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Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jan 26Professional wrestling is both a cultural phenomenon and a multibillion-dollar industry that has launched some of the biggest names in entertainment. But what does it take for a wrestler to break through? In Rough House, journalist Alison Lyn Miller introduces Hunter James, an aspiring star born into a family of wrestlers in Georgia. Hunter lifts, runs, and pounds protein, sculpting himself into a human action figure with the goal of being signed by a major promotion and finishing what his father started. Miller’s immersive, unforgettable account shows us what happens when Hunter enters the bruising world of indie wrestling—where gymnasiums become arenas, trampolines serve as training grounds, and young men fight for glory.
Rich with drama, humor, and heart, Rough House is a ringside seat to a coming-of-age story that reveals the escapism, self-actualization, performance, and violence inherent in one of America’s most dismissed pastimes. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the spectacle, this true story will leave you cheering for more.
Rich with drama, humor, and heart, Rough House is a ringside seat to a coming-of-age story that reveals the escapism, self-actualization, performance, and violence inherent in one of America’s most dismissed pastimes. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the spectacle, this true story will leave you cheering for more.
288 pages, Paperback
Expected publication January 20, 2026
1 person is currently reading
1544 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 9, 2025
Do you remember the movie The Sandlot? Ostensibly a baseball movie, it was really about growing up at a certain time, a certain place, and mostly about making friendships. Baseball was there, but it wasn't the point.
I think the same applies to Alison Lyn Miller's Rough House. Yes, this book is set against the backdrop of indie professional wrestling. There is no required knowledge of wrestling required in the slightest. That is because Miller isn't telling the story of wrestling, but the story of a family and community in a certain place in time brought together by the sport. Um, well sports entertainment. (Side note: The hilarity of seeing wrestling moves written out in footnotes still has me giggling. Miller explains a DDT perfectly, it's just humorous to see it in print.)
The father is Billy Ray and the son is Hunter in the subtitle. There is friction but it is very temporary. Again, this is about how a father and son are so similar, but the father wanting a better life for his child may not be what the actual plan is. While they are the main characters, Miller turns her literary gaze on everyone and anyone who fills out the picture of Georgia indie wrestling. I especially appreciate Miller's willingness to let her characters be themselves. There are quotes in here that some people will cringe at, but it's part of showing what this insular world is like.
If you are a wrestling fan, you don't need my recommendation to pick this up. If you aren't, don't let the subject matter drive you away from this one. It's about a lot more than you think it is.
(This book was provided as a review copy by W. W. Norton & Company.)
I think the same applies to Alison Lyn Miller's Rough House. Yes, this book is set against the backdrop of indie professional wrestling. There is no required knowledge of wrestling required in the slightest. That is because Miller isn't telling the story of wrestling, but the story of a family and community in a certain place in time brought together by the sport. Um, well sports entertainment. (Side note: The hilarity of seeing wrestling moves written out in footnotes still has me giggling. Miller explains a DDT perfectly, it's just humorous to see it in print.)
The father is Billy Ray and the son is Hunter in the subtitle. There is friction but it is very temporary. Again, this is about how a father and son are so similar, but the father wanting a better life for his child may not be what the actual plan is. While they are the main characters, Miller turns her literary gaze on everyone and anyone who fills out the picture of Georgia indie wrestling. I especially appreciate Miller's willingness to let her characters be themselves. There are quotes in here that some people will cringe at, but it's part of showing what this insular world is like.
If you are a wrestling fan, you don't need my recommendation to pick this up. If you aren't, don't let the subject matter drive you away from this one. It's about a lot more than you think it is.
(This book was provided as a review copy by W. W. Norton & Company.)
September 30, 2025
***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
Great books about what it takes to make it from the indies to the top of the industry are hard to come by, and this is surely one of them. As someone who went to school to be a pro wrestler at 16 and who has a friend who made it all the way from the indies to the WWE, this book scratched me right where I itch.
I had never heard of the wrestler (Hunter James) that the author spent the majority of her time with, but I will be scouring YouTube in the near future to see what the guy can do. This book is a must read for all pro wrestling fans out there!!
Great books about what it takes to make it from the indies to the top of the industry are hard to come by, and this is surely one of them. As someone who went to school to be a pro wrestler at 16 and who has a friend who made it all the way from the indies to the WWE, this book scratched me right where I itch.
I had never heard of the wrestler (Hunter James) that the author spent the majority of her time with, but I will be scouring YouTube in the near future to see what the guy can do. This book is a must read for all pro wrestling fans out there!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an advance copy of this book that offers a unique look at life in these United States, through the lives of a father and son, their hopes and dreams, the people around them, all set in the world of sports entertainment, better known as professional wrestling.
