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Ballyhoo!
- The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling (Sports and American Culture)
- Narrated by: Kirk Winkler
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
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Publisher's summary
Ballyhoo! The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling is a history of professional wrestling’s formative period in the U.S., from roughly 1874 to 1941, and the contested interplay of wrestlers and promoters who built the “sport” as we know it. During this period, the major conventions that would define wrestling to the present day were perfected and codified, as wrestling morphed from a rough sport practiced on farms and at town gatherings to melodramatic mass entertainment that reliably drew large crowds in cities across the nation.
The narrative uses the life and career of Jack Curley—a boxing promoter whose fortune took a turn for the better when he began promoting wrestling matches—as a compass as it charts the development of wrestling. By the late 1910s, Curley’s shows were selling out Madison Square Garden monthly. Ballyhoo chronicles his competition with the other promoters, as well as the lives of colorful athletes like “Strangler” Ed Lewis, Frank Gotch, the “Masked Marvel,” Jim Londos, “Gorgeous George” Wagner, “Farmer” Martin Burns, and “Dynamite” Gus Sonnenberg.
The book is published by University of Missouri Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
Critic reviews
"A page-turning cultural history..." (Amy Reading, author of The Mark Inside)
“A meticulously detailed, gloriously colorful, continuously gripping account of a master showman and his cohorts...” (Jeff Leen, author of The Queen of the Ring)
“Langmead has crafted a history of a sport (or is it entertainment?) that feels definitive and engrossing." (Booklist)
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- By: Miyamoto Musashi, Kenji Tokitsu - editor/translator
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Complete Book of Five Rings is an authoritative version of Musashi's classic The Book of Five Rings, translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master, Kenji Tokitsu. Tokitsu has spent most of his life researching the legendary samurai swordsman and his works, and in this book he illuminates this seminal text, along with several other works by Musashi.
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Best translation I have encountered.
- By DW on 05-27-16
By: Miyamoto Musashi, and others
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Stay Sane in an Insane World
- How to Control the Controllables and Thrive
- By: Greg Harden
- Narrated by: Greg Harden
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Champions aren’t born. They’re built. Greg Harden spent over 30 years building them at the University of Michigan, including 400 future professional athletes, 50 NFL first-round draft picks, and 120 Olympians from over 20 countries. He gained national recognition when 60 Minutes Sports profiled him as “Michigan’s Secret Weapon.” Now, in his first book, Greg Harden is reaching out to help anyone who wants to live their best life by offering powerful and practical advice.
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Good book, However, prejudice shows through a bit
- By Don Dotson on 08-22-23
By: Greg Harden
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Barbarian Days
- A Surfing Life
- By: William Finnegan
- Narrated by: William Finnegan
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pulitzer Prize, Biography, 2016. Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.
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What a Jerk.
- By ML Sadler on 03-06-17
By: William Finnegan
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Buried in the Sky
- The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
- By: Peter Zuckerman, Amanda Padoan
- Narrated by: David Doersch
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Edmund Hillary first conquered Mt. Everest, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was at his side. Indeed, for as long as Westerners have been climbing the Himalaya, Sherpas have been the unsung heroes in the background. In August 2008, when eleven climbers lost their lives on K2, the world’s most dangerous peak, two Sherpas survived. They had emerged from poverty and political turmoil to become two of the most skillful mountaineers on earth. Based on unprecedented access and interviews, Buried in the Sky reveals their astonishing story for the first time.
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Sherpas, The True Unsung Heroes
- By Kathy in CA on 07-26-15
By: Peter Zuckerman, and others
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From Lukov with Love
- By: Mariana Zapata
- Narrated by: Callie Dalton, Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one. After 17 years - and countless broken bones and broken promises - she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close. But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she's spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.
