A mixed bag by its very nature, this part-history, part-travelogue covers a wide range of aspects of the WWF’s national expansion.

The book has its origins in the early 2000s when Balukjian began work ghostwriting the Iron Sheik’s autobiography before their professional relationship broke down. Two decades later he decided to adapt the project as a follow-up to The Wax Pack, in which he attempted to track down every player in a pack of baseball trading cards. For this book he attempted to do the same with six wrestlers who appeared on the card where Iron Sheik won the WWF title from Bob Backlund.

Not only are these very different men to one another, but they allow Balukjian to explore different elements of the business. With Iron Sheik we get as close to a verifiable biography as possible of the real Khosrow Vaziri and the blurring with his character. With Bill ‘Masked Superstar’ Eadie, we get facts and figures about the finances of national expansion thanks to his lawsuit against the WWF for underpayment. With Tito Santana we learn that even the man seen as unsullied by the business and the great escaper has his secrets.

Meanwhile Tony Atlas gives a potted version of his own fascinating autobiography, an elusive Sgt Slaughter’s “stolen valor” comes under the microscope, and Jose Luis Rivers reveals the unusual status of the career jobber.

In cases where the wrestler themselves was not willing to participate, we get just as much insight from Balukjian’s efforts to interview other sources, including extensive details from early office workers of the national expansion and information from friends that get us that little close to finding the real Hulk Hogan.

The format and the road trip framing doesn’t always hold things together or serve a purpose (one passage effectively boils down to “I drove to Sgt Slaughter’s house but he wasn’t in”), but the disjointed nature of the book often works to its advantage. It’s a strong recommendation for the way it brings together both the big picture of the WWF transforming the business in the mid 80s and the very different ways those involved experienced that period.

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