zendragon Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) So I went ahead and read PAIN AND PASSION: The history of Stampede Wrestling By Heath McCoy pgs. 321 Really does a good job covering a lot of ground starting with Stu's childhood and getting into the business, before getting into running the Calgary territory (which operated under several names Big Time Wrestling ect before actually being Stampede) going all the way to the bitter end with Bruce attempting to run it as a glorified indy even after Stu's death with Nattie getting the final word in the book, fitting as she's the sole suriving hart in some ways, even the Hannibal v Abby match that was the feature of an episode of DOTR gets a mention. Obviously covers all the various Hart family drama along the way, so if you've read Martha's, Bret's Dynamites book along with the more recent book on the bulldogs you will have heard some of these stories. One thing I found interesting is Stu's philosophies of booking wrestling sure could use blood and mayhem but you built to that with solid wrestling underneath every night. I thought about some of Bret's comment's on MOX and AEW using blood and violence recently, which matches up with what Stu probably would have thought. Interesting to hear about Bruce running the territory as sort of a proto attitude era booking as well, which makes me think about various people's concerns about too much hot shooting burning the crowds out. A lot of food for thought about how these concepts work for modern nationally televised wrestling. Wanted to add there's a lot about the relationships between The Harts and The Macmahon's with The sale of the territory to Vince and the backing out of said deal, Owen's death and the lawsuit that followed and the screw job Edited September 9, 2023 by zendragon 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 What I liked about it more than anything was the older stories about guys like Tor Kamata that are pretty well forgotten and are hard to find footage of. It seemed he got them right before a lot of them passed away. The saddest part is the death blow to the territory came from what would have been a super duper hot, serious-ass angle with the Stomper turning face against a hated Bad News, BUT, Bad News assaulted the crowd, and fucking Whalen who was already given too much influence by having violence cut out of the show, quitting right then and there. If Allen could have kept his cool and Whalen maybe told to cool it too ahead of time, they would have taken that shit around the loop and it would have paid for ten more Caddys to sit and rot in the yard at Hart House. Instead they could only work on a rez, Vince bought them out, then gave them back without payment, etc. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 That book really made me appreciate the Stomper 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 The part where he tells young Bret "look what your old man done to me"... oofta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 FLOWERS FOR ADRIAN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADRIAN ADONIS by John Ellul 2023 255 pgs. Brian Last mentioned reading this during his and Cornette's review of DSOTR (I know he's a piece of work but I like his historical takes) pretty detailed account of the man's career, kinda dry as it details his early west coast career as a journey man wrestler, where he may or may have not picked up the name, working Amerillo and teaming with Jesse the Body in AWA. Book gets really good with his WWF run leading into the gimmick change into "Adorable" as he gained weight do to his substance abuse and became increasingly unreliable. A detailed look at that 18 month period and who was responsible for it and what Adrian may have thought of it. Really his one big money national run on top including appearing on multiple wrestlemania's. Also a chapter is dedicated to the history of "gay" wrestling gimmicks, (including Adonis's own early leather biker look which got him and Jesse coming to the ring in feather boa's F-slurs hurled at them) and how the heels where really the good guys by supporting and embracing him being true to himself. There's a promo from Don Muraco saying "in America we are free to be who we our" which brings to mind Jesse Ventura going after Hogan for interupting the Russian national anthem. , other topics include his friends Hogan and Piper and his untimely death right when he was getting himself turned around. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizium Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 Does it go into the world title tournament he won, in Southwest? Thesz let them use his belt, beat Terry Funk in the final. The whole thing ended up falling apart not long after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 yes a fairly large section of the book covers his pre WWF journeyman period of working various territories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 First weird thing I learned from Hornnbakers new Flairbook. His dad (an ob/gyn) was a noted toastmaster and once gave a Wertham like talk about the evils of comic books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra Commander Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 You’ll never have the time to ride space mountain if you read comic books, son 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus Posted September 24, 2023 Share Posted September 24, 2023 (edited) I PROMISE that Blood & Thunder vol2 is IMMINENT but in the meantime you can buy the 2nd edition of vol1 either in hard copy (https://t.co/SlCjWMXH9K) or as an ebook (http://amzn.eu/d/dR1R259). I've also made Wrestling Can Be Anything vol1 - a collection from the first 5 issues of my 'zine and some stuff from STARBURST magazine - available to buy as an ebook for the first time: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJLT5T81! Hard copy also available here: https://lulu.com/shop/alan-boon/wrestling-can-be-anything-vol-1/paperback/product-6zm86y.html…! Both