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The Stone Cold Truth, WWE style
By
JASON CLEVETT -- SLAM! Wrestling
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Mick Foley started the autobiography fad four years ago when he released
Have
A Nice Day. Since then dozens of wrestling books have been released,
and none have compared to the original. They have ranged from the good
(Stu Hart) to the God-Awful (Hogan, Goldberg).
The Stone Cold Truth falls somewhere in between.
Written with WWE Employees Jim
Ross and Dennis Brent, it is a typical "WWE-ized" book: The company
is great, Vince McMahon is a brilliant genius, etc etc.
The book starts off with the night before Wrestlemania
XIX in Seattle. Austin was hospitalized that night from dehydration
and exhaustion. He talks about how he knew the next night was going to
be his last match and had worries about it.
From there, the first 130 pages cover growing up, going to wrestling
school under Chris
Adams, touring the territories and his WCW & ECW careers. As is
typical of WWE books this is all rushed through and, key elements are
lost. Thee is not nearly enough depth to the story of the Hollywood
Blondes team with Brian
Pillman, or his classic feuds with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. It
is disappointing to see such a vital part of his career basically
ignored, but at the same time it is an interesting look into his early
career, such as the "Tuna & Potatoes diet" he was on when touring the
south.
The rest of the 312 pages consist of an overview of his WWF career. His
early "Ringmaster" days, the birth of "Austin 3:16," a lengthy chapter
about his feud with McMahon, his reason for leaving the WWE in 2002 are
all included, while the InVasion, his feud with Triple-H and other
important things are ignored, before it wraps up where it started, at
Wrestlemania XIX and his final match against The Rock.
Austin has harsh words for Chris Adams, his trainer, calling him a "Con
Man" who "didn't try to smarten me up or teach me the real deal when it
came to wrestling." He briefly mentions Adams' death, in which a friend
shot him in self-defense, saying, "I'm sorry he got killed, but the guy
did not have good karma."
He also is brutally honest about his feelings towards Owen Hart. A
botched tombstone at Summerslam
1997 lead to many of the neck problems Austin still deals with. He
exhibits remorse over Hart's death, but is obviously still unhappy with
the Piledriver incident. Many may feel that he is harsh during the
chapter, but he could have been a lot angrier then he was. It makes for
one of the more interesting, and straight-up truthful chapters in the
book.
Also earning their own chapters are Chris
Benoit, Mick Foley, Brian Pillman, Jim Ross, and Eric Bischoff.
Other than that, it is basically a light overview of his wrestling
career. Those looking for inside dirt on the issues and eventual divorce
from Debra will be disappointed, as there is a gag order on the
situation. This could be considered a blessing, as endless pining about
ex-wife "The Kat" really dragged down Jerry
Lawler's book.
It is an enjoyable and quick read, without a lot of depth. It is
interesting to note the unique style in the book; there are excerpts
spaced throughout the book where Austin's parents and Ross often
contribute their own thoughts.
The book will reveal a few interesting facts about Austin that few knew,
has a lot of pictures, and certainly is worth picking up, but it isn't
fantastic or particularly revealing.
The Stone Cold Truth is just another typical WWE produced book.
Jason Clevett is a Calgary writer, and is arguing with Bob Kapur over
who gets to do the much sought after Big Boss Man biography.
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The Stone Cold Truth by Steve Austin
