The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame

The legendary storytellers worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame

You can’t escape pro wrestling today, even if you want to. Its stars are ubiquitous in movies, TV shows, product endorsements, swag, and social media to the point that they are as much celebrities as they are athletes. Pro wrestling has morphed from the fringes of acceptability to a global $1 billion industry that plays an everyday role in 21st-century pop culture.

In this latest addition to the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson explain how the sport’s unique take on storytelling has fueled its remarkable expansion. Hundreds of interviews and original accounts inform this exploration of the imaginative ways in which wrestlers and promoters have used everything from monkeys to murderers to put butts in seats and eyes on screens. From the New York City Bowery in the 1890s to a North Carolina backyard in 2017, readers will encounter all manner of scoundrels, do-gooders, scribes, and alligators in this highly readable, heavily researched book that inspires a new appreciation for the fine (and sometimes not-so-fine) art of storytelling.

• Foreword


• Introduction


• Chapter One — The Origins of Sports Entertainment
  
  
  
  • I. The Parson of Chicago
  
  
  • II. The Terrible Turk
  
  
  • III. That Masked Man
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Two — Blood, Mud, and Smelt
  
  
  
  • I. The Milwaukee Dreamer
  
  
  • II. First Blood
  
  
  • III. The Trustbuster
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Three — The Spectacles
  
  
  
  • I. World’s Greatest Manager
  
  
  • II. The Red Devil
  
  
  • III. The Kindest Angel
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Four — Learning the Ropes
  
  
  
  • I. Carnival Rides
  
  
  • II. The Greatest Training Camp Ever
  
  
  • III. Six Degrees of Keirn
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Five — TV Takes Over
  
  
  
  • I. The First Storyteller
  
  
  • II. The Professor
  
  
  • III. Return to the Front Lines
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Six — Sideshows
  
  
  
  • I. The Monkey in the Ring
  
  
  • II. Bearly Getting By
  
  
  • III. Size Doesn’t Matter
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Seven — Celebrity Jeopardy
  
  
  
  • I. The Great Detroit Barroom Brawl
  
  
  • II. Bridge over Troubled Waters
  
  
  • III. Delete! Delete!
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Eight — Adventures in Storytelling
  
  
  
  • I. Put up Your Dukes
  
  
  • II. The Fugitive
  
  
  • III. Ready to Rumble
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Nine — Helping Hands
  
  
  
  • I. Unsung Heroes
  
  
  • II. The Perennial Candidate
  
  
  • III. The Cutting of Dr. Beach
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Ten — The Rise and Fall of the Territories
  
  
  
  • I. The Godfather of Wrestling
  
  
  • II. You Can’t Fight City Hall
  
  
  • III. Let Them Eat Cake
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Eleven — Newsstand
  
  
  
  • I. Fake News
  
  
  • II. Puppetry
  
  
  • III. Dirt Sheets
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Twelve — We’re Hardcore
  
  
  
  • I. Rung By Rung
  
  
  • II. Jawbreaker
  
  
  • III. Don’t Try This at Home
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Thirteen — Wrestling with an Attitude
  
  
  
  • I. Fool Me Once …
  
  
  • II. The Magic Makers
  
  
  • III. SARSA
  
  
  
  


• Chapter Fourteen — When Wrestling Became Content
  
  
  
  • I. The Write Stuff
  
  
  • II. Takeover Bid
  
  
  • III. Digital Storytelling
  
  
  
  


• Afterword — Fifty Shades of Gray