Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal [Paperback]

Irv Muchnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

Professional wrestling’s most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accounts—of Hulk Hogan’s drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon—go beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Irv Muchnick knows wrestling like Anna Wintour knows fashion, and his intriguing collection of ring tales is written with passion and savage humor."  —Frank Deford, bestselling author and National Public Radio contributor

"Wrestling Babylon is the literary link between fans (including closet intellectuals) and intellectuals (including closet fans)."  —John Heindenry, executive editor, The Week magazine

"The wrestling version of Alice in Wonderland: You fall into the hole and you discover a world you never dreamed of. But Muchnick didn't dream this stuff up, he dug it up."  —Scott Ostler, sports columnist, San Francisco Chronicle

"Muchnick on wrestling is a surreal thing."  —Roy Blount, Jr.

"Like his uncle Sam Muchnick, Irv is a great reporter. But Irv is also a great writer."  —Larry Matysik, author, Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling

"A few hundred years from now some archeologist is going to dig up a copy, alongside a box of men’s neckties, and wonder which aspect of our culture was stranger . . . In a world of timid, formulaic scrivenings on sports and entertainment and sports entertainment, Wrestling Babylon is a sock on the jaw."  —Bert Randolph Sugar, from the Foreword

"The only problem with this wonderful book is that it ends too soon."  —BeyondChron

"Loaded with detailed and well-researched goodies."  —New York Post

About the Author

Irvin Muchnick is a writer whose work has appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to Penthouse. He is the nephew of legendary wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick. He lives in Berkeley, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550227610
• ISBN-13: 978-1550227611
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #743,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Irvin Muchnick is author of CHRIS & NANCY: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death (2009) and WRESTLING BABYLON: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (2007). He is a widely published magazine journalist and has appeared on forums as diverse as Fox News' "O'Reilly Factor," National Public Radio's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," and ESPN's "Up Close." Muchnick is lead respondent in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case for freelance writers' rights, Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money...any money, December 29, 2008

By 

John K. Holderman "Hook Worm" (St. Louis USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (Paperback)

I am glad I checked this out of the library because it is not worth paying for. The book is very short and is shorten even more with an abundance of random pictures that take up every third page. Worse the author posts random columns written previoulsy in his book. Even worse is the details of the articles are often written almost verbatim in previous pages. I read almost the exact paragraph more than once on many occasions. Most everything in the book is know by most fans of wrestling. I found the section on the Von Erichs interesting and that was about it. I would not waste my money unless you have money to waste in that event buy the book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this book. Buy a steak or something., January 8, 2009

By 

Luke (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (Paperback)

This book is one of the worst professional wrestling books I have ever read. The book is filled with information that is well known among most fans and is presented in a lazy and unorganized manner. Muchnick uses old articles to fill the pages of this books. Amazon says this book is 200 hundred pages long, but it barely makes it over 160 and most of that is pictures or his long winded and boring articles written for previous magazines.

Don't buy this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick read, September 9, 2007

By 

J. Rhoades (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal (Paperback)

This covers various scandals in the sport, and seems complete (ends before the Benoit deaths). It is readable for fans and non-fans alike. It ends with a chronological list of deaths of wrestlers under the age of 50 (and its a fairly long one). Could be more detailed.