Customer Reviews

Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a long time ECW fan I was really looking forward to this book. I enjoyed the stories in the book but it was a difficult read due to the authors writing styles. This was a hard book to get into because the author would continously start thoughts and then seem to wander to another topic without completing his initial thought. Many times he also seemed to start stories in the middle. Very frustrating and difficult to read. A real disappointment since the author seemed to have good sources and ideas they just did not translate to the written word. I would suggest that if you an old ECW fan to pick this up at a library or when it goes to paperback but not waste the money on harcover.

While wrestling television is in a decline, the industry has turned to churning out more and more books on the subject, with which we can largely blame/thank Mick Foley. Don't get me wrong, I read most of the biographies that have been released. ECW comes to the forefront in this 300 page text. The author does a good job on his run down of the history of ECW and the multiple creative characters that developed there and then went on to national exposure with WCW and WWF/E. It's actually a pretty good read but there is a bit of a problem with chronology as the author skipped back and forth in time. I liked the chapter of "where are they now" but the whole book is worth reading as it is not published by the WWE so you don't get the revisioned history of ECW as in the "The Rise and Fall of ECW" dvd or the clone book based on that dvd The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE)put out by the WWE. A good chunk of this book almost seems to transform into a biography for Paul Heyman but since he was such an integral force behind ECW that should be natural. I'd like to have seen more pictures of the personalities/characters in ECW. I would also have liked to have seen a title history list of the holders of the ECW championship, TV title, and tag titles.

Certainly worth adding to your collection, but new fan that have been weened on current WWE just won't get it. Children should also be warned away. I found it interesting without getting bogged down by random ramblings about inconsequential details. Thumbs up on this one.

Hardcore History is not a bad read as such. Lots of the quotes are fun, and you do get a feel for how important and exciting ECW was for action-starved hardcore fans in the early to mid 1990s. Scott Williams' research is a joke, though. He misses out key matches and angles, and gets others confused beyond belief. Anyone who really followed the company would spot these errors a mile off, and anyone else could check them in 30 seconds just by Googling show names. For the *real* history of ECW, John Lister's "Turning The Tables" is still the gold standard.

Very highly recommended reading for all dedicated fans of professional wrestling, Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story Of The ECW by journalist and sports enthusiast Scott E. Williams is an impressively informed and informative history Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 and Extreme Championship wrestling in 2001). Drawing from a wealth of original research based on interviews with wrestlers, fans, business partners and officials of the company in order to obtain an comprehensive understanding of the peculiar fall of the ECW company (including as to whether their rival WCW was behind it), Hardcore History is an uncompromising and revealing study of the rise and fall of the ECW.

aside from a few inaccuracies this is a very good read. it starts with the twa and tells its transformation to eastern to extreme championship wrestling. a lot of little known facts are in here also. only complaint being that he explains some events and gives the wrong date or pay per view it occured at(such as saying steve corino won the title at massacre on 34th street and a way off description of the dudleys vs eliminators match at barely legal). other than that though it's very good. it ends up with the accounts of last years reunion shows. highly recommended to any ecw fan past or present.

This book brought back some great memories for me as an ECW fan in the late 90's. I was fortunate to see ECW three times when they came to Pittsburgh and the author actually mentions a few of the shows. If you had the chance to ever see them live, this book truly captures what you saw.

It's also a pretty cool history lesson. You'll soon remember guys that you already forgot. He takes you right up to the bitter end, but you still realize that it was just as entertaining. He illustrates how ECW was ravaged by the WWE and WCW yet still survived, even with virtual no names as the headliners (remember Steve Corino as champ?). He also offers a "where are they now" at the end which is very interesting - sad too.

I've read most wrestling books that are worth reading. It's not in the same category as Foley, Blassie or Graham, but it's a different kind of book and if you were a fan, it's a must read. You'll truly appreciate the innovators of ECW and get a chance to relive a lot of the highs and lows.

Scott E. Williams' HARDCORE HISTORY: THE EXTREMELY UNAUTHORIZED STORY OF ECW covers all the contradictions and mishaps of ECW that an authorized edition would've undoubtedly left out, providing a frank discussion of the evolution from the company from its roots as an independent wrestling group to its demise with the death of Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2001. Scott Williams has researched records plus interviewed dozens of company officials, business partners, and wrestlers to provide an authoritative account of a strange company whose history is fraught with rumor. A 'must' for any interested in wrestling history.

If you were unsatisfied by "the Rise and Fall of ECW," and "Forever Hardcore," this book will end that dissatisfaction. Williams' book is nearly impossible to put down, and will tell you the entire story of ECW, including the material left out of the two previously mentioned DVDs. Williams' book covers ECW real relationship towards WWF and WCW and what really led to the downfall of this promotion.

ECW is truly what this book says it is. EXTREME. As a fan of ECW wrestling, it tells and shows the true side of ECW. It tells readers what exactly is the ECW organization. Along with ECW, this book also tells what the Tri-State Wrestling organization was about, too. This book is great for someone who wants to learn a little bit more about wrestling and ECW. I hope this review was helpful to anybody who wants to learn more about wrestling. Thank you!

This is a decent read but don't expect a lot of excitement or real facts. Lots of speculation but at times, interesting.