Assassin: The Man Behind The Mask

by Joe Hamilton, Scott Teal

Autobiography of the man who wrestled as "The Assassin", among other names, from the 1950's to the 1980's, Joe Hamilton.

299 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[ReadinRasslin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most important wrestlers and bookers of the '60s and '70s, Assassin is a great read with tons of stories from the territory days. Having worked in primarily every major promotion up until the early 2000s, Jody Hamilton covers his rise, his tag career alongside Tom Renesto, and the territorial wars of the mid-to-late '70s in great detail. Unlike most wrestling autobiographies, this hardly ever derails into the personal aspect of the author and is almost entirely purely stories from the road and Jody giving his two cents on legends he's worked with. This absolutely felt like a passion project and the attention to detail shows. Being a Crowbar Press book, it'll take you a little longer to get through than most wrestling autobiographies, but this never felt like it dragged on. There's some points where Jody gets a little full of himself but he at least fully acknowledges that he does, and I probably would be too if I had the career he had. Good read from a legend who's seen just about everything.

[Jason Presley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book from yet another major player from the 1960s-80s. Hamilton's story is very much like Ole Anderson's, only less grumpy. Both gained stardom mainly as parts of hugely popular tag teams, both could seriously go on the mat, and both were successful bookers in a lot of the same territories in the same time period. Hamilton gets in to a little more of the history of the territories he worked in, which gives his stories a little more color, and with fewer rants than Anderson.

[Chris Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read that gives you all about not only his career but a lot of the others and the crazy side of a lot of wrestlers.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid account of an important wrestling career. Jody Hamilton was one of the big names in 60s-70s wrestling, particularly in Georgia and North Carolina, and he does a good job here of recapping the highs and lows of his life in the ring.