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Tod is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling
The uncensored inside story of ECW’s founder Tod Gordon’s journey from jewelry store owner to one of the three most powerful promoters in pro wrestling.
“An incredible, entertaining and insightful story of one of the most important—and also underappreciated—promoters in wrestling history. A must-read for any wrestling fan, promoter, executive or any of the boys looking to laugh and learn.” —Alfred Boima Konuwa III, Forbes
Extreme Championship Wrestling was the revolutionary, industry-redefining wrestling federation of the ’90s, and founder and owner Tod Gordon is telling his story for the first time. Gordon went from local Philadelphia businessman to the third most influential man in wrestling as ECW became the fiery challenger to WWE and WCW. ECW’s young roster featured inventive risk-taking talent that both major federations sought to emulate but could never duplicate. Chants of “E-C-W!” rang out in wrestling arenas across all federations for decades.
“…a must-read story detailing the colorful history of ECW.” —Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated
In Tod is God—so named for a chant the ECW fans created to honor the founder—Gordon chronicles each step of the company’s meteoric rise to prominence, as well as the elements that led to his removing himself from the company before its demise. Gordon’s former partnership with ECW booker Paul Heyman made for magical TV and in-ring moments. The friendship between Gordon and Heyman, both a blessing and curse, was the once-in-a-lifetime bond responsible for so many of history’s greatest teams, bands, and partners. Gordon has stayed silent on the causes for the split and, by doing so, assumed blame for it. Until now.
"The true, raw and unvarnished journey of an extreme influencer who changed the entire trajectory of the professional wrestling industry. The letters ECW never cease to fascinate fans and Tod Gordon finally reveals all the inner workings and machinations that came with the creation, rise and fall of the most influential wrestling company of the 1990s.” —Mike Johnson, PWInsider
Tod is God is the closest you’ll ever get to living ECW’s ride to the top. Come sit beside Sandman, Sabu, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and other ECW stars as Gordon brings you inside the locker rooms, hotel rooms, and car rides. From the triumphs and breakthroughs to the frustrations and tragedies, you’ll live it all alongside the man who started it all.
“ECW was figuratively (and occasionally literally) the match and accelerant that took the wrestling business from being a niche product to a staple of broadcast and cable television. Without Tod Gordon, there never would have been a WWF Attitude Era. He ended up changing an entire industry.” —Dave Scherer, PWInsider
“An incredible, entertaining and insightful story of one of the most important—and also underappreciated—promoters in wrestling history. A must-read for any wrestling fan, promoter, executive or any of the boys looking to laugh and learn.” —Alfred Boima Konuwa III, Forbes
Extreme Championship Wrestling was the revolutionary, industry-redefining wrestling federation of the ’90s, and founder and owner Tod Gordon is telling his story for the first time. Gordon went from local Philadelphia businessman to the third most influential man in wrestling as ECW became the fiery challenger to WWE and WCW. ECW’s young roster featured inventive risk-taking talent that both major federations sought to emulate but could never duplicate. Chants of “E-C-W!” rang out in wrestling arenas across all federations for decades.
“…a must-read story detailing the colorful history of ECW.” —Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated
In Tod is God—so named for a chant the ECW fans created to honor the founder—Gordon chronicles each step of the company’s meteoric rise to prominence, as well as the elements that led to his removing himself from the company before its demise. Gordon’s former partnership with ECW booker Paul Heyman made for magical TV and in-ring moments. The friendship between Gordon and Heyman, both a blessing and curse, was the once-in-a-lifetime bond responsible for so many of history’s greatest teams, bands, and partners. Gordon has stayed silent on the causes for the split and, by doing so, assumed blame for it. Until now.
"The true, raw and unvarnished journey of an extreme influencer who changed the entire trajectory of the professional wrestling industry. The letters ECW never cease to fascinate fans and Tod Gordon finally reveals all the inner workings and machinations that came with the creation, rise and fall of the most influential wrestling company of the 1990s.” —Mike Johnson, PWInsider
Tod is God is the closest you’ll ever get to living ECW’s ride to the top. Come sit beside Sandman, Sabu, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and other ECW stars as Gordon brings you inside the locker rooms, hotel rooms, and car rides. From the triumphs and breakthroughs to the frustrations and tragedies, you’ll live it all alongside the man who started it all.
“ECW was figuratively (and occasionally literally) the match and accelerant that took the wrestling business from being a niche product to a staple of broadcast and cable television. Without Tod Gordon, there never would have been a WWF Attitude Era. He ended up changing an entire industry.” —Dave Scherer, PWInsider
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 4, 2023
This is a biography of Tod Gordon, the money man and brain behind Extreme Championship Wrestling.
I snapped this up when I saw it on Netgalley. Tod Gordon, the father of ECW? How could I pass this up?
This is the best wrestling book I've read in a long time. The Gordster doesn't waste any time and makes with the wrestling in short order. Tri-State Wrestling Alliance dies and Tod Gordon's Eastern Championship wrestling fill the void, eventually becoming the Extreme Championship Wrestling some of us knew and loved back in the day.
Tod doesn't really go out of the way to put himself over. He's a funny guy and obviously smart but doesn't sugar coat the decisions that came back to haunt him later. He's also open about the sex and rampant drug use behind the curtain in ECW.
I've probably read 50 or more wrestling books at this point and watched a shitload of documentaries but El Gordo reveals tons of stuff I never knew; the good, the bad, and the extremely fucked up. I don't want to spoil too much but Paul Heyman isn't the Sainted Father of ECW a lot of people make him out to bed.
Crazy shit aside, the Gordonator also makes the nuts and bolts of the wrestling business interesting. Not as interesting as the sex and drugs but it's really cool that guys like Terry Funk and Kevin Sullivan lent a hand when they could.
That's about all I've got to say, I guess. I'll refrain from saying Tod is God hits like Sabu on a table but imagine that I did. Five out of five stars.
I snapped this up when I saw it on Netgalley. Tod Gordon, the father of ECW? How could I pass this up?
