From the time it was founded in 1825, Akron was a town on the move. Once known as the "Rubber Capitol of the World," it brought droves of new workers to downtown and the suburban areas. With expansion came a need for entertainment, and wrestling was there for the multitudes. From the contrast of high school amateurs on mats to snarling villains and heroes in the professional ring, the sport thrived. There were the early days of traveling carnivals, with circuit-riding wrestlers who would take on all comers from the audience, to secretive fights set by shifty promoters in railroad yards with onlookers placing bets. There were the glory days of the Akron Armory--offering the crowd a chance to see such luminaries as the cigar-chewing Killer Tim Brooks, the smiling Johnny Powers, or the devious Don Kent--and beyond after the famed arena closed.

One of the most charismatic showmen ever to grace a WWE ring recounts his life, his phenomenal career, and how he finally found the one thing that gave his life meaning--his faith. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.

Is it sport or is it entertainment? As presented by World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., the most well-known promoter of professional wrestling, it is hard for the uninitiated to tell. A refuge for the very athletic, and often a breeding ground for the highly dysfunctional, professional wrestling is, in the truest sense, life on the fringes. Headlocks and Dropkicks: A Butt-Kicking Ride through the World of Professional Wrestling chronicles sportswriter Ted A. Kluck's effort to become a professional wrestler at a popular wrestling school in the suburbs of Chicago. In training to become a wrestler, Kluck was able to delve into the traveling-circus elements of the sport and talk to the people who make it work-promoters, bookers, and the wrestlers themselves. Wrestling has weathered manifold changes in American taste to survive and thrive as it does today. Kluck examines the tension between the good vs. evil tales that permeated wrestling in the early to mid 1980s, along with the seamy soap opera storylines that seem to drive it today. He also takes time to catch up with the biggest stars the sport has produced-some of whom have parlayed their fame into financial security and others who are currently looking to reclaim their past glory. 15 illustrations

From legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross, this candid, colorful memoir about the inner workings of the WWE and the personal crises he weathered at the height of his career is "a must-read for wrestling fans" (Charleston Post Courier). If you've caught a televised wrestling match anytime in the past thirty years, you've probably heard Jim Ross's throaty Oklahoma twang. The beloved longtime announcer of the WWE "has been a driving force behind a generation of wrestling fans" (Mark Cuban), and he's not slowing down, having signed on as the announcer of the starry new wrestling venture All Elite Wrestling. In this follow-up to his bestselling memoir Slobberknocker, he dishes out about not only his long career, which includes nurturing global stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena, but also about his challenges of aging and disability, his split from collaborator Vince McMahon, and the sudden death of his beloved wife, Jan. The result is a gruff, endearing, and remarkably human-scale portrait, set against the larger than life backdrop of professional wrestling. Ross's ascent in WWE mirrors the rise of professional wrestling itself from a DIY sideshow to a billion-dollar business. Under the Black Hat traces all the highs and lows of that wild ride, in which Jim served not only as on-air commentator, but talent manager, payroll master, and even occasional in-ring foil to threats like Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Undertaker. While his role brought him riches and exposure he had never dreamed of, he chafed against the strictures of a fickle corporate culture and what he saw as a narrow vision of what makes great wrestlers-and great story lines. When suddenly stricken with Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis that makes it impossible to smile, he started down his greatest fear-being cast out of the announcing booth for good. Picking up where Slobberknocker left off and ending on the cusp of a new career in a reimagined industry, Under the Black Hat is the triumphant tale of a country boy who made it to the top, took a few knocks, and stuck around-just where his fans like him. Not only being one of the greatest wrestlers of the WWE, Ross is also "a master storyteller, and this book is the perfect forum for his forty years' worth of tales" (Chris Jericho, former WWE champion).

What makes a great match? For some fans, it is drama and suspense, and for others, it is tables and chairs. In My Favorite Match, the wrestlers themselves will settle the score, taking readers through some of the most extreme, unbelievable, and memorable matches in sports entertainment history. My Favorite Match is based on exclusive interviews from huge names in the sports entertainment world, including Shawn Michaels, Dusty Rhodes, Mark Henry, Roddy Piper, Rey Mysterio, and many more. Fans will re-live the pain, the emotion, and the sheer athleticism through the eyes of the wrestlers who lived to tell about it.

Phil shares his personal ecstasy and anguish in learning the lessons of life through wrestling. The vivid and intimate descriptions of his hilarious and sometimes terrifying experiences keep you wanting to read more about his life.

Throughout the new millennium, the number of women interested in amateur wrestling has skyrocketed. Across the board, from grade school to college, girls and women have been strapping on their head guards and singlets to grapple with their dreams of success on the mat. However, the sport and its participants have not always had an easy time. This book documents the growth of female amateur wrestling in America, and the difficulties and victories it has faced, from facing removal from the 2013 Olympic Games, to missing the 2020 Games altogether due to COVID-19. With exclusive details and photographs, this work chronicles the bravery of the women who have headed the sport and examines the wrestlers' performances in the 2021 Olympic Games. It also features interviews with the female wrestlers who continue to challenge an often-suppressive field, hoping to eventually leave their mark on the American sports world.

In this follow-up to Robert Caprio's collection of road stories Are We There Yet?, WWE superstars and divas dish the dirt on the late night shenanigans that take place behind the scenes, on the road, and in hotels all across the world. If you think all the WWE drama unfolds inside the wrestling ring, then think again. Sometimes the action outside the ring can be just as exciting -- and as dangerous -- for the wrestlers as they drive, fly and occasionally fight their way from city to city to entertain their millions of fans. In Rumble Road the superstars of the WWE recount their shocking and hilarious road trip misadventures. From classic pranks to the particular habits of the baddest of the bad guys who ever set foot inside the squared circle, these are the untold stories of life on the road -- straight from the mouths of those who continue to live it one trip at a time.

In this book, Lowery A. Woodall III explores the ways that diverse populations are portrayed, stereotyped, and sometimes villainized in the WWE's colorful and dramatic programming. Each chapter examines the surprisingly complex and multilayered representation of marginalized populations throughout the modern history of the WWE under the leadership of Vincent K. McMahon. Through weekly shows like Raw and SmackDown, pay-per-view spectaculars like WrestleMania, and a vast library of wrestling-related material on their streaming platform, Woodall argues that the WWE and McMahon have created calculated and carefully curated representations of diversity that are viewed by millions of fans worldwide. What effects do those representations have on the men, women, and children who consume WWE content? How are wrestlers and performers impacted by their on-screen portrayals? This book explores these questions and demonstrates that when representations are inaccurate or problematic, more than just kayfabe is in danger of being broken. Scholars of professional wrestling studies, media studies, and communication studies will find this book of particular interest.

A fast and powerful style that excels in throwing and ground fighting Sambo is considered one of the most effective, technically diverse, and dynamic modern sport fighting styles ever devised. Developed in the Soviet Union and based on Kodokan Judo and wrestling, sambo emphasizes utility over aesthetics. The end result is a fast paced and powerful system that excels in both throwing and ground fighting. This book offers a serious, technical look at the Russian martial sport that has changed the way the martial arts world looks at grappling. Our emphasis will be a systematic approach, presenting skills based on their function and utility in actual sport fighting. Sambo places emphasis on fast-paced, powerful and functional throwing techniques, and equally fast-paced, powerful and functional ground fighting techniques. Using fundamentally sound skills performed by a motivated and well-conditioned athlete, who has molded what he knows to work for him with a high ratio of success, is hard to beat. Contents include The essentials of sambo Throwing techniques Leg, ankle, and hip locks Armlocks Holds and breakdowns Over 1200 instructional photographs "The skills presented in this book have all passed the tests of time and competition. Everything presented has been used successfully at all levels of competitive sambo." -Steve Scott