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The Titan Trilogy #3
Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs
James Dixon, author of Titan Sinking and Titan Shattered, two detailed chronicles of the World Wrestling Federation's stories and backstage dealings in 1995 and 1996 respectively, pairs up with Justin Henry (Fighting Spirit Magazine, WrestleCrap) in compiling the third book of the series, Titan Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.Continuing through the timeline of WWF history, Titan Screwed provides a comprehensive look at the World Wrestling Federation from January 1997 all the way through WrestleMania XIV in March 1998, covering every major element of the WWF's evolution into the vaunted and historic Attitude Era.Stories extensively detailed include the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels losing his smile, the heel turn of Bret Hart, WWF vs. ECW with Jerry Lawler pulling the strings, the death of Brian Pillman, Austin vs. Tyson, the seedy story elements that overtook WWF programming, the birth of the nefarious Mr. McMahon, and of course, the build-up, the secret plotting, the match, the moment, and the aftermath in all of its incredible details.Exclusive author-conducted interviews for Titan Screwed include Ken Shamrock, Rob Van Dam, Jim Cornette, "The Patriot" Del Wilkes, Dr. Tom Prichard, Danny Doring, former ECW owner Tod Gordon, and more.***Includes foreword from WrestleCrap's RD Reynolds***
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2016
101 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
James Dixon
47 books7 followersJames Dixon is Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk, and is a frequent contributor to WhatCulture Wrestling content.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 17, 2016
In 1997, three organizations battled for sports entertainment supremacy. You had the juggernaut WWF (World Wrestling Federation), who despite a massively successful 1980s, had entered a cooling off period as it struggled to find its footing amid a steady stream of superstar exits. You had Ted Turner’s WCW (World Championship Wrestling), a company filled with those same stars who helped the WWF rise to prominence as they left for fat, guaranteed paychecks and a lighter work schedule. Finally, you had Paul Heyman’s revolutionary ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling), a promotion built on not only original talent, but “misfits” from the WWF and WCW who came together to present a violent, reality-based style that thrived amongst an underground community of rabid fans.
Amid all the chaos on screen, backstage antics were just as compelling. There was the very real drama between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and his rival Shawn Michaels as they fought to be considered Vince McMahon’s “number one”, hoping to secure the spot at the top of the food chain. In WCW, there was Hulk Hogan’s dreaded “creative control” card built into his contract allowing him to nullify anything that was asked of him to perform on-screen. This effectively gave Hogan as secure a spot on top as possible leading to inner turmoil and contempt among “the boys”. In ECW, there was Heyman’s struggle to get onto pay-per-view, desperate to show his company was on equal footing with the “big boys”.
Given the wealth of information within, I would say where the book really shines is in detailing Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels’ journey to the 1997 Survivor Series – I would even go so far as to call it the definitive account of the “Montreal Screwjob”. While I’ve heard of the events that occurred that night over and over again, I still found myself riveted to the story, wondering if they really were going to “screw” Bret over, that’s how well paced it was. Learning more about Bret Hart’s contract negotiation with WCW, his refusal to drop the title to Michaels prior to leaving and reading about each person’s part in the double-cross led to me uncovering things I previously did not know.
Through documentaries, books, podcasts, Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer and original interviews with Jim Cornette, Vince Russo, Ken Shamrock, Tom Pritchard and several others, co-authors Justin Henry and James Dixon paint a vivid picture of all that occurred during that volatile year. Not only is it impeccably researched, the writing is also strong and easily digestible. I would find myself consuming large chunks of the book in a single sitting. Like many of my favorite wrestling podcasts that focus on a specific timeline (The New Generation Project Podcast, The Attitude Era Podcast), I didn’t want it to end. I could easily have read another hundred pages. In speaking with co-author Justin Henry, he alluded to me that additional books are being considered for the series, so I can only hope they show up sooner than later.
