Review: Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend To Santa's Jolly Elf By Mick Foley

Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend To Santa's Jolly Elf
Mick Foley, Stephanie McMahon (Foreword)
Polis Books, 2017
Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook

Mick Foley, the man who held the pen that began the wrestling book boom of the early 2000s, returns with his latest book Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend To Santa's Jolly Elf. Released in late 2017, with a foreword by Stephanie McMahon, Saint Mick recounts the retired grappler's fascination with all things Christmas and his personal experience learning to master the art of being Santa Claus. Foley's other releases include: Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (1999), Foley Is Good: And The Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling (2001), The Hardcore Diaries (2007), Countdown To Lockdown (2010). He has also written two novels: Tietam Brown (2003) & Scooter (2005) and 4 children's books: Mick Foley's Christmas Chaos (2000), Mick Foley's Halloween Hijinx, (2001) Tales From Wrescal Lane (2004) & A Most Mizerable Christmas (2012).

Review: Four Horsemen: A Timeline History By Dick Bourne

Four Horsemen: A Timeline History
Dick Bourne
Create Space, 2017
Paperback

Dick Bourne's Four Horsemen: A Timeline History was released in the spring of 2017. For those with an interest in the history of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling / Jim Crockett Promotions, Bourne's Mid-Atlantic Gateway is a key resource for preserving and accessing information concerning the territory's history. This is Bourne's sixth release pertaining to the history of the Carolina based promotion and its successor World Championship Wrestling. Some of Bourne's previous releases include: Big Gold, Ten Pounds of Gold and The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.  All titles are available through Amazon and The Mid-Atlantic Gateway.

Review: Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later By Liam O'Rourke

Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later
Liam O'Rourke
Create Space, 2017
Paperback

Liam O'Rourke's Crazy Like A Fox is a retrospective biography of the late Brian Pillman. After a brief run in professional football, Pillman entered the pro wrestling ranks in Calgary. His career featured a successful, turbulent tenure in WCW, a short and memorable stint in ECW and a relatively short but high profile run in the WWE that was cut short by his untimely death in 1997. His stellar in-ring work was instrumental in laying the ground work for the rise of WCW's light-heavy and cruiser-weight divisions. For many fans, however, it is Pillman's work out side the ring, his dedication to his craft, his unique and effective manner of conducting business, his determination in the face of adversity that makes Brian Pillman so intriguing. Liam O'Rourke's Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later is the first long-form biography of Pillman. It is O'Rourke's first book. O'Rourke is also a host on Squared Circle Gazette Radio.

Review: Kayfabe: Stories You're Not Supposed To Hear From A Pro Wrestling Production Company Owner By Sean Oliver

Kayfabe: Stories You're Not Supposed To Hear From A Pro Wrestling Production Company Owner
Sean Oliver
Amazon Digital Services, 2017
Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook

Author Sean Oliver is the co-owner of Kayfabe Commetaries where he also serves as host of the majority of the company's releases. The "face" of the shoot interview standard bearer, Oliver offers his experiences at the forefront of a growing company in a relatively new off-shoot of the pro wrestling industry. In Kayfabe, Oliver relates his thoughts and memories of dealing with some marquee names in the pro wrestling industry as well as promoters, producers, promoters and fans of the product. This is Oliver's first book.

Review: Looking At The Lights: My Path From Fan To A Wrestling Heel By Pete Gas With Jon Robinson

Looking At The Lights: My Path From Fan To A Wrestling Heel
Pete Gas, w. Jon Robinson, Adam "Edge" Copeland (Foreword) & John Bradshaw Layfield (Foreword)
Sports Publishing, 2017
Hardcover, Ebook

Pete "Gas" Gasparino's Looking At The Lights is the story of one of the most atypical members of the WWE Attitude Era roster. A non-wrestler with a "regular job," Gas instantly became a high profile WWE personality when he appeared as a member of Shane McMahon's "Mean Street Posse" at the height of the Attitude Era. Despite having no previous training and no designs of joining the WWE Roster on a full-time basis, Gas (along with Rodney and, later, Joey Abs) remained roster mainstays for over a year. This is Gas' first book.

Released: The Titan Trilogy: The History of the WWF From 1995 to 1997 by James Dixon & Justin Henry

The Titan Trilogy: The Story of the WWF from 1995 to 1997 was released in mid-December. This book book is an anthology featuring the extremely detailed and entertaining releases Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered & Titan Screwed. Each title gives great insight into the events, personalities and backstage climate of a calendar year in the WWF. Reviews of Titan Sinking and Titan Shattered are available on this site.

The Titan Trilogy is available at Available at Amazon US CA UK

Review: Second Nature: The Legacy of Ric Flair & The Rise of Charlotte By Ric Flair & Charlotte Flair

Second Nature: The Legacy Of  Ric Flair & The Rise Of Charlotte
Ric Flair & Charlotte Flair w. Brian Shields
St. Martin's Press, 2017
Hardcover, Ebook, Audiobook

Ric Flair is widely considered to be the greatest performer in the history of professional wrestling. A veteran of the territorial era, a multiple time world champion with over four decades as in-ring performer, Flair's career is one of the most storied in the industry's history. Charlotte Flair is one of Ric Flair's four children. A successful high school and college athlete before entering the wrestling industry, Flair has become one of wrestling's premier talents and a key figure in the elevation of the WWE's women's division. Essentially a dual autobiography, Second Nature alternates between Ric Flair's life at the end of his full-time career and his adjustment away from the limelight as a main event player and Charlotte's life growing up as the daughter of a top star in the professional wrestling industry and her entry and into the same business. This is Ric Flair's second book after To Be The Man (2004). This is Charlotte Flair's first book.

Review: No Is A Four Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded In Life by Chris Jericho

No Is A Four Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded In Life
Chris Jericho, Paul Stanley (Foreword)
Da Capo Press, 2017
Hardcover, Ebook

Chris Jericho has been one of the top names in pro wrestling for over two decades. While his in-ring career has been stellar, Jericho is one of the few names from the industry who has made successful transitions into other realms of entertainment. Jericho, as the front man and lead singer for the heavy metal band Fozzy, has toured the world as both a headline act and as supporting performer for many of music's legendary acts. Jericho has also hosted the very popular Talk Is Jericho Podcast on the Podcast One network since 2013. Prior to No Is A Four Letter Word, Jericho penned three New York Times best selling memoirs: A Lion's Tale: Around The World In Spandex, (2007) Undisputed: How To Become The World Champion In 1,372 Easy Steps, (2011) and The Best In The World... At What I Have No Idea (2014). Unlike his previous books, No Is A Four Letter Word is written as a motivational book that, while it contains biographical information, is not strictly an autobiography.

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.

Review: I'm A Mark: Dreams and Destiny Of A Wrestling Fan By Fred Esposito

I'm A Mark: Dreams and Destiny Of A Wrestling Fan

Fred Esposito, Bryan Alvarez (Foreword)

Create Space Independent Publishing, 2016

Paperback, Ebook

Note: I thoroughly enjoyed I'm A Mark: Dreams and Destiny of a Wrestling Fan by Fred Esposito, however, the star rating system that I have employed since setting up this blog, would not necessarily reflect this accurately. This is not a reflection of the work, but of the rubric by which I rate books. I can only compare this work to a movie or match that, though it might lack the technical aspects that make a great movie or a five star match, I truly like and re-watch periodically. Therefore, I have opted to not rate this title, though I highly reccomend it. - KM        

Review: Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of The Allen Athletic Club By John Cosper

Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of The Allen Athletic Club
John Cosper
Create Space Independent Publishing, 2017
Paperback, Ebook

When one thinks of the hotbeds of professional wrestling history, Louisville, Kentucky does not immediately jump to mind. While it may not have the profile of New York or The Carolinas, the emotional roller coaster of Dallas or the Game of Thrones like political backdrop of Tennessee, the history of professional wrestling in and around Louisville is no less intriguing. What makes the history of Louisville wrestling so interesting is that it is the story of a continuous ebb and flow of success and failure. It is filled with stories of professional and personal strife and conflict. It features a eclectic mix of history's biggest names at various stages of their careers and personalities who, through choice or fate, are not known to the average wrestling fan. In many ways Louisville could be considered the Everyman of wrestling territories.

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

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.

Review: Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling By Pat Laprade & Dan Murphy

Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling
Pat Laprade & Dan Murphy w. Natalya (Foreword)
ECW Press, 2017
Paperback, Ebook

The role of women in the professional wrestling industry is an ever evolving - at times devolving - one that is often seen as less crucial than that of their male counterparts. Some of this is a result of pure numbers as the percentage of female performers has never come close to equalling that of the men, however, many other factors have contributed to this lack of prestige within the annals of wrestling history. One could argue that promoters have misused women's wrestling more often than they have used it. That all being said, there is an absolute wealth of important females who shaped not just women's wrestling, but the pro wrestling industry as a whole.

Review: Bruiser Brody by Emerson Murray and Scott Teal

Bruiser Brody
Emerson Murray, Scott Teal (Editor)
Crowbar Press, 2007
Paperback, Ebook

This review is re-posted from a 2009 message board post I wrote.  It's been tweaked slightly. 

Emerson Murray's 2007 book Bruiser Brody cover the life and career of one of professional wrestling's most enigmatic personalities. This is Murray's sole professional wrestling book and was edited by Scott Teal of Crowbar Press. In 2015, it was re-released in ebook format.

Announced: A Wrestling Life 2 by Dan Gable

A Wrestling Life 2 by Dan Gable has been announced with a June release. This is the follow up to the successful 2015 release A Wrestling Life also by Gable. Gable was an Olympic Gold Medalist and renowned amateur coach. While not a professional wrestler, Gable's had and enormous influence on the careers of several professional wrestlers and MMA competitors. The "prequel" was very well received by readers. The book is published by The University of Iowa press and is co-written by Kyle Klingman

The book is available for pre-order at Amazon US CAN UK

Newly Released: Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of the Allen Athletic Club by John Cosper

Kentucky wrestling history John Cosper brings the story of Louisville, KY's first professional wrestling promotion. Released in February 2017, Cosper covers the early years of pro wrestling in one of the most often overlooked wrestling hotbeds in the United States. Whereas his earlier book Bluegrass Brawlers was a big picture look at the history of the region, Louisville's Greatest Show focuses on the area's Golden Age (1935-1957). Cosper has also written Eat, Sleep, Wrestle and co-authored Kenny Bolin's I Probably Screwed You Too...  Cosper also runs the website eatsleepwrestle.com.

Louisville's Greatest Show: The Story of the Allen Athletic Club, is available on paperback at Amazon US

Released: The Greatest Wrestling Ever in the History of Nashville Vol. 1

The Greatest Wrestling Ever in the History of Nashville Volume 1 by Scott Teal & Don Luce is now available for order at crowbarpress.com. The book, #2 in Crowbar's "Greatest Cities of Wrestling" series is an  in depth look at Nashville's wrestling scene from 1907 to the 1960s.