books come with a YOU LEARNED SOMETHING! guarantee! Edited September 24, 2023 by Linus 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 If you have Hoopla, the digital library service, Brian Solomons Sheik books is available in print and digital formats to borrow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonial Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 From the Farm, to Our Table by Sarah Rowe, Amanda Morrow, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com) Sarah Rowe, AKA the WWE's Valhalla, has penned a children's book on sustainable living and farming that will be released next spring. $19+tax for what's essentially a book for pre-schoolers and kindergartners seems quite steep. $10 maybe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Hero Morganti Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 3 hours ago, colonial said: From the Farm, to Our Table by Sarah Rowe, Amanda Morrow, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com) Sarah Rowe, AKA the WWE's Valhalla, has penned a children's book on sustainable living and farming that will be released next spring. $19+tax for what's essentially a book for pre-schoolers and kindergartners seems quite steep. $10 maybe. That's actually about right for a book like that. They generally run 15-20 msrp. (I used to work in a book store) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Akira Taue's own autobiography is coming out https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/279296 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 "I'm sorry, I love you" A History of Professional Wrestling By Jim Smallman 390pgs. Jim Smallman is a comedian and Co-founder of PROGRESS Mainly a history of American pro wrestling with a focus on WWF/WWE written from a fans perspective. Bit of an overview of really early pro wrestling in the 1900s through the Nation Wrestling Association up till 2018. With some interesting tidbits about World of sport, lucha and Japan. Plus some top ten lists. Writing the book from his subjective perspective keeps the book from just being a dry history lesson, overall a fun read but no where near essential if you've been on this board for a minute. Probably a fun gift for a kid who's just getting into the sport. (for example I enjoyed The idiots guide to wrestling for its talk about the sports carney roots) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 On 9/24/2023 at 11:01 AM, Linus said: I've also made Wrestling Can Be Anything vol1 - a collection from the first 5 issues of my 'zine and some stuff from STARBURST magazine - available to buy as an ebook for the first time: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJLT5T81! Hard copy also available here: https://lulu.com/shop/alan-boon/wrestling-can-be-anything-vol-1/paperback/product-6zm86y.html…! Order placed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 I'm sure this has come up in some incarnation of DVDMB, but I just discovered that my local library has this currently in the stacks: Big Apple Take Down: A WWE Novel, 2006 December 2001: Vince McMahon steps out of a snowy night into a diner in upstate New York for a meeting with old friend Phil Thomson, now a highly placed government official. Thomson has a strange proposition: creating a new covert black-ops group using the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment. The WWE's talented men and women are perfect. Highly skilled athletes with the ideal cover, they travel all across the country and the globe; no one would find it unusual to find them in a town one day and gone the next. The government would train and support the wrestlers in every way possible except one: no one must know the truth. March 2006: The Superstars have been handed their latest assignment -- take down a commercial-grade methyl-amphetamine plant that is bankrolling terrorist activities in Europe. Their mission seems simple and straightforward, until a member of their team is taken prisoner. Now all that they've worked so hard for is in jeopardy, and one of their own might be killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happ Hazzard Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 (edited) I don't know why it's come out so small but if you click on it, it's the first few pages of the novel. Looks dreadful. Edited October 17, 2023 by Happ Hazzard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worldcupfever Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 If no one here has reviewed it, I'll take one for the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted October 17, 2023 Share Posted October 17, 2023 I assume its written by the same script writer as NHB; Cocaine 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goitre Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 On 9/9/2023 at 3:13 PM, Curt McGirt said: Tor Kamata Tor Kamata = Torquemada = Greatest Wrestling Name Ever 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikoBaltimore Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 On 10/17/2023 at 3:26 PM, worldcupfever said: If no one here has reviewed it, I'll take one for the team. I remember considering at the time getting Big Apple Takedown because of the cover and me being a weak man. Then I read the first pages at the store and could not have put the book down fast enough. If you end up reviewing it then I salute you but it appears to be a rough one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuetsar Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 11 hours ago, Goitre said: Tor Kamata = Torquemada = Greatest Wrestling Name Ever Lets face it, you can't talk him outta anything. . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted November 4, 2023 Share Posted November 4, 2023 Has anyone read Todd Gordon's book about creating ECW? The premise sounds interesting but at the same time he seems like a guy who wants to take way to much credit for everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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