Review: The Three Count: My Life In Stripes As A WWE Referee By Jimmy Korderas

The Three Count: My Life In Stripes As A WWE Referee
Jimmy Korderas, Adam "Edge" Copeland (Foreword)
ECW Press, 2013
Paperback, Ebook

For over 20 years, Jim Korderas was a main stay with the WWF/E. While best remembered as a referee, Korderas began his career with the WWF in 1985 as a driver and member of the ring crew working for Jack Tunney at the WWF Toronto office. Korderas soon became a full-time referee and held the position - apart from a brief hiatus - until 2009. The book recounts Korderas' career from his entry into the business - at the apex of the Hulkamania era, through the New Generation, Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Eras - until the years immediately following his 2009 departure. Since leaving the WWF/E, Korderas has made a name for himself in the broadcasting world as a regular co-host of

Review: Justice Denied: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino's Death In Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room by Irvin Muchnick

Justice Denied: The Untold Story of Nancy Argentino's Death In Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's Motel Room
Irvin Muchnick
Amazon Digital Services, 2013
Ebook

Irvin Muchnick has been one of professional wrestling's foremost critics since the late 1980s.  This book is a short collection of his writings dating back to 1992 regarding the death of Nancy Argentino in 1983. Argentino - the girlfriend of WWF Star (and later Hall of Famer) Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka - died after suffering a severe head injury while touring with Snuka. While some claim it was an accidental fall, others have speculated that Argentino was the victim of abuse at the hands of Snuka and that the grappler was directly responsible for her death. Muchnick's works include: Pro Wrestling Babylon: Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death and Scandal (2007), Chris and Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death (2009) and Concussion Inc: The End of Football As We Know It (2015.) Muchnick operates the website http://concussioninc.net/

Review: The History of Professional Wrestling Vol. 1: WWF 1963-1989 By Graham Cawthon

The History of Professional Wrestling Vol. 1: WWF 1963-1989
Graham Cawthon, Grant Sawyer (Editor)
Self Published, 2013
Paperback, Ebook

Graham Cawthon runs the website thehistoryofwwe.com.  According to the site's FAQ page, Cawthon began gathering live pro wrestling event results in late 2001 / early 2002 and founded the website in February of 2002. Over the past number of years, Cawthon's site has become one of the leading sources for all things wrestling having been frequently cited in shoot interview videos and numerous podcasts. This is the first of four (a fifth is due in June 2015) volumes of the many results compiled by Cawthon. Cawthon's site is an a as complete as possible collection of results from the world of pro wrestling. On the sites FAQ page, the author refers to himself as "just a devoted fan with time on his hands," but his work is (both the in the books and on the site) are regarded much more highly than perhaps any other pure fan work.

Review: Nick Gulas: Southern Wrestling Promoter By Bill Coleman

Nick Gulas: Southern Wrestling Promoter
Bill Coleman
Self Published, 2013
Ebook

Coleman's Nick Gulas: Southern Wrestling Promoter is a very short book concerning long-time pro wrestling promoter Nick Gulas and some of the talent that worked in his Tennessee based territory. Published in ebook format only, Coleman's book is very short (only 70 pages, many of which are half blank) and only devotes a few pages (~10) to Gulas while the remainder of the book touches, very briefly, on the careers of some of the wrestlers who worked for Gulas.

As it features some forgotten names from Tennessee wrestling, Coleman's book is suited for die-hard fans of area/era or hardcore wrestling book collectors.  There are some photographs in the book that, though uncredited, enhance the bits of text

Review: The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling by David Shoemaker

The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling
David Shoemaker (AKA The Masked Man)
Gotham, 2013
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook

David Shoemaker (AKA The Masked Man) is known for his contributions to Deadspin - Dead Wrestler of the Week - and Grantland (Cheap Heat Podcast.) The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling is his first book.

Shoemaker's book, which is essentially a spin-off of his Dead Wrestler of the Week article, is a well written and well researched book.  Most chapters focus on the life and death of a deceased professional wrestler. Shoemaker does a very good job giving the reader a complete and concise picture of the wrestler's life and career. In all cases these become a microcosmic look at the culture of the professional wrestling industry.

Review: Wrestling With The Devil By Lex Luger

Review: Wrestling With The Devil
Lex Luger, John D. Hollis (contributor)
Tyndale Momentum, 2013
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook

As a performer, Lex Luger was a polarizing figure.  While he possessed one of the best physiques in wrestling, many feel that his only asset was his appearance and that he lacked many, if not all, of the other assets required to have achieved the the level of fame he did.  Others would argue that Luger was a unique performer who fit perfectly into the pro wrestling industry of the 1980s and 90s where matches were typically short, in-ring technical skills were less important and showmanship trumped sport. While hindsight may be 20/20, there is no doubt that several promoters and an exponentially larger number of fans were firmly planted on the Lex Luger bandwagon (or tour bus.) Regardless if he deserved his success or not - debates rage on - Luger's in ring career was very notable as he achieved far more than the vast majority of his contemporaries.  

Review: Hart Strings By Julie Hart

Review: Hart Strings: My Life With Bret and the Hart Family
Julie Hart
Tightrope Books, 2013
Paperback, Ebook

As ex-wife of Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Julie Hart is in a great position to provide some insight into some very interesting areas such as the Montreal Screwjob, the death of Owen Hart, the whole Hart clan or how the wrestling industry directly affects the spouse and children of its top stars. While she certainly touches on these - some are a mere grazing - Hart's book is far more about the life of a woman who has at times battled and overcome many obstacles in her life.

While her perseverance  and candour are both admirable - Hart comes across as a credible and strong person - the choices she  (or her editors / collaborators) made about what to include in and what to omit