Wrestling Unmasked: Ripping the Mask off the Crime, Politics and Intrigue Beyond the Ring by WrestleTalk
Review / January 22, 2024

Somewhat a mirror image of its predecessor, this works as an overall collection of articles, even if some pieces feel a little flat. The second compilation from WrestleTalk, this follows The New War: AEW vs WWE. I found that while individual pieces were intriguing, it didn’t necessarily hang together as an overall narrative or history of a time period. The situation is reversed here, with a much broader topic, namely wrestling’s crossover into the real world. Topics include the portrayal of gay and disabled characters, political-based storylines, the Chris Benoit case and the lack of unions in the business. Despite being less directly connected, the book’s themes comes together, turning the compilation format into a strength. The main problem is that many articles have plenty of relevant content, but left me unfulfilled at the end. Too often the writer would provide plenty of examples and incidents on a particular topic but either intentionally avoid making a conclusive argument or unintentionally lack a big picture point. Pieces intended to be thought-provoking often failed to really cut through. Some notable exceptions do lift the book. A piece giving some previously underreported examples of mafia involvement stands out, as does a (perhaps overly)…

My Recommendations
News / January 10, 2024

Following a question from a reader, I thought I’d share some recommendations from among the 250+ books I’ve reviewed on the site, broken into a few categories. The Must Haves These are books that every wrestling fan should own: A Lion’s Tale: Around the World in Spandex by Chris Jericho Gorgeous George by John Capouya Have A Nice Day by Mick Foley Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling by Bret Hart Hooker by Lou Thesz (which I appear to have not reviewed for some reason. The best version is the annotated reprint from Crowbar Press.) Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling by Heath McCoy Pure Dynamite by Tom Billington Hidden Gems These are books which I particularly enjoyed but have either been forgotten or didn’t get as much buzz for some reason: A Chosen Destiny by Drew McIntyre Chair Shots And Other Obstacles: Winning Life’s Wrestling Matches by Bobby Heenan Headquarters by Mike Quackenbush Lita: A Less Traveled R.O.A.D. – The Reality of Amy Dumas by Amy Dumas Spandex Ballet by Lee Kyle Tod is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling by Tod Gordon & Sean Oliver Niche Topics…