Amid all the chaos on screen, backstage antics were just as compelling. There was the very real drama between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and his rival Shawn Michaels as they fought to be considered Vince McMahon’s “number one”, hoping to secure the spot at the top of the food chain. In WCW, there was Hulk Hogan’s dreaded “creative control” card built into his contract allowing him to nullify anything that was asked of him to perform on-screen. This effectively gave Hogan as secure a spot on top as possible leading to inner turmoil and contempt among “the boys”. In ECW, there was Heyman’s struggle to get onto pay-per-view, desperate to show his company was on equal footing with the “big boys”.
Given the wealth of information within, I would say where the book really shines is in detailing Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels’ journey to the 1997 Survivor Series – I would even go so far as to call it the definitive account of the “Montreal Screwjob”. While I’ve heard of the events that occurred that night over and over again, I still found myself riveted to the story, wondering if they really were going to “screw” Bret over, that’s how well paced it was. Learning more about Bret Hart’s contract negotiation with WCW, his refusal to drop the title to Michaels prior to leaving and reading about each person’s part in the double-cross led to me uncovering things I previously did not know.
Through documentaries, books, podcasts, Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer and original interviews with Jim Cornette, Vince Russo, Ken Shamrock, Tom Pritchard and several others, co-authors Justin Henry and James Dixon paint a vivid picture of all that occurred during that volatile year. Not only is it impeccably researched, the writing is also strong and easily digestible. I would find myself consuming large chunks of the book in a single sitting. Like many of my favorite wrestling podcasts that focus on a specific timeline (The New Generation Project Podcast, The Attitude Era Podcast), I didn’t want it to end. I could easily have read another hundred pages. In speaking with co-author Justin Henry, he alluded to me that additional books are being considered for the series, so I can only hope they show up sooner than later.
October 15, 2019
What a good read.
Even though i knew everything that happened in the greatest year in wrestling ever, i still found new and fascinating information.
Every little backstage interaction that was shown in this was gripping and tense to read through.I cant possibly imagine how it was for the people that were at the centre of all of this.
All in all the book is well informed and researched and gives alot of new stuff for pro wrestling enthusiasts and hardcore fans alike.
Even though i knew everything that happened in the greatest year in wrestling ever, i still found new and fascinating information.
Every little backstage interaction that was shown in this was gripping and tense to read through.I cant possibly imagine how it was for the people that were at the centre of all of this.
All in all the book is well informed and researched and gives alot of new stuff for pro wrestling enthusiasts and hardcore fans alike.
May 8, 2022
A strong third book in the trio of retrospectives. Well researched and written, it was fun to read about a time that was an absolute blast to experience as a fan. A nostalgia trip.
January 27, 2017
From the mid to late 1990’s, World Wrestling Federation engaged in a television ratings war with World Championship Wrestling. While WCW had an overloaded roster with high-ranking superstars, WWF had to desperately change direction if they were going to stay in business. Backstage drama between WWF’s top wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart led to the infamous Montreal Screwjob, which sewed the seeds for Mr. McMahon’s tyrannical character, which sewed the seeds for WWF’s Attitude Era, a TV-14-rated period in wrestling where edginess and shades of gray characters eclipsed the cartoonish storytelling of the 80’s and early 90’s. By hook or crook, the WWF won the Monday night ratings wars and became the juggernaut we know as WWE today.
The amount of detail and research that went into this biography is amazing. Not one piece of information in this book comes off as slanderous, just simple brutal honesty. I’ve always wondered what it meant when Shawn Michaels “lost his smile” and why it was considered disgusting at the time. It turns out he faked a knee injury so that he wouldn’t have to lose his WWF World Championship to his backstage rival Bret Hart in a credible wrestling match. I’ve also wondered what it was about the Melanie Pillman interview that made it win Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic of 1997 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. Turns out nobody wants to see a crying widow falling apart on TV while Vince McMahon tries to wash his hands of drug-related controversy. Accurately told stories like these prove that the wrestling business never was and never will be rainbows and skittles. So much anger and toughness runs deep in the veins of everybody who goes out to the ring to put on a show.
