The Legend, The Reality, And The Faith of a WWE Superstar
Shawn Michaels w/ David Thomas. Triple H and Steve Austin (Forewords)
Zondervan Trade Books, 2015
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
Wrestling For My Life is Shawn Michaels' second book and the second one I wrote a review for, Heartbreak and Triumph was released in 2006. I will be posting that review (from 2007) in the coming days.
Shawn Michaels is widely considered one of the best-in ring performers in the history of pro wrestling. While always a top quality performer, Michaels battled a wide range of issues when away from the ring. In 1998, a serious back injury forced Michaels to walk away from the sport at the height of his career.
By most accounts, Michaels' short comings in the industry were not related to his in-ring work as his first run - especially the tail end of it - was besieged by personal and professional turmoil. In 2002, having undergone a series of personal changes - he became a husband and father, adopted a devout Christian lifestyle and conquered addictions - Michaels resumed his storied career. While he was just as effective (if not better) a competitor, Michaels' life away from from the ring was free from much of the conflict that existed during his first run. His return gave him the opportunity to present some of wrestling's most historic matches, to help in the establishment of a new generation of performers and to leave the industry on his own terms.
Shawn Michaels is widely considered one of the best-in ring performers in the history of pro wrestling. While always a top quality performer, Michaels battled a wide range of issues when away from the ring. In 1998, a serious back injury forced Michaels to walk away from the sport at the height of his career.
By most accounts, Michaels' short comings in the industry were not related to his in-ring work as his first run - especially the tail end of it - was besieged by personal and professional turmoil. In 2002, having undergone a series of personal changes - he became a husband and father, adopted a devout Christian lifestyle and conquered addictions - Michaels resumed his storied career. While he was just as effective (if not better) a competitor, Michaels' life away from from the ring was free from much of the conflict that existed during his first run. His return gave him the opportunity to present some of wrestling's most historic matches, to help in the establishment of a new generation of performers and to leave the industry on his own terms.
Wrestling For My Life has been referred to as a sequel to Heartbreak and Triumph, but it is better thought of as a companion piece. Whereas the first book was very much a wrestling biography with some personal information within, this is a personal piece with some wrestling stories - Shawn Michaels is a Christian who used to be a wrestler, not an ex-wrestler who happens to be a Christian. Michaels does not spend a lot of time dissecting matches and angles this time around, nor does he provide much more than broad strokes on the latter part of his career and extremely broad strokes on the early part. He does, however, give great insight into his thoughts, feelings and actions concerning his personal life during his return to wrestling. While there are some great moments where he delves into some of his more high profile matches, (Ric Flair, Undertaker, Triple H) story lines (tag teaming with God) and personal moments related to the industry (retirement, reunion with Bret Hart) Michaels did not write this book specifically for the wrestling fan. The book is a very positive and uplifting story, however, readers expecting a lot of road stories or Michaels' thoughts on key wrestling events that occurred since the publication of Heartbreak and Triumph might be disappointed.
While Michaels does a superb job discussing his spiritual journey, it is not a topic that all readers will be equally comfortable reading. Some readers may be put off by the frequency with which Michaels references Biblical passages and/or Christian doctrine. That being said, few readers would question the sincerity with which Michaels writes and many would be impressed with how he has very aptly applied specific teachings to suitable moments of his life as detailed in the book.* Michaels tells the story of a person who has attained many of life's intangible goals thanks to his faith and his family.
Most wrestling fans, except for the most cynical of us (sadly cynicism is rampant in our little niche) are likely to enjoy the book. While it is not the best as far as wrestling content is concerned, it is a very good chronicle of key moments in the life of one of the era's greatest. While his pre-1998 career was impressive, it has been argued that he second half of Michaels' career was the more historic of the two runs and truly cemented his status as one of the industry's top performers of all time. In a big part, Wrestling For My Life is the story of why the second run was possible and why it was successful.
* This refers more to an allegorical sense more than a theological one. For example, Michaels refers to Joshua who assumed control of his people after the death of Moses. Michaels found himself in a situation where he had to rise to an occasion as a leader and used Joshua as his inspiration.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hardcover | Hardcover |
Hardcover | |
| Paperback | Paperback |
Paperback | |
| Ebook |
Ebook |
Ebook | |
| Audiobook | Audiobook | Audiobook |
The unabridged audio book is not read by the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment