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HOOKER
Who was the greatest pro wrestler of the 20th century?
The debate is a real one among those who seriously study the history of this American pop-culture creation. Like the arguments over any effort to crown "the greatest," "the best," or "the worst," that answer is unlikely to ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. One fact is indisputable, though. For those who watched wrestling before it became "sports entertainment," there is only one answer — Lou Thesz.
The son of European immigrants, Thesz discovered his love of amateur wrestling as a shy eight-year-old, scuffling with his father at night on the linoleum floor of the family's kitchen in south St. Louis. He was a natural at the sport, blessed with lightning-fast reflexes and a determination to succeed. He was obsessive about conditioning and hungry to learn, and those qualities eventually led him, as a teenager, into the closed and secretive world of pro wrestling, the only place where he could continue to compete on the mat.
This is Thesz' story — an adventure that took him to the heights of his chosen profession at a very young age and eventually into rings throughout the world. A devoted fan of pro wrestling, he won the respect and friendship of many of the legends. In the 1940s, when television demanded more action and a flashier style of wrestling, he became the transitional figure, the link to the past. Thesz decried the rise of "gimmick" performers like Gorgeous George and Buddy Rogers, who diminished the importance of the authentic style of wrestling he loved and practiced, but he adjusted because the bottom line of pro wrestling, as with any pro endeavor, was making money, and he could see where the future lay.
In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, he was the world heavyweight champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, its standard-bearer, and he carried those colors with dignity and class. "My gimmick was wrestling," he said, and it was evident to anyone who ever bought a ticket to see Lou Thesz that he was the real thing.
"Hooker" was something of a sensation among wrestling fans when it was first published in the 1990s because it was among the first accounts ever published by a major wrestling star that discussed the business with candor from the inside. Academics praised the book, too, for its clear depiction of an era and the rise of a cultural phenomenon.
This is a book for everyone with an interest in professional wrestling. This new edition published by Crowbar Press contains pages and pages of new material — stories and anecdotes — none of which has been published in any previous edition and all in the voice of one of the legendary figures of the game. Every sentence has been thoroughly combed over and vetted in order to answer any questions previously asked by readers, or to correct and/or re-order the "facts" as Lou recalled them, and each chapter now has detailed endnotes to further supplement the text. Combine all those ingredients with all-new, spellbinding forewords by Charlie Thesz and Kit Bauman (comprising 26 pages), an extensive 32-page "addendum" in Lou's own words, and a comprehensive name-and-subject index, and you have the definitive tome devoted to wrestling's golden era.
This is "no holds barred" material — far more open and truthful than anything ever written about professional wrestling.
The debate is a real one among those who seriously study the history of this American pop-culture creation. Like the arguments over any effort to crown "the greatest," "the best," or "the worst," that answer is unlikely to ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. One fact is indisputable, though. For those who watched wrestling before it became "sports entertainment," there is only one answer — Lou Thesz.
The son of European immigrants, Thesz discovered his love of amateur wrestling as a shy eight-year-old, scuffling with his father at night on the linoleum floor of the family's kitchen in south St. Louis. He was a natural at the sport, blessed with lightning-fast reflexes and a determination to succeed. He was obsessive about conditioning and hungry to learn, and those qualities eventually led him, as a teenager, into the closed and secretive world of pro wrestling, the only place where he could continue to compete on the mat.
This is Thesz' story — an adventure that took him to the heights of his chosen profession at a very young age and eventually into rings throughout the world. A devoted fan of pro wrestling, he won the respect and friendship of many of the legends. In the 1940s, when television demanded more action and a flashier style of wrestling, he became the transitional figure, the link to the past. Thesz decried the rise of "gimmick" performers like Gorgeous George and Buddy Rogers, who diminished the importance of the authentic style of wrestling he loved and practiced, but he adjusted because the bottom line of pro wrestling, as with any pro endeavor, was making money, and he could see where the future lay.
In the late 1940s and well into the 1950s, he was the world heavyweight champion of the National Wrestling Alliance, its standard-bearer, and he carried those colors with dignity and class. "My gimmick was wrestling," he said, and it was evident to anyone who ever bought a ticket to see Lou Thesz that he was the real thing.
"Hooker" was something of a sensation among wrestling fans when it was first published in the 1990s because it was among the first accounts ever published by a major wrestling star that discussed the business with candor from the inside. Academics praised the book, too, for its clear depiction of an era and the rise of a cultural phenomenon.
