What do you think?
Rate this book
The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling: A Hardcore, High-Flying, No-Holds-Barred History of the One True Sport
From the host of the critically acclaimed pro wrestling podcast Straight Shoot , this graphic novel history of wrestling features the key grapplers, matches, and promotions that shaped this beloved sport and form of entertainment.
As a pop culture phenomenon, professional wrestling--with its heroic babyfaces and villainous heels performing suplexes and powerbombs in pursuit of championship gold--has conquered audiences in the United States and around the world. Now, writer/podcaster Aubrey Sitterson and illustrator Chris Moreno form a graphic novel tag team to present wrestling's complete illustrated history. Featuring legendary wrestlers like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock, and modern-day favorites like John Cena, Kenny Omega, and Sasha Banks, the book covers wrestling's progress from the carnival days of the Gold Dust Trio to the dominance of the WWF/WWE to today's diverse independent wrestling scene, and it spotlights wrestling's reach into Mexico/Puerto Rico (lucha libre), the U.K. (all-in), and Japan (puroresu).
As a pop culture phenomenon, professional wrestling--with its heroic babyfaces and villainous heels performing suplexes and powerbombs in pursuit of championship gold--has conquered audiences in the United States and around the world. Now, writer/podcaster Aubrey Sitterson and illustrator Chris Moreno form a graphic novel tag team to present wrestling's complete illustrated history. Featuring legendary wrestlers like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock, and modern-day favorites like John Cena, Kenny Omega, and Sasha Banks, the book covers wrestling's progress from the carnival days of the Gold Dust Trio to the dominance of the WWF/WWE to today's diverse independent wrestling scene, and it spotlights wrestling's reach into Mexico/Puerto Rico (lucha libre), the U.K. (all-in), and Japan (puroresu).
184 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2018
32 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Aubrey Sitterson
129 books14 followersAubrey Sitterson is a freelance writer, whose most recent work, No One Left to Fight is currently available in local comic shops, digitally on Comixology, and through special collector’s packages. He’s also the writer of The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling, which is available everywhere, including local bookstores, comic shops, and online retailers like Amazon.
Aubrey has written comics for all of the industry’s top publishers – Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse IDW, Oni, Dynamite and Viz. He also wrote and performed the sword & sorcery serial podcast SKALD from April 2015 to April 2018, without missing a single week. A full list of credits can be found here.
Contact Aubrey at dropkickoutthejams at gmail dot com.
Aubrey has written comics for all of the industry’s top publishers – Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse IDW, Oni, Dynamite and Viz. He also wrote and performed the sword & sorcery serial podcast SKALD from April 2015 to April 2018, without missing a single week. A full list of credits can be found here.
Contact Aubrey at dropkickoutthejams at gmail dot com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
January 4, 2019
My fascination with professional wrestling began in 1974, when I was 10 years old. My father and I would stay up late on Saturday nights and watch World Class Championship Wrestling out of Dallas, Texas. WCCW was a promotion run by Jack Adkisson, better known by his wrestling persona, Fritz Von Erich. Von Erich began his career as a goose-stepping Nazi character, but by the mid-’70s had morphed into a babyface who did battle with the many heels that came through the territory. I was mesmerized by the wild action and the outsized personalities of the combatants, names like Rocky Johnson, The Mongolian Stomper, “Maniac” Mark Lewin and The Great Kabuki.
As I grew older I got into the Saturday morning Mid-South Wrestling show, run by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and featuring names like “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and The Junkyard Dog. By the late ‘70s I had added Georgia Championship Wrestling to my roster. There I saw classic talents like Dusty Rhodes and Tommy Rich and Austin Idol. There was also an early babyface run for the future King of Evil otherwise known as Kevin Sullivan, and every now and again the mighty NWA World Champ Harley Race would come around to cause trouble.
And, look. I knew pretty early on that matches and storylines were predetermined. That didn’t make any difference for me. It was obvious that pro wrestlers were athletes in at least some sense. The best matches and the best performers were muscular and conditioned and able to sustain a believable character. Best of all, they seemed to take pride and joy in what they did for a living.
The landscape of professional wrestling has changed substantially over the years. Gone are the days of the regional promotions and territories. The WWE now has global reach and an almost unchallenged power in the business. Almost. Upstart domestic promotions like IMPACT Wrestling and Ring of Honor have gained significant exposure in recent years, and the second-biggest promotion in the world is New Japan Pro Wrestling, a juggernaut from Japan that can create global megastars like Kenny Omega all on their own.
“The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling” is a must-have for anyone who has even a passing interest in what authors Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno modestly term The One True Sport. This entertaining 176-page graphic novel covers the history of pro wrestling from its origins as a carnival sideshow all the way to its current status as a billion-dollar entertainment empire whose biggest stars often migrate to more mainstream media outlets like movies.
Chapter One - Carnival Origins and the Early Days - Explores the carnie birthplace of pro wrestling by highlighting the contributions of such foundational talents as Martin “Farmer” Burns and Frank Gotch. The early years were often a mix of legitimate grappling and predetermined, or “fixed,” matches, but the end result was that there was much money to be made by promoters willing to work the crowds.
Chapter Two - The Gold Dust Trio and Becoming Entertainment - Pro wrestling abandons any sense of true legitimacy as a sport and begins to focus on creating an entertainment product that could produce the ILLUSION of legitimacy for its rabid enthusiasts. Ed “Strangler” Lewis, James Mondt, and Billy Sandow would lay the foundations for the territory age of pro wrestling and make a killing while doing it.
Chapter Three - A National Wrestling Alliance - The system of regional promotions comes to full fruition. This era also saw the rise of the now-standard formula of pitting heroic “babyface” wrestlers against villainous “heels.” This Manichaean dichotomy would be the basis for the product from here on out, though later decades would turn the idea on its head with the rise of “antihero” characters who straddled the line between good and evil. Legends like Lou Thesz and “Nature Boy” Buddy Roberts would flex their star power and take wrestling to new heights.
Chapter Four - The Masked Men and Women of Lucha Libre - The global nature of pro wrestling becomes more apparent when one examines the growth of the sport in other countries. The Luchadores would adopt more high-flying ring techniques and take the idea of the “masked superstar” to new heights. Distinctly Mexican in nature, Lucha Libre would be the first wrestling tradition to fully embrace the idea of wrestlers as superheroes.
Chapter Five - All-In in the U.K. - Pro wrestling also developed along different lines in the United Kingdom, where the “catch-as-catch-can” style was originated and perfected. Like the Mexican promotions, the Brits utilized a weight division setup and put a more athletic face on the product as a whole. Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks would give way to the likes of The Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith, but the U.K’s contributions to pro wrestling can’t be understated.
