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Looking at the Lights: My Path from Fan to a Wrestling Heel
How did an untrained former college football player end up in the middle of a ring, wrestling during the highest-rated segment during the WWE’s acclaimed Attitude Era?
That’s the story behind Looking at the Lights . As a childhood friend of Shane McMahon, Pete Gas was given the opportunity most only pray for. Beginning with appearances to interfere in McMahon’s matches, his role blossomed into becoming a full-fledge wrestler and leading the Mean Street Posse to WrestleMania, becoming one of the most fascinating success stories of the era.
From his humble upbringing and friendship with Shane (and the McMahon family as a whole), Gas shares how a 9-to-5 average Joe got the chance of a lifetime and made the most out of it.
But getting your foot in the door is one thing; staying is a completely different animal. With all eyes on him, knowing his lack of training and meal ticket being the boss’s son, Gas knew he had to win over all those from the fans and announcers to the wrestlers themselves.
Knowing he had to prove himself, Gas took beatings, chair shots, and additional training to not only show that he could wrestle, but that he belonged with such superstars as The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.
Featuring forewords by Edge and JBL, who famously nailed Gas in the head with a steel chair, readers will get an inside look into not only the training and sacrifice these athletes go through, but the behind-the-scenes workings of a day in the WWE.
That’s the story behind Looking at the Lights . As a childhood friend of Shane McMahon, Pete Gas was given the opportunity most only pray for. Beginning with appearances to interfere in McMahon’s matches, his role blossomed into becoming a full-fledge wrestler and leading the Mean Street Posse to WrestleMania, becoming one of the most fascinating success stories of the era.
From his humble upbringing and friendship with Shane (and the McMahon family as a whole), Gas shares how a 9-to-5 average Joe got the chance of a lifetime and made the most out of it.
But getting your foot in the door is one thing; staying is a completely different animal. With all eyes on him, knowing his lack of training and meal ticket being the boss’s son, Gas knew he had to win over all those from the fans and announcers to the wrestlers themselves.
Knowing he had to prove himself, Gas took beatings, chair shots, and additional training to not only show that he could wrestle, but that he belonged with such superstars as The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Undertaker.
Featuring forewords by Edge and JBL, who famously nailed Gas in the head with a steel chair, readers will get an inside look into not only the training and sacrifice these athletes go through, but the behind-the-scenes workings of a day in the WWE.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published March 21, 2017
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230 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 7, 2017
This was an easy read about a guy getting into wrestling and his travels/road stories after getting put into a big time TV spot with no experience. I've always been a fan of the Mean Street Posse, especially Pete Gas, so the book was enjoyable. I thought it barely touched the surface on a lot of stories, and there was so much potential for more. His time in Memphis is touched on very little, and all throughout the book I kept wishing for more depth into each time period, because Pete comes across as such a nice guy that is really thankful for the opportunities he received. Another thing that I think made this one fall a little flat--and it's admittedly not fair to say but I'm going to anyway--is that I read this directly after Justin Robert's book with all the wow stories, so this one felt so much tamer. Pete didn't really have many stories that exposed anything, not that the book needs to, but when you read Justin's book first, it's like going from a double vodka on the rocks to a caffeine free diet coke. Both quench your thirst, but the vodka sure is fun to drink. I think this woulda been better if I had read some fiction in between wrestling books to sort of cleanse the palate. Still, the stories we get are good, especially his time with WWE and Memphis, very enjoyable.
February 6, 2023
a nice, short book about the attitude era by pete gas who comes across as a very good person
March 7, 2019
Pete Gas was a member of the short lived Mean Street Pose, a very minor food note in the wrestling world. Yet this memoir is rather interesting and a very light and quick read. Lots of funny stories from the road and a few that will drop your jaw. Good read for any Attitude Era wrestling fan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews