Review: Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling By Pat Laprade & Dan Murphy

Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling
Pat Laprade & Dan Murphy w. Natalya (Foreword)
ECW Press, 2017
Paperback, Ebook

The role of women in the professional wrestling industry is an ever evolving - at times devolving - one that is often seen as less crucial than that of their male counterparts. Some of this is a result of pure numbers as the percentage of female performers has never come close to equalling that of the men, however, many other factors have contributed to this lack of prestige within the annals of wrestling history. One could argue that promoters have misused women's wrestling more often than they have used it. That all being said, there is an absolute wealth of important females who shaped not just women's wrestling, but the pro wrestling industry as a whole.

Newly Released: Looking At The Lights: My Path From Fan To Wrestling Heel By Pete Gas, Adam Copeland (Foreword) John Layfield (Foreword)

Pete Gas, best remembered for his role in the WWF Attitude Era's Mean Street Posse, released a memoir of his wrestling career today. Gas recounts his time as a fan, his entry into the business and his time as a roster member during one of the peak periods in the industry's history. Unlike the vast majority of those he worked with Gas was not a trained wrestler nor had he worked his way up through the independents and/or territories. Due to his long-standing friendship with Shane McMahon, Gas was plucked from "civilian life" and was immediately plugged into a high profile program. From Amazon:

...getting your foot in the door is one thing; staying is a completely different animal. With all eyes on him, knowing his lack of training and meal ticket being the boss’s son, Gas knew he had to win over all those doubters: from the fans and announcers to the wrestlers themselves. Knowing he had to prove himself, Gas took beatings, chair shots, and additional training to not only show that he could wrestle, but that he belonged with such superstars as The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.

Looking At The Lights is available at Amazon US CA UK and Indigo

Review: Bruiser Brody by Emerson Murray and Scott Teal

Bruiser Brody
Emerson Murray, Scott Teal (Editor)
Crowbar Press, 2007
Paperback, Ebook

This review is re-posted from a 2009 message board post I wrote.  It's been tweaked slightly. 

Emerson Murray's 2007 book Bruiser Brody cover the life and career of one of professional wrestling's most enigmatic personalities. This is Murray's sole professional wrestling book and was edited by Scott Teal of Crowbar Press. In 2015, it was re-released in ebook format.

Announced: A Wrestling Life 2 by Dan Gable

A Wrestling Life 2 by Dan Gable has been announced with a June release. This is the follow up to the successful 2015 release A Wrestling Life also by Gable. Gable was an Olympic Gold Medalist and renowned amateur coach. While not a professional wrestler, Gable's had and enormous influence on the careers of several professional wrestlers and MMA competitors. The "prequel" was very well received by readers. The book is published by The University of Iowa press and is co-written by Kyle Klingman

The book is available for pre-order at Amazon US CAN UK

Newly Released: Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling

Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling by Greg Lambert was released earlier this month. This is Lambert's second pro wrestling book after 2012's Holy Grail. Ropes and Glory recounts the "re-birth" of British pro wrestling. Considering the recent success of many of the UK's performers and promotions and the region's (re) emergence as a hotbed of pro wrestling , Ropes and Glory is bound to be a very interesting and topical read.

Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling is available at Amazon US CAN UK

Newly Released: Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of the Allen Athletic Club by John Cosper

Kentucky wrestling history John Cosper brings the story of Louisville, KY's first professional wrestling promotion. Released in February 2017, Cosper covers the early years of pro wrestling in one of the most often overlooked wrestling hotbeds in the United States. Whereas his earlier book Bluegrass Brawlers was a big picture look at the history of the region, Louisville's Greatest Show focuses on the area's Golden Age (1935-1957). Cosper has also written Eat, Sleep, Wrestle and co-authored Kenny Bolin's I Probably Screwed You Too...  Cosper also runs the website eatsleepwrestle.com.

Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of the Allen Athletic Club, is available on paperback at Amazon US

Released: The Greatest Wrestling Ever in the History of Nashville Vol. 1

The Greatest Wrestling Ever in the History of Nashville Volume 1 by Scott Teal & Don Luce is now available for order at crowbarpress.com. The book, #2 in Crowbar's "Greatest Cities of Wrestling" series is an  in depth look at Nashville's wrestling scene from 1907 to the 1960s.

Released: When It Was Big Time By Rock Rims

When It Was Big Time: A 100 Hundred Year History of Northern California Wrestling by Rock Rims was released in late 2016. The self published book chronicles over a century of professional wrestling in and around the San Francisco territory. Over 300 pages with over 200 photographs. 

The book, already in its third printing, is available at the link below:

When It Was Big Time

Note: Ali vs. Inoki Wins Wrestling Observer Book of the Year 2016

Josh Gross' Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment picks up the 2016 Wrestling Observer Award for Best Pro Wrestling Book. Runners up were: Accepted by Pat Patterson and Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story by Ariel and Colt Toombs.

Review will be posted in the coming days.

Available at Amazon USA CAN UK