Review: Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story By Bertrand Hébert & Pat Laprade

Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story

Bertrand Hébert, Pat Laprade, George Toombs (Translation) Paul Vachon (Foreword) Kathie Vachon (Afterword)

ECW Press, 2017 

Paperback, Ebook

Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon is one of the very rare individuals in pro wrestling history that has transcended time. While many younger wrestling fans have never seen one of Mad Dog's matches or promos, his remains a name that is universally synonymous with the pro wrestling industry. Be it his in-ring style, prominence during the territory days, over the top character, appearances outside of the wrestling industry, Olympic profile, membership in one of the industry's most famed families or the media blitz surrounding a tragic auto accident, Mad Dog Vachon is firmly cemented in the minds of generations of wrestling fans as one of the true legends of the industry. Bertrand Hébert (Accepted) and Pat Laprade (Sisterhood of the Squared Circle) previously collaborated on the 2013 Wrestling Observer Book of the Year: Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs. This English version of Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story was translated from the 2015 French Edition by George Toombs and features a foreword by, brother, Paul "Butcher" Vachon and, widow, Kathie Vachon.

Released: WWE Volume 1 Graphic Novel By Dennis Hopeless, Dan Mora & Serg Acuna

WWE Volume 1 is the first in a series of new graphic novels from the WWE. Written by Dennis Hopeless and illustrated by Dan Mora and Serg Acuna, Volume 1 covers focuses on the dissolution of The Shield. Volume 2 is expected to be released in early 2018.

The book is available in paperback, ebook and comic format from Amazon US CA UK.

Review: Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE By Pat Patterson w. Bertrand Hebert

Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE

By Pat Patterson, Bertrand Hebert, Vince McMahon (Foreword)

ECW Press, 2016

Hardcover, Ebook

Pat Patterson is a true legend in the world of professional wrestling. Widely considered to be one of the best creative minds in the industry's history, Patterson was also one of the top in-ring performers in the territorial era. A successful singles and tag wrestler (most notably with Ray Stevens) Patterson truly made his mark after joining the WWF/E as a wrestler -- he was he first WWF Intercontinental Champion - and later as a key player behind the scenes. Accepted is Patterson's first book, it is co-written by Bertrand Hebert (Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screwjobs) and features a foreword by Vince McMahon.

Accepted was one of 2016's most anticipated releases. Patterson, often referred to as Vince McMahon's second in command during a very dynamic period in wrestling history, is in a very unique position to relate stories about the era. He is also seen as one of the best

Review: Booker T: My Rise To Wrestling Royalty By Booker T. Huffman

Booker T: My Rise To Wrestling Royalty
Booker T. Huffman w/ Andrew William Wright, Foreword by John Bradshaw Layfield
Medallion Press, 2015
Hardcover, Ebook

Booker T. Huffman and Andrew William Wright (co-author of The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and The Rush of Wrestling) return with their second book chronicling the life of one of the wrestling industry's most decorated performers.  My Rise To Wrestling Royalty (2015) picks up where the first book, From Prison To Promise (2012) left off. While his first book detailed his young life prior to entering pro wrestling, this one extensively covers his career from his early days in WCW through his 2012 entry into the WWE Hall of Fame. 

Huffman gives readers a very complete picture of his active and prolific in ring career. He (and Wright) pay great attention to detail with regards to dates, locations and elements of specific matches and angles. There are no major peaks in Booker T's career that are omitted.   Huffman also gives the reader a lot of thoughts and insight into many of his angles,

Booker T: From Prison To Promise by Booker T Huffman

Booker T: From Prison To Promise: Life Before The Squared Circle
Booker T. Huffman w/ Andrew William Wright
Medallion Press, 2012
Hardcover, Ebook

Booker T's From Prison To Promise chronicles the tumultuous early life of one of professional wrestling's most decorated competitors.  Booker T rose to prominence in the mid 1990s as one half of Harlem Heat.  While the pair were celebrated as a tag team, few were surprised when Booker T. eclipsed his tag team success and became one of the top performers in the industry.  From Prison To Promise chronicles Booker T's life from childhood through to his run in the Global Wrestling Federation. From Prison To Promise: Life Before The Squared Circle is Booker T's first book. My Rise To Wrestling Royalty was released in 2015. Both books were co-written with Andrew William Wright co-author of The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and The Rush of Wrestling.

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.

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

Review: Capitol Revolution By Tim Hornbaker

Review: Capitol Revolution: The Rise of The McMahon Wrestling Empire

Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2015

Paperback, Ebook

Hornbaker's follow up to his 2007 book The National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of The Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling, does not disappoint.  Capitol Revolution is an amazingly well researched book that follows the involvement of the McMahon family in sports promotion throughout the majority of the 20th century.  Hornbaker shows the birth and development of what would become pro wrestling's largest empire against the backdrop of the formation and expansion of the NWA and the growing involvement of the various state athletic commissions. The book shows an industry that was filled with fragile political alliances that were as important to its success as the in-ring product was. Hornbaker provides a great overview of the promoting careers of Jess McMahon, Vincent J. McMahon and Joseph "Toots" Mondt in a time period that is not often covered in other books.  While Mondt, due to his longevity and more colourful nature, is the more central character of the three; the book gives more insight into the lives and careers of Jess and Vince McMahon Sr. than any other contemporary source on the market.