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Best Seat in the House: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey
**Revised and Edited Edition Now Available**
Justin Roberts always dreamed of being a ring announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment. From playing with action figures of the Ultimate Warrior, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret Hitman Hart and Hulk Hogan to actually announcing these larger-than-life characters to the ring, Roberts lived out the dream of countless, passionate wrestling fans worldwide.
Best Seat in the House is the inspirational story of Roberts' ambitious journey to becoming a full-time ring announcer at WWE, performing all over the world and announcing weekly live events, TV shows, and the enormously popular pay-per-view spectaculars for more than a decade.
In addition to announcing the top wrestlers in sports entertainment from Nature Boy Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy, and the Iron Sheik to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Undertaker, Roberts also relives entertaining and candid moments with his real-life superhero coworkers, workplace politics, grueling travel schedules, harsh requirements of WWE talent, and the overall merciless treatment from the higher-ups whose decisions can affect nearly the entire wrestling industry.
This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses, and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling.
Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching, and living his dream.
Justin Roberts always dreamed of being a ring announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment. From playing with action figures of the Ultimate Warrior, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret Hitman Hart and Hulk Hogan to actually announcing these larger-than-life characters to the ring, Roberts lived out the dream of countless, passionate wrestling fans worldwide.
Best Seat in the House is the inspirational story of Roberts' ambitious journey to becoming a full-time ring announcer at WWE, performing all over the world and announcing weekly live events, TV shows, and the enormously popular pay-per-view spectaculars for more than a decade.
In addition to announcing the top wrestlers in sports entertainment from Nature Boy Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy, and the Iron Sheik to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Undertaker, Roberts also relives entertaining and candid moments with his real-life superhero coworkers, workplace politics, grueling travel schedules, harsh requirements of WWE talent, and the overall merciless treatment from the higher-ups whose decisions can affect nearly the entire wrestling industry.
This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses, and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling.
Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching, and living his dream.
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Published June 20, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
December 18, 2018
Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts recounts the story of his life and his time working for the biggest wrestling company in the world.
Justin worked for WWE sporadically for years before finally securing a full-time announce gig as the voice of the ECW brand. From there, he worked his way up to Smackdown and eventually the flagship program, Monday Night Raw. Roberts discusses the highs and the seemingly endless lows of working for the world’s biggest wrestling organization.
Above all else, Best Seat in the House is a heartbreaking read. Justin’s endless passion for the wrestling business is second-to-none. The amount of effort and drive to do what he did just to get his foot in the door of McMahon’s monopolistic company is astounding. Once he got in, he quickly found out that working for WWE, while it may be a dream job for some, is unbelievably stressful. Not only do you have to exist inside an archaic hazing style environment, but you also need to work within a disorganized mess under the direction of an erratic and often irrational boss in Vince McMahon.
Obviously the WWE machine would not exist today if not for the tireless work by the company’s head-honcho McMahon, but judging by Justin’s memoir, Vince seems to expect everyone to either work just as hard as him (which in my opinion, is not fair), or be mind-readers.
Last year, WWE was under fire due to a report that alleged tenured performer JBL (John “Bradshaw” Layfield) relentlessly bullied play-by-play commentator Mauro Ranallo to the point where he left his position. Mauro, well known to suffer from bipolar disorder, luckily found a spot away from JBL under the umbrella of the NXT brand. While JBL, Mauro and WWE deny that the story was true, it’s not hard to believe its validity. In this book, Roberts goes into extensive detail about how he was treated by Layfield through excessive humiliation and constant mental abuse. What is even worse is that this type of behaviour is encouraged. While pranks (or “ribs”) have always been a part of the wrestling industry, telling someone to “kill themselves” or stealing their passport causing them to miss shows is crossing a line.
I know professional wrestling already doesn’t have the best reputation, but hearing about garbage like this will always keep it from truly penetrating the mainstream. Luckily, through the power of social media, word of this type of mistreatment travels quickly. Does it always work? No. However, at least this type of behaviour isn’t so easily buried.
The Best Seat in the House was more or less, a good read. There are some compelling stories about his time on the road and his role in helping WWE connect with Connor Michalek, an eight year old boy suffering from pediatric cancer. I found that a few of the stories tended to feel a bit repetitive near the end which had me skipping through the book a little during the last 10%. I think Justin’s story is an important one as he was neither considered an “employee” nor was he viewed as “talent”, so despite having an integral role in the company, he was often overlooked for promotions, raises or recognition and constantly undervalued. It’s really too bad, because he’s one of my all time favorite ring announcers.
Justin worked for WWE sporadically for years before finally securing a full-time announce gig as the voice of the ECW brand. From there, he worked his way up to Smackdown and eventually the flagship program, Monday Night Raw. Roberts discusses the highs and the seemingly endless lows of working for the world’s biggest wrestling organization.
Above all else, Best Seat in the House is a heartbreaking read. Justin’s endless passion for the wrestling business is second-to-none. The amount of effort and drive to do what he did just to get his foot in the door of McMahon’s monopolistic company is astounding. Once he got in, he quickly found out that working for WWE, while it may be a dream job for some, is unbelievably stressful. Not only do you have to exist inside an archaic hazing style environment, but you also need to work within a disorganized mess under the direction of an erratic and often irrational boss in Vince McMahon.