This is the best wrestling book I've read in a long time. The Gordster doesn't waste any time and makes with the wrestling in short order. Tri-State Wrestling Alliance dies and Tod Gordon's Eastern Championship wrestling fill the void, eventually becoming the Extreme Championship Wrestling some of us knew and loved back in the day.
Tod doesn't really go out of the way to put himself over. He's a funny guy and obviously smart but doesn't sugar coat the decisions that came back to haunt him later. He's also open about the sex and rampant drug use behind the curtain in ECW.
I've probably read 50 or more wrestling books at this point and watched a shitload of documentaries but El Gordo reveals tons of stuff I never knew; the good, the bad, and the extremely fucked up. I don't want to spoil too much but Paul Heyman isn't the Sainted Father of ECW a lot of people make him out to bed.
Crazy shit aside, the Gordonator also makes the nuts and bolts of the wrestling business interesting. Not as interesting as the sex and drugs but it's really cool that guys like Terry Funk and Kevin Sullivan lent a hand when they could.
That's about all I've got to say, I guess. I'll refrain from saying Tod is God hits like Sabu on a table but imagine that I did. Five out of five stars.
July 13, 2023
3 ½ of 5 stars
Review:
Tod Gordon, along with Paul Heyman, are credited with being the creators of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was as advertised- an extreme amount of violence and debauchery in its shows and its fans loved it. The title of this book, written by Gordon and Sean Oliver, came from a chant started by some of these fans and Gordon is very happy to tell you about it.
That was one of the issues I had with the book. Of course, any memoir of anyone who had success in whatever line of work they did will want to talk about proudly. But I felt that Gordon did that a little too loudly and for a little too long. Plus, he spent some time defaming Heyman as best he could. Finally, he gave far too many accounts of the drinking, drug use and sexual escapades of not only the wrestlers but also of himself. It was not needed in this much volume to give a reader a picture of went on in the locker room and in bars and hotels. It also painted a less than flattering portrayal of Gordon.
So why did I give the book a favorable rating? The stories about the actual business and about the wrestlers. The book actually starts out quite well with Gordon talking about his work in a Philadelphia pawn shop and his venture into the wrestling business. The way he was able to land a regular time slot on cable television for his new product Eastern Championship Wrestling (which of course was later changed to Extreme) made for great reading, just for one example of the type of text about the business side.
The other reason I gave this book a favorable rating is because there are mostly great stories of some of the wrestlers. Not just the well-known ones like Terry Funk, Mick Foley and the Sandman but also ones who are not as well known except for the hard core fans. One can learn a lot about the history of ECW through these stories and Gordon gives proper credit to his talent (as he calls the wrestlers throughout the book) as he should since it was them who puts on the shows that drew the fans.
The end of ECW did not mean the end of Gordon in the business but there isn’t much about that. Instead, it’s a mostly fun romp through the history of ECW that fans of the product will enjoy immensely.
I wish to thank Permuted Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
Review:
Tod Gordon, along with Paul Heyman, are credited with being the creators of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was as advertised- an extreme amount of violence and debauchery in its shows and its fans loved it. The title of this book, written by Gordon and Sean Oliver, came from a chant started by some of these fans and Gordon is very happy to tell you about it.
That was one of the issues I had with the book. Of course, any memoir of anyone who had success in whatever line of work they did will want to talk about proudly. But I felt that Gordon did that a little too loudly and for a little too long. Plus, he spent some time defaming Heyman as best he could. Finally, he gave far too many accounts of the drinking, drug use and sexual escapades of not only the wrestlers but also of himself. It was not needed in this much volume to give a reader a picture of went on in the locker room and in bars and hotels. It also painted a less than flattering portrayal of Gordon.
So why did I give the book a favorable rating? The stories about the actual business and about the wrestlers. The book actually starts out quite well with Gordon talking about his work in a Philadelphia pawn shop and his venture into the wrestling business. The way he was able to land a regular time slot on cable television for his new product Eastern Championship Wrestling (which of course was later changed to Extreme) made for great reading, just for one example of the type of text about the business side.
The other reason I gave this book a favorable rating is because there are mostly great stories of some of the wrestlers. Not just the well-known ones like Terry Funk, Mick Foley and the Sandman but also ones who are not as well known except for the hard core fans. One can learn a lot about the history of ECW through these stories and Gordon gives proper credit to his talent (as he calls the wrestlers throughout the book) as he should since it was them who puts on the shows that drew the fans.
The end of ECW did not mean the end of Gordon in the business but there isn’t much about that. Instead, it’s a mostly fun romp through the history of ECW that fans of the product will enjoy immensely.
I wish to thank Permuted Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
June 24, 2023
Tod Is God tells the life story of ECW founder Tod Gordon.
Tod had been working in his family business, a pawn shop named Carter W. Reed when he booked Missy Hyatt to appear in the store. After some time, he grew close with Bob Goodhart, the owner and promoter for TWA (Tri-State Area Wrestling Alliance) and would eventually earn fifteen percent of the company after helping to keep Bob afloat during some tough times. Sadly, the company would fold after Bob's expenses grew too high to be supported by lackluster ticket sales.
Shortly thereafter, Tod would launch his own promotion - Eastern Championship Wrestling. It would go through its initial growing pains before landing a permanent booker in Eddie Gilbert and a spot on local Philadelphia television. After landing on national TV in syndication, Tod would begin to receive attention from Jim Crockett who was in the midst of launching his World Wrestling Network. As Graham grew suspicious of Crockett and Gordon's relationship, his paranoia would ultimately drive Gilbert away clearing the way for the man who would be synonymous with ECW, Paul Heyman.
By now I think we're all aware of Paul Heyman's inability as a businessman to keep ECW afloat as it grew from a northeastern independent promotion into a national one, but I wasn't quite prepared for the receipts Tod Gordon kept when it came to Paul's incompetence. While Gordon never did get into the business to create a competitor to Vince McMahon's WWF or Ted Turner's WCW, at the urging of Heyman the two worked to create a solid third promotion during the industry boom of the late 90s. However, whenever they seemed to have an opportunity to grow (get onto television in the New York market or even a chance to land on HBO), Heyman would kneecap the organization by either neglecting to perform an important job or mislead Gordon into believe things were better than they were.
