Synopses & Reviews
Irvin Muchnick a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon, he traces the demise of wrestlings old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWEs Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the publics late-empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became. What truly distinguishes Wrestling Babylon, however, is Muchnicks ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur-carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His People magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sports signature superstar. His award-winning Penthouse profile of the ill-starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV-style production values. His never-before-published investigation of the death of Jimmy Superfly” Snukas girlfriend suggests the cover-up of a murder. The books appendix a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.
Synopsis
Professional wrestlings most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accountsof Hulk Hogans drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy Superfly” Snukas girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainments Vince McMahongo beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands.
About the Author
"Irv Muchnick knows wrestling like Anna Wintour knows fashion, and his intriguing collection of ring tales is written with passion and savage humor." Frank Deford, bestselling author and National Public Radio contributor"Wrestling Babylon is the literary link between fans (including closet intellectuals) and intellectuals (including closet fans)." John Heindenry, executive editor, The Week magazine"The wrestling version of Alice in Wonderland: You fall into the hole and you discover a world you never dreamed of. But Muchnick didn't dream this stuff up, he dug it up." Scott Ostler, sports columnist, San Francisco Chronicle"Muchnick on wrestling is a surreal thing." Roy Blount, Jr."Like his uncle Sam Muchnick, Irv is a great reporter. But Irv is also a great writer." Larry Matysik, author, Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling"A few hundred years from now some archeologist is going to dig up a copy, alongside a box of men’s neckties, and wonder which aspect of our culture was stranger . . . In a world of timid, formulaic scrivenings on sports and entertainment and sports entertainment, Wrestling Babylon is a sock on the jaw." Bert Randolph Sugar, from the Foreword"The only problem with this wonderful book is that it ends too soon." BeyondChron"Loaded with detailed and well-researched goodies." New York Post