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New Favorite MZ Slow Burn
- By Brittany M on 05-13-18
By: Mariana Zapata
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Bigger Leaner Stronger
- The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body
- By: Michael Matthews
- Narrated by: Michael Matthews
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
If you want to get bigger, leaner, and stronger without steroids, good genetics, extreme dieting, or wasting ridiculous amounts of time in the gym...you want to listen to this book. Because here’s the deal: Building lean muscle and burning stubborn fat isn't nearly as complicated you’ve been led to believe. This book is the shortcut.
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Narration sounds like a Robot
- By pauly on 07-04-19
By: Michael Matthews
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Ben Hogan's Five Lessons
- The Modern Fundamentals of Golf
- By: Ben Hogan, Herbert Warren Wind
- Narrated by: Steve Carlson
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Over 50 years later, Ben Hogan's book Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is still considered one of the premier instructional books on the fundamentals of the game of golf. Renowned for his swing, Ben Hogan methodically describes his technique through his lessons. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, this famous book is a must-have reference guide for any golfer.
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Book about golf with pictures and NO PDF???
- By Eric A. on 04-02-20
By: Ben Hogan, and others
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Playing to Win
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael Lewis
- Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
All over America, families are investing blood, sweat, tears, and retirement savings in their children’s sports careers, all with the ultimate goal of…what exactly? A college scholarship? A professional contract? Simply the taste of victory? Through the lens of the highly competitive world of girls’ softball, Lewis reveals the youth sports industrial complex that has arisen to aggressively monetize after-school pastimes.
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Great Listen
- By Brian Bray on 10-15-20
By: Michael Lewis
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The Best Hunting Stories Ever Told
- By: Jay Cassell - editor
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 32 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Follow the trails of hunters - the original storytellers - as they interpret signs, examine tracks, and chase and catch their prey (or fail to). Listeners can curl up with the best authentic hunting fiction and non-fiction, bringing the great Mount Kenya and the prairies of the American Bison into your living room. From Theodore Roosevelt and Gene Hill to Rick Bass and Charles Dickens, remember classic hunting tales and discover new stories of hunters’ luck, camaraderie, and use of smarts on the trail.
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A broad collection of hunting tales
- By Elaine on 06-21-15
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The Spartan Way
- Eat Better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better.
- By: Joe De Sena, Jeff Csatari
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Joe De Sena has one ultimate goal: to help improve everyone’s physical and emotional health by teaching them the tenets of Spartan living from ancient Greece: simple eating, smart training, mastering resilience, and an all-out commitment to achieving a goal.
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Don’t know what to think...
- By bakaDOH! on 07-20-19
By: Joe De Sena, and others
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Thinner Leaner Stronger
- The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body
- By: Michael Matthews
- Narrated by: Elliott Denkers
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
You can get that beautiful “beach-ready” body without following a bland, boring, bodybuilding diet and without doing exhausting strength training workouts you hate. And this exercise book shows you how.
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"The Ultimate Female Body", but uses male examples
- By bookWorm on 06-29-15
By: Michael Matthews
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Wildlife Wars
- The Life and Times of a Fish and Game Warden
- By: Terry Grosz
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Wildlife Wars, Terry Grosz serves up fascinating stories - alternately hair-raising, hilarious, and heart-wrenching - from his 30-year struggle to protect wildlife in America. A natural storyteller, Grosz writes about the remarkable characters he met - on both sides of the law - as he matched wits with elk poachers, salmon snaggers, commercial-market duck hunters, and a host of other law-breakers. Best of all, though, these stories are so remarkably entertaining you won't want to put them down.
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Title should be: "reckless egomaniac tells lies"
- By ross on 03-01-17
By: Terry Grosz
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The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing
- Curing Your Hit Impulse in Seven Simple Lessons
- By: Michael McTeigue
- Narrated by: Rob Shamblin
- Length: 1 hr and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The biggest paradox in golf is that the harder you try to hit the ball, the worse you do so. In The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing, Michael McTeigue offers you a simple system of sequential body movements that produces a true swinging motion with every club in the bag. The result is increased distance and greater accuracy for all sizes, shapes, and ages of golfers for a minimum investment in learning time.
