debuts of Goldust and MarlenaCh11 ‘King of the ring, and queen of it too’: the exotic masculinity of Adrian StreetCh12 "Gold-dust": Ricki Starr’s Ironic Performances of the Queer Commodity in Popular Entertainment BodiesCh13 Muscle Memory: Re-enacting the fin-de-siècle Strongman in Pro WrestlingCh14 The Hard Sell; The Performance of Pain in Professional WrestlingRaceCh15 "Tell Them It’s What Their Grandfathers Got": Racial Violence in Southern Professional WrestlingCh16 Grappling with the "New Racism:" Race, Ethnicity, and Post-Colonialism in British Wrestling during the 1970s and 1980sCh17 Some Moments of Flag Desecration in Professional WrestlingEpilogue: The Game of Life

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Book SynopsisThe electric and daring independent wrestling tag team share their inspiring story of how two undersized, ambitious athletes from Southern California became the idols of millions of popular sports fans, coveted among the ranks of AEW’s elite wrestling lineup. Featuring over 60 photographs and alternating between each brother’s perspective, this entertaining memoir is a complete portrait of what it means to grow into—and give back to—wrestling, the sport and profession they embody and love.Famous for their highflying moves, Superkicks, and viral videos, Matt and Nick Jackson are two of the hottest and most talented competitors in professional wrestling today. Known as the Young Bucks, this pair of ambitious brothers are an inspiration to both fans and aspiring wrestlers worldwide due to their message of resilience and determination. That they are also faithful family men devoted to their loved ones gives them additional appeal.Young Bucks begins in Southern California, where two young boys grew up dreaming of success and fame. Matt and Nick look back on the sacrifices they made to achieve their ambitions, from taking odd jobs to pay for their own wrestling ring to hosting backyard events with friends. They share their joy at being recruited into the independent California wrestling circuit and the work it took to finally make it professionally, and speak frankly about what it means to have the support of millions of fans cheering their talents in arenas nationwide. The Young Bucks talk endearingly about their sport, their faith, and their families, sharing personal reflections and behind-the-scenes anecdotes while paying tribute to the wrestling acts and inspirations that came before them. They also elaborate on this historical time in the evolution of wrestling, as the sport and its culture dramatically change day by day.Told with the brothers’ signature wit and charm, Young Bucks is warm, heartfelt story of hope, perseverance, and undying ambition.Trade Review“These guys are the pioneers of making it BIG in the pro wrestling business outside of the corporate structure by doing things their own way: Booking their own tours worldwide, creating their own mainstream bestselling merch, producing their game-changing weekly YouTube series and basically making every critic eat their own words by constantly having excellent matches, with amazing athleticism and a dose of satirical humour. On top of that, they’ve remained the same guys and retained their strong family values the whole time. Matt and Nick are the true definition of success in the wrestling world... and beyond.” — Chris Jericho, multiple-time world champion and author of three New York Times bestsellers "The Young Bucks are two guys who not only beat the odds to become one of the greatest, most popular tag teams ever, but also two industry changing visionaries. Matt and Nick are two of the smartest, hard-working, passionate individuals I’ve met during my 28 year career. With the creation of AEW, The Bucks will definitely leave the pro wrestling industry in a much better place then they discovered it in." — Matt Hardy, multiple-time world tag team champion “Through selfless sacrifice and consistent show-stealing performances, the Young Bucks make an argument for greatest tag team of all time. And through their innovations in merchandising, self-branding, and ability to inspire, they also make an argument for the most influential wrestlers of the last decade. If you enjoy anything about pro-wrestling in the year 2020, chances are you owe at least a bit a gratitude to these good Christian boys. They’re the architects." — Kenny Omega, the greatest wrestler alive (probably) and Executive Vice President of All Elite Wrestling “Through innovation both inside the ring and in marketing themselves outside the ring, The Young Bucks opened the door and led the way to a seismic change in the pro wrestling industry, which changed the very structure of the game.” — Dave Meltzer, journalist, sports historian, and publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter "This intriguing, personal, family-centered telling of the Jacksons’ story will draw in and inspire many readers." — Library Journal “Young Bucks makes you feel motivated to pursue your own dreams and shows us the real meaning behind the phrase, ‘Never give up’…Whether you’re looking for a book on pro wrestling, a motivational journey or an example of how to take a risk and start a business to do things on your own terms: this is a book for you.” — SLAM! Wrestling

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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