This is a book for everyone with an interest in professional wrestling. This new edition published by Crowbar Press contains pages and pages of new material — stories and anecdotes — none of which has been published in any previous edition and all in the voice of one of the legendary figures of the game. Every sentence has been thoroughly combed over and vetted in order to answer any questions previously asked by readers, or to correct and/or re-order the "facts" as Lou recalled them, and each chapter now has detailed endnotes to further supplement the text. Combine all those ingredients with all-new, spellbinding forewords by Charlie Thesz and Kit Bauman (comprising 26 pages), an extensive 32-page "addendum" in Lou's own words, and a comprehensive name-and-subject index, and you have the definitive tome devoted to wrestling's golden era.
This is "no holds barred" material — far more open and truthful than anything ever written about professional wrestling.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2001
22 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 9, 2021
Lou Thesz is considered to be a 'transitional' figure at an important time in pro wrestling history. Trained at a young age in Greco-Roman wrestling by his father (who was a national champion in his native Hungary) before becoming a successful freestyle wrestler in his teens, Thesz then entered the pro ranks in order to continue the sport he loved. It was then that he began training under the terrifying Olympian George Tragos, the tough carnival wrestler Ray Steele, the dangerous catch wrestler Ad Santel and the legendary Ed "Strangler" Lewis.
Thesz was the link to the past, where professional wrestlers held the legitimate claim of being the most dangerous and toughest men on the planet. If you look at any serious wrestling historian (of both amateur and pro wrestling) they will point out just how skilled and dangerous these men were, even as the sport was transitioning from competitive contest to athletic entertainment in the 1920s. Back in these days, professional wrestlers could make short work of top ranked national and Olympic wrestling champions. One of Thesz's trainers, Ad Santel, beat several world judo champions. John Pesek beat Olympic freestlye wrestling silver medallist Pat Nendleton convincingly. Ray Steele beat boxer Kingfish Levinsky in an early modern MMA fight. Olympic wrestler Ed Don George flat-out refused to face Ed Lewis in a real contest, instead agreeing to lose in a performance match. Gene LeBell, who was taught submission wrestling by Thesz, witnessed Thesz make short work of national amateur wrestling champions. This is sadly not the case nowadays, as even someone who isn't a fan of pro wrestling will still know how ridiculously comical it is.
Thesz maintained that reputation with his training from the real wrestling masters. Thesz loved to wrestle, whether it was competition or performance. Men who faced him in the ring under the bright lights knew they were there to wrestle. Unfortunately his sport was beginning to rely more on performers with little to no legitimate wrestling skills. The authentic style he loved and practised so much was becoming secondary to gimmicks and performers. When Thesz became NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the wrestling started to feature flying moves and unrealistic attacks, something Thesz struggled to understand even to his final days. He strove to maintain the competitive, authentic style but even he had to adapt to this newer style.
Hooker is highly recommended for both amateur and professional wrestling fans, even MMA fans. Crowbar Press have re-released this book full of brilliant photos and endnotes.
Thesz was the link to the past, where professional wrestlers held the legitimate claim of being the most dangerous and toughest men on the planet. If you look at any serious wrestling historian (of both amateur and pro wrestling) they will point out just how skilled and dangerous these men were, even as the sport was transitioning from competitive contest to athletic entertainment in the 1920s. Back in these days, professional wrestlers could make short work of top ranked national and Olympic wrestling champions. One of Thesz's trainers, Ad Santel, beat several world judo champions. John Pesek beat Olympic freestlye wrestling silver medallist Pat Nendleton convincingly. Ray Steele beat boxer Kingfish Levinsky in an early modern MMA fight. Olympic wrestler Ed Don George flat-out refused to face Ed Lewis in a real contest, instead agreeing to lose in a performance match. Gene LeBell, who was taught submission wrestling by Thesz, witnessed Thesz make short work of national amateur wrestling champions. This is sadly not the case nowadays, as even someone who isn't a fan of pro wrestling will still know how ridiculously comical it is.
Thesz maintained that reputation with his training from the real wrestling masters. Thesz loved to wrestle, whether it was competition or performance. Men who faced him in the ring under the bright lights knew they were there to wrestle. Unfortunately his sport was beginning to rely more on performers with little to no legitimate wrestling skills. The authentic style he loved and practised so much was becoming secondary to gimmicks and performers. When Thesz became NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the wrestling started to feature flying moves and unrealistic attacks, something Thesz struggled to understand even to his final days. He strove to maintain the competitive, authentic style but even he had to adapt to this newer style.
Hooker is highly recommended for both amateur and professional wrestling fans, even MMA fans. Crowbar Press have re-released this book full of brilliant photos and endnotes.
