Notice: Food Fight: My Plant Powered Journey From The Bingo Halls To The Big Time By Austin Aries and Mike Tully

Former independent wrestler and current WWE Superstar Austin Aries releases his memoir in June. This autobiography recounts Aries life with a special focus on his life as a vegetarian and, later, a vegan. Written with Mike Tully and published by Grey Books Publishing, pre-orders will ship on June 9.

The book is currently available for pre-order via the publisher's website.

Review: Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken By Bill Apter

Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn't Know It Was Broken

By Bill Apter, Jerry Lawler (Foreword), Joey Styles (Afterword) 

ECW Press, 2015

Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook

Bill Apter is at the top of the short list of well-known and well respected professional wrestling journalists. The long time editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister magazines was such a guiding force in the publications that they are still, years after his departure, referred to as "The Apter Mags." Is Wrestling Fixed? is Apter's autobiographical look at his almost 50 years covering the professional wrestling industry. 

While best remembered as a kayfabe guarding journalist - unlike Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, etc - who was semi-complicit in the pro wrestling ruse of yesteryear, this book is not "a work." Apter's story is that of a young wrestling fan who gradually grows from "unofficial" freelance photographer to staff contributor for Stanley Weston's family of magazines to being one of the key players in the professional wrestling industry. While many of the variables pertaining to the professional wrestling industry and journalism as a whole have changed, Is Wrestling Fixed? is certainly a good read for those with an interest in covering the sport.

Review: Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling By Ole Anderson

Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling

By Ole Anderson w. Scott Teal

Crowbar Press, 2003

Paperback, Ebook

Long time wrestler and booker Ole Anderson is a legendary name in professional wrestling. A former member of both the Minnesota Wrecking Crew and The Four Horsemen, Anderson's name should be near the top of any list of legendary tag team competitors. Anderson was also a prominent booker in the Georgia and Carolina territories for periods between the 1970s and 1990s. Inside Out is his first book.

Anderson makes a very persuasive argument regarding the corporate expansion of the wrestling industry in the mid 1980s and its detrimental impact on the wrestling industry.  Though Anderson presents a relentless thesis against the current structure of the industry, it is not a pre-requisite to agree with all of his arguments in order to enjoy the book.

Review: The Death of WCW (10th Anniversary Edition) By RD Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez

The Death of WCW 10th Anniversary Edition
R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez, Dave Meltzer (Foreword)
ECW Press, 2014 - Revised Edition of 2004 Release
Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook

A little over a decade ago Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Weekly's Bryan Alvarez and Wrestlecrap's R.D. Reynolds paired up to write the definitive guide to the rise and fall of the WCW.  In 2014 the pair released an updated and expanded edition. Reynolds, the co-founder of the Wrestlecrap website, is also the author of Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst Of Pro Wrestling and The Wrestlecrap Book of Lists! Alvarez is the founder of Figure Four Weekly newsletter, has written for Fighting Spirit magazine and is the host/co-host of several podcasts under the Wrestling Observer / Figure Four Weekly banner. This is his only book. The both versions of the book (2004 and 2014) won the Wrestling Observer Book of the Year Award.*

Review: Wrestling For My Life By Shawn Michaels

Wrestling For My Life:
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.