Obviously the WWE machine would not exist today if not for the tireless work by the company’s head-honcho McMahon, but judging by Justin’s memoir, Vince seems to expect everyone to either work just as hard as him (which in my opinion, is not fair), or be mind-readers.
Last year, WWE was under fire due to a report that alleged tenured performer JBL (John “Bradshaw” Layfield) relentlessly bullied play-by-play commentator Mauro Ranallo to the point where he left his position. Mauro, well known to suffer from bipolar disorder, luckily found a spot away from JBL under the umbrella of the NXT brand. While JBL, Mauro and WWE deny that the story was true, it’s not hard to believe its validity. In this book, Roberts goes into extensive detail about how he was treated by Layfield through excessive humiliation and constant mental abuse. What is even worse is that this type of behaviour is encouraged. While pranks (or “ribs”) have always been a part of the wrestling industry, telling someone to “kill themselves” or stealing their passport causing them to miss shows is crossing a line.
I know professional wrestling already doesn’t have the best reputation, but hearing about garbage like this will always keep it from truly penetrating the mainstream. Luckily, through the power of social media, word of this type of mistreatment travels quickly. Does it always work? No. However, at least this type of behaviour isn’t so easily buried.
The Best Seat in the House was more or less, a good read. There are some compelling stories about his time on the road and his role in helping WWE connect with Connor Michalek, an eight year old boy suffering from pediatric cancer. I found that a few of the stories tended to feel a bit repetitive near the end which had me skipping through the book a little during the last 10%. I think Justin’s story is an important one as he was neither considered an “employee” nor was he viewed as “talent”, so despite having an integral role in the company, he was often overlooked for promotions, raises or recognition and constantly undervalued. It’s really too bad, because he’s one of my all time favorite ring announcers.
September 23, 2018
Anyone interested in the world of wrestling (especially WWE) and the fascinating real life story of a man following and succeeding with his childhood dream should definitely consider picking up this book. Roberts is so genuine and raw while he covers all of the positive and negative aspects of his journey with the company that he once dreamed of working for. He provides all kinds of stories to immerse in, whether they be comedic like locker room pranks, or helping out a dying 8 year-old boy, there is something to touch all emotions. Thank you to Justin for his writing and thank you for reading this review!
December 17, 2018
After ten pages or so I got it. He loves wrestling more, works harder, and has more passion than anyone in the history of wrestling. And everyone else is lazy and a bully. Why did this need to go on for 300+ pages?
April 2, 2017
Justin Roberts has written a HELL of a book about the wrestling business, particularly WWE...but he's not a wrestler. Roberts was a WWE ring announcer for 10 years, but a lifelong fan and worked in the business before his big break. As his book states, his passion for wrestling was everything to him. There's tons of guys and girls like Justin Roberts that have lived and breathed WWE for years and dream of getting to be a part of the show in some form. Some want to be in the ring, and some want to just be there, period...a writer, producer, referee, we'd even ring the bell. Just let us join in! And it's one of the hardest jobs to get because there's so few of them, and the road to get there is so tough to break through.
With a lot of hard work and a TON of persistence, Justin Roberts broke through and lived his dream. His story is all about being a "go-getter" and not stopping until he made it. It's inspiring as hell, but it made me exhausted imagining having to do all he did to make it. Obviously, he's far more driven that I ever will be. If that was exhausting, imagine how tired I was after reading about years and years of travel. The WWE wrestlers and staff on the road go through so much that we never even see or hear about. 1 or 2 days off a week, if they're lucky. Insane 22 hour travel days. In other countries in awful weather. Canceled and late flights, tight seats in coach, endless car rides and rental car disasters, bland diets and food on the road...just horrible stuff they go through to be the celebs we watch each week. Glamorous? Maybe. But damn it sounds grueling. We see the good parts, but there's a whole other schedule they have we don't know about.
All that said, yes this is a story about a guy realizing his dream. But the bigger story is how a company that seems so friendly, philanthropic, all about charities and anti-bullying campaigns treats their employees. More specifically, it's about this dominant global company taking a passionate, obsessed, lifelong fan that busted his ass to get to be a part of the show, and slowly beating that passion out of him. Don't get me wrong, I love wrestling...always have, and probably always will. I'm not quitting WWE because of this book. However, there are so many things about WWE that I will never view in the same way. And I know there are two sides to every story, but a lot of the stuff Roberts pulled the curtain back on is stuff I kinda thought was fishy before hand. Their anti-bullying "Be A Star" campaign while the stories that we hear about backstage are all about guys and girls being bullied and ridiculed about mistakes or body issues...or, for many times no reason at all. The ridiculous hand jobs they give themselves to show all the charity they do. While I thought something was "up" with that, even I wasn't prepared for the full story about the "Connor's Cure" saga with the child that passed away of cancer a few years ago. The full version is so much more touching and incredibly sadder, if you can believe it, but how the WWE changed and erased key parts for seemingly no other reason that a personal vendetta that I still can't figure out why it existed. And then, there's the countless stories about the key leaders and how they are awful to the less powerful employees. We hear all the time about plans changing and guys being cut off for no reason...but just how disorganized things are is very shocking. If you dislike Kevin Dunn from what we've heard before...just wait. After reading this book, I need a few classic Cornette rants about him to cleanse the palate.
It's not all scandals and gossip by any means. There's a whole book full of dream-come-true moments and great road stories. Roberts met and got to announce all of his childhood heroes and see the world. His friendships along the way were solid. He helped so many fans out along the way...not to mention sick kids, especially Connor, and seems like an absolute nice guy that wanted to make the product better for us all...a more logical company with good shows that made sense. He never comes across as someone looking to be famous. He was happy with his role, but understandably was baffled at never getting credit for things and actually being ignored and erased from stuff for seemingly no reason.
I can't recommend this book enough. I've read so many wrestling books, but this one was very unique in that his perspective was a unique one. He really did have the best seat in the house. We don't get many stories from this viewpoint and I couldn't put it down. I've always been a fan of Justin Roberts' announcing work, so I went into the book excited to read his story, but I really think you'd enjoy this book if you aren't familiar with him at all. A non-wrestling fan would probably enjoy it, but you probably wouldn't relate to it the way those of us that follow the product and share so many frustrations about the way WWE does things and portrays themselves to the public. Great, great read.
With a lot of hard work and a TON of persistence, Justin Roberts broke through and lived his dream. His story is all about being a "go-getter" and not stopping until he made it. It's inspiring as hell, but it made me exhausted imagining having to do all he did to make it. Obviously, he's far more driven that I ever will be. If that was exhausting, imagine how tired I was after reading about years and years of travel. The WWE wrestlers and staff on the road go through so much that we never even see or hear about. 1 or 2 days off a week, if they're lucky. Insane 22 hour travel days. In other countries in awful weather. Canceled and late flights, tight seats in coach, endless car rides and rental car disasters, bland diets and food on the road...just horrible stuff they go through to be the celebs we watch each week. Glamorous? Maybe. But damn it sounds grueling. We see the good parts, but there's a whole other schedule they have we don't know about.
All that said, yes this is a story about a guy realizing his dream. But the bigger story is how a company that seems so friendly, philanthropic, all about charities and anti-bullying campaigns treats their employees. More specifically, it's about this dominant global company taking a passionate, obsessed, lifelong fan that busted his ass to get to be a part of the show, and slowly beating that passion out of him. Don't get me wrong, I love wrestling...always have, and probably always will. I'm not quitting WWE because of this book. However, there are so many things about WWE that I will never view in the same way. And I know there are two sides to every story, but a lot of the stuff Roberts pulled the curtain back on is stuff I kinda thought was fishy before hand. Their anti-bullying "Be A Star" campaign while the stories that we hear about backstage are all about guys and girls being bullied and ridiculed about mistakes or body issues...or, for many times no reason at all. The ridiculous hand jobs they give themselves to show all the charity they do. While I thought something was "up" with that, even I wasn't prepared for the full story about the "Connor's Cure" saga with the child that passed away of cancer a few years ago. The full version is so much more touching and incredibly sadder, if you can believe it, but how the WWE changed and erased key parts for seemingly no other reason that a personal vendetta that I still can't figure out why it existed. And then, there's the countless stories about the key leaders and how they are awful to the less powerful employees. We hear all the time about plans changing and guys being cut off for no reason...but just how disorganized things are is very shocking. If you dislike Kevin Dunn from what we've heard before...just wait. After reading this book, I need a few classic Cornette rants about him to cleanse the palate.
It's not all scandals and gossip by any means. There's a whole book full of dream-come-true moments and great road stories. Roberts met and got to announce all of his childhood heroes and see the world. His friendships along the way were solid. He helped so many fans out along the way...not to mention sick kids, especially Connor, and seems like an absolute nice guy that wanted to make the product better for us all...a more logical company with good shows that made sense. He never comes across as someone looking to be famous. He was happy with his role, but understandably was baffled at never getting credit for things and actually being ignored and erased from stuff for seemingly no reason.
I can't recommend this book enough. I've read so many wrestling books, but this one was very unique in that his perspective was a unique one. He really did have the best seat in the house. We don't get many stories from this viewpoint and I couldn't put it down. I've always been a fan of Justin Roberts' announcing work, so I went into the book excited to read his story, but I really think you'd enjoy this book if you aren't familiar with him at all. A non-wrestling fan would probably enjoy it, but you probably wouldn't relate to it the way those of us that follow the product and share so many frustrations about the way WWE does things and portrays themselves to the public. Great, great read.
May 17, 2017
I would not blame you for thinking a autobiography from a WWE ring announcer would not be that exciting of a read, but Roberts has a lot to say about his 12 years with the WWE. He has an intriguing story about being persistent about following his dream making it to the WWE by opening doors on his own by making connections and working indy and reality shows that proved Justin had to work hard to get there.
Roberts book was a surprising page turner, especially once he makes it into the WWE and he details all struggles and politics he had to tolerate in order to live his dream job. Roberts does not hold anything back, and he goes into detail about how he was relentlessly bullied, ribbed and how the upper management of the company even went out of their way to give him grief. Roberts painted a vivid picture on how awful his last couple years were with the company.
