Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

YOUR ALL-NEW WRESTLING BOOK THREAD


OSJ

Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...
On 1/3/2019 at 12:24 AM, Cobra Commander said:

I got the Guy Evans Nitro Book and Death of the Territories recently.

The Nitro book has some real astounding elements to it (involving a Bischoff idea that he pitched multiple times that kept getting nixed because it would involve having to work the FAA). It's obviously self-published (both because of the length and how many 7 page chapters were included) but it really could have had a little bit more detail on some parts of the story. The first half, through 98 seemed stronger with some stuff I didn't know (but I didn't read Bill Goldberg's book, so I didn't know about how much work they did with him before he debuted). It seemed like the book kinda became more of a Time Warner merger book than a Nitro book once it hit 1999. But how much quality content can a book get out of Vince Russo Nitro anyways? The last year of Bischoff in 98/99 probably dooms them as much as anything WCW was doing.

So far (through 5 chapters) the Hornbaker book is doing a pretty patient job of lining up all of the people in the story for the big parts of cable expansion. Always an interesting reminder that the business in a good chunk of the country went belly-up in 79/80/81 before Vince got Hogan in 1984 (and that GCW was expanding into other areas before Vince went to LA). Considering how many other industries had "consolidations" in recent decades, if Vince didn't make the move, either somebody else does (on TBS or another Superstation?), or the entire thing starts going sinking once the business hits the mid-90s.

It's also possible that not reading the NWA book by Hornbaker means that the first few chapters of this book weren't known to be parts of one of his other books.

This book is kind of terrible, but I'm  84% into it and don't want to quit.  The thing that really makes me keep reading is trying to figure out how and why Vince Russo ever got another job...I wouldn't hire that dickhead to wash my car.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I just Finished Nitro and here is my review.

There are not enough good, new wrestling stories to make this a good wrestling book...especially a 585 page wrestling book.  The business stuff isn't nearly interesting or engaging enough for this to be an entertaining business book.  I'm sorry, but the last 5 or so chapters are a slog to get through.  If you haven't watched, read, or heard anything about the end of WCW, by all means read this book.  If you were alive, aware, and paying attention to the last 20 years of wrestling, you probably already know all of this already.

With that said, I knew Vince Russo was dumb, incompetent, and delusional, but he has to be the most mediocre person who has ever failed their way to the top of the wrestling business...and that's saying something.  

Spoiler

His idea to have an angle where Ric Flair turns out to be Stacy Kiebler's biological father so that it would turn out that David and Stacy were both husband and wife and brother and sister is one of the dumbest wrestling angles of all time.  Tank Abbott being a lounge singer who sang Frank Sinatra covers?  I don't understand why he got so many chances after WCW, he's clearly an insane person.

Hulk Hogan got a lot of heat at the time for that radio interview where he basically said that "BIlly Kidman isn't worthy of a main event push, and couldn't draw a crowd at a flea market."  I'm not in the business of supporting things that Hulk Hogan says, but he was right on the money with that one.  WCW had a problem with elevating younger talent, but Kidman probably had the exact right career.  He was good in the ring, but there is not a single moment of character work I remember from him after he left Raven's Flock and took a shower.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone go through Al Snow’s book? I see it’s available through Hoopla (for those not in the know, a digital ebook service available through lots of libraries). Free is the right price, but is worth the time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/29/2019 at 3:46 PM, supremebve said:

Hulk Hogan got a lot of heat at the time for that radio interview where he basically said that "BIlly Kidman isn't worthy of a main event push, and couldn't draw a crowd at a flea market."  I'm not in the business of supporting things that Hulk Hogan says, but he was right on the money with that one.  WCW had a problem with elevating younger talent, but Kidman probably had the exact right career.  He was good in the ring, but there is not a single moment of character work I remember from him after he left Raven's Flock and took a shower.  

Nope he didn’t. Hulk was right... but because he had such a horrible backstage reputation anything he said regarding the push of a younger worker would have been looked at sideways.