The reason I mentioned not knowing much about lost smiles or Melanie Pillman’s interview days after her husband Brian’s death is because there was a period in my life where my mother wouldn’t allow me to watch wrestling (because of its “trashy” content). So when I read about certain things in Titan Screwed that I missed all of those years, I’m suddenly in the mood to watch them. Apparently, Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 in a submission match is a five-star classic with hard-hitting moves, a splattering of blood, and a match ending that made both wrestlers look strong. The planning that went into the Montreal Screwjob months later at Survivor Series made me empathetic towards Bret Hart’s seething anger and his physical outbursts, which had to be contained by an entire locker room full of wrestlers. The way these two particular parts of wrestling history were written made the whole story seem novel-like. So intricately detailed, so much dialogue, and so much emotion went into writing this book that I might as well have been reading a classic novel.
As much as I praise the picturesque details of some of the scenes in this book, there’s something about the writing style in general that slows the whole thing down for me. Maybe there’s too much detail. Maybe it’s the dry writing style of the minor parts of the biography. Maybe there’s too much verbiage and not enough action. Maybe it’s the fact that this is in its basic form a biography and not a tried and true memoir. Whatever the case may be, the slow reading pace put a huge strain on my eyes to the point where reading almost became a chore for me. Yes, this book is rich with information I’ve been longing to have since my mother forced me to stop watching wrestling as a teen. But just like with assigned college reading, the pace of the book can make or break the whole thing. In this case, the snail-like reading pace makes me want to downgrade this book to three stars instead of my usual four or five.
While some parts of this book read like a novel, others read like a Plain Jane biography. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that as long as you know what you’re getting into. James Dixon and Justin Henry are two wrestling columnists I trust when it comes to analyzing this particular form of entertainment. They’ve done amazing work with websites like What Culture and Wrestle Crap. If you enjoy their work outside of Titan Screwed, you’ll probably get a good read out of this book. If you’re as anal about a book’s reading pace as I am, you might struggle with this one, but I urge you to make it until the end of the book. You can do it. I believe in you. A mixed grade goes to this simple and clean piece of wrestling literature.
The amount of detail and research that went into this biography is amazing. Not one piece of information in this book comes off as slanderous, just simple brutal honesty. I’ve always wondered what it meant when Shawn Michaels “lost his smile” and why it was considered disgusting at the time. It turns out he faked a knee injury so that he wouldn’t have to lose his WWF World Championship to his backstage rival Bret Hart in a credible wrestling match. I’ve also wondered what it was about the Melanie Pillman interview that made it win Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic of 1997 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. Turns out nobody wants to see a crying widow falling apart on TV while Vince McMahon tries to wash his hands of drug-related controversy. Accurately told stories like these prove that the wrestling business never was and never will be rainbows and skittles. So much anger and toughness runs deep in the veins of everybody who goes out to the ring to put on a show.
The reason I mentioned not knowing much about lost smiles or Melanie Pillman’s interview days after her husband Brian’s death is because there was a period in my life where my mother wouldn’t allow me to watch wrestling (because of its “trashy” content). So when I read about certain things in Titan Screwed that I missed all of those years, I’m suddenly in the mood to watch them. Apparently, Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 in a submission match is a five-star classic with hard-hitting moves, a splattering of blood, and a match ending that made both wrestlers look strong. The planning that went into the Montreal Screwjob months later at Survivor Series made me empathetic towards Bret Hart’s seething anger and his physical outbursts, which had to be contained by an entire locker room full of wrestlers. The way these two particular parts of wrestling history were written made the whole story seem novel-like. So intricately detailed, so much dialogue, and so much emotion went into writing this book that I might as well have been reading a classic novel.