Roberts does have some good memories of his WWE days though, and I enjoyed his tales of pranks on the road, helping out special needs kids at arenas and going out of his way to get fans to meet up with the stars of the WWE. Do not discount this book as a low-rent, 'me too' wrestling biography, as Roberts' autobiography holds its own with the rest.
Roberts book was a surprising page turner, especially once he makes it into the WWE and he details all struggles and politics he had to tolerate in order to live his dream job. Roberts does not hold anything back, and he goes into detail about how he was relentlessly bullied, ribbed and how the upper management of the company even went out of their way to give him grief. Roberts painted a vivid picture on how awful his last couple years were with the company.
Roberts does have some good memories of his WWE days though, and I enjoyed his tales of pranks on the road, helping out special needs kids at arenas and going out of his way to get fans to meet up with the stars of the WWE. Do not discount this book as a low-rent, 'me too' wrestling biography, as Roberts' autobiography holds its own with the rest.
July 30, 2018
A pretty good tell-all from somebody who lived the WWE life for over a decade.
The book is bolstered by its specificity (you learn a lot about roles in WWE you otherwise wouldn't) and honesty, but hurt by its poor editing and also--dare I say--unlikable protagonist.
While it's clear that Roberts is passionate about the business, he was likely an annoying coworker who meddled constantly far outside his job role, making daily life for his superiors and coworkers more difficult and strained than it needed to be. Typically I'd think that's a good quality--"the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and "be the change you want to see" and all that jazz--if I also didn't have the impression that Roberts never developed a professional acumen beyond that he possessed at age 22, when he broke into the WWE.
If Roberts has hundreds of pages to support the ideas he presented to his WWE superiors and didn't do an effective job, it's likely he didn't create any good business cases for them while he was employed--thus why he was largely ignored outside of his job role.
It's unfortunate that Roberts had experiences like he did--bullying, being ignored, being "erased" in major company stories--but if I found him annoying and unprofessional, it might not be without basis.
The book is bolstered by its specificity (you learn a lot about roles in WWE you otherwise wouldn't) and honesty, but hurt by its poor editing and also--dare I say--unlikable protagonist.
While it's clear that Roberts is passionate about the business, he was likely an annoying coworker who meddled constantly far outside his job role, making daily life for his superiors and coworkers more difficult and strained than it needed to be. Typically I'd think that's a good quality--"the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and "be the change you want to see" and all that jazz--if I also didn't have the impression that Roberts never developed a professional acumen beyond that he possessed at age 22, when he broke into the WWE.
If Roberts has hundreds of pages to support the ideas he presented to his WWE superiors and didn't do an effective job, it's likely he didn't create any good business cases for them while he was employed--thus why he was largely ignored outside of his job role.
It's unfortunate that Roberts had experiences like he did--bullying, being ignored, being "erased" in major company stories--but if I found him annoying and unprofessional, it might not be without basis.
July 12, 2017
Who would have thought a ring announcer would have a great story to tell? Well I guess it makes sense, if you think about it. As far as agendas go and incentives to revise history, the ring announcer would have little or none, yet was ringside for years in the business we all want to know more and more about behind the scenes.
Justin's story is fun, exciting, sad, disappointing, encouraging, discouraging and just about every other emotion you can imagine. As I read the story, I found myself more and more annoyed with the modern WWE culture, and more and more interested in Justin's story.
After reading several different books and hearing a slew of shoot interviews, I do not doubt anything Justin wrote in this story. The story about Conner was particularly touching. I won't spoil anything here. I will just suggest that you should read this book if you have not already.
Justin's story is fun, exciting, sad, disappointing, encouraging, discouraging and just about every other emotion you can imagine. As I read the story, I found myself more and more annoyed with the modern WWE culture, and more and more interested in Justin's story.
After reading several different books and hearing a slew of shoot interviews, I do not doubt anything Justin wrote in this story. The story about Conner was particularly touching. I won't spoil anything here. I will just suggest that you should read this book if you have not already.
June 12, 2017
Great story, but the editing is awful. Between the typos, grammatical errors, and poor writing, it's hard to believe that anyone proofread this even once. It's shocking that this was published in the state it's in, as I've never read a book with this many errors. At one point, a paragraph is actually repeated. That being said, I'd strongly recommend this to wrestling fans because it's an honest look at the life of working for the WWE. With better editing, this could've been 5 stars.
June 9, 2017
I just thought this book was poorly written all around. None of it really worked for me. I think Justin Roberts is not as sympathetic a narrator as he believes he is.
September 26, 2017
Halfway through this book, I had this rated much higher. But at some point, it becomes tedious. He just keeps repeating the same thing over and over. We get it. You always wanted a window seat for long flights.
There could have been one chapter on his invention thing designed to help people heal quicker. But it keeps getting brought back up over and over again, with nothing new to add each time.
And the whole thing with Connor's Cure comes across wrong. I know he was telling his side of the story. But it's like he kept saying, "Look, I don't want to take credit for anything, but look what I did." Again, it felt like he kept saying that over and over.