Besides my portly physique, bad eyesight and thinning hairline, I inherited my father two things that set us apart from most people in this country. A lack of interest in sports, and how people few success. Both my father and I could care less about what school a person went to, nor what they do. If they care to share it, fine. My father hated his job, and didn't like talking about it, why would anyone else. What my father and I cared about was if a person was happy. Are you doing something you like to do, be it reading, writing, watching, listening or creating. Happiness was my father's big thing, probably because like his son issues with depression were not far away. My father played football, but that along with interest in sports ended at graduation. I however always had, and still do to a certain extent an interest in Professional Wrestling. I think it is the physicality mixed with the fiction that I, a comic book reader enjoy. People call it fake, but only the outcomes are predetermined. The pain, the slams the aches, the career ending injuries are real. This is why I enjoyed this book far more than I thought. Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory, by Alison Lyn Miller is a book about chasing a dream, about families, about fame, and making a name for oneself, even if one has to give up who they are.
Billy Ray is married, though they are having problems, with a son going off to college, though that might be changing also. Billy Ray has worked the independent professional wrestling scene for years, always dreaming about being called up to the big leagues, but mostly stuck in American Legion halls, bingo parlors and a musty old auditorium held together with mold, blood and sweat. Hunter James, is his son, with his own ideas about who he wants to be. And that is a successful pro wrestler, or sports entertainer as they are called in the Big Leagues of the WWE and AEW. Hunter has been training with some of his father's friends, and is ready to give up college for the adoration he is sure that will follow. Alison Lyn Miller follows these dreams, along with sharing stories about the impact that wrestling has in the South, featuring wrestlers who made it, A.J. Styles for one, many others who did not, and those who keep taking slams and chair shots, hoping to be found.
A book that speaks to a lot about families and dreams. And the idea that fame is just around the corner. I have followed a lot of wrestling, and know that fame is quick, and sometimes fades even quicker. However the hope to get out of a small town, to get money, and be adored is a strong draw. In wrestling they have cage matches, where the wrestlers are locked in to settle their feud. One can win by escaping the cage, climbing out over the fence, sneaking out, or even beating their opponent. However some find that cage to hard to climb, and find themselves pinned to the mat, looking at the lights. I won't share what happens here. This is one of the best books on both wrestling and what is going on in America I have read in awhile. Miller is a very good writer, and empathetic, even when the people being written about are not nice. One gets a real feel and understanding of the family, the wrestles and an understanding of the dream they share.
An very enjoyable and illuminating read. I love the descriptions of the moves and the language of wrestling that Miller puts in the footnotes. More importantly I loved the writing. A really impressive book, far more than I expected, and one I know I will be thinking about for quite awhile. I look forward to more works by Alison Lyn Miller.
Besides my portly physique, bad eyesight and thinning hairline, I inherited my father two things that set us apart from most people in this country. A lack of interest in sports, and how people few success. Both my father and I could care less about what school a person went to, nor what they do. If they care to share it, fine. My father hated his job, and didn't like talking about it, why would anyone else. What my father and I cared about was if a person was happy. Are you doing something you like to do, be it reading, writing, watching, listening or creating. Happiness was my father's big thing, probably because like his son issues with depression were not far away. My father played football, but that along with interest in sports ended at graduation. I however always had, and still do to a certain extent an interest in Professional Wrestling. I think it is the physicality mixed with the fiction that I, a comic book reader enjoy. People call it fake, but only the outcomes are predetermined. The pain, the slams the aches, the career ending injuries are real. This is why I enjoyed this book far more than I thought. Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory, by Alison Lyn Miller is a book about chasing a dream, about families, about fame, and making a name for oneself, even if one has to give up who they are.
Billy Ray is married, though they are having problems, with a son going off to college, though that might be changing also. Billy Ray has worked the independent professional wrestling scene for years, always dreaming about being called up to the big leagues, but mostly stuck in American Legion halls, bingo parlors and a musty old auditorium held together with mold, blood and sweat. Hunter James, is his son, with his own ideas about who he wants to be. And that is a successful pro wrestler, or sports entertainer as they are called in the Big Leagues of the WWE and AEW. Hunter has been training with some of his father's friends, and is ready to give up college for the adoration he is sure that will follow. Alison Lyn Miller follows these dreams, along with sharing stories about the impact that wrestling has in the South, featuring wrestlers who made it, A.J. Styles for one, many others who did not, and those who keep taking slams and chair shots, hoping to be found.
A book that speaks to a lot about families and dreams. And the idea that fame is just around the corner. I have followed a lot of wrestling, and know that fame is quick, and sometimes fades even quicker. However the hope to get out of a small town, to get money, and be adored is a strong draw. In wrestling they have cage matches, where the wrestlers are locked in to settle their feud. One can win by escaping the cage, climbing out over the fence, sneaking out, or even beating their opponent. However some find that cage to hard to climb, and find themselves pinned to the mat, looking at the lights. I won't share what happens here. This is one of the best books on both wrestling and what is going on in America I have read in awhile. Miller is a very good writer, and empathetic, even when the people being written about are not nice. One gets a real feel and understanding of the family, the wrestles and an understanding of the dream they share.
An very enjoyable and illuminating read. I love the descriptions of the moves and the language of wrestling that Miller puts in the footnotes. More importantly I loved the writing. A really impressive book, far more than I expected, and one I know I will be thinking about for quite awhile. I look forward to more works by Alison Lyn Miller.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews