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Long before he became “Hardcore Holly,” Robert Howard was a fighter. From humble beginnings — a boy dominated by his disciplinarian stepfather but fueled by an unquenchable passion for pro wrestling — Bob grew up struggling to make ends meet. As an adult with a family of his own to provide for, Bob fought in bars for money before finally following his dream of wrestling.

In hockey, goalies have always been a contradiction — solitary men in a team game, the last line of defence and the stalwarts expected to save the day after any and every miscue and collapse from his teammates. It’s no wonder that anyone who played the position has had his sanity questioned; yet some of the biggest innovations in the game have come from its puckstoppers.

In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. It seemed the company could do no wrong.

But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company — having lost a whopping 95% of its audience — was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest.

What went wrong with WCW? In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. Sting, Bill Goldberg, and the New World Order were household names. Superstars like Dennis Rodman and KISS jumped on the WCW bandwagon. It seemed the company could do no wrong. But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out.

A no–holds–barred, definitive look at the greatest pro wrestlers ever

Who were the best pro wrestlers of all time? What makes these 50 remarkable performers so special, and what were their contributions to the massively popular spectacle of wrestling? The 50 Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All Time has the answers. Bestselling author Larry Matysik shoots from the hip about who qualifies as the very best in history.

Terry Ryan was poised to take the hockey world by storm when he was selected eighth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1995 NHL draft, their highest draft pick in a decade. Expected to go on to become a hockey star, Ryan played a total of eight NHL games for the Canadiens, scoring no goals and no assists: not exactly the career he, or anyone else, was expecting.

Straight from the Hart is the no-holds-barred book about the often surreal, physically and psychologically brutal and politically cutthroat world of professional wrestling that fans everywhere — from the most casual or skeptical observer to the most rabid, hardcore aficionado of the action from the squared circle — have truly been waiting for.

Documenting the rise of women's wrestling from sideshow to WWE main event Sisterhood of the Squared Circle presents the fascinating history of women's wrestling, from the carnival circuit of the late 1800s to today's hugely popular matches. With more than 100 wrestler profiles, find out how backstage politics, real-life grudges, and incredible personalities shaped the business.

Shooters recounts the stories of athletes like Brock Lesnar and Gene LeBell, men who have lived their lives on the border between 'works' and 'shoots,' between the routines of the professional wrestling circuit and the legitimate confrontations that made their reputations.

Say Uncle! is the definitive book on the history, players, and techniques of catch–as–catch–can grappling.