“A fascinating dive into the physical art of modern-day wrestling entertainment and the unbelievable characters who make it work in the ring and the back.” —Chris Kluwe In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars. WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena. We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.
“Current fans and recovering Hulkamaniacs alike should find [Sex, Lies, and Headlocks] as gripping as the Camel Clutch.” —Maxim Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the backstabbing, scandals, and high-stakes gambles that have made wrestling an enduring television phenomenon. The man behind it all is Vince McMahon, a ruthless and entertaining visionary whose professional antics make some of the flamboyant characters in the ring look tame by comparison. Throughout the book, the authors trace McMahon’s rise to power and examine the appeal of the industry’s biggest stars—including Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, and, most recently, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In doing so, they show us that while WWE stock is traded to the public on Wall Street, wrestling remains a shadowy world guided by a century-old code that stresses secrecy and loyalty. With a new afterword, this is the definitive book about the history of pro wrestling. “Reading this excellent behind-the-scenes look at wrestling promoter McMahon . . . is almost as entertaining and shocking as watching the most extreme antics of McMahon’s comic-book style creations such as Steve Austin and The Rock.” —Publishers Weekly “A quintessentially American success story of a cocky opportunist defying the odds and hitting it big . . . Sparkling cultural history from an author wise enough to let the facts and personalities speak for themselves.”—Kirkus Reviews
This definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, is “riveting, essential reading” (Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author) as it charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires. Featuring exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent. Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world. In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit. Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force and has helped foment “the worst of contemporary politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Ringmaster built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. “Smart, entertaining, impressively reported, and beautifully written. Wrestling fans will devour it, but everyone who wants to better understand this crazy country and one of its truly original characters ought to read it” (Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life).
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and data expert Walt Hickey explains the power of entertainment to change our biology, our beliefs, how we see ourselves, and how nations gain power. Virtually anyone who has ever watched a profound movie, a powerful TV show, or read a moving novel understands that entertainment can and does affect us in surprising and significant ways. But did you know that our most popular forms of entertainment can have a direct physical effect on us, a measurable impact on society, geopolitics, the economy, and even the future itself? In You Are What You Watch, Walter Hickey, Pulitzer Prize winner and former chief culture writer at acclaimed data site FiveThirtyEight.com, proves how exactly how what we watch (and read and listen to) has a far greater effect on us and the world at large than we imagine. Employing a mix of research, deep reporting, and 100 data visualizations, Hickey presents the true power of entertainment and culture. From the decrease in shark populations after Jaws to the increase in women and girls taking up archery following The Hunger Games, You Are What You Watch proves its points not just with research and argument, but hard data. Did you know, for example, that crime statistics prove that violent movies actually lead to less real-world violence? And that the international rise of anime and Manga helped lift the Japanese economy out of the doldrums in the 1980s? Or that British and American intelligence agencies actually got ideas from the James Bond movies? In You Are What You Watch, readers will be given a nerdy, and sobering, celebration of popular entertainment and its surprising power to change the world.
