National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling [Paperback]

Tim Hornbaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

From its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II to its worldwide expansion and eventual dominance of a $25-million-a-year industry, the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) rise and fall is detailed in this dramatic tale. While celebrating the great achievements of star wrestlers like Lou Thesz, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, and Buddy Rogers, this history also exposes the inner workings of wrestling, describing in detail the Department of Justice's investigation of the NWA's operating procedures. The comprehensive study of NWA promoters and how their relationships to influential politicians, writers, and each other protected their interests for more than 50 years offers an inside look at wrestling's complicated legacy, revealing the intricate conspiracies of this century-old brand of entertainment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Well-researched . . . brings back such names as Vincent McMahon Sr. and the 'father' of the NWA, Sam Muchnick."  —The Slammer, New York Daily News

"The most comprehensive and well-written reference piece associated with the business of professional wrestling. . . . Highest possible recommendation." —GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com

"Recommended to anyone that is a fan of the golden era of pro wrestling."  — About.com

"One of the best wrestling books ever written. . . . I highly recommend this book for any wrestling library."  —411mania.com

"A great history of the NWA, the ownership, the history of the NWA title, and promotional aspects of the federation. . . . 9 out of 10."  —A1 Wrestling Newsletter

"If I were to teach a course on the history of professional wrestling, this would be the text book."  —alanwojcik.com

About the Author

Timothy Hornbaker has been a professional-wrestling researcher for 10 years. He lives in Miami.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550227416
• ISBN-13: 978-1550227413
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NWA........ what more can I say?, August 20, 2007

By 

Brad from OWW "http://www.onlineworldofwrestl... (Nova Scotia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling (Paperback)

The highly anticipated book, National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling, which chronicles the turbulent history of the National Wrestling Alliance, has finally hit the book shelves. There seems to be dozens of books out there focusing on more modern topics like WWE and various wrestlers going as far back as the early 1970s. The pre-70s era, which was heavily featured in this book, is truly uncharted waters to the active wrestling book market -- until now.

The world of professional wrestling was a much different place in the early 1900s, with an entirely different set of rules and the entire sport as a whole was viewed differently by spectators as well as the grapplers themselves. The promoters, ironically, pretty much stayed the same! This fascinating story is an extremely in-depth well-researched printed documentary shining a frothy spotlight on a generally misunderstood era of professional wrestling. For a young person like myself (aged 29), whose parents were in diapers for the time period featured in this book, it was one wrestling lesson after another as I journeyed though the pages of this 372 page historical novel.

Author Tim Hornbaker took the time to thoroughly research his subject and managed to present the story from several different perspectives. Each chapter seemed to add a new flavor to the enormous melting pot that would eventually end up becoming the tale of the one true governing faction of pro-wrestling known as the NWA. Other chapters were dedicated to some of the more important figures involved in the creation and maintenence of the NWA; Lou Thesz, Sam Muchnick, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Fred Kohler, and Joe "Toots" Mondt are all prominently featured in properly organized mini-biographies.

This book is by no means a biased glorification of the NWA. Hornbaker expounds upon many factors within the Alliance, as well as outside factors, that contributed to the rise, and the eventual fall, of the National Wrestling Alliance. Great detail is provided about several bitter court battles fought internally as well as externally over the years including an aggressive investigations by the U.S. Government in the 50's that almost shut down the entire operation for good.

One of the NWA's most respectable traits was its insistence that their champions be held in the highest esteem. The NWA World Heavyweight wrestling title was guaranteed to sell out any building in whatever city the champion happen to be in on any given night. The legendary Lou Thesz was the key figure for many years, entrusted by the NWA office with the duty of carrying the torch for the Alliance. Whomever the champion, be it Thesz, Dick Hutton, Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk Jr., Jack Brisco or somebody else, NWA members were well aware that the champion was ready, willing, and able to shoot on any challenger who decided to go into business for themselves by drifting from the pre-approved script. It seemed as though everything that happened in the ring was based on honor, but the office was a different story.

Another intriguing chapter covers the expansion of Capitol Wrestling in the Northeast, headed by the combined forces of Vincent J. McMahon and Toots Mondt. Additional chapters focus on the lineage of the NWA World Heavyweight championship and all of its title holders over the many decades. The book also deals with the more recent history of the NWA and goes all the way up to 2005, acknowledging TNA (Total Nonstop Action) during the final chapter.

I was astounded by the amount of research put into this project by author Tim Hornbaker. It has to be the most thoroughly organized book about wrestling that I have yet to come across. I can only imagine the years of tireless exploration and study was involved with piecing together the history of such a tangled subject that covers nearly of a century of material scattered all over the globe. So Hornbaker's tireless dedication alone has earned a thumbs-up from me. This book comes highly recommended by me. Thank you.

National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling is available at bookstores everywhere or at various online sources such as Amazon.com; for more information you can visit the publisher's website at www.ecwpress.com

by Brad Dykens of OnlineWorldofWrestling.com

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, but has some holes, May 26, 2007

By 

E. Snow "The Fourth Man" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling (Paperback)

Overall I really liked the book, but there are a few problems. The most glaring problem with the book is that Hornbaker writes it as if the reader is already privy to certain information. He name drops several times without going into any background about who a person is. For instance, when discussing Ricky Steamboat's training, he says he was trained by Khasrow Vaziri. It's only in a later part of the book that he mentions that Vaziri is the Iron Sheik. He also mentions Sting teaming up with James Hellwig early in his career. At no time in the book does he mention that Hellwig went on to become the Ultimate Warrior. I would think that since he's so informative about the plethora of other names he mentions, he might've added the extra info about those two individuals. But there are other names and terms he mentions in the book that a non-wrestling historian (like myself) won't know. And how in the world can you write a chapter on NWA champions and not have a separate profile on Harley Race? Maybe I missed it, but I don't think so. Despite all of that, Hornbaker provides a thorough history of the NWA any wrestling fan will treasure. I had a lot of questions answered about the membership and territories that had lingered with me for years. Required reading for any fan of the backstage politics of the wrestling industry.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenominal!, May 19, 2007

By 

Daniel J. Mocci - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling (Paperback)

This is easily the best wrestling book on the market and I've read them all. Hornbaker's ability to trace the complex lineage of the NWA--it's formation and ability to universalize the World Championship--is amazing. In many ways this book is the "History of Pro Wrestling in the U.S."--without the NWA there is no wrestling as it has become. That the author has been able to seemlessly and imformatively link the vast NWA terrioritoy system together for the reader to understand is an accomplishment in its own right.