He also makes himself sound like a model employee who never made a mistake. I don't know if he once pointed out a time where he screwed up outside of his tryout ring intro. It was always the fault of someone else.
It was an okay book, but really could have been 150 pages shorter.
There could have been one chapter on his invention thing designed to help people heal quicker. But it keeps getting brought back up over and over again, with nothing new to add each time.
And the whole thing with Connor's Cure comes across wrong. I know he was telling his side of the story. But it's like he kept saying, "Look, I don't want to take credit for anything, but look what I did." Again, it felt like he kept saying that over and over.
He also makes himself sound like a model employee who never made a mistake. I don't know if he once pointed out a time where he screwed up outside of his tryout ring intro. It was always the fault of someone else.
It was an okay book, but really could have been 150 pages shorter.
October 4, 2017
This was a very interesting book. From a lifelong WWE fan it does provide a great deal of insight into what a career in WWE is like. On the flip side, that career seems to not be as interesting as it seems.
The author provides a great amount of detail in this book. He has an interesting story to tell. What drags the book down is repetition and the politics of WWE. After hearings bout backstage politics constantly through the book the author ends up appearing like a complainer.
In my opinion the WWE sounds like just about any other company in America today. Is that good, no, but after reading 300+ pages about politics in this book I am about beat.
Overall this is a good and interesting read. Wish it was not so repetitive. Could have been told in 200 pages and story would have ended just the same.
The author provides a great amount of detail in this book. He has an interesting story to tell. What drags the book down is repetition and the politics of WWE. After hearings bout backstage politics constantly through the book the author ends up appearing like a complainer.
In my opinion the WWE sounds like just about any other company in America today. Is that good, no, but after reading 300+ pages about politics in this book I am about beat.
Overall this is a good and interesting read. Wish it was not so repetitive. Could have been told in 200 pages and story would have ended just the same.
October 20, 2024
This book definitely reads as if he wrote the thing himself, and Justin Roberts is definitely no writer.
Tons of meanderings with no direction, loaded with repetition. He views himself as completely blameless for events he believes are beyond his control and is oblivious to how his pushy behavior could leave a sour taste in a highly political business setting.
One can only be so sympathetic toward a man until they realize that he, too, must share the blame. There are far better testimonials about the wrestling business, too many to list and this definitely isn't one of them.
Tons of meanderings with no direction, loaded with repetition. He views himself as completely blameless for events he believes are beyond his control and is oblivious to how his pushy behavior could leave a sour taste in a highly political business setting.
One can only be so sympathetic toward a man until they realize that he, too, must share the blame. There are far better testimonials about the wrestling business, too many to list and this definitely isn't one of them.
September 23, 2017
Despite the subject being of great interest to me, I couldn't get past the poor writing. I didn't finish this book because it felt like more work than it should. If you want an honest look at the WWE world behind the cameras, and you're willing to overlook the terrible editing (if it was even edited) then by all means give it a shot.
July 16, 2017
Audio book is in need of an editor to clean up the rough edges. Overall the book is some what interesting, but author comes off as immature and attention seeking.
July 24, 2017
One of the better books about modern WWE politics. What a terrible place to work.
July 23, 2018
Honest and interesting, but not brilliantly edited. It was enough to take me out of the story now and again, but, thankfully, not enough to ruin the book.
August 15, 2022
“The powers that be ran the company with a complete bully mentality so I guess it made sense for them to start an anti bullying campaign…”
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Justin Roberts. His style is a little cringe for me and I always preferred the likes of Howard Finkel, Lilian Garcia or even some of the more recent WWE announcers. That being said, I was interested to hear his story as I know he’s no longer with the company and that’s always a recipe for some dirt being dished out!
So, yes, Justin’s delivery on the audiobook is very much over the top, cringe and a little too enthusiastic, but it’s still very interesting to listen to. He covers his time as a wrestling fan right up until his hiring with WWE through to the termination of his contract. Covering the behind the scenes topics that are widely known in the industry, such as JBL being a bully, Vince McMahon essentially being a dictator, Kevin Dunn being a bootlicker and HHH constantly putting himself over at the expense of others, Justin’s book isn’t anything that any wrestling mark doesn’t already know. However it reinforces that narrative, and it’s fascinating to listen to a peripheral perspective I.e from a ring announcer rather than a talent.
Justin’s tale does give you a first hand account of how wrestling changed from a toxic backstage environment in the early 2000s to something much more tolerable in the locker room later on in his career. However, the bullying does sound like it would be unbearable and I certainly can’t think of anyone who would work in that environment. Justin certainly seems to have a thick skin!
He does tend to repeat himself about how he’s not trying to get himself over and how the talent are most important thing to him, however the repetition makes me feel that that’s not the whole truth. He is constantly looking for recognition, and I guess there’s only one side to this story. It sounds like there was a personal vendetta against him but, honestly, I can imagine working with him would be quite irritating, and maybe the attitude towards his suggestions were a by-product of the management just being annoyed by his persistence. On the flip side, the systematic removal of Justin from print, screen and particularly from the Connor’s Cure promotional video, is actually a bit frightening, and is 1984-esque in its execution.
