Author : Jeri Freedman
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 50 pages
File Size : 34,18 MB
Release : 2009-08-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 1435853059
Describes the use of steroids in pro wrestling and its negative impact on wrestlers and their sport.
Author : Irvin Muchnick
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 18,9 MB
Release : 2012-11
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781459652446
The Benoit murder - suicide in 2007 was one of the most shocking stories of the year, and a seminal event in the history of wrestling. It laid bare the devastating prevalence of steroids and its effects on users. In order to tackle the whole story, dig up the facts, and connect the dots, Irvin Muchnick gives the most sensational scandal in pro wrestling history the full true - crime treatment in Chris & Nancy. Muchnick - the author of Wrestling Babylon and a co - author of Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport - has parsed public records and interviewed dozens of witnesses, inside and outside wrestling, to put together the first thorough and authoritative events of the gruesome June 2007 weekend in Fayette County, Georgia, during which World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and their seven - year - old son Daniel, before proceeding to kill himself. But this book goes beyond the crime itself to answer some of the most important questions behind it. The biography of Benoit, a wrestler's wrestler, makes it clear that his tragedy was a microcosm of the culture of drugs and death behind the scenes of one of North America's most popular brand of sports entertainment. The author probes the story of the massive supplies of steroids and human growth hormone found in his home - all prescribed by a "doctor to the stars" who got indicted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and all dismissed by a WWE "wellness policy" that promoted everything except its talent's wellness. The Benoit case led to unprecedented scrutiny of wrestling's overall health and safety standards, by Congressional investigators and others, and this book is the primary source of what they found and what they should continue to look for.
Author : James Guttman
Publisher : ECW Press
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 29,60 MB
Release : 2010-12-15
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 1554903289
An unprecedented look behind the scenes of professional wrestling with over 100 of its most beloved stars. This latest offering from bestselling author Guttman tells the real story behind contacting, cajoling, convincing and interviewing the unique personalities from the field. Readers can journey with Guttman through the sometimes-twisted business of sports entertainment, making startling discoveries about the way the industry really works. And, for the first time, Guttman offers keen insight into the true personalities in the wrestling ring.
Author : Steven Johnson
Publisher : ECW Press
Page : 158 pages
File Size : 33,2 MB
Release : 2010-12-15
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1554903157
Four noted wrestling writers discuss the life and death of Chris Benoit, a Canadian professional wrestler who became one of the most popular athletes in professional wrestling before committing a double-murder suicide in 2007.
Author : Eric Bischoff
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 401 pages
File Size : 50,67 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Wrestling
ISBN : 141652729X
Under Eric Bishoff's watch as president of WCW, the company went head to head with Vince McMahon's WWE and beat them at their own game before WCW itself spectacularly imploded. But by then, Bishoff had made an indelible mark on televised wrestling, producing shows that had appeared more dangerous, more sexy, and more edgy than anything that had come before. He did this to such an extent that in 2002, McMahon seized the chance to bring in his former nemesis as General Manager of RAW; since then, true to form, Bishoff regularly surprises fans with matches that would once have been unthinkable for television. In this revelatory look at his life and career, Bishoff frankly discusses the things he did, both right and wrong, as he helped shape the sports entertainment industry into today's billion dollar business.
Author : Abraham Josephine Riesman
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 41,33 MB
Release : 2024-04-16
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 1982169451
This definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, is “riveting, essential reading” (Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author) as it charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires. Featuring exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent. Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world. In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit. Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force and has helped foment “the worst of contemporary politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Ringmaster built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. “Smart, entertaining, impressively reported, and beautifully written. Wrestling fans will devour it, but everyone who wants to better understand this crazy country and one of its truly original characters ought to read it” (Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life).
Author : Irvin Muchnick
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 17,65 MB
Release : 2015
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781770411388
Muchnick's Concussion Inc. blog exposed the decades-long cover-up of scientific research into sports concussions and the ongoing denial to radically reform football in North America. This compilation from Muchnick's no-holds-barred investigative website reveals the complete head injury story as it developed, from the doctor who played fast and loose with the facts about the efficacy of the state-mandated concussion management system for high school football players, to highly touted solutions that are more self-serving cottage industry than of any genuine benefit.
Author : Irvin Muchnick
Publisher : ECW Press
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 33,52 MB
Release : 2015-02-01
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 1770906517
Inside the most controversial issue in sports Traumatic brain injury in football is not incidental, but an inevitable and central aspect of the sport. Starting in high school, through college, and into the NFL, young players face repeated head trauma, and those sustained injuries create lifelong cognitive and functional difficulties. Muchnick's Concussion Inc. blog exposed the decades-long cover-up of scientific research into sports concussions and the ongoing denial to radically reform football in North America. This compilation from Muchnick's no-holds-barred investigative website reveals the complete head injury story as it developed, from the doctor who played fast and loose with the facts about the efficacy of the state-mandated concussion management system for high school football players, to highly touted solutions that are more self-serving cottage industry than of any genuine benefit. Known for extensive reporting on the tragic story of the Chris Benoit murder-suicide, Muchnick turns his investigative analysis to traumatic brain injury and probes deep into the corporate, government, and media corruption that has enabled the $10-billion-a-year National Football League to trigger a public health crisis.
Author : Irvin Muchnick
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 44,99 MB
Release : 2012-12-13
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 9781459653382
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 figure of WWE's Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the public's late - empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became. What truly distinguishes "Wrestling Babylon," however, is Muchnick's ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur - carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His "People" magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sport's signature superstar. His award - winning "Penthouse" profile of the ill - starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV - style production values. His never - before - published investigation of the death of Jimmy ''Superfly'' Snuka's girlfriend suggests the cover - up of a murder. The book's appendix - a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention - is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.
Author : John “Alexander” Arezzi
Publisher : ECW Press
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 36,77 MB
Release : 2021-04-06
Category : Sports & Recreation
ISBN : 177305693X
A man with three different names ties together the stars of professional wrestling, country music, and the New York Mets. John Arezzi was a lifelong Mets fan who dreamed of a job in baseball. In 1981, he took a job with the Mets Class A team in North Carolina. But Arezzi had another love: professional wrestling. He ran a fan club for the villainous “Classy” Freddie Blassie as a teenager, then progressed to wrestling photographer, and finally even stepped into the ring himself as John Anthony. Eventually he escaped to pursue a new life in altogether different world: country music. After adopting a new name, John Alexander, his many accomplishments include discovering both Patty Loveless and (decades later) Kelsea Ballerini. But wrestling is tough to shake … In the 1990s, Arezzi hosted the pioneering radio talk show Pro Wrestling Spotlight. He also ran the first major conventions, assembling a wrestling who’s who to meet with fans. He promoted shows, both at home and abroad, and was a key figure behind importing lucha libre into America. Mat Memories is Arezzi’s chance to hold the mic, and he holds nothing back — he names names and tells the untold behind-the-scenes stories: from the ring, the stage, and the diamond.
