Download or read book Death of the Territories written by Tim Hornbaker and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom. Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late ’70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters. An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion national soon capitalized on the situation. A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent. By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever. Providing never-before-revealed information, Death of the Territories is a must-read for fans yearning to understand how McMahon outlasted his rivals and established the industry’s first national promotion. At the same time, it offers a comprehensive look at the promoters who opposed McMahon, focusing on their noteworthy power plays and embarrassing mistakes.
Download or read book National Wrestling Alliance written by Tim Hornbaker and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After 32 years, Montreal will soon lose its professional baseball team. The former president of the Expos explains how the team went from being one of major league baseball's most promising franchises to becoming a financial pariah, barely escaping extinction at the end of the 2001 season and now facing demise in 2002. This history of the team's troubled existence covers years of gradually declining revenue and attendance, the sale of the team to a consortium of business leaders in 1991, and the league's ongoing debate over eliminating the Expos once and for all.
Download or read book The Squared Circle written by David Shoemaker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts more than 1 million page views)—a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to—and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who—like him—grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art. Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscence—but also offering a compelling look at the sport’s rightful place in pop culture—The Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for. In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.
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 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 Death of WCW The written by R.D. Reynolds and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2014-10-01 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As history repeats itself, a wrestling classic becomes even more relevant. In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. It seemed the company could do no wrong. But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company - having lost a whopping 95% of its audience - was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest. What went wrong? This expanded and updated version of the bestselling Death of WCW takes readers through a detailed dissection of WCW's downfall, including even more commentary from the men who were there and serves as an object lesson - and dire warning - as WWE and TNA hurtle toward the 15th anniversary of WCW's demise.
Download or read book The Guide to the Territories of Halla written by D.J. MacHale and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2005-05 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: See the amazing sights of Halla as only Bobby Pendragon has.
Download or read book Wrestling at the Chase written by Larry Matysik and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: St. Louis was the capital and Muchnick the ruler of pro wrestling before Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment took over. Muchnick and St. Louis paved the way for the multi-billion-dollar sports entertainment industry broadcast worldwide from the stadia and showpiece venues of the States. The centre of this magical operation was a TV programme called Wrestling at the Chase', which ran from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel. Matysik, Muchnick's protege and longtime ringside announcer, recalls with touching fondness the legends of his time.'
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 Too Sweet written by Keith Elliot Greenberg and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2020-09-01 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Keith Elliot Greenberg chronicles the growth of indie wrestling from bingo halls to a viable alternative to the WWE and speaks to those involved in the Alternative Wrestling League with remarkable candor, gaining behind-the-scenes knowledge of this growing enterprise. As COVID-19 utterly changed the world as we know it, only one sport was able to pivot and offer consistent, new, live programming on a weekly basis: professional wrestling. In 2017, after being told that no independent wrestling group could draw a crowd of more than 10,000, a group of wrestlers took up the challenge. For several years, these gladiators had been performing in front of rabid crowds and understood the hunger for wrestling that was different from the TV-slick product. In September 2018, they had the numbers to prove it: 11,263 fans filled the Sears Center Arena for the All In pay-per-view event, ushering in a new era. A year later, WWE had its first major head-to-head competitor in nearly two decades when All Elite Wrestling debuted on TNT. Acclaimed wrestling historian Keith Elliot Greenberg’s Too Sweet takes readers back to the beginning, when a half century ago outlaw promotions challenged the established leagues, and guides us into the current era. He paints a vivid picture of promotions as diverse as New Japan, Ring of Honor, Revolution Pro, Progress, and Chikara, and the colorful figures who starred in each. This is both a dynamic snapshot and the ultimate history of a transformational time in professional wrestling.
Download or read book The Rise Fall of ECW written by Thom Loverro and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-05-22 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the rise and fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling, and how that organization revolutionized sports entertainment.
Download or read book Death and the Regeneration of Life written by Maurice Bloch and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1982-12-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is a classical anthropological paradox that symbols of rebirth and fertility are frequently found in funerary rituals throughout the world. The original essays collected here re-examine this phenomenon through insights from China, India, New Guinea, Latin America, and Africa. The contributors, each a specialist in one of these areas, have worked in close collaboration to produce a genuinely innovative theoretical approach to the study of the symbolism surrounding death, an outline of which is provided in an important introduction by the editors. The major concern of the volume is the way in which funerary rituals dramatically transform the image of life as a dialectic flux involving exchange and transaction, marriage and procreation, into an image of a still, transcendental order in which oppositions such as those between self and other, wife-giver and wife-taker, Brahmin and untouchable, birth and therefore death have been abolished. This transformation often involves a general devaluation of biology, and, particularly, of sexuality, which is contrasted with a more spiritual and controlled source of life. The role of women, who are frequently associated with biological processes, mourning and death pollution, is often predominant in funerary rituals, and in examining this book makes a further contribution to the understanding of the symbolism of gender. The death rituals and the symbolism of rebirth are also analysed in the context of the political processes of the different societies considered, and it is argued that social order and political organisation may be legitimated through an exploitation of the emotions and biology.
