Wrestling Books

[Keith Houchen]

1 hour ago, Vegeta said:

I read your post really quickly in work and thought it said written by Simon and garfunkel ?

Well, loads of Britwres shows regularly feature The Sound Of Silence. 

[The Reverend]

6 hours ago, Vegeta said:

I read your post really quickly in work and thought it said written by Simon and garfunkel ?

I believe in the revised edition (illustrations of various on the front instead of the original lone Kendo Nagasaki cover) there's an additional chapter in which Simon Garfield attends the British Wrestlers Reunion (I think) but in it he mentions one of the board of the reunion, ex-British champion Wayne Bridges, who hosted the event for years at his pub (The Bridges - natch) in Kent.

Apparently ol' Wayne didn't much like the original book (protecting Kayfabe long after its demise) and wants a word with who he refers to Garfield as 'Simon Garfunkel' 

[JNLister]

On 3/7/2024 at 7:19 PM, SuperBacon said:

Saw these two on Twitter and thought worth sharing, as they both sound really interesting. 

I'll buy them and add to them the ever increasing unread pile. Get to them in 5 years or so.

Savage book is a weird one in that the stuff about his WWF run is the least interesting (and gets a few big picture things wrong). There's some good stuff on his family and pre-WWF career, plus some interesting bits where they talk to people you wouldn't normally hear from like his robe designer.

https://prowrestlingbooks.com/macho-man-the-untamed-unbelievable-life-of-randy-savage-by-john-finkel/

[Ro_y Disco]

I've just finished reading the Pat Patterson autobiography, Accepted. Found in a charity shop in Bangor.

It's very candid and it was interesting reading about his experiences as a gay man in the 50s and 60s.

The book was essentially hundreds of paragraph-long anecdotes. He doesn't go into detail about anything - the Slaughter match is a couple of paragraphs at best, mentions wrestling a bear as a throwaway sentence, mentions not remembering winning the Intercontinental title or even remembering visiting Rio where if you didn't know the story the joke would make no sense.

All in all, an easy read, with some interesting stuff, but don't go out of your way to read or expect in-depth stories.

 

[DCW]

Becky Lynch's book any use? didn't realise WWE were still releasing books, but saw hers in a bookshop this morning.

[CL Punk]

On 3/23/2024 at 4:43 PM, DCW said:

Becky Lynch's book any use? didn't realise WWE were still releasing books, but saw hers in a bookshop this morning.

I bought it yesterday, I'm already six chapters into it as it's an easy read and her first impression of Finn Balor is that he was a prick.

[SuperBacon]

Wacka wah hey hey

 

[theringmaster]

On 3/23/2024 at 4:43 PM, DCW said:

Becky Lynch's book any use? didn't realise WWE were still releasing books, but saw hers in a bookshop this morning.

I got the audiobook, it's interesting enough but I did just get the feeling she is in love with herself, so much of it is "omg what am i like?" type stuff, it's like we get it you often make a fool of yourself.

[DCW]

7 hours ago, theringmaster said:

I got the audiobook, it's interesting enough but I did just get the feeling she is in love with herself, so much of it is "omg what am i like?" type stuff, it's like we get it you often make a fool of yourself.

Yeah I ended up reading it a few weeks ago. Fairly underwhelming & I actually like Becky a bit less after finishing it. Not just because she inexplicably finds that gobshite Rollins tolerable either!

[CL Punk]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:21 PM, DCW said:

Yeah I ended up reading it a few weeks ago. Fairly underwhelming & I actually like Becky a bit less after finishing it. Not just because she inexplicably finds that gobshite Rollins tolerable either!

To be fair, I do sometimes think "How did that gobshite get on the television?" when Rollins is cutting a promo.

[TheScarlettChad]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:21 PM, DCW said:

Yeah I ended up reading it a few weeks ago. Fairly underwhelming & I actually like Becky a bit less after finishing it. Not just because she inexplicably finds that gobshite Rollins tolerable either!

They're both insufferable, that's why they tolerate eachother.

[Olly1984]

9 hours ago, CL Punk said:

To be fair, I do sometimes think "How did that gobshite get on the television?" when Rollins is cutting a promo.

https://media.tenor.com/1bl6aPtwVkoAAAAM/gobshite-frjack.gif

[SwayWays]

On 6/13/2024 at 12:21 PM, theringmaster said:

I got the audiobook, it's interesting enough but I did just get the feeling she is in love with herself, so much of it is "omg what am i like?" type stuff, it's like we get it you often make a fool of yourself.

Yeah it's currently on Spotify free, for anyone with a premium /family plan membership, if any night not know, but may be interested. 

[organizedkaos]

The second book I've read with this title this year This time a fiction one

https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/kayfabe

Not bad at all. Very clearly written by a fan who's also clearly researched a fair amount in to the lives of indie circuit wrestlers.  Kinda standard "modern american novel" use of a specific element of American culture to talk about larger society/social media/life etc.  But yeah manager to take a fairly interesting look at the mindset of the non-WWE world (was clearly written/formulated when there wasn't really a 2nd promotion as it kinda relies on the idea of wrestlers who can't make it due to not being perfect for WWE).  The "underground, guerrilla-style pro wrestling network with bouts climaxing in real, premeditated injury" bits are a bit nonsense but I understand they're more talking about TikTok/youtube culture than some sort of logical endpoint progression. Well written and p engaging, i blitzed through it in about a week.

As is often the case with these books it does not really find a good ending as much as some threads just sort of peter out and some fairly major events take place far too late in the book an essentially "off camera".  Does a really weird thing where the penultimate chapter is an epilogue (with a rather odd sci fi esque conceit) and we return to the main narrative in the final chapter to give... as little resolution as possible. Not a bad ending, just the interesting thing in the book is the world and the characters and I'd guess the author felt the same way as they gave little fucks to any sort of non-thematic resolution.

Fairly would recommend depending on your taste for "hangout" stories.

[TibBo]

“Honestly, I’m not a great artist, the only people I can draw are Big Josh and Dave Grohl…” - You’ve got the job buddy!