The best wrestling books will show you the fascinating world of a combat sports!
I have enjoyed wrestling since I was young, and I still get excited watching wrestling matches up to date. Since I enjoy reading too, I often find myself looking for wrestler biographies, autobiographies, and books about wrestling timelines and events. So, if you are like me, you are in time for a real treat. I have listed wrestling books that I feel will be excellent if you look for a full range.
Just Tyrus, by Tyrus (2022)
Any wrestling diehards know about political commentator and pro wrestler George Murdoch, commonly known as Tyrus. In this book, he details how he grew up in a painful and dysfunctional setting until he became Snoop Dogg’s bodyguard, a prominent WWE wrestling icon, and a provocative on-air voice.
Just Tyrus is a raw and tender story written candidly and hilariously. Readers will see how Tyrus remained accountable and used confident humility to stay on his feet. Tyrus learned how to fight very early in his life, became a football giant, ran drugs, and worked as a club bouncer to survive.
George honed Snoop Dogg’s music until WWE urged him to return, then he reinvented himself under Dusty Rhodes’ mentorship. He got christened Tyrus and then encountered Greg Gutfeld to become a sage social commentator.
MOX, by Jon Moxley (2021)
Jon Moxley retraces the highways he has navigated during his remarkable journey. In a never-before-told story, he talks about his life in Cincinnati and how he went through a gritty wrestling scene cutting his teeth.
Jon had to work through a complicated WWE landscape where he had to buck against authority. He also took on the AEW, winning the 2020 championship and later achieved his long-lived vision of becoming a wrestler.
MOX details Jon’s story with revelatory insights highlighting the many pit stops he faced and the crazy people he befriended. He praises Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, and Roman Reigns and has an entire chapter about Brodie Lee.
You will feel Jon’s excitement as he reminisces about his good old days and talks about his passion.
Dynamite and Davey, by Steven Bell (2022)
Dynamite and Davey tells the story of Tom Billington and Davey Boy Smith. The two cousins broke from a small North England town and emerged as global wrestling superstars. They first became British Bulldogs, and then they became world tag team champions.
Tom and Davey’s demons outmuscled them, and their misfortunes and disastrous events outlived their glorious triumphs. The two got into using drugs due to injuries and many other reasons and couldn’t stay together anymore. Otherwise, they were on their way to giving the Road Warriors a run for their money.
Steven has used extensive research to put together a well-documented account of Tom and Davey’s lives. He has also excellently provided a balanced perspective about their stellar achievements and the ineludible lows.
Blood and Fire, by Brian R. Solomon (2022)
Blood and Fire tells the story of The Sheik, how he overpowered the wrestling business, and the losses he got due to glory and fame.
The Sheik was a bloodthirsty, vituperate, and vicious villain in the ring’s history. He was Syria’s terrifying madman with wrestling mayhem and willful damage. Between the 1950s and 1970s, he was a crowd drawer and always left his opponents burned and bloody.
His multitude of fans didn’t know he was Eddie Farhat. Eddie was the son of Arab immigrants who hailed from Lansing, Michigan. During World War II, he served his country and fulfilled the American dream through his dedication.
When The Sheik was not attacking his foes with sharp objects, he owned and operated World Wide Sports, a prosperous American wrestling company.
Wrestling with the Truth, by Robert L. Shegog & Nicholas Kehagias (2022)
This book tells Robert Shegog’s extraordinary story as he navigated being a wrestling coach while facing challenging adversity. Shegog was diagnosed with HIV in 1986, half a decade before Magic Johnson when HIV treatment and outcomes were deplorable. Contracting HIV was perceived as a death sentence.
Robert lost dear ones and faced several pneumonia attacks but he persisted. His main drive was the passion he had for wrestling. He had to make sure that the students he coached stayed on track and continued with their pursuits.
Robert didn’t want his kids to know about his health situation, and he made sure they didn’t realize the many sacrifices he had to make. He knew that he wouldn’t have been a coach if anyone discovered his truth. He lived a lie for his student’s sake.