Chapter Six - Puroresu, Strong Style, and King’s Road - An in-depth examination of the development of Japanese pro wrestling, from the glory days of Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki to the current day stars like Asuka and Tetsuya Naito. The Japanese also introduced the concept of factions and stables to pro wrestling, a development which would be copied by other promotions as a way to sell identity to the fans. Groups like the Bullet Club and Los Ingobernables de Japon still sell a ton of merchandise to rabid fans who want to feel like they are part of a specific faction.
Chapter Seven - The Golden Age - The age of the regional territories comes to and end as WWE consolidates its power and reach as a truly national promotion. MTV even gets involved as the Rock and Wrestling Connection sets the stage for total domination using a younger, hipper demographic. Territories and promotions are swallowed up by the WWE and wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage take their characters to crossover success in the mainstream. More importantly, Vince Mcmahon acknowledges wrestling’s artifice in order to avoid various state athletic commissions. The age of wrestling as “sports entertainment” is now officially upon us.
Chapter Eight - The Monday Night Wars - Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling emerges as the only serious contender to the WWE. Built from the foundations of the old National Wrestling Alliance, WCW introduces more focus on violence and actual wrestling as opposed to WWE’s more cartoonish and family-friendly fare. WCW would eventually overtake the WWE in popularity for a couple of years, but the success was unsustainable in the face of poor storyline decisions and unwieldy wrestler contracts that eventually forced the company out of business. But, man…..that NWO angle sure was a lot of fun……
Chapter Nine - The New Millennium - Wrestling today is more exciting than ever, with the WWE facing competition from a growing number of new independent promotions like the aforementioned IMPACT and NJPW. There are even a number of smaller, regional start-ups that promise to be the training ground for the megastars of tomorrow. The One True Sport is in good hands as we enter the New Age.
“The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling” is a fun and colorful book that reads fast yet still manages to impart a ton of information to the reader. The artwork is lively and vibrant, and the text is encyclopedic in its range and depth. If you are a fan, this book will be one that you will leaf through over and over again, soaking in all of the details and historical nuggets. If you are not a fan, you will be by the time you finish this. Professional wrestling has come a long way from its carnival heyday as a lowbrow pseudo-sport to the polished, exciting entertainment product that it is today. Most of the book is younger-reader friendly, though the text and illustrations don’t shy away from blood nor do they bypass tragic stories like the Chris Benoit saga. Even hardcore wrestling is covered, though thankfully not in all of its gory detail.
My only complaint is that there wasn’t a chapter on women’s wrestling. The female grapplers are certainly not ignored in the text, but they don’t exactly get their due, either. The authors acknowledge this point, but I would hope that this gets corrected in a future edition. Women’s wrestling absolutely deserves a full chapter of its own. But that’s the only real flaw here. I can’t recommend this book enough if you enjoy the One True Sport. Yes, there is a valid reason why the authors have coined that term, but I’m not going to spoil it. Go read the book.
I don’t apologize for my love of pro wrestling. It may seem counterintuitive, but at its best pro wrestling can take on an almost mythic dimension. The purity of the Good vs. Evil battle is at the heart of every great story, and pro wrestling excels at storytelling. Watching a great heel take it on the chin from an exhausted but valiant hero plays out like a modern retelling of Gilgamesh for the Twenty-First Century Man. I come by it honestly. I’ve always loved carnivals and low-brow entertainment of various sorts. You’ll have to pry my Bullet Club hoodie off of my cold, dead body. In the meantime, pass the popcorn, there’s a good match coming on…...
As I grew older I got into the Saturday morning Mid-South Wrestling show, run by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and featuring names like “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and The Junkyard Dog. By the late ‘70s I had added Georgia Championship Wrestling to my roster. There I saw classic talents like Dusty Rhodes and Tommy Rich and Austin Idol. There was also an early babyface run for the future King of Evil otherwise known as Kevin Sullivan, and every now and again the mighty NWA World Champ Harley Race would come around to cause trouble.
And, look. I knew pretty early on that matches and storylines were predetermined. That didn’t make any difference for me. It was obvious that pro wrestlers were athletes in at least some sense. The best matches and the best performers were muscular and conditioned and able to sustain a believable character. Best of all, they seemed to take pride and joy in what they did for a living.
The landscape of professional wrestling has changed substantially over the years. Gone are the days of the regional promotions and territories. The WWE now has global reach and an almost unchallenged power in the business. Almost. Upstart domestic promotions like IMPACT Wrestling and Ring of Honor have gained significant exposure in recent years, and the second-biggest promotion in the world is New Japan Pro Wrestling, a juggernaut from Japan that can create global megastars like Kenny Omega all on their own.
“The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling” is a must-have for anyone who has even a passing interest in what authors Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno modestly term The One True Sport. This entertaining 176-page graphic novel covers the history of pro wrestling from its origins as a carnival sideshow all the way to its current status as a billion-dollar entertainment empire whose biggest stars often migrate to more mainstream media outlets like movies.
Chapter One - Carnival Origins and the Early Days - Explores the carnie birthplace of pro wrestling by highlighting the contributions of such foundational talents as Martin “Farmer” Burns and Frank Gotch. The early years were often a mix of legitimate grappling and predetermined, or “fixed,” matches, but the end result was that there was much money to be made by promoters willing to work the crowds.
Chapter Two - The Gold Dust Trio and Becoming Entertainment - Pro wrestling abandons any sense of true legitimacy as a sport and begins to focus on creating an entertainment product that could produce the ILLUSION of legitimacy for its rabid enthusiasts. Ed “Strangler” Lewis, James Mondt, and Billy Sandow would lay the foundations for the territory age of pro wrestling and make a killing while doing it.
Chapter Three - A National Wrestling Alliance - The system of regional promotions comes to full fruition. This era also saw the rise of the now-standard formula of pitting heroic “babyface” wrestlers against villainous “heels.” This Manichaean dichotomy would be the basis for the product from here on out, though later decades would turn the idea on its head with the rise of “antihero” characters who straddled the line between good and evil. Legends like Lou Thesz and “Nature Boy” Buddy Roberts would flex their star power and take wrestling to new heights.
Chapter Four - The Masked Men and Women of Lucha Libre - The global nature of pro wrestling becomes more apparent when one examines the growth of the sport in other countries. The Luchadores would adopt more high-flying ring techniques and take the idea of the “masked superstar” to new heights. Distinctly Mexican in nature, Lucha Libre would be the first wrestling tradition to fully embrace the idea of wrestlers as superheroes.
Chapter Five - All-In in the U.K. - Pro wrestling also developed along different lines in the United Kingdom, where the “catch-as-catch-can” style was originated and perfected. Like the Mexican promotions, the Brits utilized a weight division setup and put a more athletic face on the product as a whole. Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks would give way to the likes of The Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith, but the U.K’s contributions to pro wrestling can’t be understated.