March 26, 2015
I've read so many of these works but didn't read this one for a long time because a) I never thought Thesz was as good a worker as he thought he was and b) I used to follow him on AOL, back when I was hogging my parents' phone connection. However, perhaps because of the collaborators involved, this is more than just a paean to Thesz--it's really the first comprehensive history of the sport, with insights from Thesz alongside it. Thesz doesn't give too much match by match commentary, understandable given the fact that he wrestled the same match eighty bajillion times, but hits the highlights: drawing $$$ with Buddy Rogers, the big LA bout with Baron Leone, opening up Japan with Rikidozan, and working the Southern territories after a painful divorce. The footnotes to this edition make it an even more valuable resource.
Thesz, to both his credit and his detriment, never misses a chance to put himself over as a "hooker." Others, including legitimate badasses such as Karl Gotch and Bill Watts, have claimed that Thesz's reputation was a bit inflated in this regard, but the ex-champ's insights about others (Strangler Lewis, George Tragos, the brutally powerful Bert Assirati) seem measured and reasonably accurate. Whether the post-trachoma Strangler Lewis was as potent a force as Thesz claims he was is a bit dubious, but hey, it's clear that Lou loved the guy.
Thesz, to both his credit and his detriment, never misses a chance to put himself over as a "hooker." Others, including legitimate badasses such as Karl Gotch and Bill Watts, have claimed that Thesz's reputation was a bit inflated in this regard, but the ex-champ's insights about others (Strangler Lewis, George Tragos, the brutally powerful Bert Assirati) seem measured and reasonably accurate. Whether the post-trachoma Strangler Lewis was as potent a force as Thesz claims he was is a bit dubious, but hey, it's clear that Lou loved the guy.
June 6, 2009
This is one of the best biographies I've ever read. Self-published (which at times is painfully obvious), this book is nonetheless fascinating and nearly flawlessly executed. If you have no interest in pro wrestling, I can't guarantee you'd like it, although it doesn't deal with the pro wrestling "product" of today.
Thesz was a great athlete and a great wrestler, and he tells his story with just the right balance between ego and humility. A "hooker" was the elite of the elite--a guy who was not only a top-flight wrestler but who could also do serious damage if the situation warranted it. Guys like Lou were the prototypes of today's MMA/UFC fighters.
I just finished it for the second time. I'm not sure where you'd find a copy today--I bought mine mail-order from Lou Thesz's son. It's both iconic and quirky... you can't beat that!
Thesz was a great athlete and a great wrestler, and he tells his story with just the right balance between ego and humility. A "hooker" was the elite of the elite--a guy who was not only a top-flight wrestler but who could also do serious damage if the situation warranted it. Guys like Lou were the prototypes of today's MMA/UFC fighters.
I just finished it for the second time. I'm not sure where you'd find a copy today--I bought mine mail-order from Lou Thesz's son. It's both iconic and quirky... you can't beat that!
September 26, 2011
For anyone interested, this book has FINALLY been reprinted.
http://crowbarpress.com/cbp-books/13-...
http://crowbarpress.com/cbp-books/13-...
February 4, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was a highly informative autobiography from Lou Thesz about the professional wrestling business during the first three quarters of the 20th century and his journey through it. The opening chapter was probably the most informative and authoritative of all, as it provides a lot of generalized truths about the individuals that make up the business. From there it seems as though each chapter gradually loses authority / credibility due to Thesz's . . . brand of story telling. This was alluded to in both forewords included from Thesz's wife and Kit Bauman, the fellow who helped transcribe and publish this autobiography. (Bauman's foreword opens with the line "An autobiography . . . is a literary form that 'usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory'") I'm going to dig into my issues with this a bit further before speaking on the aspects I appreciated.
I think this is the first traditional autobiography I've read in which the author just barely speaks on / explores the elements of their life that are tragic, embarrassing, hypocritical, ugly, ect. As a result, this work lacks any semblance of meaningful humility or a redemption arc. Anytime someone else tries to get one over on Lou, undermine him, or put him at risk, he always comes out on top and makes it a point to make sure we, the readers, know he comes out on top. After so reading so many of his stories with this formula, I start to 1.) question the credibility and 2.) lose interest in what is becoming a self-mythologized character.
To be fair, there are three "tragic" events in his life that he briefly touches the surface of; his parents temporarily shunning him for choosing wrestling, his first divorce somehow resulting in him being drafted to the army, and his second decades long marriage being a mistake. Unfortunately, his telling of these events aren't effective in humanizing him in the context of his many self-aggrandizing stories.
