Dangerous Incorporated
12-13-2006, 01:24 AM
LOTS OF UPDATES ON WRESTLING BOOKS: WWE, BRUISER BRODY, NWA, TOD GORDON, STEVE WILLIAMS, MICK FOLEY AND MANY MORE
For those of you who collect books about the wrestling industry, here are some details on forthcoming books of interest:
Steve "Dr. Death" Williams' book "How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life" is scheduled to be released from Sports Publishing on 3/15/07. The book will cover Williams' career as well as his battle with throat cancer.
In April 2007, ECW Press is slated to release "Wrestling Babylon Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal " by Irv Muschnick. Promotional material for the book reads, "Professional wrestling’s most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accounts—of Hulk Hogan’s drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon—go beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands."
Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson are currently working on the third book in ECW Press' Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series. This volume, titled "Heels" is slated for a May 2007 release and will focus on some of the industry's greatest villains, including Ric Flair and Triple H, among others. Previously released books in the series have focused on Canadian stars and tag teams.
Also slated for a May release is what promises to be an intruiging biography that looks into the life, legend, and murder of one of the most infamous brawlers in the history of professional wrestling, Bruiser Brody. The book, titled, "Brody - The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel" will be co-written by Brody's widow Barbara Goodish and Larry Matsyik (who wrote the great "Wrestling at the Chase" book). Jim Ross is slated to provide a foreword for the book.
R.D. Reynolds will release his third book, the Wrestlecrap Book of Lists in August 2007. Promotional material of the book, which will focus on the sillier side of the industry, reads, "Wrestling’s biggest mistakes, most comical mishaps, and most egotistical performers are all featured in this cornucopia of nonsense presented in top-10 list format. Lists include The Greatest Mullets in the History of the Game, Wrestlers Who Moonlighted in Porn, The Wrestling Divas Who Suffered the Greatest Falls from Grace, and The 25 Worst Gimmicks of All Time. Irreverent, off-kilter, and certain to be offensive to all, this compendium is a hilarious look at the lunacy of professional wrestling."
Tim Hornbaker's NWA project, titled National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling was slated to be released this month, but I do not believe it has been shipped from publisher ECW Press as of yet. The promotional copy for the book reads, " In the 1950s, in Las Vegas, a businessmen’s conglomerate dominating a $25 million-a-year sports industry hid their illegal practices from the U.S. Department of Justice until they were caught. The sport that privileged cold hard cash over honest competition was professional wrestling, and the conspirators were members of the famed National Wrestling Alliance. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling examines the NWA promoters’ overwhelming success, and the relationships to influential politicians and writers that protected their financial interests for over 50 years. Breaking the façade of sports production, it shows how promoters actually twisted arms to edge out their opponents. Hornbaker documents the life of the NWA, from its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II, to its worldwide expansion. He chronicles the Department of Justice’s investigation, providing sports fans with a never-before-told side of wrestling’s legacy. The most noteworthy exploits of the National Wrestling Alliance were behind locked doors. Now, the conspiracies of a century-old brand of entertainment will finally be revealed." Obviously, it looks to be a book of great interest for those of you that love the history of the business.
Speaking of ECW Press, for those who are wondering about the status of Tod Gordon and Bob Ryder's books, both tomes have been delayed. Ryder's book is now scheduled for a June 2007 release as I've been told that the manuscript hasn't been completed yet. I guess it takes awhile to explain how one kills kayfabe. Gordon's book is also delayed as while the majority of the work with Gordon has been done as he was interviewed by the ghost writer involved, the editing process isn't finished.
Updates on WWE Licensed Books:
WWE's Signature Moves, looking at WWE stars' finishing maneuvers, has just been released.
Mick Foley's third autobiography Hardcore Diaries will be released in March 2007, likely as part of the Wrestlemania 23 synergy. The synopsis for the book reads, "What does it feel like to fall through a flaming table for the very first time? Or the umpteenth time for that matter. In the fresh off-the-cuff style that has earned him legions of admirers and made his previous wrestling books massive worldwide bestsellers, Foley gives readers a blow-by-blow first-hand account of exactly what it is like to step into the wrestling ring. As a champion wrestler he was known both for his tenacity in the ring and for the fearlessness which led him to take extraordinary risks in any number of groundbreaking dangerous stunts. And as an industry insider he offers a unique perspective on what it was like to perform at that level which readers will never find anywhere else. In HARDCORE DIARIES Mick Foley will take fans right inside a hardcore match, vividly recreating his experiences, and revealing how mentally and physically preparing for this extremely challenging sport has helped him become the legend he is today."
The Rise and Fall of ECW will be released in May 2007 in paperback form, while Eric Bischoff's Controversy Creates Cash will see a paperback release in June 2007.
The paperback adaption of Steve Austin's first WWE Films project "The Condemned" will be released in April 2007.
