Men from around the world share their most personal wrestling memories from childhood to adulthood--a deep and intimate look at the homoerotic nature of wrestling and its cult-like grip on men of all ages. From being turned on watching pro wrestling on TV as a kid and not knowing why, to sneaking peeks at the amateur wrestling books to see the holds, these 130 stories reveal the universal attraction of wrestling for many men, regardless of sexuality. Guys candidly share their personal wrestling experiences with friends, cousins, uncles, classmates, bullies, and more. This book is featured in the documentary "STRONGHOLD: In the Grip of Wrestling" available at wrestlingfilm.com.
In this thrilling memoir, the first son of wrestling steps out from behind the shadows of Calgary's fabled "Hart dungeon" to discuss his family and the cutthroat world of professional wrestling. Stories about growing up as Stu Hart's son and the brother of wrestling legends Bret "Hitman" Hart and Owen Hart offer insight into this wrestling dynasty and the close relationships with people such as Andre the Giant and Killer Kowalski. Detailing the rise of the family business and how it was destroyed by Vince MacMahon, how the tragic death of Owen rocked the family, and what really happened behind the scenes of the infamous "Montreal screwjob," this gripping tell-all also provides information on how wrestling should be booked and the toll steroids and other drugs have taken on those close to Hart. The perfect book for fans, this account is chock-full of inside-the-ring stories and wrestling gossip.
Most of my life I deceived myself by thinking that I was Godly because I was a good kid. And yet, as the apostle John wrote, If we claim fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. I walked in that darkness for quite a while, but my life has been a journey out of that, a journey into the light of Jesus Christ. My parents named me Troy, which means warrior. In a way, this book is about the battles I have faced physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is the story of my personal growth, and my hope, my sincere prayer, is that it will help you grow, too.
A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts more than 1 million page views)—a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to—and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who—like him—grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art. Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscence—but also offering a compelling look at the sport’s rightful place in pop culture—The Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for. In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.
Gives a brief history of professional wrestling, but concentrates on the colorful wrestlers themselves, the heroes, villains, and the legends who have made the arena so spectacular
Why was Minnesota, a land known for its stoic farmers, reasonable politics, and comfortable casseroles, a hotbed of the wacky and wild world of professional wrestling? And how did that old-school wrestling become the Saturday night program of choice for thousands of midwestern families in the last half of the twentieth century? Professional wrestling historian and insider George Schire is here not only to set the record straight but to entice you into a world gone by, a world that comes alive through his colorful and perceptive reporting. As a kid, Schire found a way to escape the troubles of his life by becoming a wrestling fan, glued to the TV set and then later traveling to see every live "card" in the Twin Cities and many more throughout the region. Over the years he has been involved in all aspects of the sport, and he now offers detailed, behind-the-scenes accounts of important matches from 1954 to 1990 and stories of wrestler personalities, both in and out of the ring. He shares his own extensive collection of wrestling memorabilia-- photographs, program covers, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera--to honor the hardworking characters who forged serial storylines onstage week after week and who thrilled fans by carrying out their plots in the ring, with blood, sweat, tears, and high-flying body slams for all. An avid historian, George Schire has been a writer and columnist for national wrestling publications and a ring announcer. He currently cohosts a popular Internet wrestling show, "Old School/New School." He lives in Oakdale, Minnesota. "I thought I knew the sport of professional wrestling. Then I met George Schire! No one is more knowledgeable about the events and personalities that made professional wrestling what it is today." --Greg Gagne, former professional wrestler and titleholder
Welcome to Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, a small, dead-end town with nothing to do and no way out. At least that's how Ben, a high school senior and the second-best 135-pound wrestler in school, sees it. But Ben's fed up with being stuck on the bench, watching as his friend Al, the state champion, gets all the glory. If Ben doesn't get his life in gear, he could end up like his father and the other men in Sturbridge--working on the line in the cinder block factory. Spurred on partly by a wise, intense young woman, and partly by a strength found deep within himself, Ben looks for a way out--his whole life depends on it. In the words of Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli, "Wrestling Sturbridge isn't just an outstanding first novel; it's an outstanding novel, period."
In his own words, Bret Hart’s honest, perceptive, startling account of his life in and out of the pro wrestling ring. The sixth-born son of the pro wrestling dynasty founded by Stu Hart and his elegant wife, Helen, Bret Hart is a Canadian icon. As a teenager, he could have been an amateur wrestling Olympic contender, but instead he turned to the family business, climbing into the ring for his dad’s western circuit, Stampede Wrestling. From his early twenties until he retired at 43, Hart kept an audio diary, recording stories of the wrestling life, the relentless travel, the practical jokes, the sex and drugs, and the real rivalries (as opposed to the staged ones). The result is an intimate, no-holds-barred account that will keep readers, not just wrestling fans, riveted. Hart achieved superstardom in pink tights, and won multiple wrestling belts in multiple territories, for both the WWF (now the WWE) and WCW. But he also paid the price in betrayals (most famously by Vince McMahon, a man he had served loyally); in tragic deaths, including the loss of his brother Owen, who died when a stunt went terribly wrong; and in his own massive stroke, most likely resulting from a concussion he received in the ring, and from which, with the spirit of a true champion, he has battled back. Widely considered by his peers as one of the business’s best technicians and workers, Hart describes pro wrestling as part dancing, part acting, and part dangerous physical pursuit. He is proud that in all his years in the ring he never seriously hurt a single wrestler, yet did his utmost to deliver to his fans an experience as credible as it was exciting. He also records the incredible toll the business takes on its workhorses: he estimates that twenty or more of the wrestlers he was regularly matched with have died young, weakened by their own coping mechanisms, namely drugs, alcohol, and steroids. That toll included his own brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith. No one has ever written about wrestling like Bret Hart. No one has ever lived a life like Bret Hart’s. For as long as I can remember, my world was filled with liars and bullshitters, losers and pretenders, but I also saw the good side of pro wrestling. To me there is something bordering on beautiful about a brotherhood of big tough men who pretended to hurt one another for a living instead of actually doing it. Any idiot can hurt someone. —from Hitman
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.
