Curtain Call: How An Unscripted Goodbye Changed The Course Of Pro Wrestling

by Dan Ryckert

Professional wrestling saw its biggest boom period in the late 1990s, but the events that led to it may not have ever happened if it weren't for the unscripted actions of four of its biggest stars in 1996. With Kevin Nash and Scott Hall leaving for the rival WCW, they (along with their friends Shawn Michaels and Triple H) committed the cardinal sin of breaking character in front of a sold-out crowd at the World Wrestling Federation's sacred ground of Madison Square Garden. The repercussions of that event were far-reaching, and the landscape of the industry would be drastically different if not for the actions of these four men. Everything from the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the genesis of D-Generation X, and even WWF's eventual purchase of WCW may not have happened if it weren't for the infamous Curtain Call on May 19, 1996. Using interviews from the men involved in the notorious incident, this book explores the events leading up to the Curtain Call, the incident itself, and its significant and industry-changing aftermath.

27 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2014

Reviews

[Anadyr21 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, let's keep it real. Unless you're a wrestling fan, it's unlikely that you'd be interested in this book. Furthermore, if you're already a wrestling fan, you probably already know the story. Heck, chances are, you could have used the same resources used in the bibliography and written the same story, possibly better. It's not a bad book, but I wouldn't say it's a particularly good one either. Yes, what led up to the incident, the incident itself, and it's aftermath, caused some significant changes. But I feel that this book really only touched the surface of the after-effects. Of course, this book was designed to be a short, quick read, not a detailed thesis.

I wouldn't call this a "must read." It's more like a "sure, why not." If you already know the story, and/or have watched any of the documentaries on "Monday Night Wars" (on the WWE Network for just $9.99; sorry, couldn't help it) you won't gain any significant insight. If you're new to wrestling and are unfamiliar with "The Kliq" or "Monday Night Wars," this is the quick and dirty version.

[Chris Sneed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fine way to kill a few hours or so, nothing new to learn for me personally. I read this mainly as a fan of Dan's. If you are a new wrestling fan or someone that didn't watch much then it's a good way to find out what happened in this time frame. If you're well versed in the area this book reads more like a book report of the events than something new.

[Phil Melcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did an impromptu moment between 4 WWF Superstars at a Live Event at Madison Square Garden in 1996 alter the course of Professional Wrestling to this day? Dan Ryckert sure thinks so and gives a 3 chapter argument in "Curtain Call: How an Unscripted Goodbye Change The Course Of Pro Wrestling". Ryckert tells the story of The Kliq: 5 friends who traveled together, partied together and had many veteran wrestlers and executives sick and tired of their antics both in and out of the ring. The Curtain Call itself was Scott Hall, Kevin Nash (both popular WWF Wrestlers leaving for chief rival WCW saying goodbye) along with Shawn Michaels all popular WWF stars at the time and their friend Paul "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" Levesque one of the WWF's top heels at the time, embracing each other and destroying "Kayfabe". (the term regarding the illusion of Wrestling as real) Fans have never before seen characters broken and the lines of good and evil stepped on as The Kliq knew this was their last night together. The aftermath of this incident (which was supposedly approved by WWF owner Vince McMahon) is where the real argument is made that others got opportunities that one particular member of the Curtain Call did not at a pivotal time as the war between WCW and the WWF was just igniting. Hall and Nash recall their roles in the incident, but frankly I think the author didn't need most of their quotes as they did more to detract from the actual story than added to it. I also don't believe this book did any favors in telling the story to casual wrestling fans or those with no prior knowledge of the genre. This rather controversial tale has been told before by the actual participants in a much more congenial and less profane manner and I would encourage anyone wanting to know more about The Curtain Call to look elsewhere.

[Sarah Starkiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick Synopsis: In the late 1990’s WWF was at its’ prime but the departure of two of its’ biggest stars was a weight on the shoulders of everyone in the company. But were it not for the unscripted actions of the company’s biggest stars, the course professional wrestling took, may never have happened.

Okay. I liked it because it had to do with wrestling. I also liked it because it wasn’t terribly written. I didn’t love it because it was a little too one-sided. It made Scott Hall and Kevin Nash seem like they were the only reason the WWF (now WWE) are still around. Like if it weren’t for them (and Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and X-Pac) that the Monday Night Wars would never have happened. Which may be true but come on, give more credit where it’s due. Not just to 5 guys.

I also didn’t love it because it was too short. It was like the first chapter to a bigger, longer, much better book. It works GREAT as an intro to something else but just how it is… it fell short of what it could have been. I hope Ryckert continues to write about wrestling and eventually complies all his writings into one big thing because I’m sure I’d like it more then. Instead of being left with a sour taste in my mouth for paying $3 for 50 pages.

If it were $1, I might have liked it more because I’d be more inclined to “you get what you pay for” but I’ve paid less for much more. So, yes, my biggest complaint is the price to page ratio. Boom. BUT. If you’re a fan of wrestling and don’t care about e-book prices, it’s a good, quick, short read. And it is actually quite enjoyable.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who hasn't watched wrestling since he was a teenager, this a great read about an era in wrestling that was over long before I ever started watching recorded late-night RAW on Sunday mornings.

[Andre J Gamble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for wrestling fans.

A great by "Dirty" Dan Ryckert. A must read for fans of Dan's work on the Powerbomb Cast and all wrestling fans.

[Jess Sherwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

short, sweet, essential.

I wish it was longer! Great read into a very momentous event in Wrestling history. We are using this lovely piece in our first wrestling book club!

[Doug Turrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

Easy read, some cool quotes but if you've heard the source material, nothing new. Worth the read though for sure.