The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons
“. . . a must read for all pro wrestling fans.”
Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons (the third in a series of books by these authors) is a pro wrestling fan’s dream—especially those who love the “good guys.”
It is without question the most complete compilation of pro wrestling heroes ever put into book form. You can easily refer to this gem as the encyclopedia of the greatest pro wrestling baby-faces to ever step foot into the squared circle. It’s like a bible. It’s just that good.
From Jim Londos to Eduard Carpentier to Antonino Rocca to Bruno Sammartino to Dusty Rhodes to Hulk Hogan to Sting to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, they are all here.
Since the early 1900s the industry of professional wrestling has made billions of dollars off of the simple premise of good vs. evil or heel vs. baby face or more simply put, good guy vs. bad guy. The wrestling superstars in this book are the guys who wore the white hat—the ones the fans loved, migrated to, cheered for, cried for, and even defended.
With great respect and honesty the authors: Steve Johnson, Greg Oliver and Mike Mooneyham, break the old school “kay fabe” code of silence (always stay in character) and provide detailed history on every grappler included in this amazing list. With great candor they reveal why the industry regards it easier to be a bad guy than a good guy, and how some of these beloved heroes were not-so-good behind the scenes and in real life.
With keen insight the authors unveil not only how these legends became the greatest baby-faces of all time, but why. The reader quickly catches on that it takes a special kind of human being to not only pull off being a top-notch baby-face, but to excel at it with incredible success over a prolonged period of time—thus gaining iconic status.
“He was truly larger than life in everything that he did. I think that was the attraction of Hulk Hogan, and that’s what made him transcend everything. He exuded the aura of being a superstar so well.”
—John Cena on Hulk Hogan
“Sammartino stands apart because of that sincerity, rooted in the old-world values he brought from childhood in war-torn Italy.”
“He was the most charismatic athlete I ever wrestled in my life . . . bar none.”
—Ric Flair on The American Dream Dusty Rhodes
This list of superstars is impressive, but not as much as the content. The facts about these legends shared in this book are nothing short of astonishing. The research that went into finding not only detailed facts like: birthplaces, family member names, previous careers, real names etc., is amazing in and of itself. But to gain access to exact quotes from stories, articles, and fellow pro wrestlers going back 50–100 years is nothing short of mind boggling—the envy of any historical researcher, regardless of the topic.
Heroes and Icons is a must read for all pro wrestling fans.