'The Buzz' informative, if puzzling
By JON WALDMAN -- For SLAM! Wrestling
Ahh the glory days of wrestling. Hulkamania was
running wild. Ric Flair was on top of the NWA.
Everything seemed perfect.
Was it though?
As Scott Keith reveals in the new book, 'The Buzz on
Professional Wrestling', the fantasy-like images in
the squared-circle were not the reality. Behind the
scenes power struggles and backstabbing ran rampant in
wrestling, and still does today. Keith's writing is
one of the best I have seen in quite some time. As a
wrestling journalist, Keith is privy to a lot of the
'behind the scenes' information, and he really brings
out the politics behind who gets what matches in the
organizations.
The book looks at the different eras of pro wrestling,
from the 'golden age' of the mid 1980s, to the
'dark-ages' of the early-90s, to the modern day
re-birth of sports entertainment. Keith looks at the
development of wrestling through the careers of the
top stars in the feds of their time, from Hulk Hogan,
Ric Flair, and Randy Savage, to Steve Austin, The
Rock, and Goldberg. This unusual form is definitely
one of the most thorough reports that I have seen, in
that it presents both sides in certain feuds (eg.
Hogan and Savage's initial teaming before Wrestlemania
4 and subsequent break-up), thus giving a full picture
of what occurred.
Other stars in each federation and their career
highlights are introduced through their interactions
with the profiled stars. For example, we see Ricky
'The Dragon' Steamboat's career in Savage's and
Flair's chapters. This method is a pretty good way to
include the highlights of some of the 'mid-card'
wrestlers, but I feel that more time could have been
spent on telling their stories. When you are only
profiling the 'main eventers' of the wrestling world,
you are leaving out a vast amount of detail. Consider,
for example, that wrestlers like Mick Foley, Jake 'The
Snake' Roberts, and Jeff Jarrett are not profiled, and
you begin to see that there are elements missing from
the book.
The biggest surprise in the book is that Vince McMahon
is not profiled. Over the past 20 years, no one name
stands out more than Vincent K. McMahon. Not only was
he the driving force behind bringing wrestling to its
modern day, worldwide appeal, but his on-screen role
as the evil boss, with the at-times-kind heart, has
been one of the most compelling characters over the
past few years. Keith profiles Eric Bischoff and his
rise through the ranks of the AWA (American Wrestling
Association) to the Presidency of WCW, but does not
talk about McMahon's own efforts to get his company to
the top.
Speaking of the AWA, Keith devotes a chapter to Verne
Gagne's old league that helped launch the careers of
Hogan, Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, and Shawn Michaels
among others. His description of the rise and fall of
the once 'third wrestling organization' is very well
done and very informative. What mystifies me, however,
is why he talks about the AWA and not ECW (Extreme
Championship Wrestling). ECW has arguably been the
biggest influence on the more (for lack of better
terms) extreme-style of wrestling we see on television
today. Not only that, ECW hosted some of the top stars
in the business, including Foley (as Cactus Jack),
Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio Jr. The exclusion of
ECW (save for a few notes on the fed in Austin's
chapter) is a major stumbling point and one that
should have been covered more.
Also missing from the book is the women of wrestling.
The book advertises that it talks about female
wrestlers 'from babes like Chyna to bimbos like Major
Gunns.' Strangely, there is little covered on the
women, save for supporting cast roles to the likes of
Savage and Triple H. Like it or not, women like Chyna,
Sable (Rena Mero), Lita, The Fabulous Moolah, Wendi
Richter, and Madusa were all major parts of
wrestling's success. You simply can't ignore the
mainstream exposure that wrestling got when Sable and
Chyna posed for Playboy, and they were arguably as
recognized stars as anyone in wrestling. In terms of
the backstage stories that are prevalent in the book,
more should have been done about the original
'screwjob' with Richter, and Madusa's dumping of the
WWF Women's Championship belt into the trash on WCW
Nitro. Never mind that some of the backstage fights
among the women (such as the stories of conflicts
between Luna Vachon and Sable) are just as compelling
as those with their male counterparts.
The bottom line with 'The Buzz' is that it is
entertaining and informative. Keith captures the
reader and makes then want to read on. His omissions
are certainly puzzling, and one can only hope that a
sequel will follow.
Overall, I would recommend this book to wrestling
fans, though the reader should be prepared for certain
missing parts of wrestling's recent history.