Regardless of my feelings towards his style and personality, it’s a great book to dig into and it’s excellent to see that Justin has a new home in AEW.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Justin Roberts. His style is a little cringe for me and I always preferred the likes of Howard Finkel, Lilian Garcia or even some of the more recent WWE announcers. That being said, I was interested to hear his story as I know he’s no longer with the company and that’s always a recipe for some dirt being dished out!
So, yes, Justin’s delivery on the audiobook is very much over the top, cringe and a little too enthusiastic, but it’s still very interesting to listen to. He covers his time as a wrestling fan right up until his hiring with WWE through to the termination of his contract. Covering the behind the scenes topics that are widely known in the industry, such as JBL being a bully, Vince McMahon essentially being a dictator, Kevin Dunn being a bootlicker and HHH constantly putting himself over at the expense of others, Justin’s book isn’t anything that any wrestling mark doesn’t already know. However it reinforces that narrative, and it’s fascinating to listen to a peripheral perspective I.e from a ring announcer rather than a talent.
Justin’s tale does give you a first hand account of how wrestling changed from a toxic backstage environment in the early 2000s to something much more tolerable in the locker room later on in his career. However, the bullying does sound like it would be unbearable and I certainly can’t think of anyone who would work in that environment. Justin certainly seems to have a thick skin!
He does tend to repeat himself about how he’s not trying to get himself over and how the talent are most important thing to him, however the repetition makes me feel that that’s not the whole truth. He is constantly looking for recognition, and I guess there’s only one side to this story. It sounds like there was a personal vendetta against him but, honestly, I can imagine working with him would be quite irritating, and maybe the attitude towards his suggestions were a by-product of the management just being annoyed by his persistence. On the flip side, the systematic removal of Justin from print, screen and particularly from the Connor’s Cure promotional video, is actually a bit frightening, and is 1984-esque in its execution.
Regardless of my feelings towards his style and personality, it’s a great book to dig into and it’s excellent to see that Justin has a new home in AEW.
May 11, 2022
Vorweg: Ich bin mit dem WWE-Produkt seit 20 Jahren nicht mehr allzu sehr vertraut, insofern war mir Justin Roberts nur als Announcer für AEW ein Begriff.
Im Gegensatz zu den Biographien einiger Wrestler, die ich bisher gelesen habe, enthält das Buch weniger interessante Anekdoten, sondern beschäftigt sich ausführlich mit Justin Roberts Zeit in der WWE. Als Hauptkritik würde ich anführen, dass es deutlich zu lang geraten ist.
Ausserdem muss ich zugeben, dass ich in Teilen etwas von Justin Roberts Art genervt war. Und irgendwie habe ich das Gefühl, dass er auch andere gerne nervt - siehe die vielen Schilderungen wie er in Hotels, Flughäfen, etc. bessere Konditionen aushandelt.
Irgendwie ist das Lesen aber auch eine gewisse Herausforderung an die eigenen Vorurteile. Dass nämlich ein Announcer den leichtesten Job im Wrestling-Business haben muss.
Doch gerade hier zeigt sich eine erstaunliche Parallele zu den Büchern von Jim Ross: Die Arbeitsatmosphäre in der WWE scheint katastrophal zu sein. Man fragt sich nach den Schilderungen der beiden schon, wie diese Firma einerseits so erfolgreich sein kann und andererseits so furchtbar mit ihrem Produkt und ihren Mitarbeitern umgeht.
Es ist schon recht erschütternd, wie Mobbing wohl zur Unternehmenskultur dazu gehört. Das betrifft einerseits Wrestler wie JBL, aber noch schlimmer die Execs hinter den Kulissen, die niemals verlässliche Aussagen abgeben und ihre Mitarbeiter bei jeder Gelegenheit über den Tisch ziehen. Was Justin Roberts da schildert wirkt in der Menge und den Details einfach so überzeugend, dass es sich in ein Bild einfügt, was ja schon seit langem mit der WWE assoziiert wurde.
Dazu gehört auch die Geschichte um die Connor-Stiftung, die einen nur mit dem Kopf schütteln lässt.
Insgesamt keine unterhaltsame Wrestling-Biographie, sondern eher ein gruseliger Einblick in eine toxische Unternehmenskultur.
Im Gegensatz zu den Biographien einiger Wrestler, die ich bisher gelesen habe, enthält das Buch weniger interessante Anekdoten, sondern beschäftigt sich ausführlich mit Justin Roberts Zeit in der WWE. Als Hauptkritik würde ich anführen, dass es deutlich zu lang geraten ist.
Ausserdem muss ich zugeben, dass ich in Teilen etwas von Justin Roberts Art genervt war. Und irgendwie habe ich das Gefühl, dass er auch andere gerne nervt - siehe die vielen Schilderungen wie er in Hotels, Flughäfen, etc. bessere Konditionen aushandelt.
Irgendwie ist das Lesen aber auch eine gewisse Herausforderung an die eigenen Vorurteile. Dass nämlich ein Announcer den leichtesten Job im Wrestling-Business haben muss.
Doch gerade hier zeigt sich eine erstaunliche Parallele zu den Büchern von Jim Ross: Die Arbeitsatmosphäre in der WWE scheint katastrophal zu sein. Man fragt sich nach den Schilderungen der beiden schon, wie diese Firma einerseits so erfolgreich sein kann und andererseits so furchtbar mit ihrem Produkt und ihren Mitarbeitern umgeht.