The better parts of any wrestling book have to do with what goes on behind the scenes and the madness that goes hand-in-hand with performers keeping themselves occupied on long road trips during the downtime between shows. That being said, I thought this book went a bit overboard with the sleaziness and drugs-and-sex culture that ECW fostered backstage. It's hard to fault the author for being honest but at the risk of sounding prudish, I could have done without the constant stories of sexual debauchery that occurred behind closed doors. But hey, if that's what floats your boat in a wrestling memoir, there is more than enough here to sink your teeth into
Gordon spends much of the latter half of the book shining a light on what made several of the company's top performers special. He also brings up the names of several of those who have since passed by telling a few memorable stories of the time he spent with them and detailing the often tragic circumstances surrounding their deaths. It's difficult to read at times when you remember just how young many of these athletes were and how both the brutal drug culture of the industry as well as the relentless schedule often led to early graves.
While many people would believe Tod Gordon had wiped his hands clean of the industry after parting ways with ECW, he has quite an extensive resume beyond Extreme Championship Wrestling. Tod worked with Pro Wrestling Unplugged, 3PW, an MMA venture dubbed Extreme Fight Club, and finally CZW.
While he's no longer in the business, Tod Gordon's influence on the wrestling industry is certainly undeniable and he deserves to be recognized as a driving force behind ECW's popularity. Without Gordon's business acumen, Paul Heyman would not have had a place to freely and liberally showcase his vision of the industry alongside Tod. Wrestling fans who believe Heyman was solely responsible for ECW's success need to take a look at TOD IS GOD to uncover the full story.
Tod had been working in his family business, a pawn shop named Carter W. Reed when he booked Missy Hyatt to appear in the store. After some time, he grew close with Bob Goodhart, the owner and promoter for TWA (Tri-State Area Wrestling Alliance) and would eventually earn fifteen percent of the company after helping to keep Bob afloat during some tough times. Sadly, the company would fold after Bob's expenses grew too high to be supported by lackluster ticket sales.
Shortly thereafter, Tod would launch his own promotion - Eastern Championship Wrestling. It would go through its initial growing pains before landing a permanent booker in Eddie Gilbert and a spot on local Philadelphia television. After landing on national TV in syndication, Tod would begin to receive attention from Jim Crockett who was in the midst of launching his World Wrestling Network. As Graham grew suspicious of Crockett and Gordon's relationship, his paranoia would ultimately drive Gilbert away clearing the way for the man who would be synonymous with ECW, Paul Heyman.
By now I think we're all aware of Paul Heyman's inability as a businessman to keep ECW afloat as it grew from a northeastern independent promotion into a national one, but I wasn't quite prepared for the receipts Tod Gordon kept when it came to Paul's incompetence. While Gordon never did get into the business to create a competitor to Vince McMahon's WWF or Ted Turner's WCW, at the urging of Heyman the two worked to create a solid third promotion during the industry boom of the late 90s. However, whenever they seemed to have an opportunity to grow (get onto television in the New York market or even a chance to land on HBO), Heyman would kneecap the organization by either neglecting to perform an important job or mislead Gordon into believe things were better than they were.
The better parts of any wrestling book have to do with what goes on behind the scenes and the madness that goes hand-in-hand with performers keeping themselves occupied on long road trips during the downtime between shows. That being said, I thought this book went a bit overboard with the sleaziness and drugs-and-sex culture that ECW fostered backstage. It's hard to fault the author for being honest but at the risk of sounding prudish, I could have done without the constant stories of sexual debauchery that occurred behind closed doors. But hey, if that's what floats your boat in a wrestling memoir, there is more than enough here to sink your teeth into
Gordon spends much of the latter half of the book shining a light on what made several of the company's top performers special. He also brings up the names of several of those who have since passed by telling a few memorable stories of the time he spent with them and detailing the often tragic circumstances surrounding their deaths. It's difficult to read at times when you remember just how young many of these athletes were and how both the brutal drug culture of the industry as well as the relentless schedule often led to early graves.
While many people would believe Tod Gordon had wiped his hands clean of the industry after parting ways with ECW, he has quite an extensive resume beyond Extreme Championship Wrestling. Tod worked with Pro Wrestling Unplugged, 3PW, an MMA venture dubbed Extreme Fight Club, and finally CZW.
While he's no longer in the business, Tod Gordon's influence on the wrestling industry is certainly undeniable and he deserves to be recognized as a driving force behind ECW's popularity. Without Gordon's business acumen, Paul Heyman would not have had a place to freely and liberally showcase his vision of the industry alongside Tod. Wrestling fans who believe Heyman was solely responsible for ECW's success need to take a look at TOD IS GOD to uncover the full story.
August 7, 2023
Pretty good read by the former owner/founder of ECW!
No spoilers, but if you are a wrestling fan, this is a must read!
ECW
ECW
ECW!
No spoilers, but if you are a wrestling fan, this is a must read!
ECW
ECW
ECW!
April 16, 2023
First of all, I have an unreasonable love and fascination with all things professional wrestling. When I saw Tod Gordon had written a book concerning ECW, I was overjoyed.
Nevertheless, this book started off great. We were offered a glimpse into the background of Eastern Championship Wrestling and Tod's introduction to professional wrestling. His writing style was very conversational, showing off his Philly roots.
Most of the book, I really enjoyed how he told his early history or ECW and some of his takes on the talent and his relationship with Paul. If he would have stuck with just focusing on ECW, the talent, and his part in it I would have loved it and given it 5 stars.
