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The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers (From the Terrible Turk to Twitter)
The legendary storytellers worthy of a spot in the pro wrestling hall of fame You can’t escape pro wrestling today, even if you want to. Its stars are ubiquitous in movies, TV shows, product endorsements, swag, and social media to the point that they are as much celebrities as they are athletes. Pro wrestling has morphed from the fringes of acceptability to a global $1 billion industry that plays an everyday role in 21st-century pop culture. In this latest addition to the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson explain how the sport’s unique take on storytelling has fueled its remarkable expansion. Hundreds of interviews and original accounts inform this exploration of the imaginative ways in which wrestlers and promoters have used everything from monkeys to murderers to put butts in seats and eyes on screens. From the New York City Bowery in the 1890s to a North Carolina backyard in 2017, readers will encounter all manner of scoundrels, do-gooders, scribes, and alligators in this highly readable, heavily researched book that inspires a new appreciation for the fine (and sometimes not-so-fine) art of storytelling.
- GenresSportsHistoryNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published August 6, 2019
About the author
Greg Oliver
26 books20 followersA writer, editor, and stay-at-home dad, Greg Oliver has written extensively about hockey and professional wrestling. He's done two children's books, and, in December 2020, self-published the biography of Canadian comic genius Billy Van, titled Who's The Man? Billy Van!
He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.
In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.
Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.
He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.
A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.
He was co-awarded the 2008 James Melby Memorial Award for wrestling journalist from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Cauliflower Alley Club awarded him its Melby Award for historical work in pro wrestling in 2021.
In the spring of 2023, the memoirs of former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer), and pro wrestler turned monster truck driver Madusa Miceli / Alundra Blayze (The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story) hit shelves.
Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment, written with Eric Johnston and Joseph Casciaro, came out in February 2024, and is an interesting mix of pro wrestling, comedy and family.
He has another book on the go, though it has not been announced publicly. He’s always looking for the next project.
A member of the Society for International Hockey Research, and a recipient of SIHR's Bill Fitsell President’s Award in 2021, Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and lives vicariously through his son, away at university.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2019
Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson come together under the banner of the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame to bring you a comprehensive collection of wrestling’s greatest storytellers. Broken up into sections that tackle specific areas, each chapter brings to light three people or instances that best represent that subject. The topics vary in scope from worked shoots (matches and storylines believed to be “real” and not scripted) to using animals in matches all the way to wrestlers beginning or adding to their feuds through social media.
The depth of research required from the duo to produce a book of this quality is certainly remarkable. The timeline stretches all the way back into the late 1800s in an effort to paint as comprehensive a picture as possible of all that the wrestling industry has tried to draw crowds.
Oliver and Johnson uncover that it really isn’t until the 1920s or 30s when promoters began to try gimmick matches. Wisconsin promoter Henry Tolle created the first team-based matches with rules so convoluted they would fit alongside TNAs King of the Mountain match or their ill-advised reverse battle royal concept. Tolle would also be the first to promote men’s mud wrestling as well as matches taking place in several feet of smelt (whom that was meant to attract, I have no idea).
One of the more interesting things about reading The Storytellers is that wrestling has never had, and will never have, a “standard” way of doing things. Even today when the performers of All Elite Wrestling face backlash for presenting an alternative to what may be considered mainstream, you had performers wrestling alligators and bears about sixty to seventy years ago. Variety is key. So when business is down and a boost in ticket sales is needed, promoters will try just about anything to lure back the crowd. Sometimes the stories they present fail and sometimes they work. There’s no better example of this than the risk you take bringing in celebrities. The authors shine a spotlight on Jerry “The King” Lawler and Andy Kaufman and their feud that captured the attention of an entire nation following their appearance on David Letterman. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have actor David Arquette winning the WCW Championship. While Arquette may be working hard to change his impact on the industry now, Oliver and Johnson discuss why the story failed so hard in 2000.
When the text moves into the late twentieth century, we get a discussion about how storytelling evolved in the late 90s leading to wrestling promotions moving away from traditional booking and bringing in writers with diverse backgrounds in scripted television. There are several interviews with former writers who discuss the frustration that goes hand in hand with creating content for what is essentially a one man show in Vince McMahon.
What I’ve discussed above is just the tip of the iceberg. At just under three hundred pages, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson squeeze in over one hundred years of masked men, death-match wrestling and chicken-wire cage matches. I struggle to think of one aspect of the business they left on the cutting room floor. Given the way the authors chose to layout the book, the content is easily digestible - you’ll likely find yourself flying through in just a few sittings as I did.
