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ISBN Number: 9780313354816
Subtitle: A Butt-Kicking Ride Through the World of Professional Wrestling
Written by: Kluck, Ted A
Written by: Kluck, Ted
Written by: Kluck, Ted A.
Published by: Praeger Publishers
Filed Under: Wrestling, History.
Filed Under: General
Filed Under: Wrestling
Filed Under: Popular Culture, General
Filed Under: Children s All Ages, Reference
Copyright: 2009
Date of Publication: June 2009
Cover Type: Hardcover
Written in: English
Number of Pages: 161
Book Size: 9.30x6.10x.90 in. .90 lbs.
Age Level: Children's All Ages, Reference
A refuge for the very athletic but often a breeding ground for the highly dysfunctional, professional wrestling is, in the truest sense, life on the fringes. Headlocks and Dropkicks chronicles Ted Kluck's training program to become a professional wrestler. Along the way he has the opportunity to catch up with the biggest stars the sport has produced - some of whom have parlayed their fame into financial security and others who are simply looking to reclaim their past glory. Kluck delves into the traveling-circus elements of the sport, and talks to the people who make it work - promoters, bookers, and the wrestlers themselves. And he looks at the tension between the good vs. evil tales that pervaded wrestling in the early to mid 80's along with the seamy soap opera storylines that seem to drive it today. An all-pro quarterback is implicated in a grisly dog-fighting ring; a college football game turns into a street fight in Miami; and Major League Baseball struggles through continued steroid allegations. Recent sports headlines beg the question: aren't all sports turning into professional wrestling? Ted Kluck isn't necessarily a fan, but in writing this book he became, at the very least, involved. Headlocks and Dropkicks chronicles his effort to become a professional wrestler at a popular wrestling school in the suburbs of Chicago.
It may be ridiculous, but wrestling touches a nostalgic chord in many of us, and it has weathered manifold changes in American taste to survive and thrive as it does today. Here, Kluck looks at the tension between the good vs. evil tales that pervaded wrestling in the early to mid 80's, along with the seamy soap opera storylines that seem to drive it today. He also takes time to catch up with the biggest stars the sport has produced - some of whom have parlayed their fame into financial security and others who are currently looking to reclaim their past glory. A refuge for the very athletic, but often a breeding ground for the highly dysfunctional, professional wrestling is, in the truest sense, life on the fringes.
Book News Annotation:
Kluch is a sports writer and columnist who previously tackled boxing,
professional football and college football, and he underwent his own
training program to become a professional wrestler in order to
provide general readers with insights into the industry, the
personalities and the "tricks of the trade." The author interviews
wrestlers, promoters and bookers to detail the workout regimens,
politics and the still popular themes of good vs. evil that define
most competitions. Appendices include a glossary of wrestling
terminology as well as a critique of modern wrestling publications.
Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