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My Swing
- By rrj0717 on 09-09-18
By: Michael McTeigue
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Ball Four
- The Final Pitch
- By: Jim Bouton
- Narrated by: Jim Bouton
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a “social leper” for having violated the “sanctity of the clubhouse.” Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn’t true. Ballplayers, most of whom hadn’t read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few libraries. Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four.
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Three Ten Year Updates Give Bouton a 5th Star
- By Byron on 08-09-12
By: Jim Bouton
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The Fighter's Mind
- Inside the Mental Game
- By: Sam Sheridan
- Narrated by: Nicholas Techosky
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
To uncover the secrets of mental strength and success, Sam Sheridan interviewed dozens of the world's most fascinating and dangerous men.
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A Magnificient Perspective
- By Chase Chambers on 11-07-15
By: Sam Sheridan
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Conscious Coaching: The Art and Science of Building Buy-In
- By: Brett Bartholomew
- Narrated by: K Foster
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the world of strength and conditioning, learning how to move others not just physically, but also psychologically and emotionally is paramount to getting the most out of them. People are the ultimate performance variable, and understanding how to effectively blend knowledge of proper training with the nuances of human behavior is integral to helping athletes achieve their ultimate goals. Unfortunately, while much attention has been given to the science of physical training, little attention has been given to the science of communication.
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Narration was distracting.
- By 4-Pack on 01-24-18
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Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura affectionately called him "Chico Santana" in the golden age of wrestling and in turn helped propel this WWE Hall of Famer into stardom. Tito Santana's autobiography brings you a comprehensive and historical look at one of wrestling's most legendary Latinos.
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Like a rambling friend telling you WCW history
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For decades, wrestling was shrouded in secrecy. It had larger-than-life personalities, bone-crunching physicality and jaw-dropping theatrics, but backstage, it was an industry devoid of outsiders. Then in 1999, after working together on a special for MTV, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned to 26-year-old television writer Brian Gewirtz and asked, “You ever consider writing for WWE?” That question, and its answer, would have a profound effect on both of their lives for years to come. There's Just One Problem is a story about perseverance, tenacity, and steel chairs.
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Ken Patera: Weight of the World
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The Bushwhackers
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Tortured Ambition: The Story of Herb Abrams and the UWF
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Herb Abrams started the Universal Wrestling Federation with the intent to topple the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Entering the business draped in mystery, no one knew where he came from. In 1990, the UWF started with Steve Williams, Brian Blair, Paul Orndorff, Mick “Cactus Jack” Foley* and a bevy of other superstars on SportsChannel America. Six years later, Herb Abrams was dead. He left behind a trail of myths and tall tales of prostitutes and cocaine. But who was the real Herb Abrams? Author Jonathan Plombon brings you 50 exclusive interviews with those...
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it's meh
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Whispers of the Gods
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- By: Peter Golenbock, John Thorn - foreword
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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Peter Golenbock brings to life baseball greats from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s through timeless stories told straight from the players themselves. Like the enduring classic The Glory of Their Times, this book features the reminiscences of baseball legends, pulled from hundreds of hours of taped interviews with the author. The players interviewed were All-Stars, Hall of Famers, and heroes to many, and their impact on the national pastime is still seen to this day. Baseball history comes alive, offering a fascinating account of the golden age of baseball.
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Excellent
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Story
Earl Hebner used hard work and determination to become the most recognizable officiating name in professional wrestling, if not "the greatest of all time." Starting in Virginia as ring crew, he gained the respect of Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair, going on to referee NWA's biggest events. Then, in front of 33 million fans, Earl debuted on WWF's most-watched event ever as the evil twin ref who stole Hulk Hogan's title. As WWE senior official, he played an integral part in "The Montreal Screwjob", calling an unplanned controversial finish that screwed Bret Hart out of his championship for real. ...