The depth of research required from the duo to produce a book of this quality is certainly remarkable. The timeline stretches all the way back into the late 1800s in an effort to paint as comprehensive a picture as possible of all that the wrestling industry has tried to draw crowds.
Oliver and Johnson uncover that it really isn’t until the 1920s or 30s when promoters began to try gimmick matches. Wisconsin promoter Henry Tolle created the first team-based matches with rules so convoluted they would fit alongside TNAs King of the Mountain match or their ill-advised reverse battle royal concept. Tolle would also be the first to promote men’s mud wrestling as well as matches taking place in several feet of smelt (whom that was meant to attract, I have no idea).
One of the more interesting things about reading The Storytellers is that wrestling has never had, and will never have, a “standard” way of doing things. Even today when the performers of All Elite Wrestling face backlash for presenting an alternative to what may be considered mainstream, you had performers wrestling alligators and bears about sixty to seventy years ago. Variety is key. So when business is down and a boost in ticket sales is needed, promoters will try just about anything to lure back the crowd. Sometimes the stories they present fail and sometimes they work. There’s no better example of this than the risk you take bringing in celebrities. The authors shine a spotlight on Jerry “The King” Lawler and Andy Kaufman and their feud that captured the attention of an entire nation following their appearance on David Letterman. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have actor David Arquette winning the WCW Championship. While Arquette may be working hard to change his impact on the industry now, Oliver and Johnson discuss why the story failed so hard in 2000.
When the text moves into the late twentieth century, we get a discussion about how storytelling evolved in the late 90s leading to wrestling promotions moving away from traditional booking and bringing in writers with diverse backgrounds in scripted television. There are several interviews with former writers who discuss the frustration that goes hand in hand with creating content for what is essentially a one man show in Vince McMahon.
What I’ve discussed above is just the tip of the iceberg. At just under three hundred pages, Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson squeeze in over one hundred years of masked men, death-match wrestling and chicken-wire cage matches. I struggle to think of one aspect of the business they left on the cutting room floor. Given the way the authors chose to layout the book, the content is easily digestible - you’ll likely find yourself flying through in just a few sittings as I did.
September 8, 2019
great reporting / primary source material throughout, probably the best of these in a "narrative" sense. also fascinating to see the pictures that melissa gonzales and i unearthed at the university of texas at arlington in 2015 used in the photo insert (https://www.keranews.org/post/glimpse...). the photo exhibit was moved to the pro wrestling hall of fame after it left the UTA library, so that's likely where johnson and oliver encountered it.
October 30, 2019
This is a really fascinating overview of pro wrestling history that specifically looks at it from a storytelling perspective. It's interesting to me how far back a lot of this stuff goes, while at the same time, this is an industry that has always been shifting and changing. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
This book's biggest weakness, I think, is that it is too America-centric. Mexico and Japan especially have a long history with pro wrestling, and I would have loved to see more of that reflected here.
I also would have liked to hear more from the wrestlers themselves about their storytelling, especially cases where the wrestlers carried a story without the direct involvement of the booker or the promoters. An example of this is Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi carrying their Golden Lovers story with them from DDT into NJPW in 2015, which started with a moment in Ibushi's match against AJ Styles that was planned only by the wrestlers without NJPW's involvement. Omega in particular really carried the story (through his twitter account and youtube channel as well as through official interviews and other NJPW content), and he pushed for it behind the scenes for over two years before NJPW let the story actually play out in the ring.
I think this was actually a far more notable example of Omega's use of social media in his wrestling storytelling than his feud with Jericho, since social media gave him the ability to tell a story that, at the time, he was unable to directly tell in the ring. Omega has since talked about how happy he was at the reception to the Golden Lovers reunion in 2018, and how pleased he was that people knew his history with Ibushi, that fans had been following the hints and putting together the story.
(Omega has carried the Golden Lovers story to another promotion once again, as evidenced by the Golden Lovers symbol that he has worn on his sleeve at Double or Nothing, All Out, and every single AEW show on television since).
It's easy to talk about the importance of wrestling storytelling to promoters who are looking to exploit it for profit, or to fans who are getting pulled in by the narratives, but these stories often also have real importance and personal value to the wrestlers who are telling them. There are many, many instances of wrestlers being moved to genuine tears in the ring. It's fascinating how these constructed narratives often end up becoming, in a sense, "real" for the wrestlers themselves, whether this is because the pressure of having to keep kayfabe starts affecting their real life, or simply because they're pouring genuine emotion into their matches.