Chapter Six - Puroresu, Strong Style, and King’s Road - An in-depth examination of the development of Japanese pro wrestling, from the glory days of Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki to the current day stars like Asuka and Tetsuya Naito. The Japanese also introduced the concept of factions and stables to pro wrestling, a development which would be copied by other promotions as a way to sell identity to the fans. Groups like the Bullet Club and Los Ingobernables de Japon still sell a ton of merchandise to rabid fans who want to feel like they are part of a specific faction.
Chapter Seven - The Golden Age - The age of the regional territories comes to and end as WWE consolidates its power and reach as a truly national promotion. MTV even gets involved as the Rock and Wrestling Connection sets the stage for total domination using a younger, hipper demographic. Territories and promotions are swallowed up by the WWE and wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage take their characters to crossover success in the mainstream. More importantly, Vince Mcmahon acknowledges wrestling’s artifice in order to avoid various state athletic commissions. The age of wrestling as “sports entertainment” is now officially upon us.
Chapter Eight - The Monday Night Wars - Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling emerges as the only serious contender to the WWE. Built from the foundations of the old National Wrestling Alliance, WCW introduces more focus on violence and actual wrestling as opposed to WWE’s more cartoonish and family-friendly fare. WCW would eventually overtake the WWE in popularity for a couple of years, but the success was unsustainable in the face of poor storyline decisions and unwieldy wrestler contracts that eventually forced the company out of business. But, man…..that NWO angle sure was a lot of fun……
Chapter Nine - The New Millennium - Wrestling today is more exciting than ever, with the WWE facing competition from a growing number of new independent promotions like the aforementioned IMPACT and NJPW. There are even a number of smaller, regional start-ups that promise to be the training ground for the megastars of tomorrow. The One True Sport is in good hands as we enter the New Age.
“The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling” is a fun and colorful book that reads fast yet still manages to impart a ton of information to the reader. The artwork is lively and vibrant, and the text is encyclopedic in its range and depth. If you are a fan, this book will be one that you will leaf through over and over again, soaking in all of the details and historical nuggets. If you are not a fan, you will be by the time you finish this. Professional wrestling has come a long way from its carnival heyday as a lowbrow pseudo-sport to the polished, exciting entertainment product that it is today. Most of the book is younger-reader friendly, though the text and illustrations don’t shy away from blood nor do they bypass tragic stories like the Chris Benoit saga. Even hardcore wrestling is covered, though thankfully not in all of its gory detail.
My only complaint is that there wasn’t a chapter on women’s wrestling. The female grapplers are certainly not ignored in the text, but they don’t exactly get their due, either. The authors acknowledge this point, but I would hope that this gets corrected in a future edition. Women’s wrestling absolutely deserves a full chapter of its own. But that’s the only real flaw here. I can’t recommend this book enough if you enjoy the One True Sport. Yes, there is a valid reason why the authors have coined that term, but I’m not going to spoil it. Go read the book.
I don’t apologize for my love of pro wrestling. It may seem counterintuitive, but at its best pro wrestling can take on an almost mythic dimension. The purity of the Good vs. Evil battle is at the heart of every great story, and pro wrestling excels at storytelling. Watching a great heel take it on the chin from an exhausted but valiant hero plays out like a modern retelling of Gilgamesh for the Twenty-First Century Man. I come by it honestly. I’ve always loved carnivals and low-brow entertainment of various sorts. You’ll have to pry my Bullet Club hoodie off of my cold, dead body. In the meantime, pass the popcorn, there’s a good match coming on…...
October 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this and it did an amazing job of talking about pro wrestling from its inception to today. It discussed jargon, the psychology behind its lasting appeal, and highlighted the rise of wrestling internationally as well as in the states and did a great job of covering it in a way that a brand new fan could follow, along with a lifelong fan like myself. It didn’t shy away from discussing difficult topics like the problematic portrayal of minorities throughout its history, the steroid trial of VKM, and the tragedy of Chris Benoit. It never shys away from the fact that fans have really ALWAYS been “in” on it since the beginning, not just since 1998 ;). In addition to the writing, I loved the artwork and the renderings of my favorite wrestlers, both legends and current stars. And I appreciate that no recognizable stars are depicted on the cover, so it won’t get dated on the shelves...
However... I am disappointed in the lack of a chapter on the history of women’s wrestling. They get one full page at the end of the book by saying “It’s unfortunate we haven’t given women’s wrestling more attention, but the sad truth is that in America it has long been marginalized ...” and then they proceed to give a brief page summarizing their treatment in WWE and ending with the 4 Horsewomen of NXT and how steady progress is finally being made in getting respect for American women’s wrestling. Women’s wrestlers were mentioned intermittently throughout the book and Joshi wrestling is mentioned in the chapter about Japanese promotions, but it really could have been a great way to help teach new fans more about how important the current revolution is in terms of the history of women’s wrestling as a whole, as opposed to the WWE’s scrubbed version (the one where they refuse to admit they were the problem in the first place.) That’s why I can’t give it 5 stars. Maybe a sequel is in order... ;)
Otherwise a great guide to the One True Sport. My favorite sport. Give it a try and maybe you’ll understand why. :)
However... I am disappointed in the lack of a chapter on the history of women’s wrestling. They get one full page at the end of the book by saying “It’s unfortunate we haven’t given women’s wrestling more attention, but the sad truth is that in America it has long been marginalized ...” and then they proceed to give a brief page summarizing their treatment in WWE and ending with the 4 Horsewomen of NXT and how steady progress is finally being made in getting respect for American women’s wrestling. Women’s wrestlers were mentioned intermittently throughout the book and Joshi wrestling is mentioned in the chapter about Japanese promotions, but it really could have been a great way to help teach new fans more about how important the current revolution is in terms of the history of women’s wrestling as a whole, as opposed to the WWE’s scrubbed version (the one where they refuse to admit they were the problem in the first place.) That’s why I can’t give it 5 stars. Maybe a sequel is in order... ;)
Otherwise a great guide to the One True Sport. My favorite sport. Give it a try and maybe you’ll understand why. :)
January 10, 2019
Growing up in the '70s and '80s in Wisconsin, my brothers and I lived for the weekly broadcast of "All-Star Wrestling" on the local TV station. I remember struggling with the antenna to get the best picture and being horrified when the show was moved to Sunday mornings, and we might miss all or part of it depending on what church service mom was going to make us go to. I love comic book superheroes, and professional wrestlers seemed to be those characters and their villains come to life on the TV screen. It was a coming-of-age moment to realize that the wrestling matches were just as fictional as the latest issue of Superman.
