We Promised You a Great Main Event

We Promised You a Great Main Event
Author: Bill Hanstock
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 493
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0062980858

“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.

Olympic Wrestling

Olympic Wrestling
Author: Barbara M. Linde
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2007-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781404209725

An introduction to Olympic wrestling features a history of the Olympic games and profiles of ancient and modern champions.

It's Good To Be The King...

It's Good To Be The King...
Author: Jerry 'The King' Lawler
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 618
Release: 2008-12-09
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1847397085

An often controversial figure, Jerry 'The King' Lawler has been at the top of his profession both as a wrestler and most recently as a commentator for over 30 years. Holder of more than 90 regional or national titles over the course of his career, he is as well known for his feuds, both in and out of the ring, as he is for his achievements and his expertise. No stranger to the airwaves, he has hosted his own show both on radio and on television, and he is also a successful commercial artist whose work can be seen on several sites around his home city of Memphis. Outside the WWE arena perhaps his most famous dispute was with actor and comedian Andy Kaufman, a long-running conflict that at one point put Kaufman in hospital and culminated in a televised brawl on 'Late Night With David Letterman'. Now in a no-holds barred autobiography 'The King' is prepared to tell all both about his sometimes stormy career and about the backstage secrets of the WWE.

50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time

50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time
Author: Larry Matysik
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 663
Release: 2013-03-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1770903054

No-holds-barred, honest, and objective, this is a definitive look at the greatest pro wrestlers who ever stepped through the ropes. Blending the old and the new and delving into what made these 50 remarkable performers the best in their sport, this guide illustrates their contributions to the massively popular spectacle of the wrestling world. The antidote to the marketing-motivated claims made by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is provided here, sweeping aside the corporate profit motive of listing standouts who can sell DVDs and dolls and instead shooting from the hip, revealing who sincerely belongs among the cream of the crop. The complexity of choosingand rankingthe 50 finest ever from a strong group of talented candidates also spins a secondary tale about the evolution of pro wrestling and how this unique sport operates. Revealing these stars' compelling stories in detail, this collection adds up to an entertaining and enlightening description of a monumental business through the history of its legends.

National Wrestling Alliance

National Wrestling Alliance
Author: Tim Hornbaker
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 399
Release: 2007
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1554902746

After 32 years, Montreal will soon lose its professional baseball team. The former president of the Expos explains how the team went from being one of major league baseball's most promising franchises to becoming a financial pariah, barely escaping extinction at the end of the 2001 season and now facing demise in 2002. This history of the team's troubled existence covers years of gradually declining revenue and attendance, the sale of the team to a consortium of business leaders in 1991, and the league's ongoing debate over eliminating the Expos once and for all.

King of the Ring

King of the Ring
Author: Harley Race
Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2006
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1596701625

King of the Ring explores Race's life and career, both in and out of the professional wrestling ring, detailing everything from the grind of traveling 300 days a year to the glory of being a world champion.

Shooters

Shooters
Author: Jonathan Snowden
Publisher: ECW Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2012-08-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 177090221X

From William Muldoon to Brock Lesnar, this history covers those who have divided themselves as tough guys on the professional wrestling circuit and legitimate confrontations. From catch wrestling master Billy Robinson to the Japanese professional wrestler who gave birth to the global phenomenon that is modern mixed martial arts (MMA), this investigation travels from the shadowy carnival tent and the dingy training hall to the bright lights of the squared circle and the Las Vegas glitz of the octagon. Billy Riley's legendary Wigan Snake Pit and the rigorous UWF Dojo in Tokyo are explored, revealing the secret history of both professional wrestling and the rising sport of MMA. Squared circle icons Strangler Lewis and Lou Thesz and Olympic heroes Danny Hodge and Kurt Angle are also featured.

Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time

Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time
Author: John F. Molinaro
Publisher: Winding Star Press
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2002
Genre: Wrestlers
ISBN:

Who is the greatest of all time? With the help of several historians, the Top 100 will both enligthen and enrage, keeping fans enthralled in spirited debate for years to come.

Hidden History of Nashville

Hidden History of Nashville
Author: George R Zepp
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2018-11-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1625843062

This collection uncovers the fascinating past of Tennessee’s legendary Music City from true tall tales to larger than life characters and much more. Perched on the banks of the Cumberland River, Nashville is best known for its role in the civil rights movement, world-class education and, of course, country music. In this unique collection of columns written for The Tennessean, journalist and longtime Tennessee native George Zepp illuminates a less familiar side of the city’s history. Here, readers will learn the secrets of Timothy Demonbreun, one of the city's first residents, who lived with his family in a cliff-top cave; Cortelia Clark, the blind bluesman who continued to perform on street corners after winning a Grammy award; and Nashville's own Cinderella story, which involved legendary radio personality Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist protegee. Based on questions from readers across the nation, these little-known tales abound with Music City mystery and charm.