Wrestling literature enthusiasts have been treated to numerous books highlighting
the top performers in the squared circle. Several books have been published
singing the praises of Ric Flair, Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan.
There were not, however, any publications that celebrated the failed characters
and horrifyingly awful gimmicks in the history of the squared circle. For every
Nature Boy, after all, there is a Black Scorpion; for every Stone Cold, there
is a Ringmaster; and yes, for every Hulkster, there is a Mr. Nanny. Much of
this "illustrious" history of the mat wars has not been scribed -- until
now.
Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling, published by ECW
Press, is the work of R.D. Reynolds, or as he is known in his civilian life,
Randy Baer. The book is based from the postings of Reynolds on the popular website,
wrestlecrap.com. The postings by Reynolds reflect on the bad and ugly of the
wrestling world, remembering those gimmicks, matches and angles that many of
the higher-ups would probably sooner forget.
While some might think the origin of the Wrestlecrap phenomenon was a grandioso
scheme to remind Vince McMahon of the bunk that he has produced in the past
so that he does not repeat history, the motivation behind the site was much
simpler. "I'd bought this computer, and I wanted to justify all the money
I'd spent on it, so I thought I'd do a website," Reynolds confesses. "My
main interests are pro wrestling and videogames, but there were tons of sites
dedicated to both, so I was at a loss of what to do. One night, I was talking
with (co-creator) Merle (Vincent) on the phone, and we were both watching Nitro.
Something stupid came on, [I] don't even remember what it was, and he said,
'That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen.' And I said, 'Well, then apparently
you never saw the Gobbeldy Gooker.'"
"That's when the idea came to me. Merle had been looking at writing something
online for a while, so he jumped in writing a weekly column and helping me come
up with the stupid gimmicks and stuff."
Throughout the site's history, there have been inductions that, for one reason
or another, have been labeled as questionable by some readers. Imagine how it
feels, then, for the wrestlers who have been inducted into the proverbial hall
of shame. Reynolds recounts the reaction of one talent who felt his induction
was not right. "I remember a few years back that Oscar from Men on a Mission
was all up in arms about the fact that I inducted them," Reynolds recalls.
"He thought that was totally uncalled for, but in more or less the same
breath thought the site was great."
The Wrestlecrap book, however, is not just a word-for-word recreation of the
site; rather, it is an extension of the webpage. Reynolds sees a definite difference
in the way the two media have been written. "The site is just a bunch of
single entries, and during the initial stages of writing the book, I found that
to be very tedious to read. It would have made good 'bathroom' book had I done
it that way, but I wanted it to be something more, something folks could put
their teeth into," he says, adding that, "the most important thing
to me was that anyone could pick up the book, read a little, and laugh. Making
folks laugh is more important to me than how many books have sold or anything
like that."
Jaya Roopansingh's review of WrestleCrap
Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store!
Buy WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Professional Wrestling
Jon Waldman, also known as "The Goon" of the SLAM! Wrestling staff,
has been with the site since 2000. To read more of Waldman's work, please visit
his portfolio site at www.jonwaldman.com.
