What do you think?
Rate this book
Gentleman Jack and Rough Rufus: The Rise of Black American Wrestling
Gentleman Jack and Rough Rufus: The Rise of Black American Wrestling" is a biography of two Black professional wrestling pioneers that doubles as a socio-historical account of the development of an identifiable Black pro wrestling style between 1930 and 1960. The unforgettable rises and tragic downfalls of Jack Claybourne and Rufus Jones are both covered in microscopic detail, and in a way that enables readers to clearly identify the historical importance of both figures within the broader context of the professional wrestling landscape. Moreover, readers will be able to plainly see how the influence of the two athletes continues to be evident nearly 100 years after both wrestlers made their in-ring debuts.
488 pages, Paperback
Published February 24, 2025
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 23, 2025
I should tell you something before you read any further: I edited this book. I help with as many of Ian's books as I can. He's one of the best wrestling writers in the game. But I'd love this book even if I hadn't touched it.
This is the real story of two Black pioneers in wrestling, Claybourne and Jones. The research is solid as a heavyweight's grip. Every page has been dragged from the archives and every page teaches you something. Not just about wrestling. About America. About struggle.
When you read, you're there. The sweat. The roar. The pain. Douglass writes that way. No fancy stuff. Just the tea, sis.
I've read hundreds of wrestling books. Books that were mostly made up. Books that were plagiarized from other books. Books that were written in a day based on an hour's conversation with an intoxicated legend at a convention. Books that made heroes into cartoons. This one doesn't. It shows these men as they were. Tough. Smart. The innovators of a style today's Bloodline Samoans carry on, strangely enough (he talks about this).
The book breaks your heart sometimes. The pioneer days were harder than most of the hard men working back then. Black wrestlers had it the worst. That's not politics. That's fact. The book faces it head-on, carefully explaining how Claybourne and Jones found ways to earn a living.
If you love the history of wrestling, you need this book. If you hate wrestling but love well-researched stories about history, you need it too. It's that damn good.
This is the real story of two Black pioneers in wrestling, Claybourne and Jones. The research is solid as a heavyweight's grip. Every page has been dragged from the archives and every page teaches you something. Not just about wrestling. About America. About struggle.
When you read, you're there. The sweat. The roar. The pain. Douglass writes that way. No fancy stuff. Just the tea, sis.
I've read hundreds of wrestling books. Books that were mostly made up. Books that were plagiarized from other books. Books that were written in a day based on an hour's conversation with an intoxicated legend at a convention. Books that made heroes into cartoons. This one doesn't. It shows these men as they were. Tough. Smart. The innovators of a style today's Bloodline Samoans carry on, strangely enough (he talks about this).
The book breaks your heart sometimes. The pioneer days were harder than most of the hard men working back then. Black wrestlers had it the worst. That's not politics. That's fact. The book faces it head-on, carefully explaining how Claybourne and Jones found ways to earn a living.
If you love the history of wrestling, you need this book. If you hate wrestling but love well-researched stories about history, you need it too. It's that damn good.
Displaying 1 of 1 review