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. It seemed the company could do no wrong.But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company — having lost a whopping 95% of its audience — was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestl...

Most WWE fans tune in each year to watch WrestleMania, remember the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s, and have heard the story behind the Montreal Screwjob. But only real fans recall the name of Steve Austin's original character, can tell you how the Intercontinental championship was created, or know the best places to get an autograph of their favorite superstars.100 Things WWE Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource guide for true members of the WWE U...

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...

Get ready to rumble, with this fun introduction to the world of professional wrestlingProfessional Wrestling For Dummies is the essential guide for fans eager to explore pro wrestling around the world―from the top American promotions to the vibrant Japanese scene and the high-flying spectacle of Mexican Lucha Libre. In this book, you'll find the knowledge you need to understand and follow the sport. Learn the rules and the history of professional wrestling...

Bret Hart's honest, perceptive, startling account of his life in and out of the pro wrestling ring. "Wrestling fans will eat up all the backstage drama." — Publishers WeeklyThe sixth-born son of the pro wrestling dynasty founded by Stu Hart and his elegant wife, Helen, Bret Hart is a Canadian icon. He achieved superstardom in pink tights, and won multiple wrestling belts in multiple territories, for both the WWF (now the WWE) and WCW. But ...

The surprising story of how wrestling superstar Glenn "Kane" Jacobs beat all the odds to become the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.Even in his heyday in wrestling, Jacobs was inspired to pursue politics by popular libertarian figures such as former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, Republican Senator Rand Paul, Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano and others, and that led him to fulfill his own political ambitions.Before becoming Mayor Kane, Glenn "...

The brothers and tag team professional wrestlers recount their journey to success in this "intriguing, personal, family-centered" memoir (Library Journal)."These guys are the pioneers of making it BIG in the pro wrestling business outside of the corporate structure by doing things their own way. . . . Matt and Nick are the true definition of success in the wrestling world . . .and beyond." —Chris Jericho, multiple-time world champion and author of three

For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom.Dozens of territories flourished between ...

"Entertaining . . .an insightful and funny observer of pro wrestling's universe." -- Publishers WeeklyIn 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 backstage machinations he faced outside the ring. Chris recounts his hilarious escapades of breaking in with the Hollywood elite via doomed audition...

WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Professional Wrestling examines some of the ridiculously horrible characters and storylines that pro wrestling promoters have subjected their fans to over the past twenty years. Why would any sane person think that having two grown men fight over a turkey was actually a reasonable idea? Was George Ringo, the Wrestling Beatle, really the best gimmick that a major promotional organization could come up with? And who would charge fans to watch a wrestle...

Grantland and Deadspin correspondent presents a breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact that does for the sport what Chuck Klosterman did for heavy metal.The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts over 1 million page views) -- a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young bec...

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...