I picked this book up for a nostalgic wallow, and it served the purpose well. There is lots of coverage of the American Wrestling Association that I grew up with and also the WWF, the rise of which coincided with the drop-off of my interest in wrestling. Mind you, this is a pretty high-level overview, starting with Gilgamesh and the ancient Greeks and ranging forward quickly through the centuries with most of the 400+ named wrestlers only appearing in a panel or two.
The middle of the book drags a bit as the history of wrestling in Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom are each given a chapter. Alas, my interest in wrestling is too provincial to care about anything happening outside the U.S. Fortunately, the back half of the book deals with the era I lived through and what happened after I stopped following the One True Sport.
Fun stuff.
I picked this book up for a nostalgic wallow, and it served the purpose well. There is lots of coverage of the American Wrestling Association that I grew up with and also the WWF, the rise of which coincided with the drop-off of my interest in wrestling. Mind you, this is a pretty high-level overview, starting with Gilgamesh and the ancient Greeks and ranging forward quickly through the centuries with most of the 400+ named wrestlers only appearing in a panel or two.
The middle of the book drags a bit as the history of wrestling in Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom are each given a chapter. Alas, my interest in wrestling is too provincial to care about anything happening outside the U.S. Fortunately, the back half of the book deals with the era I lived through and what happened after I stopped following the One True Sport.
Fun stuff.
March 19, 2023
Burlesque for Boys
"Wrestling is a performance of masculinity" where every "problem is solved with the same thing . . . violence."
"And just as burlesque separates sensuality from sex, so too does wrestling abstract violence away from its real-world consequences."
This "graphic novel history" is a mixed bag. It does provide history harkening back to carnival performers, and offers moments of insight as noted above. It also tries to cover all the regions of North America, Mexico, Japan and Great Britain, sometimes just offering highlights and sometimes diving into the nitty-gritty details of who did what.
Sitterson has a fan's approach, and this is revealed most nakedly at the sunny ending. Even the quote above, about "abstract violence" is contradicted in this book by all the accounts of injuries, concussions, brain damage, addictions, and suicide. Drug abuse was rampant and this lead to wrestlers dropping dead at age 39 from a "heart attack" (brought on by steroids and painkillers).
This is a "graphic format history" but not a "graphic novel". There is no storyline. Wrestling is hailed as the "one true sport" but has also been acknowledged as fake, or choreographed, since at least the 1890s. It is now known as "sports entertainment" to avoid being regulated as a sport.
On the other hand, it is a massive cultural attraction, with an appeal that has endured and evolved for decades, centuries, since the beginning of time.
There is a wealth of information in this book, although at times it does read like an encyclopedia. The art, though, is impressive—Chris Moreno has the talent to draw recognizable faces, and here there are hundreds of them.
"Wrestling is a performance of masculinity" where every "problem is solved with the same thing . . . violence."
"And just as burlesque separates sensuality from sex, so too does wrestling abstract violence away from its real-world consequences."
This "graphic novel history" is a mixed bag. It does provide history harkening back to carnival performers, and offers moments of insight as noted above. It also tries to cover all the regions of North America, Mexico, Japan and Great Britain, sometimes just offering highlights and sometimes diving into the nitty-gritty details of who did what.
Sitterson has a fan's approach, and this is revealed most nakedly at the sunny ending. Even the quote above, about "abstract violence" is contradicted in this book by all the accounts of injuries, concussions, brain damage, addictions, and suicide. Drug abuse was rampant and this lead to wrestlers dropping dead at age 39 from a "heart attack" (brought on by steroids and painkillers).
This is a "graphic format history" but not a "graphic novel". There is no storyline. Wrestling is hailed as the "one true sport" but has also been acknowledged as fake, or choreographed, since at least the 1890s. It is now known as "sports entertainment" to avoid being regulated as a sport.
On the other hand, it is a massive cultural attraction, with an appeal that has endured and evolved for decades, centuries, since the beginning of time.
There is a wealth of information in this book, although at times it does read like an encyclopedia. The art, though, is impressive—Chris Moreno has the talent to draw recognizable faces, and here there are hundreds of them.
Read
September 7, 2019Not going to rate this, but I did enjoy it! My friend lent it to me a few months ago and I finally got around to reading it, it was pretty interesting and something I very much needed!
March 30, 2023
The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling: A Hardcore, Hugh-Flying, No-Holds-Barred History of the One True Sport is a graphic novel written by Aubrey Sitterson with art by Chris Moreno. It was originally released in 2018.
The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling covers just about every topic you would ever want to know about professional wrestling. It covers the sport’s questionable beginnings in American carnivals to is big marquee fight feels of the early 1900s to the territory system of the 1930s-70s to the rise of national promotions such as WWF and WCW in the 1980: to the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s to today’s indie wrestling resurgence. It also covers how wrestling differs in other countries such as Mexico, Japan, and England.
I have been a wrestling fans since the late 90s and consider myself a “smart” wrestling fan, but will definitely admit my knowledge is primarily focused on WWF/WWE and to an extent WCW. This book covers so much ground of the history of wrestling as well as how the business was run and organized in different time periods. It was really cool to see all that history collected in one place. I learned so much reading this book and seeing how the history of the sports has changed and lead us to where it is today. The book is told in a language that is easy to grasp. I think even if you don’t know much about the sport, you could easily pick the book up and understand a lot of the terminology. The art is presented in a cartoony way, but translates easily to the narration tone. It’s easy to tell who all the prominent wrestlers, announcers, and backstage talent are supposed to be. I would highly recommend this book to all wrestling fans.
The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling covers just about every topic you would ever want to know about professional wrestling. It covers the sport’s questionable beginnings in American carnivals to is big marquee fight feels of the early 1900s to the territory system of the 1930s-70s to the rise of national promotions such as WWF and WCW in the 1980: to the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s to today’s indie wrestling resurgence. It also covers how wrestling differs in other countries such as Mexico, Japan, and England.
I have been a wrestling fans since the late 90s and consider myself a “smart” wrestling fan, but will definitely admit my knowledge is primarily focused on WWF/WWE and to an extent WCW. This book covers so much ground of the history of wrestling as well as how the business was run and organized in different time periods. It was really cool to see all that history collected in one place. I learned so much reading this book and seeing how the history of the sports has changed and lead us to where it is today. The book is told in a language that is easy to grasp. I think even if you don’t know much about the sport, you could easily pick the book up and understand a lot of the terminology. The art is presented in a cartoony way, but translates easily to the narration tone. It’s easy to tell who all the prominent wrestlers, announcers, and backstage talent are supposed to be. I would highly recommend this book to all wrestling fans.