Wrestling at The Chase, by Ed Wheatley (2021)
Harold Koplar and Sam Muchnik talked on a plane, and came up with a well-established program- Wrestling at the Chase. The show premiered in 1959 and got a lot of fans, and this was just the beginning of the onset of pro wrestling’s prosperous years.
Nowadays, the WWE rules worldwide arenas and televisions, but it may never have become what it is without this show’s promotion and leadership.
Every Saturday night, many men and women used to be at the ringside in the Khorassan Room of the Opulent Chase Park Plaza Hotel while others tuned in for the extravaganza. They marveled at heroes like King Kong, Gorgeous George, Nature Boy, and Fabulous Moolah. More people tuned in when the show re-aired.
But when America was unable to cheer their favorite icons in person, Muchnick intervened, bringing wrestling to fans’ living rooms.
Backlund, by Bob Backlund & Rob Miller (2015)
Bob Backlund started his life as a poor farm boy living in Princeton, Minnesota. Bob was not a good performer in school, had an unpleasant attitude and lackluster work ethic. He also hung out with the wrong crowds and made many bad choices.
That was until he met a local coach who struck an interest in him. The coach suggested that Bob take on amateur wrestling, and he agreed to work with Bob as long as he stayed out of trouble.
Bob got his very first chance to shape his destiny in North Dakota. During his job at the YMCA gymnasium, he met Billy Graham. They talked, and Bob got inspired to become a professional wrestler.
In less than half a decade, Bob found himself traveling the country and in the middle of the Madison Square Garden ring, having been recognized as the new World Wide Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion. That night, he pinned Billy Graham and later wrestled big names.
The History of the WWF, by Jonathan Johnson (2019)
This book will make you go back in time and relive WWF history with details of how everything actually happened. Not in the way WWE would want to present it but how it aired. When nothing was edited out because it was considered offensive, and superstars didn’t disappear because of WWE’s corporate philosophy.
You will get an account of how WWF aired and as you remember it if you are old enough, or how you saw and perceived it as a younger fan for the very first time. You will see how WWF transformed a regional promotion into a worldwide billion-dollar powerhouse. Readers also see the original WWE product fans got, grew up on, and came to love.
The history details are given yearly to include all the significant events, PPVs, and weekly shows that molded WWE.
Follow the Buzzards, by Keith Elliot Greenberg (2022)
2020 was the dawn of a new decade, and it was supposed to be the best year yet for wrestling fans. WWE had an All Elite Wrestling (AEW) competition, a thriving international independent scene, and feasible secondary promotions. But only a few realized that Covid-19 had begun to distribute and when it was declared, everything was in shambles.
For the first time in history, pro wrestling wasn’t perceived as escapism as tangible outcomes intruded on the fantasy. But even as everything was shutting down, wrestling remained. There may have been empty arenas and cancellations, but this was also a time for incredible innovations such as cinematic matches and ThunderDome. Indie-wise, contests were held outdoors with observers scattered in socially distanced pods.
Keith chronicled the wrestling scene as he juxtaposed other developments.
Class in Session, by Steven Hershkowitz (2022)
When Steve was a child, he was often bored and lonely. That was how he turned to the professional wrestling spectacle to find companionship. One of his biggest fantasies throughout his childhood was about becoming a wrestler. Nevertheless, he was sure that this was just another pipe dream.
Steve completed college and eventually got married, but his two marriages failed. He had to work three jobs which were stressful enough for him, and he suffered severe long-term depression. When he hit 34, he found his chance to be a professional wrestler. That was when many wrestlers were retiring.
Class in Session talks about how Steve went through a journey of negating stereotypes, proving his haters wrong, winning championships, and meeting wrestling legends and icons.
Conclusion
These are top among the best books about wrestlers and the wrestling scene any devoted fans will be glad to get their hands on today. They have accounts about some of the biggest icons and most significant wrestling moments.
Are you interested in combat sports? Check out our favorite martial arts books.