Download or read book Bruno Sammartino written by Bob Michelucci and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2008-11-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the original shorter version which we have still kept available. There is an updated Black and White Version available and a Color Version both of them are 568 pages long. Former wrestling great Bruno Sammartino held the World Wrestling Federation Championship for more than 11 years throughout his two title reigns from 1963 thru 1971 and 1973 thru 1977.Bruno headlined New York's Madison Square Garden 211 times and sold out MSG an astounding 187 times during his career! Through all these years this astounding record has never been broken by any other sports or entertainment figure.Bruno was born on October 6, 1935 in a small Italian town named Pizzoferrato. Bruno and his family survived the horrors of World War II and then immigrated to the United States. Upon arriving in America, Bruno was 14-years-old and weighed a mere 90 pounds.With sheer will and determination Bruno overcame many obstacles throughout his personal and professional life to become one of the most popular and respected wrestlers of all time, earning him the title of wrestling's "Living Legend."
Download or read book Bruno Sammartino written by Sal Anthony Corrente and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2019-03-04 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRUNO! BRUNO! BRUNO!The iconic chant that resonated everywhere Bruno appeared, whether he was the Champion at the time or not. It was a combined 11 years, during two title reigns, that Bruno Sammartino was the World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion: 1963-1971 and 1973-1977 (4,040 days). He headlined New York's famous Madison Square Garden 211 times, including 187 sell-outs, a record that still endures to this day, and will most likely never be broken. In his final headline appearance at Madison Square Garden, he got to address another sold-out crowd as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.Born in 1935, in a small Italian mountain town, Bruno and his family survived World War II, before emigrating to the USA. From this inauspicious start, his sheer willpower and determination drove him to become of the most popular and respected wrestlers of all time.This is the definitive autobiography of the life of Bruno Sammartino, expanded to 568 pages to cover his life ... from his childhood in Italy through the bumpy road he traveled to become The Living Legend of Professional Wrestling and then beyond the ring.This is the true story as told by Bruno himself, and includes tributes and anecdotes from his peers, friends, and family, with many photos that have never been seen before. He may be gone, but his unparalleled career will live on through this book, YouTube, the WWE Network, and most importantly, everyone who ever met him.
Download or read book Bruno Sammartino the Autobiography of Wrestling s Living Legend Color Edition written by Sal Corrente and published by . This book was released on 2019-03-04 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BRUNO! BRUNO! BRUNO!The iconic chant that resonated everywhere Bruno appeared, whether he was the Champion at the time or not. It was a combined 11 years, during two title reigns, that Bruno Sammartino was the World Wide Wrestling Federation Champion: 1963-1971 and 1973-1977 (4,040 days). He headlined New York's famous Madison Square Garden 211 times, including 187 sell-outs, a record that still endures to this day, and will most likely never be broken. In his final headline appearance at Madison Square Garden, he got to address another sold-out crowd as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.Born in 1935, in a small Italian mountain town, Bruno and his family survived World War II, before emigrating to the USA. From this inauspicious start, his sheer willpower and determination drove him to become of the most popular and respected wrestlers of all time.This is the definitive autobiography of the life of Bruno Sammartino, expanded to 568 pages to cover his life ... from his childhood in Italy through the bumpy road he traveled to become The Living Legend of Professional Wrestling and then beyond the ring.This is the true story as told by Bruno himself, and includes tributes and anecdotes from his peers, friends, and family, with many photos that have never been seen before, including over 275 in color.He may be gone, but his unparalleled career will live on through this book, YouTube, the WWE Network, and most importantly, everyone who ever met him.
Download or read book WWE Legends written by Brian Solomon and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WWE Legends gives fans an inside look at more than fifty of the greatest wrestlers ever to slip between the ropes and enter the “squared circle.” They were World Heavyweight Champions: Bob Backlund, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bruno Sammartino. They were fan favorites: “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Andre the Giant. They were the villains everyone loved to hate: Killer Kowalski, Ernie Ladd, and the Fabulous Moolah. They were ethnic heroes, someone just like you that you could cheer for: Ivan Putski, Pedro Morales, Peter Maivia. They were the stars that shined the brightest, and left an indelible mark on the memories of countless fans. In a time when professional wrestling was divided into territories, no place created bigger Superstars than World Wrestling Entertainment. From the company's centerpiece in Madison Square Garden, legends were born. WWE Legends is the every fan's guide to the legends of the ring. They are all in here, from Andre the Giant to George “the Animal” Steele, with quick stats and descriptions of their most famous matches. No true wrestling fan should be without this book.
