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patrickwreed's review against another edition
4.0
A really fantastic book, focusing in on people, characters and stories rarely discussed in any other wrestling history, while not neglecting significant events from the major leagues, and expertly put together.
yarnbard's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really fascinating overview of pro wrestling history that specifically looks at it from a storytelling perspective. It's interesting to me how far back a lot of this stuff goes, while at the same time, this is an industry that has always been shifting and changing. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This book's biggest weakness, I think, is that it is too America-centric. Mexico and Japan especially have a long history with pro wrestling, and I would have loved to see more of that reflected here.
I also would have liked to hear more from the wrestlers themselves about their storytelling, especially cases where the wrestlers carried a story without the direct involvement of the booker or the promoters. An example of this is Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi carrying their Golden Lovers story with them from DDT into NJPW in 2015, which started with a moment in Ibushi's match against AJ Styles that was planned only by the wrestlers without NJPW's involvement. Omega in particular really carried the story (through his twitter account and youtube channel as well as through official interviews and other NJPW content), and he pushed for it behind the scenes for over two years before NJPW let the story actually play out in the ring.
I think this was actually a far more notable example of Omega's use of social media in his wrestling storytelling than his feud with Jericho, since social media gave him the ability to tell a story that, at the time, he was unable to directly tell in the ring. Omega has since talked about how happy he was at the reception to the Golden Lovers reunion in 2018, and how pleased he was that people knew his history with Ibushi, that fans had been following the hints and putting together the story.
(Omega has carried the Golden Lovers story to another promotion once again, as evidenced by the Golden Lovers symbol that he has worn on his sleeve at Double or Nothing, All Out, and every single AEW show on television since).
It's easy to talk about the importance of wrestling storytelling to promoters who are looking to exploit it for profit, or to fans who are getting pulled in by the narratives, but these stories often also have real importance and personal value to the wrestlers who are telling them. There are many, many instances of wrestlers being moved to genuine tears in the ring. It's fascinating how these constructed narratives often end up becoming, in a sense, "real" for the wrestlers themselves, whether this is because the pressure of having to keep kayfabe starts affecting their real life, or simply because they're pouring genuine emotion into their matches.
This book's biggest weakness, I think, is that it is too America-centric. Mexico and Japan especially have a long history with pro wrestling, and I would have loved to see more of that reflected here.
I also would have liked to hear more from the wrestlers themselves about their storytelling, especially cases where the wrestlers carried a story without the direct involvement of the booker or the promoters. An example of this is Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi carrying their Golden Lovers story with them from DDT into NJPW in 2015, which started with a moment in Ibushi's match against AJ Styles that was planned only by the wrestlers without NJPW's involvement. Omega in particular really carried the story (through his twitter account and youtube channel as well as through official interviews and other NJPW content), and he pushed for it behind the scenes for over two years before NJPW let the story actually play out in the ring.
I think this was actually a far more notable example of Omega's use of social media in his wrestling storytelling than his feud with Jericho, since social media gave him the ability to tell a story that, at the time, he was unable to directly tell in the ring. Omega has since talked about how happy he was at the reception to the Golden Lovers reunion in 2018, and how pleased he was that people knew his history with Ibushi, that fans had been following the hints and putting together the story.
(Omega has carried the Golden Lovers story to another promotion once again, as evidenced by the Golden Lovers symbol that he has worn on his sleeve at Double or Nothing, All Out, and every single AEW show on television since).
It's easy to talk about the importance of wrestling storytelling to promoters who are looking to exploit it for profit, or to fans who are getting pulled in by the narratives, but these stories often also have real importance and personal value to the wrestlers who are telling them. There are many, many instances of wrestlers being moved to genuine tears in the ring. It's fascinating how these constructed narratives often end up becoming, in a sense, "real" for the wrestlers themselves, whether this is because the pressure of having to keep kayfabe starts affecting their real life, or simply because they're pouring genuine emotion into their matches.
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