As much as I praise the picturesque details of some of the scenes in this book, there’s something about the writing style in general that slows the whole thing down for me. Maybe there’s too much detail. Maybe it’s the dry writing style of the minor parts of the biography. Maybe there’s too much verbiage and not enough action. Maybe it’s the fact that this is in its basic form a biography and not a tried and true memoir. Whatever the case may be, the slow reading pace put a huge strain on my eyes to the point where reading almost became a chore for me. Yes, this book is rich with information I’ve been longing to have since my mother forced me to stop watching wrestling as a teen. But just like with assigned college reading, the pace of the book can make or break the whole thing. In this case, the snail-like reading pace makes me want to downgrade this book to three stars instead of my usual four or five.
While some parts of this book read like a novel, others read like a Plain Jane biography. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that as long as you know what you’re getting into. James Dixon and Justin Henry are two wrestling columnists I trust when it comes to analyzing this particular form of entertainment. They’ve done amazing work with websites like What Culture and Wrestle Crap. If you enjoy their work outside of Titan Screwed, you’ll probably get a good read out of this book. If you’re as anal about a book’s reading pace as I am, you might struggle with this one, but I urge you to make it until the end of the book. You can do it. I believe in you. A mixed grade goes to this simple and clean piece of wrestling literature.
September 6, 2016
Interesting
This book is filled with unbelievable amounts of information from the time period of 1997 through Wrestlemania XIV in 1998. For anyone interested in this period of wrestling this should be a fun read. The focus is put on the WWF, but the writer also weaves into the narrative important events that include WCW and ECW's part of the WWF story. Nearly every angle is covered, complete with pertinent back stories and supportive quotes from those who were there. My biggest complaints are the obvious bias against the Kliq, a heavy reliance on Dave Meltzer quotes(he's not the only "insider" of the business, and if he was referenced, then why not other dirt sheet writers?), and some outright incorrect info(for example the writer spoke of WCW wrestlers with creative control in their contracts when it's been stated by former WCW executives that Hogan was the only one with such a clause in their contracts). These flaws force me to wonder how accurate the book is. I have no doubt that the majority of the book is true, but not knowing for sure takes away from enjoying the book 100%. Overall I did enjoy it more than not, and found parts of it fascinating.
This book is filled with unbelievable amounts of information from the time period of 1997 through Wrestlemania XIV in 1998. For anyone interested in this period of wrestling this should be a fun read. The focus is put on the WWF, but the writer also weaves into the narrative important events that include WCW and ECW's part of the WWF story. Nearly every angle is covered, complete with pertinent back stories and supportive quotes from those who were there. My biggest complaints are the obvious bias against the Kliq, a heavy reliance on Dave Meltzer quotes(he's not the only "insider" of the business, and if he was referenced, then why not other dirt sheet writers?), and some outright incorrect info(for example the writer spoke of WCW wrestlers with creative control in their contracts when it's been stated by former WCW executives that Hogan was the only one with such a clause in their contracts). These flaws force me to wonder how accurate the book is. I have no doubt that the majority of the book is true, but not knowing for sure takes away from enjoying the book 100%. Overall I did enjoy it more than not, and found parts of it fascinating.
August 20, 2023
Similar standard to the previous volume with much the same positives and negatives (genuine insight contrasted with filler content and smarky posturing). This one is particular reads like the author resorted to a thesaurus frequently due to the sheer number of esoteric descriptors and verbs used (the novice mistake of believing if you write "said" or similar too many times it's bad writing) which results in comically out of place words being used at times. Again, the core of this is worth reading and could maybe have been a 4 star with better (or any?) editorial oversight.
April 17, 2020
This is the triumphant third act to the melodrama that was American professional wrestiling in general and the WWF in particular in the mid to late 1990s.
Vnce McMahon proudly went on TV to claim the WWF prided itself on being inspired by action movies and daytime soap opera in it's broadcast content of "sprtts enterrainment" Accepting thetruth of this claim, this superb work leaves you in no doubt that no script writer couldever have written the behind the scenes reality and had it accepted as credible not even on the highly skeweerd "reality" of Days of our Lives". A show McMahon cited as an inspritaion.
