Ropes and Glory: The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling

by Greg Lambert

In the follow up to his hit book Holy The True Story of British Wrestling's Revival, Greg Lambert tells the inside story of how British wrestling reached new heights thanks to a golden generation of Uk stars like Grado, Rockstar Spud, Drew Galloway and Kris Travis, and dynamic new promotions like Pcw, Icw, Revolution Pro and Progress. Told through Greg's own eyes and experiences as a journalist, promoter and wrestling personality, Ropes and The Emotional Rise of British Wrestling is the tale of a turbulent decade of tragedy and triumph as British wrestlers continued their fight for mainstream acceptance.

Genres: Nonfiction

528 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2017

Reviews

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who only really started paying close attention to the British pro wrestling scene in mid-to-late 2016, promoter/commentator/manager/journalist Lambert's account of what the scene was like in the late 2000s to mid-2016 is both fascinating and compulsively readable. Backed up by extensive quotes from some of the wiser young veterans who've seen British wrestling's explosion in popularity - most notably Rockstar Spud and El Ligero - Lambert's book is a valuable archive of anecdotes and recollections.

He has an easy, pleasing style and, when his very personal narrative calls for it, he writes with considerable sensitivity about difficult subjects, most notably Kris Travis' brave but ultimately tragic fight against cancer. Lambert does an excellent job of describing the night when AJ Styles accidentally broke Lionheart's neck on a PCW show though, somewhat sleazily, as a promoter, he'd booked a similar 'injury' angle to end a pretty insignificant trainee show - stopping the action abruptly and ushering the audience out with a wrestler still lying there, supposedly badly hurt.

Speaking of his time as a promoter, Lambert does that a LOT. And, as interesting as it is, the excessive detail in some of the recollections of shows he ran in Morecambe do obscure much bigger stories that he wasn't a central character in. As an account of modern day wrestling in his hometown, this book probably couldn't be improved on by anyone but, with so much centred on his XWA and it's various successor groups, much bigger, more currently and internationally relevant promotions are sidelined. Brief examinations of the rise of Revolution Pro and Progress (specifically noted in the book's blurb) are both bundled together in a single chapter yet there are long recitations of specific angles and interviews done in Morecambe or during the short-lived FWA revival.

A well-connected, seemingly well-liked figure, he does a great job of profiling some of his friends and fellow promoters - Alex Shane, PCW's Steve Fludder and ICW's Mark Dallas (Lambert is excellent at capturing the feverish fan following ICW have in Glasgow, particularly) and Dann Read, co-owner of Pro Wrestling EVE, whose groundbreaking women's promotion will surely be a centrepiece of Lambert's next book should he - hopefully - write another.

It'll certainly be interesting to see, in an upcoming volume how he handles his current role, as commentator for boneheaded money pit 5 Star Wrestling, a disastrous outfit whose obsession with running events in large arenas they can't possibly hope to fill is the direct opposite of all the things Lambert (and his promoter interviewees) quite sensibly says about promoting wrestling.

Lambert also does a fine job in profiling the book's cover star, Grado unlikely, joyous path to sort-of-celebrity. True, he sometimes over-eggs the importance of a few appearances on television or in national newspapers (soon to be forgotten, generally) but his sheer enthusiasm for wrestling shines through in what is, largely, a hugely positive and enjoyable personal account.

[Lucy Simons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has aged like milk due to the Speaking Out movement. Nonetheless, an interesting look into the British independent wrestling scene.