Wrestling Biographies

In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian’s life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion.

For wrestling fans, Jim Ross’ voice is the soundtrack of an era. This book is your ringside ticket to wrestling’s most unforgettable moments—from the announcer who made them iconic. In the last 50 years, professional wrestling has risen up from a collection of regional territories to become a global phenomenon—and Jim Ross has been there for it all. From the grit and glory days of the 1970s with NWA, to the rise of WCW and the heyday of WWF and WWE, to signing on as on-air talent and senior advisor for wrestling’s newest chapter at AEW, Jim Ross has long had the best seat in the house.

Who can go from Olympic hero to wrestling heel in the blink of an eye? Only Kurt Angle. From his Olympic dreams, to his WWE schemes, and everything in between, get the scoop on pro wrestling’s good boy gone bad.

Taking unexpected risks, daring to do what no one has done before, that's the reality of Amy Dumas, the remarkable woman behind WWE's Lita. Amy found trainers who saw her determination and her heart. Among them were the two local North Carolina stars who had just signed with WWE, Matt and Jeff Hardy. Amy formed an instant bond with the dynamic Hardy Boyz, whose spectacular style and high-flying bravado inspired her own bold in-ring style.

Three-time New York Times best-selling author and six-time WWE champion Chris Jericho shares 20 of his most valuable lessons for achieving your goals and living the life you want, jam-packed with fantastic stories and the classic off-the-wall, laugh-out-loud Jericho references he's famous for.

Contrary to what some would have you believe, professional wrestling is not a brand of entertainment invented in the 1980s and practiced exclusively in North America; rather it is among the most challenging and engaging art forms with practitioners in every corner of the globe and a history of over 120 years.The purpose of this book is to show, in the same way when we refer to cinema we are talking about more than one movie and when we talk about music we talk about more than one song, that when we talk about wrestling, there is a world of wrestling going on. This is demonstrated by ...

On January 26, 1996, Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medal winner and wrestling golden boy, was shot three times by du Pont family heir John E. du Pont at the famed Foxcatcher Farms estate in Pennsylvania. Following the murder, there was a tense standoff when du Pont barricaded himself in his home for two days before he was finally captured. Foxcatcher is gold medal winner Mark Schultz's memoir, revealing what made him and his brother champion and what brought them to Foxcatcher Farms.

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. 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.

For 21 years, Dan Russell trained for four to six hours a day, six days a week in pursuit of winning an Olympic Gold medal in the sport of wrestling. He pushed his body to the limits, enduring brutal weight loss regimens, shattering injuries, personal tragedy, and constant inner battles with the voices from his past telling him that he wasn't good enough.

Dedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, The Imaginary Girlfriend is John Irving's candid memoir of his twin careers in writing and wrestling. The award-winning author of best-selling novels from The World According to Garp to In One Person, Irving began writing when he was 14, the same age at which he began to wrestle at Exeter. He competed as a wrestler for 20 years, was certified as a referee at 24, and coached the sport until he was 47.

Virtually every big name in wrestling in the second half of the 20th Century crossed paths with "Ms. Christine," as she was known to most. If they followed her rules, Christine "Teeny" Jarrett probably taught them a thing or two about staying out of trouble and saving money for a rainy day. If they got out of line, they likely faced The Grip. Over the course of her 50-year career in wrestling, Teeny worked her way from selling tickets in the back of a Nashville, Tennessee shoe store to running a network of towns for Nick Gulas and Roy Welch...

"Vince McMahon: The Unauthorized Biography of the WWE Chairman" is a first of its kind comprehensive exploration of the life, controversies, and legacy of Vince McMahon from national bestselling author Michael Essany. From McMahon's impoverished upbringing with an abusive stepfather to his Napoleon-like conquests as a brash young wrestling promoter, WWE fans can relive the remarkable and unlikely accomplishments, stunning failures, and extraordinary events that define the life and career of Vincent Kennedy McMahon. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: A No Holds Barred Beginning Chapter 2: On The ...

Are you ready for the smackdown? Growing listeners can learn about professional wrestling superstars, their moves, and their victories in this low-level series. From signature moves to final pins, the action in this series is sure to keep listeners on the edge of their seats!

Are you ready for the smackdown? Growing listeners can learn about professional wrestling superstars, their moves, and their victories in this low-level series. From signature moves to final pins, the action in this series is sure to keep listeners on the edge of their seats! This volume includes Zack Ryder, Alberto Del Rio, and John Cena.

Are you ready for the smackdown? Growing listeners can learn about professional wrestling superstars, their moves, and their victories in this low-level series. From signature moves to final pins, the action in this series is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats!

By age seven, Rebecca Quin, now known in the ring as Becky Lynch, was already defying what the world expected of her. Raised in Dublin, Ireland in a devoutly Catholic family, Rebecca constantly invented new ways to make her mother worry - roughhousing with the neighbourhood kids, getting older and hosting secret parties while her parents were away, enrolling in a warehouse wrestling school, nearly breaking her neck and almost kneecapping a WWE star before her own wrestling career even began - and she was always in search of a thrilling escape from the ordinary.

Derek Thompson is a senior and a wrestler, and has a secret. He’s gay. Scott Thayer is a new student who’s just moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts from Iowa. On the first day of school Derek and Scott meet, and their lives change in an instant. As Derek and Scott discover the things they have in common, they enter into one of the closest, most loving relationships either of them has ever experienced. When unexpected circumstances threaten to tear them apart, they both have to make a decision. Do they protect their secret and separate? Or fight for what they want...each other.

Who was Maurice the man, and who was Mad Dog the character? Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was a gold medalist, a pro-wrestling legend, and a pop culture icon - but he was also a son, husband, and father. Mad Dog explores Vachon's career and personal struggles with painstakingly detailed historical research and through both Maurice's own recollections and those of the people who knew him best.

A groundbreaking book about the modern presidency, The Clinton Tapes invites readers into private dialogue with a gifted, tormented, resilient President of the United States. Here is what President Clinton thought and felt but could not say in public. This book rests upon a secret project, initiated by Clinton, to preserve for future historians an unfiltered record of presidential experience.

At the age of eight, Michael Bisping began his training in martial arts. By the time he was 15, he was fighting in his first no holds barred competition. When he turned professional and joined the UFC he was sure about one thing: only a world championship title would do. A British underdog in the greatest fighting championship on earth, he spent the next decade winning some of the championship’s most sensational contests to achieve his dream, becoming the first ever British UFC world champion in 2016.