However, the aspect that brought the book down for me was Gordon's lack of humility, putting himself over to the point of ad nauseum at times. I am not saying he doesn't deserve to put himself over, but he put himself as one of the best minds and creative geniuses in all pro-wrestling. Next, there were too many instances where he really wanted the reader to know how cool and sleazy he was for the fun sexcapades he had with women, breaking up a marriage with his crew, kinky stuff with girls, and I was just like "what the hell does this have to do with ECW?" By the end of the book, I had two very different images of Tod: a businessman who truly loves wrestling and a sleazeball philly suit.
This was a pretty decent book, but 1/4 of the book could have been edited down to focus on his perspective of the rise of ECW, which I thought was the main goal of the book. Nevertheless, wrestling fans can get a good glimpse into the rise and struggles of a small wrestling promotion and how it became the late-great ECW.
Nevertheless, this book started off great. We were offered a glimpse into the background of Eastern Championship Wrestling and Tod's introduction to professional wrestling. His writing style was very conversational, showing off his Philly roots.
Most of the book, I really enjoyed how he told his early history or ECW and some of his takes on the talent and his relationship with Paul. If he would have stuck with just focusing on ECW, the talent, and his part in it I would have loved it and given it 5 stars.
However, the aspect that brought the book down for me was Gordon's lack of humility, putting himself over to the point of ad nauseum at times. I am not saying he doesn't deserve to put himself over, but he put himself as one of the best minds and creative geniuses in all pro-wrestling. Next, there were too many instances where he really wanted the reader to know how cool and sleazy he was for the fun sexcapades he had with women, breaking up a marriage with his crew, kinky stuff with girls, and I was just like "what the hell does this have to do with ECW?" By the end of the book, I had two very different images of Tod: a businessman who truly loves wrestling and a sleazeball philly suit.
This was a pretty decent book, but 1/4 of the book could have been edited down to focus on his perspective of the rise of ECW, which I thought was the main goal of the book. Nevertheless, wrestling fans can get a good glimpse into the rise and struggles of a small wrestling promotion and how it became the late-great ECW.
June 29, 2023
I received a free review copy of 'Tod is God' via Netgalley. Thank you to Permuted Press.
At one time I used to absolutely devour wrestling biographies when I was a big fan of the sport, but then I cold turkey-ed for about fifteen years as family commitments took over. Now my kids are a bit older we've got into watching pro wrestling together and it's reignited that passion I once had.
A wrestling journalist whose writing I've always admired described this book as hilarious so I was keen to pick this one up. 'Tod is God' is the story of Tod Gordon, once owner and booker of ECW, a promotion that went from local shows to the national stage and burnt out in less than a decade. If you were around at the time, there was no streaming, not quite so much internet so if the way to access wrestling was through mail order and tape trading. How I loved those ECW tapes turning up with their grainy lines having been copied about ten times! They were such a game changer, and when the tapes were available professionally they were hoovered up by me. In the late 90's ECW was the most violent, the most cutting edge, most exciting promotion around. Sure people got more violent and the 'high-spot' culture we have today is far greater (not a good thing) but back then there was a real culture and identity to ECW. You knew you were getting something unique which satisfied an itch which the other major promotions couldn't hit.
So this book is Tod's story - from the time he created ECW out of the ashes of the failed TWA promotion, how he gently progressed and eventually brought in Paul Heyman as a booker, then partner, and how the promotion was wrestled from him by Heyman.
The absolute highlight of the book is the coverage of early ECW, including the bar shows. This period isn't as well known and it looked and felt very different from what ECW became, but you could definitely see the direction. I recently watched a lot of ECW from 1993 when they first got their TV deal and it's tons of fun. You really get a sense of the early days and the era when Eddie Gilbert was booking (by the way Gilbert was awesome on the streets of Philly!).
Once you get to about 1994 though the history drops off, as though the more Heyman was involved the more the stories and history don't matter. It's shame, because whilst it's Tod's story and his story is that of ECW, if you don't know the history then this book doesn't really tell you much. Despite him saying how he and Paul talked every day and they were jointly involved in the booking I couldn't help but think, 'your words in this book don't give that impression'.
If I am being honest the book comes across as one long burial of Paul Heyman like in a shoot interview. I'm not sure who the audience is for this. If it's for younger readers wanting some history they may agree with the perspective, but I suspect most reading this will have been around at the time of ECW and been fans, therefore it will be news to no-one that Heyman is a bit dodgy and untrustworthy. It was well known and documented a quarter of a century ago. I'm not necessarily defending Heyman or saying Gordon isn't right, but there are more receipts here than a supermarket floor and it does get a bit tiresome.
Another problem with the book is that Gordon comes across as quite an unpleasant person, despite his protestations. The book is littered with his sexual escapades and drug taking. I get it, one of the appeals of the 'rock star' biography or the 'wrestler' biography is the tales of wild excess, but neither Gordon, nor Oliver who supported with the writing are a good storyteller. And I think this is one of the problems with - he's not 'one of the boys', but he desperately appears to want to be one. It's ironic that he comes across as a mark, rather than an owner. Really, when you've heard about his shagging around and smoking another joint it does get a bit boring.
Another thing that annoys me a little is explaining everything as though the audience knows nothing about wrestling so we get a description of words like 'booker' or 'dirtsheet'. Is there anyone reading these books who do not know these terms? And if they are, put them in a glossary. It reads like a big reveal when that genie has long gone. I also noted that he does not explain what a 'rat' is despite using the term often. I find this really off-putting in 2023. I get that it was common parlance back then, but when one considers the rampant sexual abuse and exploitation of women fans, many underage I don't need Tod Gordon to be 'one of the boys' talking about 'rats'.
A large part of the book covers the wrestlers he worked with, and it was interesting, especially since so many of them had amazing matches, angles and feuds. It's pretty interesting but necessarily doesn't go into enough depth. There are 'funny' stories, but they mostly seem to be stories of them getting fucked up in hotel rooms. The best books on wrestling have these, but they also have insight into booking, funny ring stories, personalities. This kind of feels absent.