After two volumes of the WWF plumbing the very bottom of it's roster and some astonishng creative nadirs we finally get to see things come together.. The characters we see are more extreme than anything on their show. We see Vince gravely announce the death of an athlete at the start of a PPV and 24 hours later hold a tactless live interview with his grieving video where he tries to force her into exonerating his organisation of any part of the tragedy.. Elsewhere he recklessly changes policy direction leading to a disastrous broadcast and then rips into the advisors who cautioned him against it, for the disaster. The book does not hide from showing the ruthless side either. A lot of ink is devoted to describing the full machinations (almost entirely driven by McMahon) of the infamous "Montreal screwjob" and how Vinvve embraced the truly toxic hate for him that generated and how astonished and hurt by it he was. It rreminds us how Bret Hart was not the first to be screwed by Vince, regaling us with the Wendi Richter tale of 1985. After the above mentioned death he told his entire roster that what we now call the "Attitude era" was fully on and he was ditching the stupid gimmicks and comic book storyines with instant effect. It brought about the greatest and most celebrated era in Company history and allowed him to literally annihillate his opposition both real and potential
The real "stars" here though are the two men who believed they were top dog and whose inability to be more than civil to each other brought about the screw job. Bret Hart the technically superb wrestler who just wanted to be respected for his achievements and rewarded sutiably. Then you have Shawn Michaels a prodigious talent and brimming with charisma. yet with the thinnest of skins and an innate ability to annoy virtually everyone and everything. Michaels could not help himself but to push Hart's buttons and eventually Hart would snap. This leads to perhaps the best quote in the book Jim Cornette describes Michaels as "unable to whip cream with an outboard motor in a real fight" Both believed that they should be the face of the company foing forward and both told Vince so endlessly. The abiding irony is that both would miss most if not all of the new age that they wanted to headline. leaving that duty to men they both thought second string players. The battle of egos between two prima donas would be hilarious if it was not tinged by such trafedy and pathos. The book brings this tale out excellently.
Any wrestling fan NEEDS to read this one
Vnce McMahon proudly went on TV to claim the WWF prided itself on being inspired by action movies and daytime soap opera in it's broadcast content of "sprtts enterrainment" Accepting thetruth of this claim, this superb work leaves you in no doubt that no script writer couldever have written the behind the scenes reality and had it accepted as credible not even on the highly skeweerd "reality" of Days of our Lives". A show McMahon cited as an inspritaion.
After two volumes of the WWF plumbing the very bottom of it's roster and some astonishng creative nadirs we finally get to see things come together.. The characters we see are more extreme than anything on their show. We see Vince gravely announce the death of an athlete at the start of a PPV and 24 hours later hold a tactless live interview with his grieving video where he tries to force her into exonerating his organisation of any part of the tragedy.. Elsewhere he recklessly changes policy direction leading to a disastrous broadcast and then rips into the advisors who cautioned him against it, for the disaster. The book does not hide from showing the ruthless side either. A lot of ink is devoted to describing the full machinations (almost entirely driven by McMahon) of the infamous "Montreal screwjob" and how Vinvve embraced the truly toxic hate for him that generated and how astonished and hurt by it he was. It rreminds us how Bret Hart was not the first to be screwed by Vince, regaling us with the Wendi Richter tale of 1985. After the above mentioned death he told his entire roster that what we now call the "Attitude era" was fully on and he was ditching the stupid gimmicks and comic book storyines with instant effect. It brought about the greatest and most celebrated era in Company history and allowed him to literally annihillate his opposition both real and potential
The real "stars" here though are the two men who believed they were top dog and whose inability to be more than civil to each other brought about the screw job. Bret Hart the technically superb wrestler who just wanted to be respected for his achievements and rewarded sutiably. Then you have Shawn Michaels a prodigious talent and brimming with charisma. yet with the thinnest of skins and an innate ability to annoy virtually everyone and everything. Michaels could not help himself but to push Hart's buttons and eventually Hart would snap. This leads to perhaps the best quote in the book Jim Cornette describes Michaels as "unable to whip cream with an outboard motor in a real fight" Both believed that they should be the face of the company foing forward and both told Vince so endlessly. The abiding irony is that both would miss most if not all of the new age that they wanted to headline. leaving that duty to men they both thought second string players. The battle of egos between two prima donas would be hilarious if it was not tinged by such trafedy and pathos. The book brings this tale out excellently.
Any wrestling fan NEEDS to read this one
November 5, 2022
The last in the titan trilogy. It’s odd because ECW takes a bigger part of the book than prior. They were starting to become a minor factor in the wrestling federations. WCW isn’t mentioned as often.
The series can be the rise and fall of Shawn Michaels. He and his Kliq ran over the WWF, then he reached the pinnacle. Now he has effectively fallen and a new person took over. However that person isn’t playing around behind the scenes.
It is very pointed out here how Vince was never big on Bret Hart. He tried to bury him but couldn’t. Either the fans wouldn’t take it or the locker room. Too bad that WCW didn’t know what to do right from the first second he was on screen or things would’ve been very different.
Overall thorough and entertaining.
The series can be the rise and fall of Shawn Michaels. He and his Kliq ran over the WWF, then he reached the pinnacle. Now he has effectively fallen and a new person took over. However that person isn’t playing around behind the scenes.
It is very pointed out here how Vince was never big on Bret Hart. He tried to bury him but couldn’t. Either the fans wouldn’t take it or the locker room. Too bad that WCW didn’t know what to do right from the first second he was on screen or things would’ve been very different.
Overall thorough and entertaining.
March 1, 2022
A nice ending to the trilogy of books covering the WWF's ups and downs from 95-97. For me, this was the weakest book of the three since a lot of stuff is recapped from 95-96 that has already been covered in previous books, and several big pay per views like Summerslam and King of the Ring barely get a mention. Any wrestling fan will probably be reading this for Montreal which is covered in depth. The tragic passing of Brian Pillman is also covered extensively.
Any wrestling fan will enjoy this trilogy, but fans like me who watched all this happen live week after week will find it especially intriguing.
Any wrestling fan will enjoy this trilogy, but fans like me who watched all this happen live week after week will find it especially intriguing.
April 20, 2018
Final insallment of the Titan series, the one covering the year leading to Wrestlemania XIV, as with the prior two books this is an interesting peek into the behind the scens stories of the WWF and the expanding Monday Night War with WCW.
I enjoyed this very much, I was well and truly into the WWF at this time and it is nice being able to go back in time and relive the journey.
What tickles me is with all the posturing of Shawn and Bret, they both were seceded by a stronger Austin within 6 months, and the WWF was all the better for it.
I enjoyed this very much, I was well and truly into the WWF at this time and it is nice being able to go back in time and relive the journey.
What tickles me is with all the posturing of Shawn and Bret, they both were seceded by a stronger Austin within 6 months, and the WWF was all the better for it.
March 15, 2023
An excellent ending to a brilliant trilogy. The authors have managed to weave the events not just of 1997 but also the beginning of 1998.
At first I found the chopping and changing pace of this book a lot different to the first two books. However after a while it became apparent that the need to change helped tell not just the facts but the amazing story.
If you are a fan of Pro Wrestling or you were in the late 90's then definitely give this a read!
At first I found the chopping and changing pace of this book a lot different to the first two books. However after a while it became apparent that the need to change helped tell not just the facts but the amazing story.
If you are a fan of Pro Wrestling or you were in the late 90's then definitely give this a read!
May 4, 2019
Detailed and evocative
The authors go to great lengths to not just list results and feed you quotes, but to try to recreate the suspense and magic in the air. It works. I haven’t read the first 2 books,but I’m going to now!
The authors go to great lengths to not just list results and feed you quotes, but to try to recreate the suspense and magic in the air. It works. I haven’t read the first 2 books,but I’m going to now!
December 19, 2019
The first two in this trilogy of WWF mid-90s history were well worth a read if you want to hear about wrestling days of old, but this one felt sloppier and in need of editing, bouncing around without real structure.
July 24, 2018
Good book
Very interesting back stories, get a different perspective of the business from the inside. Very good read enjoyed the book
Very interesting back stories, get a different perspective of the business from the inside. Very good read enjoyed the book
January 8, 2019
A thorough overview of the year WWF started to rein in WCW, thanks to Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and the Montreal Screw Job.
June 24, 2020
A nice end to the trilogy
Enjoyed the continuation of the previous two and I'm glad that it didn't end at the end of 1997, finishing at 'Mania 98 instead.
Enjoyed the continuation of the previous two and I'm glad that it didn't end at the end of 1997, finishing at 'Mania 98 instead.
June 23, 2024
Terrible
If I could rate it less I would. It's based on little facts, uses bitter disgruntled employees for biased interviews. Time wasted that I won't get back.
If I could rate it less I would. It's based on little facts, uses bitter disgruntled employees for biased interviews. Time wasted that I won't get back.
September 13, 2025
Read with my rewatch of the era… it ends when its just getting good haha. Please give me more!
February 17, 2022
Dixon's narrative build to, recap of, and physical and emotional fallout from the notorious Montreal Screwjob incident is some of the most captivating writing on professional wrestling I think I've ever read (and no, that's not a joke; I read a lot of books about professional wrestling!). Even a story that I've heard a dozen times feels fresh and intense in this telling of it - I couldn't catch my breath!
The rest of the book surrounding the infamous event is equal to the quality of the previous books, offering much material of interest, but it's all overshadowed by Montreal, in my opinion.
The rest of the book surrounding the infamous event is equal to the quality of the previous books, offering much material of interest, but it's all overshadowed by Montreal, in my opinion.
May 21, 2022
I was really looking forward to this after the first two installments but however, I was left feeling very underwhelmed. There was little I learnt that isn't already well documented across wrestling circles and a lot of the so called revelations about the Montreal screwjob feel like pure speculation and in some cases total fiction. How can the author know what McMahon was thinking about Bret Hart's contact? Bruce Pritchard has stated numerous times in his podcast that he knew nothing about the double-cross but James Dixon (who has never worked for any wrestling company I know of) seems to think otherwise. It's tripe stories like this that really let the book down and unfortunately occur much too often to be taken seriously.
The book is apparently 280 pages but yet feels twice as long. It's supposed to be a biography about the WWF circa 1997 so why are there entire chapters dedicated to ECW and WCW? These feel like they belong in another book entirely and could easily have been edited out, especially when WWF events like Summerslam, Ground Zero and the DX PPV's (among others) are barely mentioned. Also, I got tired of reading the same repeated phrases and words which seemed like a reflection of the author's lack of vocabulary (I lost count of the times the word 'careened' was used).
The book does pick up in the last few chapters giving an accurate and well written account (with actual quotes from the participants involved) of Wrestlemania 14 but unfortunately it's not enough to recommend it. A disappointment conclusion to the trilogy.
The book is apparently 280 pages but yet feels twice as long. It's supposed to be a biography about the WWF circa 1997 so why are there entire chapters dedicated to ECW and WCW? These feel like they belong in another book entirely and could easily have been edited out, especially when WWF events like Summerslam, Ground Zero and the DX PPV's (among others) are barely mentioned. Also, I got tired of reading the same repeated phrases and words which seemed like a reflection of the author's lack of vocabulary (I lost count of the times the word 'careened' was used).