However, Lou's whole persona is largely influenced by his time and place within the wrestling industry in the U.S. during the mid 20th century. He's a top of the industry, business savvy "hooker" which separates him from the majority of professional wrestlers that are lower / mid card, do not know how to effectively negotiate on their behalf, and don't actually know how to wrestle competitively. In other words, if a promoter wanted Lou to lose his world championship belt to an up and comer, and Lou didn't want to, Lou didn't have to. Lou would go out to the ring, legitimately beat up the guy, and hook him painfully into submission. This kind of dynamic corresponds to the ego of Lou that shines through the pages.
Those issues out of the way, this was a very entertaining and informative read. I do appreciate Lou's strong business tact as a performer in the business. He's not shy on speaking about the uglier harsher parts of the business, even though it's often at the expense of someone he clearly dislikes.
My favorite part of reading Hooker was this profound feeling I had reading about a wrestler from a time that originally felt so foreign and distant. As I read on, this work gradually left me feeling that we are not far removed from the 20th century. This time flattening effect was a beautiful thing to experience and now I generally don't think of 100 years as being that long of a time ago.
This was a highly informative autobiography from Lou Thesz about the professional wrestling business during the first three quarters of the 20th century and his journey through it. The opening chapter was probably the most informative and authoritative of all, as it provides a lot of generalized truths about the individuals that make up the business. From there it seems as though each chapter gradually loses authority / credibility due to Thesz's . . . brand of story telling. This was alluded to in both forewords included from Thesz's wife and Kit Bauman, the fellow who helped transcribe and publish this autobiography. (Bauman's foreword opens with the line "An autobiography . . . is a literary form that 'usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory'") I'm going to dig into my issues with this a bit further before speaking on the aspects I appreciated.
I think this is the first traditional autobiography I've read in which the author just barely speaks on / explores the elements of their life that are tragic, embarrassing, hypocritical, ugly, ect. As a result, this work lacks any semblance of meaningful humility or a redemption arc. Anytime someone else tries to get one over on Lou, undermine him, or put him at risk, he always comes out on top and makes it a point to make sure we, the readers, know he comes out on top. After so reading so many of his stories with this formula, I start to 1.) question the credibility and 2.) lose interest in what is becoming a self-mythologized character.
To be fair, there are three "tragic" events in his life that he briefly touches the surface of; his parents temporarily shunning him for choosing wrestling, his first divorce somehow resulting in him being drafted to the army, and his second decades long marriage being a mistake. Unfortunately, his telling of these events aren't effective in humanizing him in the context of his many self-aggrandizing stories.
However, Lou's whole persona is largely influenced by his time and place within the wrestling industry in the U.S. during the mid 20th century. He's a top of the industry, business savvy "hooker" which separates him from the majority of professional wrestlers that are lower / mid card, do not know how to effectively negotiate on their behalf, and don't actually know how to wrestle competitively. In other words, if a promoter wanted Lou to lose his world championship belt to an up and comer, and Lou didn't want to, Lou didn't have to. Lou would go out to the ring, legitimately beat up the guy, and hook him painfully into submission. This kind of dynamic corresponds to the ego of Lou that shines through the pages.
Those issues out of the way, this was a very entertaining and informative read. I do appreciate Lou's strong business tact as a performer in the business. He's not shy on speaking about the uglier harsher parts of the business, even though it's often at the expense of someone he clearly dislikes.
My favorite part of reading Hooker was this profound feeling I had reading about a wrestler from a time that originally felt so foreign and distant. As I read on, this work gradually left me feeling that we are not far removed from the 20th century. This time flattening effect was a beautiful thing to experience and now I generally don't think of 100 years as being that long of a time ago.
July 4, 2021
There's an inherent pleasure in reading a well-researched, well-written book, regardless of the topic. Hooker is one of those. A history of backstabbings, ambushes and double-crosses, narrated in a way that even someone not interested in professional wrestling would find interesting. Getting the history of the professional wrestling industry in the United States through Lou Thesz, someone who many wrestling fans would not recognize if they saw on a picture, but whose name would ring a bell due to the wrestling move bearing his name, was quite an enjoyable experience. Right from the beginning, starting with the roots of professional wrestling in carnivals, and explaining how it inevitably had to become a "worked" event where the results were predetermined, the narrative hooks you (pun intended) through the tale of the man who was not only part of professional wrestling, but was himself its highest exponent for many years. All of it, narrated by Mr. Thesz himself and curated diligently.
Bear in mind that we are talking about the territory days, before antibiotics came along and wrestling with bears was still a permissible (although poorly looked upon) act. The McMahon name only makes an appearance late into the book, and referring to the patriarch of the dynasty, who was not Vince, as some today may think. For someone looking to learn more on the rise of the WWF/WWE, the McMahons and the Bischoff, the The "Dwayne Johnson" Rock and CM Punk, look elsewhere. But look here also, because the amount of wrestling history this book is packed with will hardly be found elsewhere.
Bear in mind that we are talking about the territory days, before antibiotics came along and wrestling with bears was still a permissible (although poorly looked upon) act. The McMahon name only makes an appearance late into the book, and referring to the patriarch of the dynasty, who was not Vince, as some today may think. For someone looking to learn more on the rise of the WWF/WWE, the McMahons and the Bischoff, the The "Dwayne Johnson" Rock and CM Punk, look elsewhere. But look here also, because the amount of wrestling history this book is packed with will hardly be found elsewhere.
July 29, 2023
The story of one of the top guys, who was smart and determined. Lots about the business and characters, great road stories.
Notes:
6 In making this book, wife Charlie had the joy of “meeting” Lou as a child.
8 Tragos turned Thesz into a wrestler
9 Lou recorded stories, Kit transcribed
12 Lou went off on tangents
13 Rocca’s collusion with promoters
16 J Michael Kenyon (JMK), a partner in irreverence
21 looking for publisher, discovered the internet, AOL free discs Lou got a PC Self-publishing, xerox, bound at Kinkos
41 quit school at 14, went to work in shop
50 1935, tight $, stealing field corn
58 Gotch wrestled dirty
67 Jim Londos a variation on Jack London
115 Gorgeous George’s great luck to arrive in LA when Hugh Nichols started televising matches.
139 Don Leo Jonathan walk the top rope around the ring ???
146 Baron Leone pleased ladies
200 Gulas cheater, paybacks
206 Chief Chewacki the strangest character
215 WWF saw cable TV’s potential
296 carnival wrestling AT shows
Lewis dieting, belly down (I can see my XXX)
Booked 11 times with Wild Bill Zim, but they never went one on one. (1936, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955)
Notes:
6 In making this book, wife Charlie had the joy of “meeting” Lou as a child.
8 Tragos turned Thesz into a wrestler
9 Lou recorded stories, Kit transcribed
12 Lou went off on tangents
13 Rocca’s collusion with promoters
16 J Michael Kenyon (JMK), a partner in irreverence
21 looking for publisher, discovered the internet, AOL free discs Lou got a PC Self-publishing, xerox, bound at Kinkos
41 quit school at 14, went to work in shop
50 1935, tight $, stealing field corn
58 Gotch wrestled dirty
67 Jim Londos a variation on Jack London
115 Gorgeous George’s great luck to arrive in LA when Hugh Nichols started televising matches.
139 Don Leo Jonathan walk the top rope around the ring ???
146 Baron Leone pleased ladies
200 Gulas cheater, paybacks
206 Chief Chewacki the strangest character
215 WWF saw cable TV’s potential
296 carnival wrestling AT shows
Lewis dieting, belly down (I can see my XXX)
Booked 11 times with Wild Bill Zim, but they never went one on one. (1936, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955)
August 6, 2025
Great insight to the early days of wrestling and Lou's life.
December 31, 2017
Of the many autobiographies I have red to this day, this maybe left me the most. If i could choose a word to describe this one, it would be "monumental" (as for Lou's carreer). Despite probably not being as substantial as its manuscript, it shares a lot of informations about the origin of "worked" pro wrestling, its first years, some pivotal moments and some great memories about past legends, with a deep insight on Lou as a man other than a professional. Essential.
July 16, 2009
Excellent book with only the drawback of Thesz's attitude about modern wrestling. Understandable, but it got in the way sometimes and became a bit exasperating at times. My father wrestled him in the late 40's and tells how he tried to roll a headlock on him. Thesz then turned him into a pretzle... All in all a fun read and glimpse into the history of a sport turning into entertainment.
December 24, 2012
A great book about the way wrestling used to be, (30-60 yrs ago). Thesz was probably the greatest wrestler of the 20th century. This book is a great ride through his life. I read the new edition that was released recently
October 11, 2024
A great glimpse into a earlier days that the first glory era were built upon. Thesz , Like all Pro Wrestlers of those days should be taken with a grain of salt, But if you can get past the obvious comments on rivals and The Carny tales, You do find a ton of great info.
November 9, 2011
This is a fascinating look at one of the greatest to ever set foot in a wrestling ring. I was surprised by Mr. Thesz' candor and his amazing insight. A most read for any student of pro wrestling.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews