Happ Hazzard Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Thesz's book isn't hard to come by at all. You can get it cheaply on kindle, and fairly cheaply in paperback from Crowbar press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoBaltimore Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 And I have the Dynamite book that I haven't touched in who knows how long. It's still readily available at Amazon, just not on Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Dynamite-Price-Wrestling-Stardom/dp/1553660846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473281787&sr=8-1&keywords=dynamite+kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyld Samurai Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 If anyone has a copy of Gary Hart's book I'd love to borrow it for a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happ Hazzard Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 This is out early next year. By the co-author of the Montreal book which was excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thee Reverend Axl Future Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 If that focuses on pre-Diva stuff, I am all in (good luck with that). I am saddened about the shallowness of the Patterson book, because he is a genius and a hidden architect of the modern VKM Era. In this dearth od rasslin lit, I re-emphasize the greatness of the Adrian Street series (cheap from him on eBay) as well as the Greg Oliver books. I recently had jury duty and re-read a couple during the interminable voir dire. - civic doody, RAF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 What are the best books on the pre-kayfabe era of wrestling? Sure it has probably been discussed, but thought it was worth trying to get a selection of names in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I just read Shooters by Evil C. Lown, which is partly about the pre-kayfabe era. Wasn't that good. The book basically concedes real pro-wrestling ended long before anyone is willing to admit it did, and says a lot of renowned real tough guys (like Thesz) were never actually proven in your actual combat situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoBaltimore Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 On 9/10/2016 at 11:09 PM, thee Reverend Axl Future said: If that focuses on pre-Diva stuff, I am all in (good luck with that). I am saddened about the shallowness of the Patterson book, because he is a genius and a hidden architect of the modern VKM Era. In this dearth od rasslin lit, I re-emphasize the greatness of the Adrian Street series (cheap from him on eBay) as well as the Greg Oliver books. I recently had jury duty and re-read a couple during the interminable voir dire. - civic doody, RAF I haven't read Pat's books, but from what I understand he's really good at covering a lot of ground. I would assume you'll have a better time with this upcoming book than Patterson's. I'll be keeping a look out for this as I only know so much about women's wrestling in the past. Should make for an interesting look into how far it's come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Be interesting to see how they treat Moolah. One would hope the kid gloves come off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I still can't believe Sasha brought up Moolah last week (again). I mean, I can, but still... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderlips Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Currently reading Stan Hansen's book and about 60 some pages in. He apparently was a crowbar even when he first started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 On 9/6/2016 at 5:07 PM, offspring515 said: Patterson's book was a huge letdown for me. A really shallow, surface take on his life and career. Im not familiar with hia coauthor, but I wonder if a better writer couldn't have coaxed a better book out of Pat. He's been the number two guy in the biggest wrestling company in the world! One of Vince's most trusted and leaned upon employees. But we get "Working with Vince was always fun. We had a lot of laughs! He hated it when I'd smoke in my office." He talks a lot about his relationship with his partner Louie and the love between them comes through at times in Pat's words. Still he has a bad habit (and he cops to it and jokes about it in the book) of repeating himself. "Louie was a great cook. Everyone loved Louie. (Insert powerful wrestling person) told Louie (insert rude thing) and Louie told him (insert rude return comment)! We all laughed alot!" This exact exchange happens at least five times in the book. There's really not that much insight into how being a gay man in the world of wrestling ( or simply a gay man in the world) in those days affected him either. He brings up how it was tough to stay in the closet, and the struggles with his Dad not accepting it, but beyond that there's not much. Maybe my expectations were too high. As is id advise all but the most diehard Patterson fans to skip it. I have to concur with this. I was really disappointed. I was really hoping for another view point on working with Vince since we got one side of it in great detail from JJ Dillon. But like you said, Patterson was mostly, "Vince is great! We had a blast working together!" I don't even recall him mentioning working with JJ despite the fact that they were basically Vince's right and left hands for a good portion of the early-mid 90's. I have to agree with you that unless you're a huge Patterson fan, skip it. Pat told one amusing anecdote though. He was in a tag-match with I think Ray Stevens where everyone involved in the match except Stevens was gay. But the fans kept getting on Stevens and none of the other guys in the match for being gay and Patterson was chuckling to himself, "if they only knew". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyld Samurai Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 My favorite reoccurring theme of Gary Hart's book is his constant bashing of The Tennessee Hillbillies. Granted he did put over Rob Fuller, but Jerry Jarrett comes out sounding like a fool. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Mine is how horrible Jose Lothario is as a human being in Hart's eyes, which is funny now that we know how amazing a wrestler he was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I loved the story of Jose buying a cheap ring that broke during a show and pocketing the money that Fritz (I think that's who it was) gave him to buy a good ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I also loved the story about how the Australian promoter had a strict dress code and how Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch would break it all the time by going out in public in what amounted to Daisy Dukes and tight cutoff t-shirts. They got sent home b/c the promoter saw them walking down the street in that ensemble and eating ice cream cones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdangerously Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I know what I'm having nightmares about tonight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderlips Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 23 hours ago, Wyld Samurai said: My favorite reoccurring theme of Gary Hart's book is his constant bashing of The Tennessee Hillbillies. Granted he did put over Rob Fuller, but Jerry Jarrett comes out sounding like a fool. Ole had the same type of comments in his book about Memphis and Jarrett. Pretty sure he even said that going to Memphis can be a career killer for some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyld Samurai Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 21 hours ago, cwoy2j said: I also loved the story about how the Australian promoter had a strict dress code and how Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch would break it all the time by going out in public in what amounted to Daisy Dukes and tight cutoff t-shirts. They got sent home b/c the promoter saw them walking down the street in that ensemble and eating ice cream cones. That would be Jim Barnett, no? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great ML Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Yes...and only Murdoch was sent home. Barnett saw dollar signs with Rhodes as a single. Edit: Had to add that one of my favorite Australian stories was Ivan Koloff: Happy Drunk that snuck out in the middle of the night in pursuit of more booze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tromatagon Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 My favorite Gary Hart stories are the ones that don't end with a sentence about the nice person involved dying a horrible death shortly thereafter 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Sweetser Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Nobody seems to like Jose Lothario in the books. Probably a question for another thread but I seem to remember the Texas Wrestling Academy (HBK's school) breaking down because Jose apparently ripped off some of the money and Michaels cut him loose as a result, or something similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 That said, he was so good at selling he could probably get away with murder too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tromatagon Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 My friend and I used to imitate his selling of the Sid induced heart attack all the time CHON CHON I DYING CHON 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwoy2j Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 On 9/17/2016 at 9:14 PM, The Great ML said: Yes...and only Murdoch was sent home. Barnett saw dollar signs with Rhodes as a single. Edit: Had to add that one of my favorite Australian stories was Ivan Koloff: Happy Drunk that snuck out in the middle of the night in pursuit of more booze. Yeah, Hart said he was like a giant Gerber Baby. That amused the hell out of me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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