There is also quite a sad section of all the wrestlers who worked for him who died (and there are some he notably didn't mention). Now, the drug culture of pro wrestling certainly didn't stop and start in ECW - it was endemic in American pro wrestling. However, when you are reading about these people who died so young, often due to their rampant drug and alcohol use, or suicide, or heart attacks at no point does Gordon seem to take any kind of responsibility for HIS OWN locker room culture and HIS OWN in ring action. He is keen to tell everyone who is the boss, but under his watch a lot of wrestlers messed up their bodies and died young. He makes no connection to his own role as their boss. It's sad and sadly this lack of awareness seems to be on every page because of course, 'he's one of the boys'. It's like the last few decades haven't created any kind of reflective difference. He's keen to paint himself as a hard worker and the one who took the financial risks and that he is a good businessman. They all could be true, but I don't think this is as 'warts and all' as he thinks it is.
Despite these criticisms, the book flies by and I read nearly 300 pages in about a couple of hours so I couldn't put it down, and it was good to go down memory lane. I also dug out a few late 90's shows and generally felt 'holy fuck' enjoying myself revisiting them.
I think those who this book is aimed at will still enjoy it, but it doesn't come strongly recommended because of course, there is a book long angle here.
A final note, the review copy has quite a few editing errors which hopefully will be rectified before release.
At one time I used to absolutely devour wrestling biographies when I was a big fan of the sport, but then I cold turkey-ed for about fifteen years as family commitments took over. Now my kids are a bit older we've got into watching pro wrestling together and it's reignited that passion I once had.
A wrestling journalist whose writing I've always admired described this book as hilarious so I was keen to pick this one up. 'Tod is God' is the story of Tod Gordon, once owner and booker of ECW, a promotion that went from local shows to the national stage and burnt out in less than a decade. If you were around at the time, there was no streaming, not quite so much internet so if the way to access wrestling was through mail order and tape trading. How I loved those ECW tapes turning up with their grainy lines having been copied about ten times! They were such a game changer, and when the tapes were available professionally they were hoovered up by me. In the late 90's ECW was the most violent, the most cutting edge, most exciting promotion around. Sure people got more violent and the 'high-spot' culture we have today is far greater (not a good thing) but back then there was a real culture and identity to ECW. You knew you were getting something unique which satisfied an itch which the other major promotions couldn't hit.
So this book is Tod's story - from the time he created ECW out of the ashes of the failed TWA promotion, how he gently progressed and eventually brought in Paul Heyman as a booker, then partner, and how the promotion was wrestled from him by Heyman.
The absolute highlight of the book is the coverage of early ECW, including the bar shows. This period isn't as well known and it looked and felt very different from what ECW became, but you could definitely see the direction. I recently watched a lot of ECW from 1993 when they first got their TV deal and it's tons of fun. You really get a sense of the early days and the era when Eddie Gilbert was booking (by the way Gilbert was awesome on the streets of Philly!).
Once you get to about 1994 though the history drops off, as though the more Heyman was involved the more the stories and history don't matter. It's shame, because whilst it's Tod's story and his story is that of ECW, if you don't know the history then this book doesn't really tell you much. Despite him saying how he and Paul talked every day and they were jointly involved in the booking I couldn't help but think, 'your words in this book don't give that impression'.
If I am being honest the book comes across as one long burial of Paul Heyman like in a shoot interview. I'm not sure who the audience is for this. If it's for younger readers wanting some history they may agree with the perspective, but I suspect most reading this will have been around at the time of ECW and been fans, therefore it will be news to no-one that Heyman is a bit dodgy and untrustworthy. It was well known and documented a quarter of a century ago. I'm not necessarily defending Heyman or saying Gordon isn't right, but there are more receipts here than a supermarket floor and it does get a bit tiresome.
Another problem with the book is that Gordon comes across as quite an unpleasant person, despite his protestations. The book is littered with his sexual escapades and drug taking. I get it, one of the appeals of the 'rock star' biography or the 'wrestler' biography is the tales of wild excess, but neither Gordon, nor Oliver who supported with the writing are a good storyteller. And I think this is one of the problems with - he's not 'one of the boys', but he desperately appears to want to be one. It's ironic that he comes across as a mark, rather than an owner. Really, when you've heard about his shagging around and smoking another joint it does get a bit boring.
Another thing that annoys me a little is explaining everything as though the audience knows nothing about wrestling so we get a description of words like 'booker' or 'dirtsheet'. Is there anyone reading these books who do not know these terms? And if they are, put them in a glossary. It reads like a big reveal when that genie has long gone. I also noted that he does not explain what a 'rat' is despite using the term often. I find this really off-putting in 2023. I get that it was common parlance back then, but when one considers the rampant sexual abuse and exploitation of women fans, many underage I don't need Tod Gordon to be 'one of the boys' talking about 'rats'.
A large part of the book covers the wrestlers he worked with, and it was interesting, especially since so many of them had amazing matches, angles and feuds. It's pretty interesting but necessarily doesn't go into enough depth. There are 'funny' stories, but they mostly seem to be stories of them getting fucked up in hotel rooms. The best books on wrestling have these, but they also have insight into booking, funny ring stories, personalities. This kind of feels absent.
There is also quite a sad section of all the wrestlers who worked for him who died (and there are some he notably didn't mention). Now, the drug culture of pro wrestling certainly didn't stop and start in ECW - it was endemic in American pro wrestling. However, when you are reading about these people who died so young, often due to their rampant drug and alcohol use, or suicide, or heart attacks at no point does Gordon seem to take any kind of responsibility for HIS OWN locker room culture and HIS OWN in ring action. He is keen to tell everyone who is the boss, but under his watch a lot of wrestlers messed up their bodies and died young. He makes no connection to his own role as their boss. It's sad and sadly this lack of awareness seems to be on every page because of course, 'he's one of the boys'. It's like the last few decades haven't created any kind of reflective difference. He's keen to paint himself as a hard worker and the one who took the financial risks and that he is a good businessman. They all could be true, but I don't think this is as 'warts and all' as he thinks it is.