This book's biggest weakness, I think, is that it is too America-centric. Mexico and Japan especially have a long history with pro wrestling, and I would have loved to see more of that reflected here.
I also would have liked to hear more from the wrestlers themselves about their storytelling, especially cases where the wrestlers carried a story without the direct involvement of the booker or the promoters. An example of this is Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi carrying their Golden Lovers story with them from DDT into NJPW in 2015, which started with a moment in Ibushi's match against AJ Styles that was planned only by the wrestlers without NJPW's involvement. Omega in particular really carried the story (through his twitter account and youtube channel as well as through official interviews and other NJPW content), and he pushed for it behind the scenes for over two years before NJPW let the story actually play out in the ring.
I think this was actually a far more notable example of Omega's use of social media in his wrestling storytelling than his feud with Jericho, since social media gave him the ability to tell a story that, at the time, he was unable to directly tell in the ring. Omega has since talked about how happy he was at the reception to the Golden Lovers reunion in 2018, and how pleased he was that people knew his history with Ibushi, that fans had been following the hints and putting together the story.
(Omega has carried the Golden Lovers story to another promotion once again, as evidenced by the Golden Lovers symbol that he has worn on his sleeve at Double or Nothing, All Out, and every single AEW show on television since).
It's easy to talk about the importance of wrestling storytelling to promoters who are looking to exploit it for profit, or to fans who are getting pulled in by the narratives, but these stories often also have real importance and personal value to the wrestlers who are telling them. There are many, many instances of wrestlers being moved to genuine tears in the ring. It's fascinating how these constructed narratives often end up becoming, in a sense, "real" for the wrestlers themselves, whether this is because the pressure of having to keep kayfabe starts affecting their real life, or simply because they're pouring genuine emotion into their matches.
March 1, 2021
The latest entry in the "Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame" series, "The Storytellers," is a departure from previous books. While the earlier works focused on individual wrestlers or tag teams, "The Storytellers" focuses more on the variety of tropes found in wrestling over the many decades. These are not Hall of Fame profiles, so to speak, but more a history of pro wrestling over the years framed in the context of frequent story areas.
For example, one chapter focuses on the use of crazy gimmick matches over the years, going back to "man vs. bear" matches all the way up to exploding death matches. Another chapter looks at the use of "freaks," be they tall or small, fat or thin, grotesque or gorgeous.
While "The Storytellers" doesn't necessarily fall in line with the PWHF series as a set of individual profiles, it is a very enjoyable and informative read for any serious wrestling fan or historian. Certainly recommended.
For example, one chapter focuses on the use of crazy gimmick matches over the years, going back to "man vs. bear" matches all the way up to exploding death matches. Another chapter looks at the use of "freaks," be they tall or small, fat or thin, grotesque or gorgeous.
While "The Storytellers" doesn't necessarily fall in line with the PWHF series as a set of individual profiles, it is a very enjoyable and informative read for any serious wrestling fan or historian. Certainly recommended.
August 12, 2019
This book does a good job of covering the early days of wrestling (from the carnival days) to the current state, and how storytelling is used throughout the years. From wrestling bear, alligators, and masked men, the writers do a detailed and entertaining job, without bogging down the reader with facts and dates.
The first 3/4 of the book with wrestling history is the best part, with stories about Count Rossi, Dr. Sam Sheppard, and Buddy Rose. The last 50 pages, with the new brand of wrestling was my least favorite- from Kenny Omega to death matches (where anything goes).
For an in depth review go to my page at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
The first 3/4 of the book with wrestling history is the best part, with stories about Count Rossi, Dr. Sam Sheppard, and Buddy Rose. The last 50 pages, with the new brand of wrestling was my least favorite- from Kenny Omega to death matches (where anything goes).
For an in depth review go to my page at : https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...
June 6, 2021
A really fantastic book, focusing in on people, characters and stories rarely discussed in any other wrestling history, while not neglecting significant events from the major leagues, and expertly put together.
July 26, 2024
Hobbled slightly by the fact that this is clearly a collection of odds and ends leftover from other books in the series, but still a fun and well-written read that wanders through the history of wrestling with many an enjoyable sidetrack and entertaining tangent.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews