Bodyslams!: Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman

by Gary Michael Cappetta

They’re held captive by the glamour and the grotesque of the oldest spectacle known to man. But the inquisitive public at large, along with a vast international network of pro wrestling aficionados, yearn for more than the intriguing soap opera scenarios and daring athleticism that they view every week on television and live at venues around the world. They want a behind-the-scenes view beyond what is routinely represented to the public. In short, curious observers and ardent wrestling fans will be captivated by what Gary Michael Cappetta has delivered in Bodyslams! Memoirs of a Wrestling Pitchman. A tome about one of those guys who rents a tuxedo and tells us who's about to enter the ring? How informative could that be? The answer “Very, if you open your mind and open the book.” Unenlightened fans may be quick to dismiss ring announcers when considering who is part of wrestling's inner circle. They fail to realize these people occupy the same locker rooms, hotels and vehicles as their athletic counterparts, and deal with the same bosses, road temptations and co-workers. Though a mike man shares only a fraction of the glory, he is definitely “one of the boys.” Originally a schoolteacher, Cappetta spent over 20 years working the wrestling arenas. Starting as a part-timer with the WWWF in 1974, when he was paid the sum of $25 per show, Cappetta stuck with it until he lost his spot in the asylum that was WCW in 1995. It would be an exaggeration to say Gary has known everyone and seen everything - but only a slight one. The author was in the thick of things when Vince McMahon began his take-no-prisoners national expansion, and later watched Verne Gagne destroy the once-mighty AWA and Eric Bischoff resurrect WCW. Who was there when the infamous hotel bloodbath between Arn Anderson and Sid Vicious erupted? Who wound up with Mick Foley's ear when it was torn off in Germany? The only witness to an incident wherein rookie Mark Callaway nearly sent Buzz Sawyer to meet a real undertaker? The one and the same G.M. Cappetta. Bodyslams! seamlessly weaves commentary about the business and the people who populate it, travel tales and insight into the personal life of its author. Unlike many other mat biographies, this is neither a boast or a bitch-fest―and there is no promotion behind the publication attempting to rewrite history to its liking. Bodyslams! is the first book to shed light on the dangerous games that both the performing wrestlers and their corporate employers play in order to acquire power, fame and wealth. The book runs chronologically and serves as both a history and an expose of American wrestling as Mr. Cappetta has witnessed during the three decades he spent as an announcer for America's two dominant wrestling promotions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

305 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2000

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gary Michael Cappetta is one of my all time favorite announcers. His voice and delivery is ingrained in my love of old-school WCW/NWA wrestling. He's one of the best.

However. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most boring wrestling memoirs I have ever read. I feel like more time was spent on just explaining things that happened during the time frame in which GMC (Gary Michael Cappetta) was an active announcer rather than his experiences.

Even when GMC tells stories, they are the most banal and forgettable stories imaginable.

It has been a long, long time since I've 1-starred a book on Goodreads, but I was actively angry while reading this one.

[ReadinRasslin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veteran ring announcer Gary Michael Cappetta's career spans from the mid-1970s to the rise of WCW's popularity in the mid-1990s, so he has plenty of stories to tell about wrestling legends of the past and his thoughts on the state of the industry's future at the dawn of the 21st century. I've seen a few people say this was dull and boring - it's slow, but Gary's stories are fresh, and his writing style kept me captivated. He makes his feelings known on the biggest names in the history - his admiration for Gorilla Monsoon, his immense dislike for both Vince McMahons (but particularly Junior), and his being two-faced by Eric Bischoff several times. The main issue with Bodyslams is these same events can be told by Ric Flair or Jim Ross in a far more interesting capacity, and most of this book is Cappetta detailing the landscape of the industry and then trying his hardest to determine where he'd fit into that period. The first half is absolutely stronger than the second, as Cappetta was being phased out by newer announcers like Dave Penzer, so a lot of the later pages is just Cappetta airing his frustration at being unappreciated. This had shades of fellow ring announcer Justin Roberts' book in that while both are great storytellers, that is overshadowed by what feels like a whiny therapy session of venting about how things should have been. Bodyslams is fine, and there's certainly a lot of passion put into it, but it feels inconsistent as it goes on.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrestling fans: good book, filled with honest observations.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half of the book was really good. Loved the authors history with the WWWF. Once you got into the second half I started skimming through.

[Jason Schneeberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

When people think of famous ring announcers, Michael Buffer would probably come to mind for most people. For me personally, the first ring announcer names to ever make an impact on me as someone memorable would be Howard Finkel and Gary Michael Cappeta: Finkel for his WWF work, Cappetta for his NWA/WCW work, both of which I watched religiously as a kid.

I had no idea Cappetta had written a book until very recently and I immediately ordered it.

Covering Capetta's 20 year career in the industry, BODYSLAMS gives a lot of insider info here that old school wrestling fans will love! Starting out in the WWWF after being hired by the late, great Gorilla Monsoon, Capetta has many stories that he shares about legendary wrestlers such as Bruno Samartino, George The Animal Steele, the Grand Wizard, amongst others. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't speak very highly of the ruthless McMahon family - Vince Jr to be more specific - but it doesn't come off as bitter, but rather as someone who is sharing honest thoughts on what he experienced with them.

Cappetta is most known for his WCW run and he shares many stories from this era of his career as well, including road stories with Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Mick Foley etc and the beginnings of Eric Bischoff's career in the drivers seat of the organization (with Ted Turners never ending pockets) as he was on the rise, right as Capetta was making his exit.

Fans of old school wrestling will enjoy this book. It doesn't have any deep, earth shattering revelations but most of the stories Gary tells are worthwhile and interesting. I really had fun reading this one.