Rarely has an Evangelical upbringing been depicted with the relentless honesty, wide-ranging empathy, and Superbad-meets-Siddhartha playfulness of HELL IS A WORLD WITHOUT YOU. During the time of Pizza Hut buffets, 9/11, and all-night Mario Kart parties, a grieving teenager faces a mortal crossroads: fire-and-brimstone certainty vs. forbidden love. And whether or not you've ever begged God to delay the Rapture (so you could have time to lose your virginity), that kid's story is about you. "Best-seller"— USA Today, IndieReader, and Bookshop “Meticulous. Sublime. Hilarious. Endearing. Get it.” — Kirkus Reviews “Brutal honesty. Laugh-out-loud. Poignant.” — Publishers Weekly “Joyous. Taboo-shirking. Searing honesty. Wonderful novel.”— Independent Book Review, Starred “A miracle. Makes an insular culture universal.” — Book and Film Globe “Painfully, beautifully true.” — Columbia Daily Tribune “Compassionate. Bitingly funny.” — Readers’ Favorite, five-star review “Holy fucking shit.” — Top-rated Goodreads review “Ripped me apart and put me back together.”— Literary Transgressions, Year in Reading awards “Thank you to Jason Kirk.” — The Trevor Project, after this novel’s launch raised over $50,000 in donations for the LGBTQ charity “Divinely savage, emotionally pure, devilishly funny.”— Brian Dannelly, Saved! “Hilarious and big-hearted.” — Brian Phillips, Impossible Owls “No book has better depicted Evangelical terror.”— Jane Coaston, CNN “A magic trick, almost tactile in its specificity, yet universal.”— Claire McNear, Answers in the Form of Questions “Whoever you are, you’ll find yourself in it.”— Will Leitch, How Lucky “Almost astonishingly accurate.”— Jon Bois, 17776 “Genuinely funny. Painfully accurate.”— Drew Magary, The Night the Lights Went Out “I loved this book.”— Anthony Oliveira, Dayspring “Like reading my own teenage Evangelical diary.”— April Ajoy, Evangelicalish “Hilarious yet biting.”— Zito Madu, The Minotaur at Calle Lanza “Uncanny. I got severely weepy.”— Jeb Lund, national columnist “Will make you laugh, cry, and think.”— Dr. Mike Altman, Religious Studies, University of Alabama “Absolutely slaps, whether you were Evangelical or not.”— Dr. Jonathan Beecher Field, English, University of Clemson “Devastatingly funny.”— Victoria Zeller, One of the Boys “Will leave you laughing, crying, and feeling less alone.”— Mason Mennenga, A People’s Theology “So quick and funny and smart.”— Tommy Tomlinson, The Elephant in the Room “Deeply funny. Deeply felt.”— Tyler Parker, A Little Blood and Dancing “Too real. Cathartic.”— Blake Chastain, Exvangelical and Beyond “So evocative.”— Bonnie Kristian, Christianity Today “Not just for ex-youth group kids. A gift.”— Tyler Huckabee, Sojourners “Hilarious, harrowing, and romantic.”— Pete Volk, Polygon “What being raised Evangelical is like.”— Dr. Jonathan Redding, One Nation Under Graham “Funny, infuriating, and tender.”— Jay Busbee, Earnhardt Nation “Comedy with real heart.”— Jennifer C. Martin, Dirtbag Christian “I moved between laughing and crying so many times.”— Zach W. Lambert, Better Ways to Read the Bible “Surprisingly relatable. Read it.”— Trey Ferguson, Theologizin’ Bigger “I’m thankful this book exists!”— Casey Haas, Fun Sexy Bible Time “So good.”— Tony Ginocchio, Grift of the Holy Spirit “Hits close to home.”— Kevin Nye, Grace Can Lead Us Home “You will relate.” “This is for you.”— Emily Rojas and Abigail Hewing, Readirect “Immersive introduction into Evangelical world.”— Dr. Erich Nunn, English, Auburn University “Humanizes church kids.” — Scott Hines, Action Cookbook “Helped me understand myself.” — Dr. Neil Shanks, Baylor University “I love it.” “So fucking powerful.”— Andrew Klema and Dani Burford, Lit Lit “Painful, thoughtful, and has a ton of soul.”— Mike Golic, Jr., broadcaster “For anyone.”— Ryan Nanni, We’re Not So Different “Extraordinary.” “Jason writes his ass off.” — Holly Anderson and Spencer Hall, Channel Six
The anticipated memoir from a sports entertainment fandom legend As a kid growing up in New York in the late '50s, Bill Apter fell in love with professional wrestling, and it wasn't long before he was rubbing shoulders with the greats as a young reporter and photographer. He's since become the world's best-known wrestling magazine personality, and he's had professional and personal relationships with a who's-who of the business, like Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Sting, and Ric Flair. In his fun-loving memoir, Bill Apter takes us from the dressing rooms of the Bruno Sammartino era and the last days of the territories, to the birth of WrestleMania, the emergence of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the "Attitude Era," to today's WWE Superstars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns. He also shares stories of his days photographing boxing stars like Muhammad Ali and other champions, and he documents his appearances on the WWE Network and his work as editor of 1wrestling.com. Find out which wrestler threatened him, learn about the dead wrestler who was really alive, and discover how hanging out with Andy Kaufman led to the comic's notorious feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler. Still intimately involved in the wrestling business, the award-winning Apter has a story on everybody.
Globalization has had a profound impact on the sports industry, creating an international market in which sports teams, leagues and players have become internationally recognized brands. This important new study of contemporary sports marketing examines the opportunities and threats posed by a global sports market, outlining the tools and strategies that marketers and managers can use to take advantage of those opportunities. The book surveys current trends, issues and best practice in international sport marketing, providing a useful blend of contemporary theory and case studies from the Americas, Europe and Asia. It assesses the impact of globalization on teams, leagues, players, sponsors and equipment manufacturers, and highlights the central significance of culture on the development of effective marketing strategy. Global Sport Marketing is key reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner working in sport marketing or sport business.
How is sport marketing being transformed by new media and technology, by globalization and by the opening of new markets and sources of revenue? This book examines the most important trends and developments in contemporary sport marketing around the world, shining new light on the importance of marketing and markets as the drivers of international sport business. The book introduces essential concepts and best practice in international sport marketing today and presents original case studies from around the world, looking at leagues, commercial sponsors, consumer behavior, and the role of athletes and their representatives. It covers important topics from "place branding" and experiential marketing to equipment manufacture and sports arenas, as well as the economic impact and regulation of sports events, the "financiarization" and "vipization" of sport, and marketing in the sport for the development and peace sector. International Sport Marketing is essential reading for all students, scholars and practitioners working in sport marketing, especially those concerned with the globalization of the sports industry.
“Pat is one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had in the world of sports-entertainment.” — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson When Pat Patterson was 17 years old, he was asked to leave his home after telling his parents he was in love . . . with a man. Moving from Montreal to the United States in the 1960s, barely knowing a word of English, he was determined to succeed in the squared circle. Back when homophobia was widespread, Pat lived in the super-macho world of pro wrestling. In this fascinating and revealing memoir of revolutionary talent, pioneer, and creative savant Patterson recalls the trials and tribulations of climbing to the upper ranks of sports-entertainment „ as a performer and, later, as a backstage creative force. Many in the WWE Universe know Pat Patterson as a ring legend, the prestigious first holder of WWEÍs Intercontinental Championship, a WWE Hall of Famer, and one of Vince McMahonÍs ñstoogesî during the Attitude Era. But Patterson is no stooge. He has long been one of Vince McMahonÍs trusted advisors. His impact and importance to the nascent stages of WWE are nearly comparable to that of the Chairman himself. Still active in WWE today, Pat delivers his no-holds-barred story of going from unknown to WWE luminary.
A vivid trip through the mind of the top professional wrestler in the business—a nobody from nowhere who achieved his ambitions and walked away with the gold and the girl of his dreams. Ride alongside Jon Moxley as he retraces some of the highways traveled on his remarkable journey. Revel in the never-before-told stories about his early life in Cincinnati, Ohio; the gritty independent wrestling scene where he cut his teeth; the complicated corporate landscape of the WWE where he bucked against authority; and the rebellious upstart AEW, where he won the championship in 2020 and was finally free to achieve the vision of the wrestler he’d always wanted to be. With plenty of pitstops and revelatory insights, including grisly ultraviolent encounters, crazy characters who became lifelong friends, and his unforgettable matches in Japan, MOX is the riveting account of the life of a brawler. It is a tale written in blood and soaked in debauchery, with a good dose of wisdom accumulated along the way. More than a backstage pass into the arena, MOX is a ticket into the ring. Once inside, you’ll never look at pro wrestling the same again.