Download or read book The WWE Championship written by Kevin Sullivan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-11-29 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a history of the championship matches hosted by World Wrestling Entertainment, tracing their expansion and popularity throughout the world, and citing the contributions of such performers as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the Iron Sheik.
Download or read book Is Wrestling Fixed I Didn t Know It Was Broken written by Bill Apter and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2015-10-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The anticipated memoir from a sports entertainment fandom legend As a kid growing up in New York in the late '50s, Bill Apter fell in love with professional wrestling, and it wasn't long before he was rubbing shoulders with the greats as a young reporter and photographer. He's since become the world's best-known wrestling magazine personality, and he's had professional and personal relationships with a who's-who of the business, like Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Sting, and Ric Flair. In his fun-loving memoir, Bill Apter takes us from the dressing rooms of the Bruno Sammartino era and the last days of the territories, to the birth of WrestleMania, the emergence of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the "Attitude Era," to today's WWE Superstars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns. He also shares stories of his days photographing boxing stars like Muhammad Ali and other champions, and he documents his appearances on the WWE Network and his work as editor of 1wrestling.com. Find out which wrestler threatened him, learn about the dead wrestler who was really alive, and discover how hanging out with Andy Kaufman led to the comic's notorious feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler. Still intimately involved in the wrestling business, the award-winning Apter has a story on everybody.
Download or read book The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling written by Aubrey Sitterson and published by Ten Speed Graphic. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the host of the critically acclaimed pro wrestling podcast Straight Shoot, this graphic novel history of wrestling features the key grapplers, matches, and promotions that shaped this beloved sport and form of entertainment. As a pop culture phenomenon, professional wrestling--with its heroic babyfaces and villainous heels performing suplexes and powerbombs in pursuit of championship gold--has conquered audiences in the United States and around the world. Now, writer/podcaster Aubrey Sitterson and illustrator Chris Moreno form a graphic novel tag team to present wrestling's complete illustrated history. Featuring legendary wrestlers like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock, and modern-day favorites like John Cena, Kenny Omega, and Sasha Banks, the book covers wrestling's progress from the carnival days of the Gold Dust Trio to the dominance of the WWF/WWE to today's diverse independent wrestling scene, and it spotlights wrestling's reach into Mexico/Puerto Rico (lucha libre), the U.K. (all-in), and Japan (puroresu).
Download or read book Wrestle Radio U S A written by Vinnie Carolan and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interviews with more than 30 wrestling performers, conducted between 1992 and 1997, offer firsthand accounts stretching as far back as the 1930s and provide a glimpse into the lives of grapplers and those involved in the industry today.
Download or read book Legends of Pro Wrestling written by Tim Hornbaker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legends of Pro Wrestling offers the first comprehensive look at the entire world of wrestling. With detailed biographies and never-before-seen statistics of some of the greatest athletes in the sport, you will be able to read about hundreds of wrestlers, dating back to the mid-1800s. As the first of its kind, this centralized reference book offers wrestling enthusiasts a range of information at their fingertips and stands alone as the ultimate wrestling resource. This book offers readers a link between what happened a century ago to what is currently happening today. An older fan of Bruno Sammartino or “The Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers can enjoy this book as much as someone who follows John Cena or The Undertaker today. This collection is a never-ending source of facts, figures, and other entertaining data. Professional wrestling is a world of accomplishment, legacy, and, most importantly, fate. Through injuries, sickness, and family tribulations, many wrestlers have given everything they have to give in the ring, and true fans of the sport love every single second of it. No matter your age, if you’re a fan of professional wrestling, Legends of Pro Wrestling is the book for you to own and cherish. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Sports Publishing imprint, is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in sports—books about baseball, pro football, college football, pro and college basketball, hockey, or soccer, we have a book about your sport or your team. In addition to books on popular team sports, we also publish books for a wide variety of athletes and sports enthusiasts, including books on running, cycling, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, martial arts, golf, camping, hiking, aviation, boating, and so much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Download or read book Capitol Revolution written by Tim Hornbaker and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2015-03-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive take on the McMahon family's journey to wrestling domination For decades, the northeastern part of the United States, better known to insiders as the territory of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, was considered the heart of the professional wrestling world. Capitol territory - from Boston southward to Washington, D.C. - enjoyed lucrative box-office receipts, and New York's Madison Square Garden was centre stage. Three generations of McMahons have controlled wrestling in that storied building and have since created the most powerful wrestling company the world has ever known. Capitol Revolution: The Rise of the McMahon Wrestling Empire documents the growth and evolution of pro wrestling under the leadership of the McMahons, highlighting the many trials and tribulations beginning in the early 20th century: clashes with rival promoters, government inquests, and routine problems with the potent National Wrestling Alliance monopoly. In the ring, superstars such as Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino entertained throngs of fans, and Capitol became internationally known for its stellar pool of vibrant performers. Covering the transition from old-school wrestling under the WWWF banner to the pop-cultural juggernaut of the mid- to late-'80s WWF, Tim Hornbaker's Capitol Revolution is the detailed history of how the McMahons outlasted their opponents and fostered a billion-dollar empire.