Despite these criticisms, the book flies by and I read nearly 300 pages in about a couple of hours so I couldn't put it down, and it was good to go down memory lane. I also dug out a few late 90's shows and generally felt 'holy fuck' enjoying myself revisiting them.
I think those who this book is aimed at will still enjoy it, but it doesn't come strongly recommended because of course, there is a book long angle here.
A final note, the review copy has quite a few editing errors which hopefully will be rectified before release.
July 10, 2025
If you're interested in the early years of ECW and names like Tony Stetson and Johnny Hotbody mean something to you then there's some great insight here right from Tod. It covers the time up to 1997 and is a great (and I think very credible) alternative to the official WWE line on ECW which centres the narrative around Heyman. Tod doesn't make his money from wrestling, so I tend to give what he says more weight. Nothing earth-shattering but I really enjoyed it.
June 8, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Permuted Press for an advance copy of this memoir of the man who led one of the craziest, loudest obnoxious and most missed wrestling promotions in history, Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Wrestling has many different ways of telling a story. Stories are told in the ring, on the microphone, in the locker room, to the media that covers them, interviews after they retire, and more recently in books. Some swear by their stories, some swear at the stories being told. The truth in wrestling is like Schrödinger's Cat, both real and fictional at the same time. Stories are a currency to wrestlers. I got the scoop brother, buy me a drink, or a pill or dinner, I'll tell you, brother. Truth from a certain point of view can be entertaining, and continuing to paraphrase from an old Jedi, that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Tod Gordon was one of the originators of what grew into one of the more interesting and violent wrestling promotions and in his memoir Tod is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling written with Sean Oliver is a look back at his life and experiences in the world of pro wrestling.
Tod Gordon was born in Philadelphia and grew up without really an idea of what Gordon wanted to do in life. Gordon's father and uncle ran successful pawn brokerages for fine jewelery, but Tod was not as interested in that life. College introduced him to the arts something that stayed with him after college, even when he thought of taking a job painting pipes. Eventually he joined his father's business and soon was running it, though something was missing. A chance to back a wrestling promotion gave him back an entry into the arts, and soon he had his own company. Things started small, buy moved quickly, from doing shows in bars, to suddenly having TV time. Fans followed, a name change to Extreme Championship Wrestling, and soon ECW was the talk of the business, with daring matches, both violent, and technical, storylines that pushed limits, and wrestlers that pushed even further. Gordon was on a roll, till suddenly things took a turn.
A book for fans of the sport and for ECW fans in particular. There are plenty of behind the scenes stories, drug use, matches gone wrong, drug use, pills, hookups Sandman stories, and more. One doesn't read wresting books for introspection, and there is not much here. One has to remember the era and what was considered acceptable behavior, cause some of this does read as a little juvenile and braggadocious, which I get as it is wrestling, so what else would it be. Gordon liked what he was doing hanging with the boys, and girls, smoking reefer and watching the madness, and occasionally taking part. There is a little score settling, but not as much as one would expect, for a wrestling book it is kind of low. I can't imagine trying to run a business by day, and than dealing with wrestlers and their issues, plus having to talk to Paul Heyman all night. I have to give it to Gordon for that.
Recommended for fans of ECW and for those who miss the Shoot Interviews series, as a lot of this stories would have been perfect. One learns a bit, learns a lot more about the peccadilloes of wrestlers, especially Sandman, or one half of the tag-team Public Enemy, than expected, but it is still an enjoyable book.
Wrestling has many different ways of telling a story. Stories are told in the ring, on the microphone, in the locker room, to the media that covers them, interviews after they retire, and more recently in books. Some swear by their stories, some swear at the stories being told. The truth in wrestling is like Schrödinger's Cat, both real and fictional at the same time. Stories are a currency to wrestlers. I got the scoop brother, buy me a drink, or a pill or dinner, I'll tell you, brother. Truth from a certain point of view can be entertaining, and continuing to paraphrase from an old Jedi, that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Tod Gordon was one of the originators of what grew into one of the more interesting and violent wrestling promotions and in his memoir Tod is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling written with Sean Oliver is a look back at his life and experiences in the world of pro wrestling.
Tod Gordon was born in Philadelphia and grew up without really an idea of what Gordon wanted to do in life. Gordon's father and uncle ran successful pawn brokerages for fine jewelery, but Tod was not as interested in that life. College introduced him to the arts something that stayed with him after college, even when he thought of taking a job painting pipes. Eventually he joined his father's business and soon was running it, though something was missing. A chance to back a wrestling promotion gave him back an entry into the arts, and soon he had his own company. Things started small, buy moved quickly, from doing shows in bars, to suddenly having TV time. Fans followed, a name change to Extreme Championship Wrestling, and soon ECW was the talk of the business, with daring matches, both violent, and technical, storylines that pushed limits, and wrestlers that pushed even further. Gordon was on a roll, till suddenly things took a turn.
A book for fans of the sport and for ECW fans in particular. There are plenty of behind the scenes stories, drug use, matches gone wrong, drug use, pills, hookups Sandman stories, and more. One doesn't read wresting books for introspection, and there is not much here. One has to remember the era and what was considered acceptable behavior, cause some of this does read as a little juvenile and braggadocious, which I get as it is wrestling, so what else would it be. Gordon liked what he was doing hanging with the boys, and girls, smoking reefer and watching the madness, and occasionally taking part. There is a little score settling, but not as much as one would expect, for a wrestling book it is kind of low. I can't imagine trying to run a business by day, and than dealing with wrestlers and their issues, plus having to talk to Paul Heyman all night. I have to give it to Gordon for that.
Recommended for fans of ECW and for those who miss the Shoot Interviews series, as a lot of this stories would have been perfect. One learns a bit, learns a lot more about the peccadilloes of wrestlers, especially Sandman, or one half of the tag-team Public Enemy, than expected, but it is still an enjoyable book.
March 16, 2023
This book really delivers on two fronts:
1) It is incredibly detailed about drug use in the locker room. Tod was once quoted as saying "If you can pass a drug test, you can't work in ECW". And in this book, he talks about it all. From percocets to smoked pencil shavings, Tod is naming names.