Es ist schon recht erschütternd, wie Mobbing wohl zur Unternehmenskultur dazu gehört. Das betrifft einerseits Wrestler wie JBL, aber noch schlimmer die Execs hinter den Kulissen, die niemals verlässliche Aussagen abgeben und ihre Mitarbeiter bei jeder Gelegenheit über den Tisch ziehen. Was Justin Roberts da schildert wirkt in der Menge und den Details einfach so überzeugend, dass es sich in ein Bild einfügt, was ja schon seit langem mit der WWE assoziiert wurde.
Dazu gehört auch die Geschichte um die Connor-Stiftung, die einen nur mit dem Kopf schütteln lässt.
Insgesamt keine unterhaltsame Wrestling-Biographie, sondern eher ein gruseliger Einblick in eine toxische Unternehmenskultur.
September 1, 2018
This book is a good read for two types of reader. 1 - WWE and Wrestling fans in general, to get an amazing backstage view of the business, workings and personalities involved in our favourite "Sport".
And 2 - as a warning to anyone working for a large corporation. Based on this story, sadly, it's not skill, positive attitude or aptitude that helps you climb the ladder - it's whether your face fits or not.
As a Wrestling fan, I found this book a fascinating read. Justin Roberts is clearly a huge Wrestling fan himself who worked hard and made it to the role of WWE ring announcer. He documents his journey, the perks of being behind the scenes, but also the horrible bullying and nonsensical politics he had to endure in this bizarre business.
At times, I found the book uncomfortable to read. The treatment of Roberts by WWE and certain individuals was appalling, and I did find myself become frustrated with Roberts story after a time. At what point do you stand up and say "No more?".
Overall, this was a really interesting read. I recommend it to any Wrestling fan - it's a book written by a fan who became part of the WWE.
And 2 - as a warning to anyone working for a large corporation. Based on this story, sadly, it's not skill, positive attitude or aptitude that helps you climb the ladder - it's whether your face fits or not.
As a Wrestling fan, I found this book a fascinating read. Justin Roberts is clearly a huge Wrestling fan himself who worked hard and made it to the role of WWE ring announcer. He documents his journey, the perks of being behind the scenes, but also the horrible bullying and nonsensical politics he had to endure in this bizarre business.
At times, I found the book uncomfortable to read. The treatment of Roberts by WWE and certain individuals was appalling, and I did find myself become frustrated with Roberts story after a time. At what point do you stand up and say "No more?".
Overall, this was a really interesting read. I recommend it to any Wrestling fan - it's a book written by a fan who became part of the WWE.
August 26, 2017
I did not know what to expect, because the only wrestling autobiographies I've read were those of wrestlers. Roberts' book was enjoyable and refreshing because his early ages of being a fan were relatable to me. However, I finished the book wanting more stories of his experiences while at WWE (many were somewhat repetitive and didn't go into a lot of detail). Most of the discussion seemed to confirm my speculation and preexisting sentiments about WWE as a business and culture (which are not flattering). Among these topics were WWE's relentless travel schedule, lack of empathy toward the people who made these shows possible each night, hypocritical nature of treating their fans, and the overall operation of bullying within the company. The book is emotional and inspiring throughout. He undoubtedly gave it his all, and it's hard to not feel sorry for his story (and countless others in similar situations) but he reminds us that although he paid a large price, he lived his dreams, and encourages us to chase our own.
May 27, 2022
Enjoyed this a lot more in the first half, became a chore to read by the second as it quickly devolved into bitter rants about his time in WWE. Justin Roberts seems like a great guy and is a hell of a ring announcer, but about halfway in, it's really apparent that he didn't have enough stuff to discuss to make a memoir out of, so he suddenly turns it into an exposé book. Do I think Roberts got the short end of the stick and was treated unfairly by the WWE, sure, but he airs the same grievances over and over again. The underlying tone is so full of itself - he thinks he's the best to ever ring announce because he believes he's had more passion than anybody who's ever worked in that spot. The ending message here is simple - WWE is bad, a courageous one that I've never heard before. This started out fine and became a messy whining session by the end with some shoddy editing to boot.
May 2, 2020
A Must-Buy for a Professional Wrestling Fan!!
Fantastic book!! I purchased on a Monday and had it finished on Friday night. Thank you Justin for being bold and honest in your real-life experiences at WWF\WWE. While I will still continue to remain a fan of the company, you have given me a different perspective and for that I am grateful. If you are a wrestling fan, you need to read this book. It offers so much history from someone who spoke the 2000s and early 2010s of wrestling into existence. This book offers behind the scenes stories and details for life on the road. It gives very descriptive insight to a life of a professional wrestler and of someone who worked in the business on the front lines. Once again, thank you Justin!
Fantastic book!! I purchased on a Monday and had it finished on Friday night. Thank you Justin for being bold and honest in your real-life experiences at WWF\WWE. While I will still continue to remain a fan of the company, you have given me a different perspective and for that I am grateful. If you are a wrestling fan, you need to read this book. It offers so much history from someone who spoke the 2000s and early 2010s of wrestling into existence. This book offers behind the scenes stories and details for life on the road. It gives very descriptive insight to a life of a professional wrestler and of someone who worked in the business on the front lines. Once again, thank you Justin!