The book does pick up in the last few chapters giving an accurate and well written account (with actual quotes from the participants involved) of Wrestlemania 14 but unfortunately it's not enough to recommend it. A disappointment conclusion to the trilogy.
November 1, 2016
If you are a Pro wrestling fan, you may enjoy this book about the WWE in the late 90s. This was the start of the "Attitude Era." During this period, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and other wrestlers began to make their mark. This was also the period where the WWE began to pull away from its WCW competitor. The most interesting part of the book has to do with the "Montréal Screw job." This was the wrestling bout where Shawn Michaels won the WWE Championship from Bret Hart. The result came from a "shoot" where the action and the chosen winner were off script. The book contained a lot of interesting stories and insights into the very characters, people and personalities in the wrestling business.
June 8, 2016
Another enjoyable installment in the series. Even wrestling fans well versed in the stories from '97 may find facts, opinions or perspectives that are new to them. At the very least you'll find the events retold in a thoroughly entertaining manner. I didn't think I had any interest in yet another trudge through the Montreal screwjob but the version presented here makes for fascinating reading - broadening the scope beyond the usual players to take in everyone touched by the events of that infamous weekend.
February 6, 2017
An interesting look behind the scenes in the WWF in 1997, a ust-read for any wrestling fan
March 1, 2025
Again, like the previous two in the trilogy this is an interesting read.
There's likely stories you've heard before and ones you haven't. How true these versions are im not sure. The author writes about the infamous screwjob as if he was stood in the room.
The formatting and proofreading is utterly woeful throughout. No page numbers and significant number of typos.
Good and interesting due to its content for any wrestling fan but lack of editing stops it being one of the great wrestling books
There's likely stories you've heard before and ones you haven't. How true these versions are im not sure. The author writes about the infamous screwjob as if he was stood in the room.
The formatting and proofreading is utterly woeful throughout. No page numbers and significant number of typos.
Good and interesting due to its content for any wrestling fan but lack of editing stops it being one of the great wrestling books
September 30, 2016
Capable re-cap
A more than adequate résumé of the events that lead to Steve Austin winning the WWF/E title. The advent of The Rock from the ashes of the Rocky Maivia character is also noted. Shawn Michaels is portrayed as the contemptible drug-addled scumbag he had degenerated, pun intended, into. All that chicanery just to be dropped like a bag of yesterday's garbage, to borrow a Gorilla-ism. Fortunately, he found God and such. Yay.
A more than adequate résumé of the events that lead to Steve Austin winning the WWF/E title. The advent of The Rock from the ashes of the Rocky Maivia character is also noted. Shawn Michaels is portrayed as the contemptible drug-addled scumbag he had degenerated, pun intended, into. All that chicanery just to be dropped like a bag of yesterday's garbage, to borrow a Gorilla-ism. Fortunately, he found God and such. Yay.
October 25, 2021
I loved the first two installments of this trilogy, but I felt that this one fell kind of flat. If you had read the first two volumes then this one offers a lot of repetition. Also, the Montreal Screwjob has been covered to death by this point. And reading about 100 pages covering the same material was pretty dry.
James Dixon, however, should keep writing time line books like this one because the first two were awesome.
James Dixon, however, should keep writing time line books like this one because the first two were awesome.
January 22, 2017
Jam packed with inside information about one of the most influential years in the history of professional wrestling. Even an avid fan like me can learn a few things. A bit long, but worth every second.
February 1, 2017
Another decent read in Dixon's "Titan" series, including the Montreal Screwjob, Austin's rise to prominence, HBK being a dickhead, etc. But like the previous book, this focuses on the "Attitude Era" and so much has already been written/said about it that there was little new here.
July 18, 2016
Despite much of the information being known by most fans, the thorough research results in some new, illuminating tidbits. It was an entertaining read.
December 30, 2017
Third of three-part series, but my least favorite. Too many long segues ... and please put down the thesaurus for a bit!
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