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The best ref writes the best book
- By Jimmy on 04-10-24
By: Earl Hebner, and others
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Nitro
- The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW
- By: Guy Evans
- Narrated by: Guy Evans
- Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Nitro is a story about much more than WCW and the Monday Night Wars. It is a story of an era, a time in which the media and cultural landscape precipitated - and later supported - pro wrestling's mainstream popularity. It is a story of how a company made in the image of an intuitively brilliant risk-taker betrayed its original promise. It is a story of how a handful of men, each struggling with their own limitations, facilitated a public obsession that changed television forever.
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way better than the death of wcw
- By DMCizzle on 01-05-21
By: Guy Evans
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Nikita
- A Tale of the Ring and Redemption
- By: Nikita Koloff, William Murdock
- Narrated by: Nikita Koloff
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Nikita Koloff, better known as the "Russian Nightmare", stormed the wrestling world as few others have in the history of the sport. Imposing, immovable, and unbeatable, Nikita left a trail of fallen opponents as he brought the Cold War that loomed over the globe into the ring. From a hard-scrabble beginning to rings around the world, Nikita Koloff filled arenas, thrilled fans, and captured five world titles in the process. And then, when he was at the top of his game, he walked away from the sport.
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Love it!
- By Heather Cook on 03-29-24
By: Nikita Koloff, and others
What listeners say about Ballyhoo!
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Steven Gerweck
- 05-23-24
The evolution of professional wrestling
Jon Langmead puts the jigsaw puzzle pieces of pro wrestling history together in "Ballyhoo!" This is a highly recommended work for those that appreciate the lineage of the industry we call professional wrestling, or at times, sports entertainment. The author explains how a sport that once featured long drawn-out matches, transitioned to offering exciting, entertaining bouts.
"Ballyhoo!" documents the mark wrestling and boxing promoter Jack Curley made on the business of professional wrestling. Curley was able to establish and offer an entertaining style of wrestling for the growing audience during a boom period. Curley promoted the high-profile Frank Gotch vs. strongman Georg Hackenschmidt for the World Heavyweight title match to the delight of wrestling fans.
The book presents wrestling to today's fans as it was perceived by the media in the early days. The author also notes how promoters would shmooze with mobsters, professional athletes, and politicians to protect and grow their business interests. Curley promoted matches at the famed Madison Square Garden, before butting heads with another promoter, Tex Rickard.
The fans pay to see the stars, and "Ballyhoo!" covers the early draws of the sport, such as Ben Roller, Joe Stecher, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, former NFL star Gus Sonnenberg, Wayne Munn, polish strongman Stanislaus Zbyszko, and Jim Londos. These pioneers paved the way for the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and The Rock.
Langmead discusses the shenanigans in and out of the ring during this golden era of wrestling. The book leads up to the next wrestling boom period, when the sport became a fixture on American television. The author does a fantastic job explaining the evolution of professional wrestling, five stars! Kirk Winkler also provides sensational narration.
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- Kathryn Usher
- 08-27-24
Very informative
Loved the book and the narrator. Well paced. It kept moving along even though so many decades were covered.
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- Michael
- 07-16-24
The real history of pro wrestling.
If you love pro wrestling this is a must listen. It’s still real to me damn it. ✌️❤️
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1 person found this helpful
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- James D. Dunn
- 05-27-24
Informative
It’s an Early history lesson not often covered in the books from the last 20-30 years. Which makes it a good jumping off place to research several subjects covered in the book.
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- indifference84
- 06-13-24
Great source of information; inconsistent audio production.
If you're interested in the history of wrestling, from the founding pioneer days, till it begins to take the shape of what we know now, this is the book for you.
My only complaint, and it's really minor compared to the abundance of information and research provided, is the inconsistency of the audio production. It is very obvious when the audio was recorded during different sessions. It can be extremely jarring when it happens mid sentence.
Otherwise, I can't recommend this book enough.
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