Wrestling Sport

One of the most dominant college wrestlers in history, Ben Askren became a folk hero during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, before going on to become a multiple time MMA champion and one of the sport's biggest stars. Here, in Funky, this record-breaking wrestler and polarizing UFC fighter shares how he came to dominate opponents while blazing a trail through competitors in unprecedented ways. Not blessed with natural athleticism, he revolutionized folkstyle wrestling by innovating his own technique, which earned him the famous nickname, "Funky."

Pro wrestling is performance art, and trying to occlude that fact for decades has in many ways prevented the evolution of the art form. Little has been written about the challenges modern pro wrestlers face and the ways in which they engage with audiences. 7 Keys to Becoming a Better Performer - A Book for Fellow Pro-Wrestlers offers a fresh, frank examination of the skill set every professional wrestler needs to hone, regardless of where they ply their trade.

Who was Maurice the man, and who was Mad Dog the character? Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon was a gold medalist, a pro-wrestling legend, and a pop culture icon - but he was also a son, husband, and father. Mad Dog explores Vachon's career and personal struggles with painstakingly detailed historical research and through both Maurice's own recollections and those of the people who knew him best.

Lessons for the White Belt by Steven Humphries is an essential audiobook for new white belts in Jiu Jitsu. It provides an inspiring guide to learning Jiu Jitsu techniques, as well as invaluable knowledge for one's journey in Jiu Jitsu. Made with an easy-to-understand and encouraging style, this audiobook is a must-have for all new Jiu Jitsu practitioners.

He was the most vicious, bloodthirsty, reviled villain in the history of the ring. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, he drew record crowds everywhere he went and left a trail of burned and bloody opponents in his wake. But what those legions of fans screaming for his head never knew was that The Sheik was really Eddie Farhat. The son of Arab immigrants, Farhat served his country proudly in World War II and was fulfilling the American dream. When he wasn't screaming unintelligibly and attacking his enemies, he was busy being the owner and operator of World Wide Sports.

Taking unexpected risks, daring to do what no one has done before, that's the reality of Amy Dumas, the remarkable woman behind WWE's Lita. Amy found trainers who saw her determination and her heart. Among them were the two local North Carolina stars who had just signed with WWE, Matt and Jeff Hardy. Amy formed an instant bond with the dynamic Hardy Boyz, whose spectacular style and high-flying bravado inspired her own bold in-ring style.

In A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the Banachs to the Brands; life-changing friendships he made along the way; and tales of his family life off the mat.

Who’s on the mic? It’s John Cena, of course! This rapping pro wrestler gets his attitude across with words and big-time wrestling moves. From his music to his famous feuds, get the inside scoop about all things Cena.

The personalities in pro wrestling have always been some of the most unique and entertaining in the world. For more than 10 years, Kayfabe Commentaries has been the leading production company in the shoot interview genre, and now, you'll go inside the company and see how it was done. Sean Oliver, the on-camera ringmaster and co-owner of the company, takes the listener through all the components of building the business that bought the real-life personalities behind wrestling's outrageous personalities to the masses.

Rick Reilly has been a senior sports writer for Sports Illustrated for the past 17 years, and has been named "Sports Writer of The Year" seven times. Now, he pokes his nose into the world of golf. How does he do it? By caddying ("looping") for top players, celebrities, and some really bad run-of-the-mill golfers, Reilly gains insight into the minds of golfers, their winning or less-than-winning ways, and what they actually mutter when they're in the middle of play.

We have all seen the contest where a person is in a bank vault and has 360 seconds to grab as much money as possible. If it were you, would you stop grabbing money after you had "just enough" in your hands? Would you stop grabbing money when there were only 60 seconds left? Would you ever be too tired to keep grabbing more money? Obviously not. Why? Because the reward of what that money can do for you overrides any of the reasons to stop. A wrestling match is the same type of contest. You need to have the same kind of mindset.

They were nomadic warriors, their business shrouded in secrecy. They navigated a world fraught with pitfalls. Abuse was rampant. Their world was perilous. And they had kids. This is the true story of pro wrestlers raising children while working the unrelenting road. All content was constructed via personal new interviews with the stars and their families. See how Sullivan, Atlas, Bischoff, Poffo, Russo, Santana, Bigelow, and more scored their most important wins and heartbreaking losses, told in a most riveting narrative style.

Professional wrestling has always been wrapped in mystery. After a century of masquerading as legitimate sport, at last pro-wrestling has begun to show the potential of its form. At its core, it is live combat theatre, and no one has done more to codify and analyze this mesmerizing art form than Mike Quackenbush. To aid a generation of evolving performers to meet the demands of modern audiences, here is Toolbox - Building Better Pro-Wrestling.

While most of Postl's adult life has been spent in the wild world of the wrestling industry, his is more than a story of a little person's journey through a world of giants; it's a memoir of elation and anguish, triumph and disappointment, and of how an endlessly positive outlook combined with the unwavering support of family and friends helped a long shot become a success in his industry and a loving, responsible father.

Arm yourself with the wisdom to confidently support your wrestler’s journey and help them reach their full potential on and off the mat. How to Succeed (and Fail) as a Wrestling Parent contains practical guidance and real-life stories from Donovan Panone's 28 years in the trenches as a coach, as well as from being the parent of a wrestler.

Looking back over my time in this sport, it is clear to me that there are two types of former wrestlers. Wrestlers who successfully bridged into life by applying the discipline and principles they learned on the mat, and those wrestlers who hadn’t. I noticed that it didn’t matter what a wrestler’s accolades were, each type of former wrestler existed at every level of success or non-success in the sport.

Anthony Robles is a three-time all-American wrestler, the 2011 NCAA National Wrestling Champion, and a Nike-sponsored athlete. He was also born without his right leg. Doctors could not explain to his mother, Judy, what led to the birth defect, but at the age of five, the one-legged toddler scaled a fifty-foot pole unassisted. From that moment on, Judy knew without a doubt that her son would be unstoppable.

This audiobook provides the ultimate secret to improving your skills and knowledge in BJJ. With all the information, you can transform yourself into a powerful martial artist specializing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

As a new decade dawned, 2020 was supposed to be the best year to be a wrestling fan. Few in the industry realized that in China, a mysterious virus had begun to spread. By the time a pandemic was declared in March, the business—and the world—was in disarray. Still, when everything else shut down, wrestling never went away. The entire time, New York Times bestselling author and historian Keith Elliot Greenberg was chronicling the scene, juxtaposing pro wrestling developments with actual news events like the U.S. presidential election and Brexit.

One of the key professional wrestling or "sports entertainment" writers, Vince Russo helped pen modern wrestling's most electric storylines. Revealing the true, behind-the-scenes stories from some of wrestling's most famous moments, including Bret Hart's lost championship and the rise to superstardom of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and The Rock, this autobiography is the one that every wrestling fan has been waiting for.