August 4, 2021
I really enjoyed listening to this one. Justin worked hard, got to his dream job, and had the passion run out of him. Having worked for a lousy upper management that cut you out, lied to your face and basically bullied you using your children as leverage, I cringed when Justin described how he loved his job, but dealing with the higher ups was such an abusive situation, but he took it to be able to keep his job. How many have worked for people demanding you give them your life but will cut you loose in an instant if it suits their needs?
That wasn't all this book was about, but it resonated with me the most. Just like me, I think he is in a much better situation now a days. Thanks for sharing Justin!
That wasn't all this book was about, but it resonated with me the most. Just like me, I think he is in a much better situation now a days. Thanks for sharing Justin!
June 23, 2018
What other book might you compare Best Seat in the House to and why?
Crazy Is My Superpower or Damn! Why Did I Write This Book?
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
WWE literally moving fans from seats just because they didn't like how the fan looked on camera, taking signs away from fans, or giving them a different shirt to wear.
Any additional comments?
If you are like me and enjoy wrestling, but stopped watching because of the constant repetitiveness and inability to develop new stars, you will get a glimpse of why this is. If a ring announcer is told to tone it down, imagine what wrestlers are told.
Crazy Is My Superpower or Damn! Why Did I Write This Book?
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
WWE literally moving fans from seats just because they didn't like how the fan looked on camera, taking signs away from fans, or giving them a different shirt to wear.
Any additional comments?
If you are like me and enjoy wrestling, but stopped watching because of the constant repetitiveness and inability to develop new stars, you will get a glimpse of why this is. If a ring announcer is told to tone it down, imagine what wrestlers are told.
March 23, 2020
I’m conflicted on this one.
Unlike Bret Hart or Mick Foley’s books, I know there’s no way I’d enjoy this book if I weren’t a wrestling fan.
There’s some good little moments from his life and I could especially relate to his relationship with his father.
Overall, I feel like I just didn’t care enough about Justin to really care about his story.
I did enjoy the a lot of the wrestling stories though. The behind the scenes of WWE has always fascinated me.
I don’t doubt a lot of his stories about Vince, Kevin Dunn, JBL and HHH, but I do wonder what their version of events would be like?
It’s a decent book for the hardcore wrestling fan, but for anyone else, would probably fall flat.
Unlike Bret Hart or Mick Foley’s books, I know there’s no way I’d enjoy this book if I weren’t a wrestling fan.
There’s some good little moments from his life and I could especially relate to his relationship with his father.
Overall, I feel like I just didn’t care enough about Justin to really care about his story.
I did enjoy the a lot of the wrestling stories though. The behind the scenes of WWE has always fascinated me.
I don’t doubt a lot of his stories about Vince, Kevin Dunn, JBL and HHH, but I do wonder what their version of events would be like?
It’s a decent book for the hardcore wrestling fan, but for anyone else, would probably fall flat.
June 30, 2024
Justin Roberts appears to be a nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. However, I found his memoir to be incredibly laborious and tedious to read. He is a huge mark for himself, complains endlessly, and he thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. This was tough to read and I almost didn’t finish it. He’s very whiny and full of himself. I don’t deny his contributions to charity and helping out those in need, and I think he means well, but this was a poorly written book that was all over the place and desperately needed an editor. It picks up steam over the last 50 pages, but I had to push myself to get through this book.
June 4, 2017
Nice to get a new perspective on the wrestling biography with Robert's POV of everything as an announcer. Also, cool to see as he was legit a huge wrestling fan who got to live out his dream and experience things through that part. On the flip side a lot of the most interesting things was him realizing that when he achieved his dream it all wasn't what it was cracked out to be with him getting constantly bullied, undermined and under-appreciated. Puts things in perspective that achieving your dream can be great, but it's not always what you pictured in your dream.
October 5, 2021
Reading this book is what having ADHD feels like.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, despite being a new wrestling fan. A lot of the scandals and rumors, this was my first time hearing about it. I'm glad I got a chance to read it, and as far as memoirs go, I've definitely read a lot worse. Also not in the book but at least Justin got his happy ending, so it was nice to read it now when I know he can still pursue his passion in a good company.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, despite being a new wrestling fan. A lot of the scandals and rumors, this was my first time hearing about it. I'm glad I got a chance to read it, and as far as memoirs go, I've definitely read a lot worse. Also not in the book but at least Justin got his happy ending, so it was nice to read it now when I know he can still pursue his passion in a good company.
September 27, 2017
Good book! Takes you through all his persistent and amazing journey from fan to living the dream, working inside WWE and the eventual fall. As a fan I understand and know how the company works inside, but this tales it to a different level. I was hoping to read a story like this, sincere and unbiased.
December 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, the style is very much like your sitting next to him on the couch as he tells you all about his life. I haven't followed wrestling in years yet still enjoyed this look into the WWE from a different point of view. It's not all roses, it's not the worst place in the world.
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