January 30, 2020
This was so good. I very much liked the fact that this was an overall history of the pastime/profession and not just what we see on television. It was excellent storytelling with completely delightful art. Every time Sting showed up I snot laughed. This history goes all the way back to the days of carnivals and freak shows and really examines where wrestling came from. And so much respect for telling the horrible truth about Chris Benoit. We'll never change or learn anything if we forget.
The one thing that drove me nuts though is the declaration that the fact that wrestling isn't a sport is what makes it the one true sport... That literally makes no sense. And every time I read "one true sport" I got a mental headache.
The one thing that drove me nuts though is the declaration that the fact that wrestling isn't a sport is what makes it the one true sport... That literally makes no sense. And every time I read "one true sport" I got a mental headache.
April 26, 2019
For true fans of professional wrestling, I'm sure that The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling will be riveting. For the rest of us, it's one of those graphic histories that falls in the "I hope you like text!" category.
Personally, I'm okay with text. And the art is pretty decent, even if it's essentially background noise. I knew almost zero about professional wrestling going in to the book, so I was excited to be introduced to a new world of sports entertainment. I was not disappointed! The history of professional wrestling is relayed in deep detail, with far more names and faces than you could ever remember. Shout out to Chris Moreno for successfully differentiating between hundreds of muscle-bound white men with his art.
I appreciated that Aubrey Sitterson started with wrestling pre-history, including the carnival era, although I would have liked to know more about how wrestling (which was always narrative driven) compared to boxing in popularity. I appreciated less that Sitterson spent three lengthy chapters on the history of wrestling in Mexico, England, and Japan. That information could easily have been tightened up to one chapter. The 90s Monday night wars between WCW and WWE were easily the most riveting portions of the book - I actually remembered some of that stuff! I don't think I'm going to go turn on a professional wrestling match right now, but I definitely have a newfound appreciation of the sports entertainment.
Personally, I'm okay with text. And the art is pretty decent, even if it's essentially background noise. I knew almost zero about professional wrestling going in to the book, so I was excited to be introduced to a new world of sports entertainment. I was not disappointed! The history of professional wrestling is relayed in deep detail, with far more names and faces than you could ever remember. Shout out to Chris Moreno for successfully differentiating between hundreds of muscle-bound white men with his art.
I appreciated that Aubrey Sitterson started with wrestling pre-history, including the carnival era, although I would have liked to know more about how wrestling (which was always narrative driven) compared to boxing in popularity. I appreciated less that Sitterson spent three lengthy chapters on the history of wrestling in Mexico, England, and Japan. That information could easily have been tightened up to one chapter. The 90s Monday night wars between WCW and WWE were easily the most riveting portions of the book - I actually remembered some of that stuff! I don't think I'm going to go turn on a professional wrestling match right now, but I definitely have a newfound appreciation of the sports entertainment.
November 15, 2021
Absolutely amazing!
I love this whole series and have so much fun reading them. The Comic Books Stories of Baseball, Video Games, and Comics have already been told, and now its time for the men and women of the squared circle to get in on the action.
This wonderfully illustrated book follows the sport's carnival beginnings, all the way to its modern form as a TV juggernaut.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I love this whole series and have so much fun reading them. The Comic Books Stories of Baseball, Video Games, and Comics have already been told, and now its time for the men and women of the squared circle to get in on the action.
This wonderfully illustrated book follows the sport's carnival beginnings, all the way to its modern form as a TV juggernaut.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
June 20, 2019
3.5 Stars!
Oh how this took me back to the good ole bad ole days of high school when we used to get clumsily involved in our own crude version of the Royal Rumble. But of course our later impromptu bouts of fake wrestling were a lot more ridiculous and fun.
Sitterson shows us that there is a lot more to wrestling than just a band of prancing goons trapped inside a hypertrophic, homo-erotic pantomime who eventually die of heart failure from chronic and excessive steroid abuse.
This is actually a really well-researched account and shows how American wrestling came to be the multi-gazillion dollar franchise it is today. Aside from boxing, horse racing, cricket, football etc there can’t be too many sports out there where match fixing is so blatant and out in the open. Sitterson digs deep into the fascinating and farcical nature of the One true sport! which values commercial driven spectacle over sports based authenticity, but of course this kind of wrestling in the US has been fixed, simulated and rigged since at least the 1880s. As our guide explains, it has always been about the money and it needs to be as entertaining and lively as possible in order to maintain maximum revenue streams.
Although this clearly focuses on American wrestling, there are also strong overviews of the wrestling movements in Mexico, Japan and the UK. There is a lot of attention given to internal politics and other shenanigans that went on within the bizarre but always corporate savvy world of American wrestling. We learn about the roles of heels, a jobber, blading, the sell and the crucial importance of the morality play aspect. We learn differences between Greco-Roman and Catch wrestling. We also get to know all about the importance of the Gold Dust trio and see how the eventual emergence of the WWWF (later changed to the WWF and now the WWE) would transfer the scene.
We see that there are plenty of times when life outside the ring can be just as dramatic and eventful for these men. The Yakuza stabbing a wrestler to death with a urine soaked knife, Jose Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican wrestler stabbing Bruiser Brody to death in 1988 and then there was the comparatively tame incident in 1985, where Hulk Hogan knocked TV presenter, Richard Belzer unconscious on live TV, which resulted in stitches to the head. Belzer later sued him.
In many ways wrestling shares plenty of alarming similarities with politics. It puts a glitzy, shiny and often camp veneer on for the public, pretending to be someone that they are not. Politicians also love an audience and to be the centre of attention. Like wrestlers they are all showmanship and silly, empty platitudes spoken in staged scenarios. Meanwhile all of the real power and decisions are made behind closed doors by a small group of immensely wealthy people with shared vested interests.
The public pretends to believe in what they do, disregarding all the cheating and lying, convincing themselves “Ah but they all do that! It is just part of the show!” No matter how ridiculous or outrageous it becomes, they have made up the rules and so they can get away with almost anything, and the people in charge know full well that there are plenty of suckers out there to keep it all going.
All told this was a really informative and entertaining book. I didn’t really warm to the style of artwork, but it is well done, and the colouring is great and it all works really well together to give us a really nice historical overview.
October 10, 2019
Professional wrestling is a fascinating modern phenomenon.
This graphic novel traces the history of professional wrestling (starting in ancient times), and goes into detail about the last 100+ years. It talks about various Associations, specific key players, and touches on moves and slang. It also spends a few chapters on pro wrestling outside of the United States, particularly in Mexico and Japan.
I'm a pretty big fan of the Netflix series GLOW, and I studied theatre in college, so I'm always interested in performative arts and their impact on the wider culture. I also dig nonfiction graphic novels as a rule. I found this one, though, because I was specifically looking for high-appeal, sports-related books for my annual tour of local high schools. This was perfect for that niche. I opened my presentations by talking about this book, focusing on the colonial Rough-and-Tumble ancestor to pro wrestling (discussed on page 3 here).
