Wrestlers' Wrestlers , livre ebook

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277 pages

English

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The Wrestlers' Wrestlers spotlights elite performers and analyzes exactly what made them your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestlers. Authors Dan Murphy and Brian Young interviewed more than 40 in-ring veterans, historians, referees, and promoters to get a unique insider's look at the people who have made a lasting impact on the world of professional wrestling. It offers a special peek 'behind the curtain' and a rare look into the top stars' thoughts on their peers, their influences, and their personal favorites. The Wrestlers' Wrestlers is a history of professional wrestling but also a tribute to the frequently misunderstood art itself. Featuring stars of the 1920s to today, this essential read deserves a prominent spot on the bookcase of every fan and historian.

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Lucha libre profesional

Wrestling

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Publié par	Ecw Press
Date de parution	25 mai 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781773056876
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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The Wrestlers’ Wrestlers The Masters of the Craft of Professional Wrestling
Dan Murphy and Brian Young, foreword by “The Sinister Minister” James Mitchell

Contents Foreword Introduction A Wrestlers’ Wrestler: The Criteria Part 1: The Founding Fathers Ed “Strangler” Lewis “Whipper” Billy Watson Gene Kiniski George Gordienko Dick Hutton Pat O’Connor Johnny Valentine Sputnik Monroe Karl Gotch Danny Hodge Bill Miller Breaking In: Where Do Wrestlers Come From? Part 2: Bumpers, Shooters, and Psychologists Ray Stevens Johnny Saint Billy Robinson Yoshiaki Fujiwara Dick Murdoch Buddy Roberts Adrian Street Rip Rogers Dave Finlay Bob Orton Jr. Terry Taylor Luna Vachon Bob Roop Road Warriors and Death Tours: Making Towns Part 3: The Kings of the Territories Verne Gagne Bruno Sammartino Dory Funk Jr. Terry Funk Jerry Lawler Harley Race Dusty Rhodes Bob Backlund Wrestling Takes Hollywood: The Wrestler as Crossover Celebrity Part 4: The Supercard Era Ricky Steamboat Ricky Morton Brad Armstrong Barry Windham Curt Hennig Ted DiBiase The Rise of Japan, “Strong Style,” and Hybrid Fighting The Tag Team Masters The Fabulous Kangaroos The Blond Bombers Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater The Midnight Express The Rock ’n’ Roll Express Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson The British Bulldogs Part 5: The “Attitude Era” and the Rise of Extreme Wrestling William Regal Mitsuharu Misawa Eddie Guerrero Dean Malenko Toshiaki Kawada Owen Hart Lance Storm Manami Toyota Jerry Lynn Doing The Job: The Thankless — and Vital — Role of Enhancement Talent Part 6: ROH and Rise of the Indies Nigel McGuinness Mercedes Martinez A.J. Styles Christopher Daniels Samoa Joe Mike Quackenbush Dave Taylor The Masters of Today Kazuchika Okada Cesaro Zack Sabre Jr. Nick Aldis Jay White Chad Gable Drew Gulak The Revival Part 7: The All-Time Masters of the Craft Kurt Angle Chris Benoit Nick Bockwinkel Jack Brisco Daniel Bryan The Dynamite Kid Ric Flair Bret Hart Shawn Michaels Keiji Muto Lou Thesz Photos Sources Authors’ Notes Dan Murphy Brian Young Acknowledgments Dan would like to thank: Brian would like to thank: About the Authors Copyright