I distinctly remember a Smackdown where Kidman did “comedy” backstage trying to cheer Torrie up.  It was pretty much one of the cringiest things that year, second only to Katie Vick... they were married and still had zero chemistry.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finally got a copy of Hooker by Lou Thesz. Wow. Just for purely historical reasons the book is worth its weight in gold, I can't believe how paranoid and keen to doublecross each other promoters were back in the 30s. Just up to when he wins his first world title

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Shane said:

Anyone go through Al Snow’s book? I see it’s available through Hoopla (for those not in the know, a digital ebook service available through lots of libraries). Free is the right price, but is worth the time?

Snow's book was worth the time if you're getting it for free. If you have seen Snow in shoot interviews, Snow's book was the definition of "played to Snow's strengths (in his case: He has a good mind for the business and interesting viewpoints for it) and hid his weaknesses (unlike his shoots, it didn't come off like he was being condescending and giving pearls to swine who wouldn't understand what he meant anyway.) 

Similarly to this: Anyone read "Pro Wrestling FAQ" by Brian Solomon yet? I got it from the library and am just trying to see if it'd tell me anything I couldn't already get from any other wrestling book out there (the first couple chapters are the same "wrestling used to be carny stuff, blah blah they had always rigged things to get your money, bling bling blah blah Hackenschmidt/Gotch, yackety schmackity.". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just finished "The wrestling" by Simon Garfield, about the British wrestling scene. Can't go higher than a B, but that's with caveats. The first three quarters or so is pretty good,  as a good intro to old school British wrestling, that as an American I had no clue about. But then he has to add a chapter about the WWF, which could have been in an Apter mag, that how bad it is, with in character interviews from HBK and HHH, Vince and Heenan. The next chapter about the then(1995) British wrestling scene was good and bad, then it finished strongly. Recommended, but the WWF chapter is REALLY bad. . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Kuetsar said:

Just finished "The wrestling" by Simon Garfield, about the British wrestling scene. Can't go higher than a B, but that's with caveats. The first three quarters or so is pretty good,  as a good intro to old school British wrestling, that as an American I had no clue about. But then he has to add a chapter about the WWF, which could have been in an Apter mag, that how bad it is, with in character interviews from HBK and HHH, Vince and Heenan. The next chapter about the then(1995) British wrestling scene was good and bad, then it finished strongly. Recommended, but the WWF chapter is REALLY bad. . .

I found that book to be rather hokey in parts.

I'd highly recommend Have A Good Week... Till Next Week by @JNLister - it collects a bunch of well-written/researched profiles on the who's who of old school UK wrestlers. Absolutely essential reading

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 9:37 AM, CreativeControl said:

I found that book to be rather hokey in parts.

I'd highly recommend Have A Good Week... Till Next Week by @JNLister - it collects a bunch of well-written/researched profiles on the who's who of old school UK wrestlers. Absolutely essential reading

You have to bear in mind that The Wrestling was written quite a long time before Lister's articles (that became his book) were. Also that John is a guy who writes about Wrestling full stop, whereas Garfield only wrote one wrestling related work ever (before Have A Nice Day succeeded and made wrestling books a viable thing) and seems to roam around popular culture at random looking for subjects that interest him.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh I am an ordained Reverend, and have performed ceremonies and whatnot, but it is more of a Hazel Motes thing:

What I can't stand is a perfectly good rassling book ruined by a late chapter run-in by Jeebus, invalidating all those spicy road stories (cf. Ivan Koloff, Blackjack Mulligan, Bill Watts, et al). Why can't more of my Shinto, Hindu or Jewish worker friends write biographies?

you are all sinners,'

RAF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know how most book printing companies have the word press at the end of their names? You know how sometimes publishers (or imprints within larger publishers) are set up just to put wrestling books out? Why hasn't one of them been called Flying Body Press yet?

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, SorceressKnight said:

You think those are problems? It seems like every 6 or so months I've had to tell people I wasn't a sorceress. 

As someone who made the mistake, if it was "sorceress' Knight," ...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...