Since I'm not a general connoisseur of professional wrestling, I can't speak to the accuracy of this telling, but I did find it fascinating. Part of me wanted a little more focus on the specific moves - I would have liked a play-by-play of at least one famous fight, perhaps. But I appreciate the importance of the association infighting to the larger art form, and that's most of the focus here.
The illustrations are clear and bright, and tell the story effectively. In some ways the narrative meanders more than I might like, but I understand it's hard to tell a story that bridges the whole planet and a couple centuries with everything influencing everything else.
It also doesn't tackle the nuance of the cultural impact the art form has had. There are acknowledgments of the rampant sexism and racism in mainstream professional wrestling, but it doesn't go particularly deep with that. Doesn't discuss homophobia at all, which (I have a feeling) is an issue. Now that I've read this for context and a framework, I feel semi-ready to read someone else take those important issues on.
If you're intrigued, this is a pretty great primer on the topic. And it definitely worked for my purposes of grabbing high schoolers.
This graphic novel traces the history of professional wrestling (starting in ancient times), and goes into detail about the last 100+ years. It talks about various Associations, specific key players, and touches on moves and slang. It also spends a few chapters on pro wrestling outside of the United States, particularly in Mexico and Japan.
I'm a pretty big fan of the Netflix series GLOW, and I studied theatre in college, so I'm always interested in performative arts and their impact on the wider culture. I also dig nonfiction graphic novels as a rule. I found this one, though, because I was specifically looking for high-appeal, sports-related books for my annual tour of local high schools. This was perfect for that niche. I opened my presentations by talking about this book, focusing on the colonial Rough-and-Tumble ancestor to pro wrestling (discussed on page 3 here).
Since I'm not a general connoisseur of professional wrestling, I can't speak to the accuracy of this telling, but I did find it fascinating. Part of me wanted a little more focus on the specific moves - I would have liked a play-by-play of at least one famous fight, perhaps. But I appreciate the importance of the association infighting to the larger art form, and that's most of the focus here.
The illustrations are clear and bright, and tell the story effectively. In some ways the narrative meanders more than I might like, but I understand it's hard to tell a story that bridges the whole planet and a couple centuries with everything influencing everything else.
It also doesn't tackle the nuance of the cultural impact the art form has had. There are acknowledgments of the rampant sexism and racism in mainstream professional wrestling, but it doesn't go particularly deep with that. Doesn't discuss homophobia at all, which (I have a feeling) is an issue. Now that I've read this for context and a framework, I feel semi-ready to read someone else take those important issues on.
If you're intrigued, this is a pretty great primer on the topic. And it definitely worked for my purposes of grabbing high schoolers.
January 6, 2021
Writer, podcaster and big-time wrestling fan Aubrey Sitterson joined up with artist Chris Moreno to take on the herculean task of producing a comprehensive yet constrained history of professional wresting within the medium of a comic book.
The duo begins in the very early days of the art form by exploring its roots within traveling carnivals. They explain that while it may have been a “shoot” (real) in the beginning, it didn’t quite find its legs until promotors began fixing the fights for maximum entertainment value. This all exploded with the invention of television drawing in even more viewers across the world.
While Sitterson and Moreno could simply be content to stick within the realm of North America where wrestling enjoys easily its highest popularity, the book branches out to explore promotions in Mexico, the U.K. and Japan, to name a few, examining both their unique presentations and original styles. Focus is given to pioneers like UK based performer Big Daddy as well as the fracturing of the Japanese landscape that led to the creation of All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. This helps make the book even better, although I have read a few reviews stating that it seems disruptive to the flow while bogging down the narrative. In my opinion, I’d disagree with that. Personally, I have a pretty vast knowledge of the North American scene, so it was interesting to explore other regions and styles – plus it’s hard to present a history while narrowing your focus on one region.
The book also delves into the seedier parts of wrestling, which honestly, are all too frequent to avoid. Chris Benoit, the steroid trial, as well as the deaths of Owen Hart, Bruiser Brody and the Von Erich clan are also explored. For those who enjoy Vice’s The Dark Side of the Ring, you’ll recognize a lot of the subjects profiled in their two seasons.
The artwork here is on point with Moreno staying both realistic as well as drawing on wrestling’s natural tendency to exaggerate and inflate its own presence. Moreno’s entertaining style is definitely appreciated considering the book is extremely dialogue-heavy for a comic book, although it does need to be given that it’s technically a history book.
My only knock against the book is the lack of history surrounding women’s wrestling. There is time devoted to it near the book, but in trying to present a comprehensive history of the sport into just over three hundred pages, you’re bound to either leave things out or short-change topics. I’m not defending it, but it could have been expanded on.
All in all, the tag team of Sitterson and Moreno have produced an informative and entertaining look at the wrestling industry. It’s not often I’m able to come away from a book like this one where it’s filled with so much information that I'm already aware of and can say that I was engaged throughout. Top marks for The Comic Book Story of Pro Wrestling.
**Note: this book was released in late 2018, so while it is as up-to-date as possible, you’re not going to find anything in here about AEW and the monumental changes implemented over the past two years.
The duo begins in the very early days of the art form by exploring its roots within traveling carnivals. They explain that while it may have been a “shoot” (real) in the beginning, it didn’t quite find its legs until promotors began fixing the fights for maximum entertainment value. This all exploded with the invention of television drawing in even more viewers across the world.
While Sitterson and Moreno could simply be content to stick within the realm of North America where wrestling enjoys easily its highest popularity, the book branches out to explore promotions in Mexico, the U.K. and Japan, to name a few, examining both their unique presentations and original styles. Focus is given to pioneers like UK based performer Big Daddy as well as the fracturing of the Japanese landscape that led to the creation of All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. This helps make the book even better, although I have read a few reviews stating that it seems disruptive to the flow while bogging down the narrative. In my opinion, I’d disagree with that. Personally, I have a pretty vast knowledge of the North American scene, so it was interesting to explore other regions and styles – plus it’s hard to present a history while narrowing your focus on one region.
The book also delves into the seedier parts of wrestling, which honestly, are all too frequent to avoid. Chris Benoit, the steroid trial, as well as the deaths of Owen Hart, Bruiser Brody and the Von Erich clan are also explored. For those who enjoy Vice’s The Dark Side of the Ring, you’ll recognize a lot of the subjects profiled in their two seasons.
The artwork here is on point with Moreno staying both realistic as well as drawing on wrestling’s natural tendency to exaggerate and inflate its own presence. Moreno’s entertaining style is definitely appreciated considering the book is extremely dialogue-heavy for a comic book, although it does need to be given that it’s technically a history book.