2) Score settling with Paul Heyman. Tod has, for whatever reason, stayed mostly silent for 20 years about his role as founder and owner of ECW, letting the prevailing narrative become entirely about super genius Paul Heyman. I'm not really sure how much credit Tod deserves or doesn't for different things, but he sure does paint a comical picture of Heyman, at one point saying "Watching Paul work people is like watching a boa constrictor swallow an elk- you just can't believe the carnage being delivered by such a calm and calculating reptile".
This book probably would have generated more buzz and sales if it came out in 2005 during the peak of ECW nostalgia. In 2023, there are decent chunks of it that feel out of place with current societal standards, some stories that are like "yeah that's a lot darker and less funny than you think it is". But if you're buying a Tod Gordon book about ECW, you know what you're signing up for. So if you're interested in the subject, I'd say worth the read.
Note - I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Netgalley
1) It is incredibly detailed about drug use in the locker room. Tod was once quoted as saying "If you can pass a drug test, you can't work in ECW". And in this book, he talks about it all. From percocets to smoked pencil shavings, Tod is naming names.
2) Score settling with Paul Heyman. Tod has, for whatever reason, stayed mostly silent for 20 years about his role as founder and owner of ECW, letting the prevailing narrative become entirely about super genius Paul Heyman. I'm not really sure how much credit Tod deserves or doesn't for different things, but he sure does paint a comical picture of Heyman, at one point saying "Watching Paul work people is like watching a boa constrictor swallow an elk- you just can't believe the carnage being delivered by such a calm and calculating reptile".
This book probably would have generated more buzz and sales if it came out in 2005 during the peak of ECW nostalgia. In 2023, there are decent chunks of it that feel out of place with current societal standards, some stories that are like "yeah that's a lot darker and less funny than you think it is". But if you're buying a Tod Gordon book about ECW, you know what you're signing up for. So if you're interested in the subject, I'd say worth the read.
Note - I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Netgalley
December 16, 2025
Gordon is a rather forgotten figure in wrestling, despite the continued resonance of the company he created.
That makes it important to learn his perspective, which is something this book partly delivers on. There is a bit of new information here, though of course some of it has to be taken with a pinch of salt given the nature of wrestling.
However, it's also padded with a lot of glorified debauchery, including the author's, which - while certainly no surprise given ECW's reputation - isn't nearly as enjoyable to read as the author seems to think it is. That is particularly so when he rattles off the many premature deaths of ECW workers, largely due to same lifestyle, and some arguably attributable to the high-impact nature of ECW. There's also a striking moment when he scorns a woman as "repulsive" for soliciting partners while in a relationship...having gleefully related the tale of the married Sandman carrying on an affair with a married women at ECW.
A useful read for a bit of insight into ECW, but not an entirely comfortable one.
That makes it important to learn his perspective, which is something this book partly delivers on. There is a bit of new information here, though of course some of it has to be taken with a pinch of salt given the nature of wrestling.
However, it's also padded with a lot of glorified debauchery, including the author's, which - while certainly no surprise given ECW's reputation - isn't nearly as enjoyable to read as the author seems to think it is. That is particularly so when he rattles off the many premature deaths of ECW workers, largely due to same lifestyle, and some arguably attributable to the high-impact nature of ECW. There's also a striking moment when he scorns a woman as "repulsive" for soliciting partners while in a relationship...having gleefully related the tale of the married Sandman carrying on an affair with a married women at ECW.
A useful read for a bit of insight into ECW, but not an entirely comfortable one.
May 21, 2023
Review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks for the review copy and permission for an honest review.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, I enjoyed the "backstage" access and first-person tales, but had three issues (two substantive, one not):
1) the formatting of the ebook is off on so many occasions that it's quite noticeable;
2) setting aside what ECW was (and I am a fan), I believe some of the author's opinions/perspectives are crass and/or inapproriate; and
3) the narrative is hard to follow at times because it jumps around and it's not clear how the author intended his story to come across (definitely not chronologically).
If you're a fan of wrestling, I would definitely recommend this book because it's a quick read, there's some stories you likely didn't know and the author's writing style is enjoyable and easy to read, but I wouldn't go out of your way to make sure you read it. It doesn't tread new ground and has some of the issues I described.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, I enjoyed the "backstage" access and first-person tales, but had three issues (two substantive, one not):
1) the formatting of the ebook is off on so many occasions that it's quite noticeable;
2) setting aside what ECW was (and I am a fan), I believe some of the author's opinions/perspectives are crass and/or inapproriate; and
3) the narrative is hard to follow at times because it jumps around and it's not clear how the author intended his story to come across (definitely not chronologically).
If you're a fan of wrestling, I would definitely recommend this book because it's a quick read, there's some stories you likely didn't know and the author's writing style is enjoyable and easy to read, but I wouldn't go out of your way to make sure you read it. It doesn't tread new ground and has some of the issues I described.
September 20, 2023
I didn't know what to expect from this book. I wasn't sure how interested in it that I would be. I attended a good amount of ECW shows in from 1995 through 1997 and I made a few friends that are in the business and associated with the business.
I didn't buy it immediately when it came out, but when I saw some of my friends raving about it, I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. There were more detailed stories in here than I expected and some of them are pretty graphic. To be honest, I don't know if I needed to know the full details about some of the things that were described, such as the thing with the bathroom sink. But, if you read it, you'll learn about that.
As I said, I attended a lot of ECW shows. It was fun to hear the background of some of them and get Tod's perspective on some of the more controversial things that I witnessed.
If you're a fan of ECW or just Professional Wrestling as a whole, I do recommend this book a lot.
I didn't buy it immediately when it came out, but when I saw some of my friends raving about it, I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. There were more detailed stories in here than I expected and some of them are pretty graphic. To be honest, I don't know if I needed to know the full details about some of the things that were described, such as the thing with the bathroom sink. But, if you read it, you'll learn about that.