Download or read book There s Just One Problem written by Brian Gewirtz and published by Twelve. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz brings readers behind the scenes for an unprecedented look at the chaotic, surreal, unbelievable backstage world of the WWE. With untold stories from a career spanning over 15 years and featuring the biggest names and controversial moments in wrestling history, THERE'S JUST ONE PROBLEM is an honest, unflinching look on how an introverted life-long fan unexpectedly became one the most powerful men in all of professional wrestling. For decades wrestling was shrouded in secrecy. It had larger than life personalities, bone crunching physicality and jaw-dropping theatrics but backstage it was an industry devoid of outsiders. Then in 1999, after working together on a special for MTV, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned to 26-year old television writer Brian Gewirtz and asked “You ever consider writing for WWE?” That question, and its answer, would have a profound effect on both of their lives for years to come. THERE'S JUST ONE PROBLEM is a story about perseverance, tenacity, and steel chairs. Most writers in the WWE last for a matter of months; Gewirtz was there for over 15 years, writing some of most memorable and infamous storylines in WWE history (covering the “Attitude Era”, the “Ruthless Aggression Era” and into the “PG” and “Reality” eras). Throughout this journey Gewirtz found himself becoming both friend and antagonist to some of the biggest names in WWE history – Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Stephanie McMahon, Bill Goldberg, Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and the two men who he worked the most closely with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. These men not only shaped his life professionally but also personally, forcing him to grow and change both as a writer and a human being. So how does a lifelong fan and outsider break through to become the ultimate insider? How does a low-key personality deal directly with his boss, the most brash, unpredictable “alpha male” on the planet, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon? How does one gain respect in a locker room that wants nothing more than to see him disappear? Where does one go when every year in wrestling takes you further away from the writing career you always wanted? Taking advice from his idol, the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, when you’re so full of fear, there’s only one way to push through: become fearless.
Download or read book The Life and Death of a Minke Whale in the Amazon written by Fábio Zuker and published by Milkweed Editions. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the Amazon burns, Fábio Zuker shares stories of resistance, self-determination, and kinship with the land. In 2007, a seven-ton minke whale was found stranded on the banks of the Tapajós River, hundreds of miles into the Amazon rainforest. For days, environmentalists, journalists, and locals followed the lost whale, hoping to guide her back to the ocean, but ultimately proved unable to save her. Ten years later, journalist Fábio Zuker travels to the state of Pará, to the town known as “the place where the whale appeared,” which developers are now eyeing for mining, timber, and soybean cultivation. In these essays, Zuker shares intimate stories of life in the rainforest and its surrounding cities during an age of raging wildfires, mass migration, populist politics, and increasing deforestation. As a group of Venezuelan migrants wait at a bus station in Manaus, looking for a place more stable than home, an elder in Alter do Chão becomes the first Indigenous person in Brazil to die from COVID-19 after years of fighting for the rights and recognition of the Borari people. The subjects Zuker interviews are often torn between ties with their ancestral territories and the push for capitalist gain; The Life and Death of a Minke Whale in the Amazon captures the friction between their worlds and the resilience of movements for autonomy, self-definition, and respect for the land that nourishes us.
Download or read book Starve and Immolate written by Banu Bargu and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2014-09-09 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Starve and Immolate tells the story of leftist political prisoners in Turkey who waged a deadly struggle against the introduction of high security prisons by forging their lives into weapons. Through an innovative approach that weaves together contemporary and critical political theory with political ethnography, Starve and Immolate analyzes the death fast struggle as an exemplary but not exceptional instance of self-destructive practices that should be understood as a consequence of, retort to, and refusal of the increasingly biopolitical forms of sovereign power deployed as a response to terrorism around the globe. The Turkish stateÕs pursuit of high security prisons based on cellular confinement, which would reconfigure traditional wards allowing political prisoners to live a communism in practice, led to a protracted movement in which dozens of political prisoners starved and immolated themselves. Banu Bargu chronicles the experiences, rituals, values, beliefs, ideological self-representations, and contentions of these protesters against the history of Turkish democracy and the treatment of dissent in a country where prisons have become sites of political confrontation. Bargu connects the increasing turn to self-destructive practices with the revamping of Turkish state sovereignty through a process of biopolitical securitization against terrorism. A critical response to Michel FoucaultÕs Discipline and Punish, Starve and Immolate centers on new forms of struggle that arise from the asymmetric antagonism between the state and its contestants in the contemporary prison. Bargu ultimately positions the weaponization of life as an emergent repertoire of political action, a bleak, violent, and ambivalent form of insurgent politics that seeks to wrench the power of life and death away from the modern state on corporeal grounds and increasingly theologized forms. Drawing attention to the existential commitment, sacrificial morality, and militant martyrdom that transforms these struggles into a complex amalgam of resistance, Bargu advances a critical-theoretical interpretation of human weapons that explores the global ramifications of their practices of resistance, as well as their possibilities and limitations.
Download or read book The Way to the Spring written by Ben Ehrenreich and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In West Bank cities and small villages alike, men and women, young and old--a group of unforgettable characters--share their lives with Ehrenreich and make their own case for resistance and resilience in the face of life under occupation. Ruled by the Israeli military, set upon and harassed constantly by Israeli settlers who admit unapologetically to wanting to drive them from the land, forced to negotiate an ever more elaborate and more suffocating series of fences, checkpoints and barriers that have sundered home from field, home from home, they are a population whose living conditions are unique, and indeed hard to imagine.
Download or read book Tuesday Night at the Gardens Pro Wrestling in Louisville written by Mark James and published by . This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