Download or read book WWE Legends Superstar Billy Graham written by Billy Graham and published by Gallery Books. This book was released on 2007-02-20 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I'm the man of the hour," Superstar Billy Graham told his audiences, "the man with the power. Too sweet to be sour!" Despite years of devastating health issues (a long history of drug abuse led to a liver transplant in 2002), the man regarded as one of the most influential professional wrestlers of the past thirty years still flaunts the same optimism that made his interviews as compelling as his matches. In Tangled Ropes, his autobiography, Graham remembers his victories -- and his setbacks -- on both the wrestling and the evangelism circuits in vibrant detail. At his core, Graham is still Wayne Coleman, the artistic, curious boy who escaped the wrath of his disabled father in post-war Phoenix through painting, sports, and bodybuilding. When his photo appeared in a bodybuilding magazine, the young man caught the attention of a family in Texas who began praying for his soul. Soon, Wayne found religion at a revival meeting, then mortified his parents as he left home to bend steel, rip phone books in half, and preach the Gospel on the back roads of America. Because of his natural athleticism, Wayne held a series of jobs -- from bouncer to boxer, from repo man to football player. However, it was under the training of the "Mentor of Mayhem," Stu Hart, that the wrestler was revealed. Then the fading headliner Dr. Jerry Graham bleached Wayne's hair blond and transformed him into an in-ring "brother." Still reverent of men of faith, Coleman became "Billy Graham," after the preacher. Graham completed the package with his golden tan and enormous "pythons," a succession of color-coordinated outfits and jive-talking -- a persona imitated by countless wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. The Superstar's greatest wrestling achievement came in 1977, when he took the World Wide Wrestling Federation Championship from Bruno Sammartino. He held the prize for nearly a year -- the first wrestling villain to do so. But after he lost the title to wholesome Bob Backlund, Graham fell into a deep depression. He disappeared from the business, squandering his money and losing himself in a haze of drugs. In Tangled Ropes -- co-written with Keith Elliot Greenberg -- Superstar Billy Graham tells a story that transcends his life in the wrestling profession, offering candor, nostalgia, inspiration, and humor. Graham's narrative is supplemented by anecdotes from personalities like Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura, Ivan Koloff, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Download or read book Sex Lies and Headlocks written by Shaun Assael and published by Crown. This book was released on 2010-11-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Current fans and recovering Hulkamaniacs alike should find [Sex, Lies, and Headlocks] as gripping as the Camel Clutch.” —Maxim Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the backstabbing, scandals, and high-stakes gambles that have made wrestling an enduring television phenomenon. The man behind it all is Vince McMahon, a ruthless and entertaining visionary whose professional antics make some of the flamboyant characters in the ring look tame by comparison. Throughout the book, the authors trace McMahon’s rise to power and examine the appeal of the industry’s biggest stars—including Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, and, most recently, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In doing so, they show us that while WWE stock is traded to the public on Wall Street, wrestling remains a shadowy world guided by a century-old code that stresses secrecy and loyalty. With a new afterword, this is the definitive book about the history of pro wrestling. “Reading this excellent behind-the-scenes look at wrestling promoter McMahon . . . is almost as entertaining and shocking as watching the most extreme antics of McMahon’s comic-book style creations such as Steve Austin and The Rock.” —Publishers Weekly “A quintessentially American success story of a cocky opportunist defying the odds and hitting it big . . . Sparkling cultural history from an author wise enough to let the facts and personalities speak for themselves.”—Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book The Comic Book Encyclopedia of Pro Wrestling written by John Crowther and published by . This book was released on 2020-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's an ENCYCLOPEDIA of Pro Wrestling in comic book style!The Comic Book Encyclopedia of Pro Wrestling! 280 pages of true stories of ten legendary professional wrestlers, plus original encyclopedia entries featuring these superstars and their allies and enemies! There's never been a collection of wrestling stories and articles like this!Read the true stories of how these wrestlers' careers and personas evolved from their challenging childhoods to their initiation into the wrestling industry, all the way to the road to superstardom! All stories are written by wrestling historian, John Crowther, and are based on actual interviews he conducted with the wrestlers.