As I said, I attended a lot of ECW shows. It was fun to hear the background of some of them and get Tod's perspective on some of the more controversial things that I witnessed.
If you're a fan of ECW or just Professional Wrestling as a whole, I do recommend this book a lot.
November 21, 2023
3 and a half stars from me!
Enjoyed the book, having never really known about Tod Gordon or his history with ECW, given that Paul Heyman was historically the "Frontman" of ECW and accredited for a lot of its success.
The book filled in a lot of gaps about certain aspects of ECWs mid 1990's run, and incredibly, his gifting of almost half of the company to Paul Heyman in exchange for his work behind the scenes was something I never knew about at all, but makes a lot of sense with all of the other context put forward in the book.
Very stark and tragic to read about all of the ECW workers who have now died, having played a part, whether big or small, in the organisation as it ran during its mid 90's heyday.
Sean Oliver's writing style comes through very well on the finished product.
Recommended for wrestling fans
Enjoyed the book, having never really known about Tod Gordon or his history with ECW, given that Paul Heyman was historically the "Frontman" of ECW and accredited for a lot of its success.
The book filled in a lot of gaps about certain aspects of ECWs mid 1990's run, and incredibly, his gifting of almost half of the company to Paul Heyman in exchange for his work behind the scenes was something I never knew about at all, but makes a lot of sense with all of the other context put forward in the book.
Very stark and tragic to read about all of the ECW workers who have now died, having played a part, whether big or small, in the organisation as it ran during its mid 90's heyday.
Sean Oliver's writing style comes through very well on the finished product.
Recommended for wrestling fans
August 8, 2023
Fun read about a great period in American pro wrestling history. My minor criticisms are 1) I wish it was a bit longer and 2) I wish the stories were put in more of a chronological order with Sean Oliver adding some historical perspective, e.g. there's the story about the time Jim Cornette did a shot at the ECW arena that's told largely without the context of the card or storylilne. I was at several shows in that era (I missed the Cornette appearance but was there when Jerry Lawler showed up) and those shows were the best pro wrestling events I ever attended or likely will ever attend so I would have loved to hear more details about how they came together.
Still, if you were there back then this book is for you.
Still, if you were there back then this book is for you.
August 21, 2023
An interesting read / listen. I didn't know anything about Tod Gordon before this book other than him being a part of the ECW Wrestling canon. If even half of this book is to be believed, Gordon had much more to do with ECW's success than WWE, and Paul Heyman would care to admit.
There are some interesting road stories, but many are seedy, and this book is not for the faint of heart. Sean Oliver's narration is engaging, and this was a quick weekend listen. I wouldn't suggest this to any non-wrestling fans, that's for sure.
Listened via Hoopla Digital.
There are some interesting road stories, but many are seedy, and this book is not for the faint of heart. Sean Oliver's narration is engaging, and this was a quick weekend listen. I wouldn't suggest this to any non-wrestling fans, that's for sure.
Listened via Hoopla Digital.
July 26, 2023
The stories are as blood-curdling as you might expect, but there's no real sense of accountability attached to any of this, particularly when it comes to the consequences that resulted from engaging in the types of activities that were part of extreme wrestling. The attitude seems to be, "Hey, people died and people got hurt, but our fans loved us and we had a good time drinking, smoking, snorting, and screwing, so what a time, huh?" It all wears you down after a while...
November 5, 2024
About a 1.5 star. I feel like there were a lot of stories missing. Nothing about RVD or Chris Candido. A lot of times, he would start a story and then say, we'll talk about that later. The author also seems to be full of himself. Nothing is ever his fault. Finally, there are a lot of locker room stories. It probably sounds great when he tells them in the locker room, but it does t come across in print very well.
November 24, 2023
This was surprisingly brilliant! After a brief introduction to Tods life, it delves straight into the wrestling. It's told in a way that holds your interest throughout the entire book and there's alot of funny anecdotes. I'd highly recommend the audiobook as Sean Olivers narration was great.
April 15, 2024
This comes recommended to anyone who was an ECW fan or interested in the history of professional wrestling.
Funny, heartbreaking and outrageous this encapsulates the spirit of ECW and comes highly recommended.
Funny, heartbreaking and outrageous this encapsulates the spirit of ECW and comes highly recommended.
August 28, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. It brought back some great memories of watching ECW back in the 90s. The only issue I had is that so many stories seemed glossed over and left me wanting more info. Which is the sign of something good- always leave them wanting more
August 21, 2023
A book I didn't know I needed is now one without which my love of wrestling would be less profound.
September 4, 2023
It’s always with a grain of salt that one must look into the history of professional wrestling. In “Tod is God” author and ECW founder Tod Gordon and Sean Oliver take a deep dive into the early days of a promotion. Gordon comes off as the level-headed business owner and his relationship arc with Paul Heyman is very interesting. The writing is easy going which makes for a lightning quick journey. A must for wrestling fans.
September 5, 2023
Fantastic. It's the best book on the early history of ECW and full of great stories and insights.
October 25, 2023
Good book
This book brought back some good memories. Tod Gordon is an Unsung Hero. He does have good stories. Its worth the money.
This book brought back some good memories. Tod Gordon is an Unsung Hero. He does have good stories. Its worth the money.
February 1, 2025
not as good as i thought it was going to be but was still a decent read
September 1, 2025
fkn amazing!!!
February 2, 2024
As a HUGE fan of ECW, I really enjoyed this book and some of the great behind the scenes stories as well. My only issue with the book is Tod comes off as a bit of a mark for himself. It’s still great to hear Tod’s point of view on one of the most influential wrestling promotions of all-time. There would have been no ECW without him, and he’s brutally honest and pulls no punches here. If you grew up on ECW like me, this is a must-read.
January 8, 2024
A pretty breezy read with many laugh out loud stories. Far from trying to remove himself from scenes of the crime, he just wants to tell us his side and most the time its more incredible then the story told. MUST READ FOR WRESTLING FANS!
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