The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels

by Greg Oliver, Steven Johnson

As the first comprehensive look at the ruffians, rascals, and rule breakers in the wrestling business, this history explains the rise of the wrestling villain, the reasons for his (or her) success, and the impact these sordid characters have had on the sport. Based on first-hand interviews with hundreds of wrestlers, managers, promoters, and historians, these entertaining profiles document wrestling’s top rotten apples from the 1920s to today, providing plenty of support for the book's claim that fans love to hate the bad guys as much as they love to love the heroes. With remarkable candor, wrestling’s troublemakers explain why they became villains and how they perceived and honed their roles; the sport is richer for the presence of the nefarious ones—and they know it. With more than 150 never-before-seen photos, this book will satisfy devoted fans and inspire everyone else to take a look at the exciting and often bizarre world of professional wrestling.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Biography

432 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

A writer, editor, and stay-at-home dad, Greg Oliver has written extensively about hockey and professional wrestling. He's done two children's books, and, in December 2020, self-published the biography of Canadian comic genius Billy Van, titled Who's The Man? Billy Van!

He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.

In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.

Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.

He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.

A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.

Reviews

[RA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a fun read, about the "heels" in wrestling through the last 100 years. Great info about a lot of 'em. But where is Dick the Bruiser?

[Optimus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Surprisingly entertaining read.

Very surprised with amount of history this book covers.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This taught me so much about the business and the wrestlers. Hard-working guys, enterprising. Showmen. Impressive research, intelligent writing.

notes:
acknowledgements: JMK and Scott Teal
10..the term "heel" was created by the press
17..Nature Boy Buddy Rogers a hell of a showman
21..he "could go into the ring with a broomstick and make the broomstick look good". (An old article also describes dad this way. (Wild Bill Zim) Maybe this was commonplace comparison?)
27..barnstorming the tank towns
143..Lord Lansdowne 1932 assumed role of Irish hero for Al Haft as Duke Finegan
Columbus Ohio Toe Hold Club
Chief Chewacki...'36 San Diego assault charge (with coat hanger)
Daviscourt...trachoma...bacterial infection which could lead to blindness
Buddy O'Brien...1937 married in the ring in Seattle...Perhaps influenced by dad's '36 in-ring nuptials? They were on the same cards in '36,in LA and Santa Monica.
186...definition of "good worker"
Zebra Kid...Al Haft recruited from Ohio State...He's in Ohio State's HoF at Schottenstein Center. [March 2015 update: Visited the OSU HoF at St. John arena, but couldn't find the Zebra Kid. Did find Al Haft in there though.]
Big Bill Miller...like dad and Jack Vansky, died not far from Al Haft's old Reynoldsburg HQ
Great Mephisto...Frankie Cain..30's/40's programs for Al Haft..a mecca for lighter-weight wrestlers

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book that seriously lists Danny McShain and Boris Malenko over Ric Flair in the Top 20 list (and don't even get me started on Bill Longson over Fred Blassie!), this is a terrific. The entire "The Pioneers" section is worth buying alone just for the stories of people like Ted "King Kong" Cox and Billy Edwards. Nice blend of guys from all decades from recent stars like JBL and Randy Orton to forgotten names like Roger Kibry and The Missouri Mauler.

[Daniel DeLappe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Some of the shit the fans use to pull on the heels is unbelievable, There were a couple guys on this list that did not belong. Sports entertainment just does not cut it. Very readable and a load of fun to read. If you are a fan today compare these guys to today's sports entertainers.

[Pat Devlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, easy read. A lot of insight into the psychology of what makes a good heel in the wrestling industry. The biographies of the wrestlers are very in depth. You can tell they did a lot of painstaking research to make this book as informative as it is.

[Mark James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are certain books that are hard to put down because they are done so well. This is one of those books.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another staggeringly good prosopography from the team of Johnson (definitely the better of the two writers) and Oliver (of SLAM! wrestling fame).