There's no word on additional projects at this time but there was an Andre the Giant biography being pitched awhile back.
Source: PWInsider
For those of you who collect books about the wrestling industry, here are some details on forthcoming books of interest:
Steve "Dr. Death" Williams' book "How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life" is scheduled to be released from Sports Publishing on 3/15/07. The book will cover Williams' career as well as his battle with throat cancer.
In April 2007, ECW Press is slated to release "Wrestling Babylon Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal " by Irv Muschnick. Promotional material for the book reads, "Professional wrestling’s most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accounts—of Hulk Hogan’s drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon—go beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands."
Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson are currently working on the third book in ECW Press' Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series. This volume, titled "Heels" is slated for a May 2007 release and will focus on some of the industry's greatest villains, including Ric Flair and Triple H, among others. Previously released books in the series have focused on Canadian stars and tag teams.
Also slated for a May release is what promises to be an intruiging biography that looks into the life, legend, and murder of one of the most infamous brawlers in the history of professional wrestling, Bruiser Brody. The book, titled, "Brody - The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel" will be co-written by Brody's widow Barbara Goodish and Larry Matsyik (who wrote the great "Wrestling at the Chase" book). Jim Ross is slated to provide a foreword for the book.
R.D. Reynolds will release his third book, the Wrestlecrap Book of Lists in August 2007. Promotional material of the book, which will focus on the sillier side of the industry, reads, "Wrestling’s biggest mistakes, most comical mishaps, and most egotistical performers are all featured in this cornucopia of nonsense presented in top-10 list format. Lists include The Greatest Mullets in the History of the Game, Wrestlers Who Moonlighted in Porn, The Wrestling Divas Who Suffered the Greatest Falls from Grace, and The 25 Worst Gimmicks of All Time. Irreverent, off-kilter, and certain to be offensive to all, this compendium is a hilarious look at the lunacy of professional wrestling."
Tim Hornbaker's NWA project, titled National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling was slated to be released this month, but I do not believe it has been shipped from publisher ECW Press as of yet. The promotional copy for the book reads, " In the 1950s, in Las Vegas, a businessmen’s conglomerate dominating a $25 million-a-year sports industry hid their illegal practices from the U.S. Department of Justice until they were caught. The sport that privileged cold hard cash over honest competition was professional wrestling, and the conspirators were members of the famed National Wrestling Alliance. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling examines the NWA promoters’ overwhelming success, and the relationships to influential politicians and writers that protected their financial interests for over 50 years. Breaking the façade of sports production, it shows how promoters actually twisted arms to edge out their opponents. Hornbaker documents the life of the NWA, from its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II, to its worldwide expansion. He chronicles the Department of Justice’s investigation, providing sports fans with a never-before-told side of wrestling’s legacy. The most noteworthy exploits of the National Wrestling Alliance were behind locked doors. Now, the conspiracies of a century-old brand of entertainment will finally be revealed." Obviously, it looks to be a book of great interest for those of you that love the history of the business.
Speaking of ECW Press, for those who are wondering about the status of Tod Gordon and Bob Ryder's books, both tomes have been delayed. Ryder's book is now scheduled for a June 2007 release as I've been told that the manuscript hasn't been completed yet. I guess it takes awhile to explain how one kills kayfabe. Gordon's book is also delayed as while the majority of the work with Gordon has been done as he was interviewed by the ghost writer involved, the editing process isn't finished.
Updates on WWE Licensed Books:
WWE's Signature Moves, looking at WWE stars' finishing maneuvers, has just been released.
Mick Foley's third autobiography Hardcore Diaries will be released in March 2007, likely as part of the Wrestlemania 23 synergy. The synopsis for the book reads, "What does it feel like to fall through a flaming table for the very first time? Or the umpteenth time for that matter. In the fresh off-the-cuff style that has earned him legions of admirers and made his previous wrestling books massive worldwide bestsellers, Foley gives readers a blow-by-blow first-hand account of exactly what it is like to step into the wrestling ring. As a champion wrestler he was known both for his tenacity in the ring and for the fearlessness which led him to take extraordinary risks in any number of groundbreaking dangerous stunts. And as an industry insider he offers a unique perspective on what it was like to perform at that level which readers will never find anywhere else. In HARDCORE DIARIES Mick Foley will take fans right inside a hardcore match, vividly recreating his experiences, and revealing how mentally and physically preparing for this extremely challenging sport has helped him become the legend he is today."
The Rise and Fall of ECW will be released in May 2007 in paperback form, while Eric Bischoff's Controversy Creates Cash will see a paperback release in June 2007.
The paperback adaption of Steve Austin's first WWE Films project "The Condemned" will be released in April 2007.
There's no word on additional projects at this time but there was an Andre the Giant biography being pitched awhile back.
Source: PWInsider