My only knock against the book is the lack of history surrounding women’s wrestling. There is time devoted to it near the book, but in trying to present a comprehensive history of the sport into just over three hundred pages, you’re bound to either leave things out or short-change topics. I’m not defending it, but it could have been expanded on.
All in all, the tag team of Sitterson and Moreno have produced an informative and entertaining look at the wrestling industry. It’s not often I’m able to come away from a book like this one where it’s filled with so much information that I'm already aware of and can say that I was engaged throughout. Top marks for The Comic Book Story of Pro Wrestling.
**Note: this book was released in late 2018, so while it is as up-to-date as possible, you’re not going to find anything in here about AEW and the monumental changes implemented over the past two years.
February 25, 2019
If you think you're going to get a history of the WWF/WWE starting in the 80s, think again! This is a comprehensive history of the one true sport starting with carnival barkers and taking us through 2017. A great primer on regional feds of the 50s, international feds like CMLL, NJPW, and All Japan as well as plenty of mention of indies, and the medium big guys like ECW, WCW, ROH, and TNA. This one goes deep with great artwork and clearly well-researched subject matter. Of course you get plenty of WWF/WWE coverage here too, but its a nice impartial overview of everybody who worked hard and got them to be what they are today. Kind of what you'd get if the smartest mark you knew wrote his thesis on wrestling and was best friends with a good artist.
Highly recommended for those who want a deeper dive on things that were before their time, or they may have missed. Also a great chance for attitude era fans to get current again.
Highly recommended for those who want a deeper dive on things that were before their time, or they may have missed. Also a great chance for attitude era fans to get current again.
February 23, 2021
A more appropriate medium for the history of professional wrestling couldn't be possible and I say this as a huge wrestling fan. This was a great history of the "One True Sport" done in a way that made me smile throughout. I got this at the library but this will be one that I will be buying for my collection. It tells the history of Professional wrestling from its carnival and amateur wrestling origins to modern day and it still doesn't forget about the global nature of the product with chapters on Japan/Mexico/England etc.
If you have ever been a fan of wrestling this graphic novel is a must. If you are curious about the subject at all than this is an easy cliff note history that gets you up to speed rapidly.
Enjoyed it immensely. Well worth the very short time commitment to read.
If you have ever been a fan of wrestling this graphic novel is a must. If you are curious about the subject at all than this is an easy cliff note history that gets you up to speed rapidly.
Enjoyed it immensely. Well worth the very short time commitment to read.
July 4, 2025
Reminds me of Box Brown's books about Andre the Giant and Andy Kaufman, which both had a lot about pro wrestling, and made me interested in finding out more. This book told me everything I wanted to know, and made me remember why I never got into pro wrestling. Now everywhere I look in news and entertainment I think “this is just like wrestling”. I like how this book has the histories of Lucha Libre, Japanese pro wrestling, and Puerto Rican wrestling. I think the reason this book made wrestling seem stupider than other stuff I've seen about wrestling is because it included pretty detailed history of wrestling up to the present day. I'm not sure if everything had become more stupid by the time I became aware of it, or if it's just a young hater's view of the world he grew up in. The frequent use of the word “grappling” and “grapplers” makes me think of a personal ad I saw many years ago in which a guy was seeking a partner for “just grappling”. Put me in mind to listen to Load's amazing 1996 single “Lumberjack Death Luge (Ballad of Son of Crusher).”
November 11, 2021
This is a very thorough, very informative graphic novel history of professional wrestling from origins till about 2015. In addition to tracing the eras of wrestling in the United States, the book covers the development of professional wrestling outside of the US, especially in England, Japan, and Mexico. You get a more complete picture of the story of this unusual phenomenon, but also get introduced to the unique men and women who brought and continue to bring "the king of sports" to life. Highly recommended!
April 22, 2019
Very much a visual timeline. The comic lacks story and drags in the middle. A lot of content was about regional wrestling, territories and competing brands. Some fun stuff at the beginning and the end. The book also recognizes its own lack of emphasis on women in the sport by saying they were/are marginalized, so that is why they are marginalized in the book. Sad face.
June 27, 2020
One for fans of wrestling, for sure. I loved the first half with the history of wrestling as entertainment, but the second half gets so bogged down in names and abbreviations, it was much harder to understand why these things were important. Regardless, I loved the art and the one true sport has a fascinating history.
November 6, 2021
This was a great read. Having watched a lot of wrestling documentaries, I knew some of these stories, but this was so much more in depth. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of attention paid to women's wrestling. It's even acknowledged at one point that they should focus more on it, but the industry doesn't. Given how detailed they got on other aspects of the industry, I was disappointed that they glossed over women's wrestling.
July 28, 2022
I picked this book up from the library – not because I like professional wrestling (I find it garish, trashy, and confusing), but because I’m very curious about why other people like it so much. And for a 170-page comic book rendition, this does an admirable job of giving me an answer to my question.
I would have given it more than 3 stars… but I still don’t like professional wrestling.
I would have given it more than 3 stars… but I still don’t like professional wrestling.
October 31, 2018
This is not a book about specifics, but it is an amazing overview of wrestling history. It hits the most important, pivotal points, main characters, and angles. The art is equally as on-point. Highly recommend if you have any interest in the WWE and its making.
March 24, 2019
More informative and fun than I could’ve ever thought possible. As someone who thinks they know a great deal about Professional Wrestling, I still learned so many amazing new facts. This was comprehensive, fun, neatly mapped out and beautifully imagined. An absolute treat!
April 22, 2023
A fun telling on the history of pro wrestling, with great artwork! Really enjoyed this graphic novel. The data is accurate, told in a great way, with excellent artwork accompanying it.
December 17, 2018
Funny and informative, well-written and well-illustrated. It's not easy to take such a complicated and tangled history and make it run smoothly and linearly, and there are some rough patches where the book jumps around in time or backtracks. But overall the author does a great job of finding themes that have persisted across the 100+ years of pro wrestling and detailing how they've endured.
February 3, 2020
For those interested in an in-depth history of professional wrestling. Excellent illustrations!
June 13, 2022
3.5
Bunch of buff dudes flexing and trying to pin each other. HOT!
Bunch of buff dudes flexing and trying to pin each other. HOT!
January 29, 2020
A fun, fact-filled history of “the one true sport”: professional wrestling. A great read for those interested in learning more about the origins of professional wrestling or wrestling fans looking for nostalgia. I highly recommend!
December 8, 2018
I knew little about wrestling before reading this book but thanks to this book, I feel I have a fairly comprehensive overview of the "one true sport". Everyone is excellently caricatured and it's structured well so its easier to keep track but, wow, there is a flood of names and styles and promotions.
