Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The book collates material that the author has written about over the years. Goes through the well-known scandals of Superfly Snuka and his girlfriend dying, Hulk Hogan and steroids, Pat Patterson and the allegations of ringboys etc.

The material is readable but nothing new to wrestling fans who have read other books.

"Wrestling Babylon" is the fly on the wall in the locker room. The stories that Irv Muchnick weaves throughout the book are more dramatic than any "angle" written by WWF writers. From Hulk Hogan's steroid scandal to backroom pedophila to Superfly Stuka's mysterious dead girlfriend, you really start to see how wrestling, despite IPOs, videogames and its semi-mainstream appeal, is a seedy, dark business.

The sense of Vince McMahon's mind you get from reading the various chapters is particularly noteworthy. The psychology of a man who took wrestling from gymnasiums to Madison Square Garden is fascinating and frightening. Perhaps the scariest and darkest part of the book is McMahon's own quotes on how he treats his business and his employees.

All in all, "Wrestling Babylon" is a great book for anyone who knows the difference between a German Suplex and a Boston Leg Lock. It is also a great book for anyone who has a soft spot for wrestling but always wanted to peer behind the curtain.

Wrestling Babylon is a real eye opener. It blasts open the gritty underside of professional wrestling. This book is basically a compilation of articles written over the past two decades by Irvin Muchnick, a nephew of legendary wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick of Minnesota. The book presents insider information about the overuse of anabolic steroid in pro wrestling during the past two decades and other forms of drug abuse which stems from wrestling promoters preference to employ those who possess highly inflated and cartoonish physiques. It also reveals the sexual abuses which do happen behind the scenes. The book content is written with a great deal of humor and obvious love of professional wrestling. It perhaps appears to be a contradiction to say the author loves "rassling" and yet maintains a hard edged objectivity when discussing what actually happens behind the scene, however Muchnick has been able to successfully balance the two opposing sentiments. He is simply presenting wrestling as it is. It is only through awareness that positive change can happen. I only wish that Muchnick had been able to tie the story of professional wrestling from the early years of the television era and linking it to its current evolutionary stage and leading to a discussion about its possible future. Perhaps that is meant for another book. Are you listening Mr. Muchnick?

This book wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. I always found that things that go on outside of the wrestling ring are fascinating to learn about. I am surprised with some of the details in this book, but overly not impressed with it. It doesn't reveal as much as it claims to on the cover (so don't let that fool you.) If you buy this book, I wish you the best at reading it because it's a tad confusing.

This is book was ok but not worth the money in my opinion. I got it for free at a wrestling event i attended in Boston. The book is filled with alot of articles that jump all over the place as well as pictures. I agree with the guy above/below me that the best thing is the Von Erich story. Mostly this book is just taking shots at Vince McMahon & Hulk Hogan on various subjects including scandal & drugs. Might be worth a read for some wrestling fans i just thought it was ok and there are alot better books out there.

Not much to this one, save your money as there are many books far better than this one on pro wrestling!

This book is horrible. It is VERY boring, unorganized and everything in it (despite being recently written) is old news to just about everyone who actually likes wrestling. The title is very misleading as you think you are going to read about all the craziness that happens behind the scenes at WWF/E or WCW. Instead it's just politics and possible steroid allegations. HORRIBLE book.