Notice: Cover Released For Jim Ross' Slobberknocker: My Life In Wrestling

,

On April 25, Jim Ross released the cover of his upcoming autobiography Slobberknocker: My Life in Wrestling. Slobberknocker, co-written by Paul O'Brien and featuring contributions from Vince McMahon and Steve Austin is due for release on October 3, 2017.

It is available for pre-order from:

Amazon US CA UK

Barnes & Noble

Review: Teeny: Professional Wrestling's Grand Dame By Brennon Martin

Teeny: Professional Wrestling's Grand Dame
Brennon Martin
Create Space, 2017
Paperback, Ebook

Available At:
Amazon US CA UK
Indigo 
Barnes & Noble

Christine "Teeny" Jarrett is something of an unsung pioneer in the professional wrestling industry. Decades before the likes of Stephanie McMahon and Dixie Carter were praised as trailblazing females making their marks in the male dominated world of pro wrestling, Jarrett - known more informally as Miss Christine or Teeny - was a true force in the industry who left a lasting impact on those she worked for and with. Current wrestling fans are no doubt very familiar with Teeny's grandson Jeff Jarrett and many, at the very least, are aware of her son Jerry Jarrett. While both younger Jarretts have made significant impacts on the professional wrestling industry, Mrs. Jarrett's has been somewhat lost due to the passage of time. A popular figure in and around the "Memphis Territory" from the 1940s to the 1990s, Jarrett's official roles ranged from ticket seller to promoter. While she excelled in these official occupations, she was also well known and well respected for her honesty, work ethic and morality. Teeny: Professional Wrestling's Grand Dame, written by Mrs. Jarrett's grandson Brennon Martin, chronicles the life and career of Christine Jarrett. The self-published book was released in February 2017 and is currently available in Paperback and Ebook. This is Martin's first book.

Review: Crazy Is My Superpower By A.J. Mendez Brooks

Crazy Is My Superpower: How I Triumphed By Breaking Bones, Breaking Hearts and Breaking The Rules

A.J. Mendez Brooks

Crown Archetype, 2017

Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook

Available at:

Amazon US CA UK

Indigo

Barnes & Noble

Note: After getting about 80 percent of the ebook completed, a friend of the site - thanks, Dave - was nice enough to give me his copy of the audio book. While I tend to stay away from suggesting specific formats, the audio book absolutely enhanced my enjoyment of this title.  This is not a knock of the written version, but Mendez Brooks does an amazing job - the best I've yet to hear in the pro wrestling genre and is, at the very least, comparable to most authors - of bringing her words off the page. While there are  factors such as cost and availability, if all of these are the same, I highly recommend the audio book version.

Review: Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey

Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey
Justin Roberts w. Tommy Dreamer (Foreword)
Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2017
Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook (TBR)

Best Seat In The House is available at:
Amazon US CA UK,
Indigo
Barnes & Noble

Un-spoiler Alert: As noted a few places, I try to keep my reviews as "spoiler free" as possible. This often results in general statements concerning  content of a book - it's a book review, not a book report. While a number of the topics in this book are being discussed in specific terms elsewhere on the Information Superhighway, I'm opting to not delve too much into the specifics per usual. Like many fans, I have strong feelings about the information concerning the backstage climate and labour practises of the WWE, but would rather confine this post to my thoughts on Roberts' presentation of his experiences and opinions presented in his book. -KM

Released: Wrestling In The Clinton Years: The Road To Hollywood By Martin Dixon

Blogger Martin Dixon released Wrestling In The Clinton Years: The Road To Hollywood on April 10, 2017. The independently published book is a collection of writings from the Wrestling In The Clinton Years blog. Dixon chronicles the week-to-week development of the nWo story line as presented on WCW Monday Nitro from Jan-Jul 1996.

The book is available in ebook format on Amazon US CA UK

Notice: Scott Williams To Posthumously Receive Jim Melby Award from National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Scott Williams, author of ECW Hardcore History and co-author of the Bill Watts, Jim Duggan and Terry Funk autobiographies, will posthumously receive the James C. Melby Award from the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame. The award honours the work of writers and historians who have shown commitment and dedication to the advancement of professional wrestling through writing. Williams, who passed away in August of 2016, was a journalist, lawyer and Gulf War veteran as well as a well respected and liked member of the professional wrestling journalist community. The award has been given annually since 2006. Previous recipients include: Scott Teal, Bill Apter, Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, George Napolitano, Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson.

Released: How To Become A Champion By Herb Welch, David Schultz (Foreword)

How To Become a Champion by Herb Welch was re-released on April 2, 2017. Welch, who passed away in 1999, was a member of the huge Welch-Fuller-Golden-Fields wrestling family of the South Eastern United States. The book is Welch's guide to shoot wrestling. This edition, released in conjunction with John Cosper and Eat, Sleep Wrestle, contains a new foreword written by Welch's former student "Dr. D" David Schultz.

Available at Amazon US CA UK

Released: Development Hell: The NXT Story By Michael Sidgwick

Development Hell: The NXT Story by Michael Sidgwick with James Dixon (Editor) and Benjamin Richardson (Illustration) was released in March 2017. Between the dying days of the other major wrestling companies and the near unanimous praise for the early days NXT, the WWE was without a source for fresh yet capable talent. Development Hell tells the story of how poorly thought out plans, shady partnerships and shoddy execution all played roles that kept "development from developing." Written by Michael Sidgwick (Whatculture.com Power Slam Magazine) edited by James Dixon (Titan Sinking, Titan Screwed) and published by Whatculture.com Development Hell: The NXT Story is bound to be a story that the WWE might spin, but will never tell. 

Available at Amazon US CA UK

Note: I've only posted reviews for a couple of the books from the What Culture team, I've read a number of books by James Dixon and am a regular visitor to the website. They are a very strong group of books/writers and I expect this will be a very good work. I've ordered this and will post a review as soon as I can...bit of a backlog happening.

Newly Released: Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey By Justin Roberts

Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts' biographical piece Best Seat In The House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey was released today (April 1st.) Part inspirational story and part glimpse behind the WWE curtain, Best Seat... has become one of the year's most anticipated releases. Many retailers stocked and delivered the book early and early buzz on social media has been very positive. From Amazon:

This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling. Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching and living his dream.

Best Seat In The House is available at Amazon US CA UK, Indigo and Barnes & Noble.