Bob Backlund began life as a poor farm boy in the little village of Princeton, Minnesota, with a population of just over 2,000 people. He was a below-average student with a lackluster work ethic and a bad attitude, who hung with the wrong crowd and made a lot of bad choices. He was a kid whose life was headed for disaster-until a local coach took interest in him, suggested that he take up amateur wrestling, and offered to work with him if he promised to stay out of trouble.It was i...

Sequel to the worldwide hit A LION'S TALE.A LION'S TALE documented Chris Jericho's journey from small-time dreamer to big-time superstar, from Winnipeg, Canada, to undisputed WWE heavyweight champion of the world. But UNDISPUTED kicks off just as the fantasy begins to unravel.Faced with endless internal politics on his rise to the top of the WWE company ladder, Jericho has to draw on the super-human resources that got him there in the first place. There are...

The controversial story of Chris Jericho, the former undisputed Heavyweight Champion of WWE.From the age of eight, Chris dreamed of becoming a wrestler. But it wasn't until he was 25 that he hit the big time. Nicknamed 'Lion Heart', Chris eventually attained his ultimate goal - joining the WWF (now WWE). He became one of their biggest stars, even defeating wrestling powerhouses The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in the same night to be crowned the undisputed He...

The Three Counthighlights the triumphs and tragedies Jimmy Korderas experienced over his storied career as a WWE ref, from humble beginnings with Jack Tunney in Toronto to being a part of the main event at WrestleMania. For the first time, Korderas talks about the harrowing experience of being in the ring during Owen Hart’s accident and about the horrific effects of the Chris Benoit tragedy — the most difficult moments of his life in wrestling.The book also includes untold...

It’s the week of WrestleMania, an event that’s flourished in parallel with Shawn Michaels’s decorated career, an annual spectacular that The Heartbreak Kid seized time after time as his personal stage of excellence. Such a grand setting could not be more appropriate for WWE’s one and only Showstopper to add “Mr. Hall of Fame” to his myriad monikers.From his debut in 1984 to his final WWE match in 2010, the world has seen Michaels allure audiences and perform like n...

Complete Shotokan Karate is actually two books in one: a thorough history of Japanese karate in Asia and the United States, and an instructional manual for students of the Shotokan method.Part One outlines the history of karate from its probable origins in India (or perhaps Greece), and its transmission from China through Okinawa to Japan. Relevant aspects of Japanese history and culture, such as the samurai ethos and Zen, are emphasized.

Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction provides a complete foundation in the practice of one of the most distinctive and effective Japanese martial arts.Aikido was created in Japan in the 1920's by Morihei Ueshiba, also known as Osensei. To possess the skills, techniques and attitude of the true practitioner of aikido, one must achieve a very high level of integration of the powers of mind and body, the harmonious combination of physica...

?The most unpredictable and charismatic grappler of all time? The brute that made brawling an art before the term "hardcore" was coined? The confrontational businessman who fought for every penny he felt he deserved? "Bruiser" Brody had no peers when it came to blood and guts, controversy and independence. Most wrestling promoters portrayed their top talent as exactly that kind of free-spirited, take-no-guff personality. They didn't mean it, though - which explains why so few would admit t...

With extensive, step-by-step photographs and instructions, this jiu-jitsu guide is an effective tool for mastering this ancient martial art.The original Japanese martial art developed by the elite samurai class during Japan's feudal era, Jiu-jitsu is the forerunner of Judo and the precursor of today's ultimate fighting styles, such as mixed martial arts (MMA). For centuries, this method of unarmed self-defense proved so successful in combat that it was kept secret ...

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...

Master Japanese Aikido with this illustrated martial arts guide.Aikido, while uniquely beautiful among the martial arts, is also deceptively powerful, effective, and efficient. Dedicated practitioners know that advanced training means not only striving to master techniques, but also developing a deeper understanding of the history, philosophy and concepts at the core of this martial art.In Advanced Aikido, Phong Thong Dang and Lynn Sei...

Ronda Rousey — Most dangerous unarmed woman on the planet. She's also an Olympic bronze medalist, UFC champion, and world’s largest female pay-per-view draw...But it wasn’t always that way. Once a shy, frustrated child, an outcast in school, & an unwelcome competitor in a male-dominated sport, walk along with Rousey as she pulls herself up from an unthinkable tragedy to become the UFC’s first female fighter & one of the greatest female athletes of our time."I’ve been throug...