Download or read book Adventures in Larryland written by Larry Zbyszko and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2010-12-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wrestling's self-proclaimed Living Legend' may never wear a championship belt again, but he's definitely not down for the count. Adventures in Larryland is the entertaining, often hilarious story of Zbyszko's remarkable ascent to wrestling notoriety.'
Download or read book Mat Memories written by John “Alexander” Arezzi and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book We Promised You a Great Main Event written by Bill Hanstock and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unauthorized. Unrestricted. No holds barred. In We Promised You a Great Main Event, longtime sports journalist Bill Hanstock pulls back the curtain to give a smart fan’s account of WWE and Vince McMahon’s journey to the top. Untangling the truth behind the official WWE storyline, Hanstock does a deep dive into key moments of the company’s history, from the behind-the-scenes drama at the Montreal Screwjob, to the company’s handling of the Jimmy Snuka scandal, to the real story of the Monday Night Wars. WWE is an extraordinary business success and an underappreciated pop cultural phenomenon. While WWE soared to prominence during the Hulk Hogan years, as the stakes grew more and more extreme, wrestlers faced steroid scandals and assault allegations. The whole story is here, good, bad, and ugly, from the heights of iconic cultural moments like Wrestlemania III to the arrival of global superstars like The Rock and John Cena. We Promised You a Great Main Event is an exhaustive, fun account of the McMahon family and WWE’s unprecedented rise. Drawing on a decade of covering wrestling, Bill Hanstock synthesizes insights from historians, journalists, and industry insiders with his own deep research to produce the most up-to-date, entertaining history of WWE available. Full of amazing characters and astonishing stories from the ring to corporate boardrooms, it is a story as audacious as any WWE spectacle.
Download or read book The Legends of Wrestling Classy Freddie Blassie written by Keith Elliot Greenberg and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-06-15 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Classy" Freddie Blassie is universally acknowledged as one of the most hated heels in wrestling history. Freddie really knew how to antagonize the fans -- how to "get heat." Death threats were frequent, enraged fans stabbed him twenty-one times, and he was even doused with acid. Undeterred, Blassie just took the action up a level. He reveled in being the heel. It was almost commonplace to see him biting his opponents and then spitting out their blood. Blassie would routinely "file" his teeth during interviews. His matches in Los Angeles' Olympic Auditorium brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Freddie's style and unpredictability made him a natural for the medium and he became one of the biggest draws in the wrestling business. In the early '60s, this notorious heel was invited to wrestle in Japan. Blassie both horrified and mesmerized sedate Japanese society. It was reported that a number of Japanese television viewers suffered fatal heart attacks after seeing Blassie bloody an opponent in the ring. A child of immigrants, Freddie grew up in a working-class neighborhood in south St. Louis. At seventeen, Freddie made his wrestling debut in a carnival. Unhappy with his choice of occupation, his family persuaded him to keep his "real" job, and for a while he worked as a meatcutter. But after serving in the Navy in World War II, Freddie returned to the world of wrestling, which was at the time still something of a carnival sideshow. Here he picked up his catch phrase: "pencil neck geek." Early in his career, Blassie wrestled on cards promoted by Jess McMahon, and would later work for both his son, Vincent James McMahon, and his grandson, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the current owner of World Wrestling EntertainmentTM. Even after his active days in the ring came to an end, he showed that he still had the power to generate heat: "Classy" Freddie Blassie became the manager of heels, transferring to a whole new generation of wrestlers the style and knowledge that had made him a legend of wrestling. Blassie is still provoking the public, with his autobiography -- Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie -- Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks -- written with Keith Elliot Greenberg. Freddie weaves vibrant tales of his days in wrestling with the likes of Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Rock, George "The Animal" Steele, Capt. Lou Albano, John Tolos, The Destroyer, Killer Kowalski, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Iron Sheik. He frankly chronicles his dealings with colorful members of the wrestling fraternity and the promoters, even recounting the controversies -- like the infamous "boxer vs. wrestler" match with Muhammad Ali, who was managed by Blassie. His out-of-the-ring stories are equally compelling. Freddie details his countless sexual exploits and his three marriages. He reflects on the cult status that he gained after his song "Pencil Neck Geek" rocketed to the top of the Dr. Demento Show playlist. He recounts his touching relationship with comedian Andy Kaufman, who cast him in Breakfast with Blassie -- an underground classic in which Blassie uttered: "What the hell ever happened to the human race?"
