Arn Anderson 4 Ever: A Look Behind the Curtain

by Arn Anderson

My autobiography is about the wrestling business and my 15 years in it. I will discuss the Horseman days, WWF and my career before Ole & I became a tag team. The book will have other interesting pieces from my time on the road, and my relationships with other wrestlers and promoters. The book will also be forewarded by Ric Flair. I encourage you to read it if you want to know the "real" story about the "Enforcer" and look behind the curtain at a day in the life of a professional wrestler...

Genres: Sports

164 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2000

Reviews

[Jim Rugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is interesting because the author, Arn Anderson, writes the whole thing in kayfabe. This means that he refers to the wrestling action as though it were real. It makes for an unusual tone. Bobby Heenan's book Bobby the Brain shares a similar tone. Historically pro-wrestlers protected their business using kayfabe. In the late 90s/early 2000s, this began to change. I was a big Arn Anderson fan so I'm glad to finally read his bio. He seems like a person who worked very hard and earned his success.

[Michael Rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent look at Arn Anderson's life and his career in the ring. Although the book takes a kayfabe approach to discussing in-ring events, it's still an informative and fun read. Not a ton of road stories, but it's worth reading for any wrestling fan, particularly fans of the Horsemen. The book is nearly twenty years old so it ends just around the same time as Double A's career.

[Timothy Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Great read.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. A total work, he kisses up to Bischoff but not to Terry. Shame Arn. shame.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read any wrestler's biography a good thing to do is decide whether it is kayfabe or legitimate. Kayfabe, according to Wikipedia, and in this case, it is correct, "is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as 'real' or 'true,' specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not of a staged or pre-determined nature of any kind. Kayfabe has also evolved to become a code word of sorts for maintaining this "reality" within the direct or indirect presence of the general public."

Basically "kayfabe" is acting. I am not one to disparage wrestlers because they don't legitimately hate one another or try to cause actual bodily harm to one another any more than I blame Mark Harmon for not being a real NCIS agent. Wrestlers are actors who do their own stunts. The term "sports entertainment" is a good one. Arn's book, is a little of both. It is kayfabe in that it purports to the reason for the matches, etc. but it is also legit because it gives a lot of factual background. Anderson came from the era of strict kayfabe and the book was written before the fourth wall was torn down to a greater degree. But one who knows this will be able to enjoy the book as much, if not more, than the person still in the dark.

I am old enough to remember the days he speaks of in his early career and of course I know him now. The book was written before WCW went out of business but gives a good auto-biography of the man that many called "The Enforcer" of the Four Horsemen.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written on newsprint that comes off on your fingers, the sparse pictures are in black and white, there are grammatical errors throughout, and Arn writes this as if he is still his wrestling character.

That said, Arn's book is still a fascinating read from one of the most passionate and intelligent wrestlers who ever lived. He finds ways to still pepper his stories with realism and candor and it is a joy to read.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a signed copy, and AA is one of my all time favorite wrestlers/talkers.. very good book

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me forever to finally find this book and Barnes & Nobles finally got it for me after months. Great story of a great man in real life and about the wrestler named Arn Anderson. THUMBS UP!