The secret history of the real fighters in pro wrestlingShooters recounts the stories of athletes like Brock Lesnar and Gene LeBell, men who have lived their lives on the border between &ldquo:works” and “shoots,” between the routines of the professional wrestling circuit and the legitimate confrontations that made their reputations.From catch wrestling masters Strangler Lewis and Billy Robinson to pro–wrestling icons like Frank Gotch and Lou Thesz, from O...

“Did you see the big fight this weekend?” The question used to be about boxing matches when the giants of the fight world were Mike Tyson and Roy Jones. Now fans are leaving the sweet science in droves for the combat sport of the future: mixed martial arts (MMA). MMA has drawn millions on cable and network television as well as out-performed professional wrestling and boxing on pay-per-view. Fans are attracted to the sport but unlike boxing (where strategy and technique are limited to usin...

Since the beginning of time, men have engaged in hand-to-hand combat. In Ancient Greece, they called it Pankration, a no-holds-barred battle. Over time, one complete combat system was replaced by a variety of limited ones like karate, boxing, and wrestling. In the modern age this created an eternal question: who was tougher? Could a boxer beat a wrestler? Could a kung fu artist dispose of a jiu jitsu man?The Ultimate Fighting Championship answered those questions emphatically in 1993 - an...

From the critically acclaimed authors of The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams comes the most comprehensive look ever at the colourful villains, heels, bad guys and rule breakers who give professional wrestling so much of its character. In The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels , Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson take readers on an informative and entertaining ride through mat mayhem. With their signature mix of original research, interviews, and anecdotes, they describe the rise a...

A fascinating history of one of the hottest wrestling territories of all timeMontreal was the proving ground for some of the biggest names in wrestling, including Andre the Giant, Abdullah the Butcher, and the infamous Mad Dog Vachon; it was the site of the first midget battle ever; and made famous worldwide for the infamous Survivor Series screw job that saw Vince McMahon, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart create the “attitude” that reshaped the bus...

Irvin Muchnick - a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick - has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon , he traces the demise of wrestling's old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figu...

Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was one extreme contradiction piled on top of another. It was an incredibly influential company in the world of professional wrestling during the 1990s, yet it was never profitable. It portrayed itself as the ultimate in anti-authority rebellion, but its leadership was working covertly with the two wrestling giants, the WWF and WCW. Most of all, it blurred the line between real life and the fantasy world of professional wrestling like no other company b...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. "When it comes to wrestlers writing their autobiographies, Jericho may be the best in the world at what he does." ― The Baltimore SunIn this insightful, riveting book, Jericho takes us into WWE wrestling arenas around the world as he details his classic rivalries with The Rock, Steve Austin, HHH, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena, along with all the politics and backst...

Lex Luger, wrestling megasensation and three-time world heavyweight champion, ruled the ring for years as “The Total Package.” Whether he was making a dramatic entrance from a helicopter, defeating champ Hulk Hogan, or sculpting a near-perfect physique, Lex was on top of his game. Yet backstage, he was wrestling with addictions to sex, drugs, and alcohol—things he clung to even when his mistress died suddenly of a drug overdose and Lex went to jail. There, Lex faced the truth: he was losin...

What went wrong with WCW? In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro , flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. Sting, Bill Goldberg, and the New World Order were household names. Superstars like Dennis Rodman and KISS jumped on the WCW bandwagon. It seemed the company could do no wrong. But by 2001, how...

Experience the thrilling journey of a wrestling superstar in this no-holds-barred memoir from the first undisputed WWE heavyweight champion.Chris Jericho is the first undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the WWE and WCW, and has been called one of the fifty greatest wrestlers of all time. Now retired, he is writing his memoir, telling the story of his journey from wrestling school in Canada to his time in leagues in Mexico and Japan to his big break in the WCW. He'll ...

A product of over twenty years of exhaustive research, Judo Training Methods is a comprehensive examination of the Japanese Judo.Written by martial arts authority Donn Draeger and judo champion and instructor Takahiko Ishikawa, it is an expert martial arts guide. Although the examples are geared toward judo, the training and conditioning methods set out are valuable for all martial artists and athletes, whatever their art or sport. Judo Training Methods is...