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.