Foreword
Politics. Religion. Professional Wrestling. These are three different forms of artistic belief systems, all of which are powered by the charisma and persuasiveness of their practitioners. All three disciplines seek to define good and evil for the masses, based upon that which they feel will satisfy their core audience, while ultimately empowering and enriching themselves. This means that they must pick an enemy against which to rally their chosen troops and faithful, intentionally or not. The result is never less than controversial, much like the picks for The Wrestlers’ Wrestlers .
As a child, I grew up watching the wrestling presented by the Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, and Florida promotions in the early to late 1970s. When my family traveled or vacationed outside of those areas, I eagerly consumed whatever the local wrestling promotion presented. I was often left scratching my head in bewilderment.
Seeing wrestlers who I’d read about in magazines, often making them my “favorite wrestler” du jour, based upon the exciting, often apocryphal, editorial spin, I was disappointed. They seemed somehow different and less exciting than I imagined. Occasionally, I would see a wrestler that had moved on from my home base and ask myself, “What the hell happened to them?” Alternately, a wrestler I was underwhelmed by on vacation would show up in one of the three wrestling promotions I consumed and be a ball of fire. A new kid to my neighborhood from the Midwest would tell me how shitty the tag team of Ric Flair and Greg Valentine were compared to Crusher and Dick The Bruiser while laying out a convincing argument. The recounting of his truth didn’t jibe with my experience, yet it was as passionate as my own opinion. Huh? Hence, my first encounter with cognitive dissonance.
After Vince McMahon Jr. bought the WWWF from his father and went into “Sports Entertainment” mode, he would eventually sign up most of the performers I grew up on and turn them into cartoons. I was outraged! Why must Harley Race be a “King” and wear a crown? Why is Dory Funk Jr. now called “Hoss?” Why does everybody have a goofy nickname and silly vignettes? Why was a tag team I could always count on for heavy bloodshed and violence now acting like goofs hired to perform at a child’s birthday party? Why is Bobby Heenan letting Gorilla Monsoon outsmart him every week? Moreover, why did every promotion at the time begin to do the same thing, usually in an embarrassing attempt to follow the trend? The flip side is that there are millions of fans that would be bored out of their skulls looking at their favorite performers doing what used to appeal to my generation.
It would be many years before I realized that every territory had a different style to suit its demographic and many wrestlers had to adapt to get over. They weren’t dumbing it down, they were doing what was required to make money at the time. When they came back home they were always working the style that drew money there. An entertainer must entertain. It’s a bonus and an honor when his professional colleagues concur with the fans’ opinions.
Eventually, I became involved in the wrestling biz, and I had the opportunity to talk to many of my childhood heroes at length. I got their perspectives on my youthful remembrances. They often conceded that something that had “got over” or drew money was garbage from a technical standpoint. Whether I agreed with them or not, they knew whereof they spoke. Their different perspectives made me look at things in an entirely different way, as many of those reading this book may.
It’s pretty easy to separate the legit tough guys from the entertainers and the “spot monkeys.” Some folks prefer one over the others. Some wrestlers are at least two or all three, and I believe that is the ideal mix in today’s environment. Box office is easy to quantify but the emotional connection is up to the individual to decide, so there is always an X factor. This book will give you excellent insight from those who have taken the bumps, put up with the politics, and lived to tell about it.
Deciding upon whom to vote for in politics, worship in your faith, or cheer in pro wrestling is usually a deeply personal, emotional choice. Unlike the former two, your choice of “Wrestlers’ Wrestler” won’t harm anyone. Let the spirited debates begin!
— “The Sinister Minister,” James Mitchell

Introduction
Professional wrestling is a form of entertainment that defies clear classification. To some, it’s a lowbrow burlesque, a farce aping a legitimate athletic contest. To others, it’s a morality play pitting heroes against villains in a simulated “made for TV” battle; a well-choreographed exhibition of athletic feats, tumbles, falls, and false finishes designed to make a spectator sit on the edge of his seat.
In recent years, some pro wrestlers have even taken to calling their unique vocation a “performance art,” a term which still rankles some old-timers and purists who spent their careers (and — in many cases — much of their lives) “keeping kayfabe” or “protecting the business” — and doing anything in their power to maintain an air of credibility around the spectacle. Breaking kayfabe could get a wrestler fined, fired, or blackballed from the industry completely.
For more than a century and a half now, professional wrestling has been revered and ridiculed, had its ups and downs, been both sideshow and center stage, but through it all, it has survived and still gains new fans every generation. Fans of all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds love professional wrestling. Yes, all but the most innocent or naïve fans know that wrestling is a “work,” a fight with a scripted outcome. WWE CEO Vince McMahon testified as much himself in 1989 when he told the New Jersey State Senate that pro wrestling was entertainment, not an athletic competition, to get out from under the thumb of the various state athletic commissions. Today, anyone with access to YouTube can find hundreds of “shoot” videos where all of wrestling’s inner secrets — the ones that were guarded so passionately during the kayfabe-fearing territory days — are exposed for the world to see. Yet fans are still willing to suspend their disbelief — to buy in on the illusion; to passionately follow storylines and argue their points of view on various social media platforms.
Why?
Wrestling is a lot like magic, in a way. We in the audience know the woman isn’t being sawed in half, yet we hold our breath until she steps out of the box in one piece. But good professional wrestling operates on another level as well by making its fans become emotionally involved with not only the show or match but the personalities themselves. To accomplish this, or get over , a wrestler has to be part superhero/super villain, part athlete, part actor, part storyteller, and part magician. And a select few have something extra, something that makes them stand out from the pack.
These special few are what we call a “Wrestlers’ Wrestler.”
Ironically, being a Wrestlers’ Wrest