Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Mike Mooneyham (Author) "ON JULY 14, 1948, the six men who controlled most of the wrestling in the Midwest met in a small room at the President Hotel..." (more)
Key Phrases: wrestling company, wrestling show, other wrestlers, New York, Hulk Hogan, Titan Tower (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reading this excellent behind-the-scenes look at wrestling promoter McMahon, the current ruler of the wild and ruthless world of professional wrestling, is almost as entertaining and shocking as watching the most extreme antics of McMahon's comic-book style creations such as Steve Austin and The Rock. Combining hard investigative journalism with a genuine love for wrestling's weirder tendencies, Assael (senior writer for ESPN and author of Wide Open) and Mooneyham (who writes the wrestling column in the Charleston Post and Courier) have penned one of the closest looks so far at this industry, which moved from the cheap and smoke-filled Midwestern halls of the 1930s to become one of the most successful television enterprises ever by the 1990s. The authors focus on McMahon, who rose from a difficult childhood to take command of the World Wrestling Federation and almost singlehandedly invent the current style of extreme wrestling. The authors also carefully detail how McMahon's take-no-prisoners business style led him into his own bouts with financial, legal, sexual and drug problems, until finally he had become totally seduced by the loud, angry circus he'd created. But beneath the many stories about crooked promoters, armed wives, drug-crazed and sexually profligate wrestlers, the authors also skillfully illuminate pro wrestling's influence on the media, detailing McMahon's feuds with rivals like Ted Turner and World Championship Wrestling's Eric Bischoff, as well as his byzantine dealings with notables from such companies as Viacom and NBC. This is an essential read for both fans and enemies of pro wrestling.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Professional wrestling has become a lightning rod for controversy. Critics decry the violence and the rampant disregard for political correctness, while those who savor the spectacle think those are its best qualities. At the eye of the storm is Vince McMahon, a third-generation wrestling promoter with a genius suited for the cable age. Assael and Mooneyham provide a brief history of the sport from its days as an early television phenomenon to its downslide into a regionally marketed sideshow in the seventies and eighties. The advent of cable created a need for cheap, quickly produced programming, and McMahon was there with wrestling, which he built into a show-biz spectacle. Imitators followed, and the stakes became higher as cable networks battled for viewers, steroids became de rigueur, and wrestlers died in stunts and from drug overdoses. There's no end in sight: the Rock, a premier wrestler, was a speaker at the Republican convention that nominated George Bush. Somewhere between expose and celebration, this account will be of most interest to fans who view the sport as a guilty pleasure. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1st edition (July 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609606905
• ISBN-13: 978-0609606902
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #790,560 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting yet sad look into the world of pro wrestling, July 21, 2002

By	"bullridge" (Arlington, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews

I found the book "Sex, Lies, and Headlocks" to be interesting, though some of the stories to be quite depressing. It is just amazing some of the stuff that goes behind the scenes in the wrestling business. For one, I was shocked what Vader said after learning of the death of Brian Pillman.

The timeline of the book goes from the start of the NWA in 1948 to when the McMahon's moved their WWF company from USA over to Viacom.

I'd recommend the book for all wrestling fans thought acknowleging that it is not perfect. There are some inaccuracies with dates and other information. The authors flip back and forth between topics. This can lead to some incohesivenss and rather pointless info that may be just included for pure shock factor.

At the end of the book their is a final chapter that is very rushed. It includes the XFL, demise of ECW, and the sale of WCW to Vince McMahon. I felt that the sale should have had alot more detail since it was one of the biggest news stories in wrestling history. It would have been nice if the authors would have gone into more detail covering it.

The book was a bit short (258 Pages, not the 288 Amazon.com lists) and can be read at a fast pace. The language in the book is not the greatest. I can understand when the authors quote someone but I was suprised to see some of the words they used themselves. It did not bother me but it might not be a great choice to read for someone who is of a younger age.

Would have been nice to see the book a bit longer and covering more topics but this is probably the best book on wrestling that has been released lately. Despite the cons, It was still very enjoyable.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The squared circle is exposed......., April 20, 2003

By	Kyle Tolle (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is perhaps one of the most revealing narratives ever composed on the subject of professional wrestling. The authors have laid bare much material about the business that was once considered inside information and not for public consumption.

In effect, the reader is treated to a fascinating back-stage look into how Sports Entertainment emerged from humble beginnings into a corporate and television empire.

Centering around the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) dynasty is Vince McMahon, the company owner, with him being an essential focal point in the book. Virtually no stone is left unturned in the revelations of how be bought the company from his father and used, sometimes ruthlessly, whatever business tactics he needed to buy out his competition and solidify his domination in the wrestling market.

Not without its myriad problems during its rise to greatness, the WWF would absorb many situations that pushed it close to failure on several occasions. Among some incidents would be rampant steroid use by wrestlers and revealing sex scandals in the 1980s. Rebounding from this and moving into the 1990s, Vince McMahon would eventually go head to head with media mogul Ted Turner regarding their many ugly battles to ruin each other and gain domination in the cable television market.

Shifting into the late 1990s and approaching the new millennium, the WWF would finally begin its eventual rise to the top through perseverance and shrewd business dealings that have made it the sole professional wrestling powerhouse they are today.

Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is a very well written and researched book and is probably the closest look you will ever get to truly knowing and understanding the WWF's history and its secrets. For all fans of Sports Entertainment, this book is a real treat and comes highly recommended.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Intelligent Read on a Facinating and Timely Subject, August 10, 2002

By	William Murdock (Asheville, NC United States) - See all my reviews

If you are hungry for a steamy, selacious tale of the wrestling industry with all its scandals, written with a locker room mentality, you will need to dine elsewhere. If you are looking for an excellent account of the modern evolution of wrestling business and the phenominal growth and genius of the McMahon empire your search can end here.

Worthy of any business shelf in any library as well as the sports and entertainment sections, Sex, Lies, and Headlocks gives a fact filled, well researched and written account of how Vince Mcmahon and his World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation became a major forse in the entertainment industry. If Harvard Business School invited Vince McMahon to adress its students, the world of business, spots, and entertainment would do well to sit up and take notice.

Assel and Mooneyham have brought forth a facinating story to light. From the inception of the modern NWA in 1948 to the collapse of Mcmahon's chief rival, WCW, this book chronicles McMahon's gutsy and innovative business acumen through various tribulations and triumphs.

Unlike so many other books written on wrestling as of late, Sex, Lies, and Headlocks does not nor does it need to delve into the gossip of the various athletes just to satisfy a curious audience.

What it does do, however, is offer a facinating story of the World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation, an organization that has captured the imagination of millions of viewers and observers worldwide.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most well written, honest, and intelligent book written on wrestling in some time. A professional job from start to finish.

It would be hard to believe, that anyone with an interest in business, sports, entertainment, or wrestling, after reading this book once, would not be compeled to pick up this book again and again.