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The book is not to be missed
This great wrestling book is all about heels, and we are not talking about stilettos found on women's shoes. We are talking heels of another sort, the ones who make up professional wrestling.
Since time began, good has struggled against evil. In wrestling, the good guys are the baby faces; bad guys, the heels. You scream at the heels, hoping they will have their tonsils ripped out through their nostrils.
I watched the heels from the 1960's onward. This was before many realized the sport was scripted. The heels had us screaming at the television set, one in particular being the Sheik, chosen as number three among the top twenty heels. The Sheik's real name was Ed Farhat. He was supposedly from Syria, but he joined the U.S. army during World War Two, and was reportedly a star football player at the University of Michigan. He had the heel persona down pat, headlining at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto for almost a decade, with a winning streak there of 127 straight matches. He died not long ago at age 77.
Other wrestlers noted in the top twenty are Nature Boy Buddy Rogers #1 (though some considered him a baby face), Gorgeous George #2, Mad Dog Vachon #4, Freddie Blassie #6, Johnny Valentine #7, and Abdullah the Butcher #12.
This is the ultimate nostalgia guide for lovers of heels, with some contemporary bad guys noted. The chapters are divided into: The Pioneers (those who started the heel process), The Egoists (the villains who preened for the audience), The Madmen (lunatics who milked their apparent insanity) and The Monsters (hulking assassins who seemed unstoppable).
The book shows dozens of classic photos of stars, along with updated shots, and telling us how many stars have passed on. With a 16 page photo section, it brings back the heydays of wrestling, like it used to be.
The book is not to be missed for those who grew up with the likes of Pampero Firpo, Ernie Ladd, Don Fargo, Gene Kininski, Blackjack Mulligan or Eric The Red. Heels or no heels, they were the ultimate performers in a most thankless profession.
RATING: 4 1/2 BOOKMARKS
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