November 26, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. I wound up reading it in a single day since I couldn't put it down. It covers a ton of history and foreign promotions, which is nice from the constant focus on the Monday Night Wars in other places. Of course, that era is covered as well, which evoked all the memories of watching those wrestlers and matches. Part of the joy was recognizing the multitude of wrestlers spread across the pages and panels. Learning more about wrestling in Mexico, Japan, and England was very interesting and not something you normally get. It was also enlightening to see how many times the fixed nature of wrestling has been exposed yet the popularity always returns, pointing to the recurrent interest in the one true sport. The art work was great with fantastic likenesses of the wrestlers, although there was obvious copy/paste throughout the book (e.g. the same scene of fans in the audience was simply modified for each era, Ric Flair and many others were always shown with the same facial expression).
I think it helps to be an existing wrestling fan to truly appreciate this book. There's only a single page dedicated to a glossary of terms that won't be familiar to non-fans, and not every term is included. Today's fans are much savvier than previous ones, and Aubrey is clearly a fan.
Despite the insider terms, this would serve as a great introduction to the sport of professional wrestling. Especially to people who protest that it's fake.
I think it helps to be an existing wrestling fan to truly appreciate this book. There's only a single page dedicated to a glossary of terms that won't be familiar to non-fans, and not every term is included. Today's fans are much savvier than previous ones, and Aubrey is clearly a fan.
Despite the insider terms, this would serve as a great introduction to the sport of professional wrestling. Especially to people who protest that it's fake.
December 9, 2018
Sitterson is a longtime wrestling fan who is more than qualified to write about the subject. He’s well known on Twitter and has a popular podcast where he discusses wrestling from many different companies. In this book, he attempts to tackle the entire history of professional wrestling from its roots in carnival sideshows all the way to the different international styles that are becoming more popular in the United States.
I absolutely adored being able to read the story of favorite pastime in my favorite format. Sitterson tackles an insanely huge history here and for the most part I think he does a really great job. He manages to balance history with fun and inviting art, provided by Chris Moreno, and the visual aspects help immensely with understanding the text. Often when the text is discussing particular moves and its originator, Moreno’s art reflects the move itself so the reader can have a solid visual of why it’s so influential to wrestling. It also helps as so much of this book calls back onto things in previous chapters, so having that visualization makes it much easier to digest. If this were a regular nonfiction title without the art, it would be far too heavy and hard to follow, but as a graphic novel it’s much lighter and more interesting.
Another aspect of this book that I loved was the small things only wrestling fans would notice. Although Moreno’s art matches Sitterson’s text, there were times where I as a wrestling fan recognized throwbacks he included in the book. An example is when discussing the use of real life friendships as storylines, Moreno includes art of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, as well as their independent former personas, El Generico and Kevin Steen. It was something small that only a current wrestling fan would likely catch, but it was a nice wink and nod to fans.
While I think this is the perfect addition for the bookshelf of any wrestling fan, it does contain a heavy amount of history. The book description reflects this, but I would honestly recommend reading this in two sittings. I am an avid wrestling fan, as I have stated, and even I struggled with taking in all the information presented to me. I thought the book was well structured and flowed together in an understandable format, but to truly take in all the aspects of wrestling and its history is a huge undertaking for the reader. Even though I was familiar with almost everyone in the book, I still struggled to differentiate between promoters and had to refer back to previous pages a few times.
I do wish the book had gone further in depth to talk about the history of women’s wrestling. Sitterson does acknowledge women’s wrestling only coming into the forefront of popularity in recent years, but frankly with so many pages dedicated to the historically accurate yet kinda boring side stories concerning arguing males, there could have been more women’s history here. The ENTIRETY of women’s wrestling (at least in WWE) received one full page, the same as independent promotion Ring of Honor. I just felt like the balance was off a bit and the side stories about different promoters from the 40s-80s were a bit boring when compared to how many pages they comprised. I would have loved for that content to be replaced with some cool “first woman to” facts, or even more than one mention of any women’s wrestling promotions.
I think this is a fantastic book to give any wrestling fan as a gift. It’s interesting, educational and grasps a lot about what we as fans love about professional wrestling. Some parts may be sluggish, but overall it is a great look at why wrestling is incredible.
Blog / Twitter
I absolutely adored being able to read the story of favorite pastime in my favorite format. Sitterson tackles an insanely huge history here and for the most part I think he does a really great job. He manages to balance history with fun and inviting art, provided by Chris Moreno, and the visual aspects help immensely with understanding the text. Often when the text is discussing particular moves and its originator, Moreno’s art reflects the move itself so the reader can have a solid visual of why it’s so influential to wrestling. It also helps as so much of this book calls back onto things in previous chapters, so having that visualization makes it much easier to digest. If this were a regular nonfiction title without the art, it would be far too heavy and hard to follow, but as a graphic novel it’s much lighter and more interesting.
Another aspect of this book that I loved was the small things only wrestling fans would notice. Although Moreno’s art matches Sitterson’s text, there were times where I as a wrestling fan recognized throwbacks he included in the book. An example is when discussing the use of real life friendships as storylines, Moreno includes art of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, as well as their independent former personas, El Generico and Kevin Steen. It was something small that only a current wrestling fan would likely catch, but it was a nice wink and nod to fans.
While I think this is the perfect addition for the bookshelf of any wrestling fan, it does contain a heavy amount of history. The book description reflects this, but I would honestly recommend reading this in two sittings. I am an avid wrestling fan, as I have stated, and even I struggled with taking in all the information presented to me. I thought the book was well structured and flowed together in an understandable format, but to truly take in all the aspects of wrestling and its history is a huge undertaking for the reader. Even though I was familiar with almost everyone in the book, I still struggled to differentiate between promoters and had to refer back to previous pages a few times.
I do wish the book had gone further in depth to talk about the history of women’s wrestling. Sitterson does acknowledge women’s wrestling only coming into the forefront of popularity in recent years, but frankly with so many pages dedicated to the historically accurate yet kinda boring side stories concerning arguing males, there could have been more women’s history here. The ENTIRETY of women’s wrestling (at least in WWE) received one full page, the same as independent promotion Ring of Honor. I just felt like the balance was off a bit and the side stories about different promoters from the 40s-80s were a bit boring when compared to how many pages they comprised. I would have loved for that content to be replaced with some cool “first woman to” facts, or even more than one mention of any women’s wrestling promotions.
I think this is a fantastic book to give any wrestling fan as a gift. It’s interesting, educational and grasps a lot about what we as fans love about professional wrestling. Some parts may be sluggish, but overall it is a great look at why wrestling is incredible.
Blog / Twitter
Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews