I'll do a quick-ish rapid-fire round on all the books I've read:
Mick Foley: Have A Nice Day - One of the most influential pieces in Pro Wrestling history. It shaped the way the wrestler's talk about their careers, how far back they pull the curtain and that there was even an audience for that type of story. This was one of the first books I read, so I often find myself having a new appreciation for it as I grow more familiar with the industry. The book gave us the Herb Abrams story, shaped how we saw early WCW under Bill Watts and is a great companion piece to Beyond The Mat since Mick's perspective is largely reflected on there.
Mick Foley: Foley Is Good - I actually read this before Have A Nice Day so I have a fonder recollection. In hindsight, Mick was already beginning to run out of material and while I love the guy his favourite list of rollercoasters isn't as fascinating as his stories about working UWF going on international tours and the evolving landscape of the business. Still, it was an enjoyable enough book to read and since it covered one specific year it was easier to follow and you got a better idea of who Mick was as a performer/husband/father/son etc. The highlight was the response to the parents group - from memory Mick really did his research here, uncovered a few case studies and shed a different light on Pro Wrestling and the impact it has on larger society.
Mick Foley: The Hardcore Diaries - So I was an avid reader of Mick Foley's WWE.com blogs. After missing his 2004 return, I made sure Wrestlemania XXI was the first PPV I ever ordered and I couldn't get enough Foley. I had just read through Have A Nice Day and Foley Is Good, couldn't have been more excited for Hardcore Diairies and...it was just OK. A lot of it was just copy-pasted from his blog and the rest basically felt like a guy who painted a pretty grim picture of life post-retirement. It was kind of like later Jericho books where you're just skipping chapters trying to get back onto the Pro Wrestling stuff. Except the Pro Wrestling stuff wasn't that great here. He spends way too long being upset over a canned Kiss My Ass segment and then being kind of creepy over Melina. The book was meant to be an expose into the creative process and all I really got out of it was that the company had their focal points (D-Generation X) and nothing was allowed to over-shadow it.
Tietam Brown - Yes, I even read Mick's work of fiction. I just remember it being a mixed bag where the coming of age parts were reasonable, but the violence in the book was so needlessly shocking. It also seemed like Mick couldn't come up with a decent ending so it just ends on a flat note.
Death of WCW - For years it seemed like nobody cared to relive through WCW. Despite being this juggernaught, when it ended it seemed like the general sentiment was good riddance. However there were still plenty of stories to mine from it and this was the best we had for awhile. I still think it's a good book, but it's clear that everything is framed from their perspective as a fan, so there's hardly any room for nuance, it's more like a persuasive speech. This was usually the book I'd turn to if I wanted to relive WCW, it has it's moments but really it just scratched the surface.
Adam Copeland on Edge - It follows in the foot-steps of Mick Foley's book where you're just following this relatable every-day dorky Canadian guy chasing this crazy dream and succeeding. I picked it up on a whim, but this was where I learned about the Canadian indies, the crazy death tours and as a fan of the Foley style it was good. It's a relatively short book since it only covers everything up until his 2004 comeback but I don't think there was ever a need for a sequel. Especially now that he's done so many interviews and had his own podcast, I think we have a pretty fair insight into how he operates.
Shawn Michaels - The only story I remember specifically from this was around his match with Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania XXI and how they went way over-time yet he gave himself a pat on the back for putting Kurt over. Otherwise, this felt like something that could have been put together by a fan.
Ric Flair - Supposedly this book was a mess until Madden stepped on board. As far as WWE produced autobiographies go, this was one of the better ones. Not only because Ric has led such a fascinating career, but you also get the insights into the book and what life is like for an athlete who ties their whole existence into one thing. I read this right around the time Ric retired, so it made that match mean so much more that he got to go out on such a big stage. Strangely, I've never thought that match should have closed the show and was perfectly OK with Taker/Edge - even though the former is so much more memorable. Sting had a pretty good retirement this year, one of the best things that's happened in recent history, but I don't think anything has or will top Flair. (the other matches don't count)
Bret Hart - I still keep this book close to me since it's useful reference piece and Bret isn't afraid to speak his mind. I've always had this view of Bret as the ultimate role-model but after reading the book you learn that he has his foibles and he probably does think of himself too highly. Still, it makes for a good book because Bret's really passionate about his career and all the people he worked with and since he's a Hart kid, his stories span longer than his actual career. It's almost a 2-1 where you get this legendary career, but also growing up in a legendary family as a son of a promoter. One of my favourite stories is how when he's with the WWF, all the ladies are these exotic beauties and everything is great. He goes to WCW and ends up with this crazed stalker and his life is just falling apart around him.
Chris Jericho: Liontamer - For me, right up there with Bret and Foley as one of the best books. Jericho is a great narrator, he's more than happy to talk about himself, his career, the people he worked with, the bizarre angles and just the crazy life-style in general. I've always wanted to see that Smokey Mountain Wrestling fan video he talked about - that sounded like some real Trash Humpers type horror.
Chris Jericho: Undisputed - A tale of two books. The Fozzy stuff would have been fine with one chapter, but this was obviously a big part of Chris' life so it takes up a fair portion of the book. The WWF stuff was still fascinating and it was really interesting to see somebody go into so much detail about the creative differences because usually the performers are so blasse. Chris seemed brutally honest about what worked, what didn't work, why he left and his comeback
Chris Jericho: Best In The World - At this point, Jericho's podcast was out so a lot of his stories were already out there and from memory this was when Jericho became less critical of himself and everything he was doing was great. This may have been the book where he gave himself credit for getting Fandango's chant over, instead of the fans being ironic and taking the piss out of the push. This also fell into the Hardcore Diaires trap of talking about celebrity encounters, basically Jericho had a few chapters that would have been nice but was way too quick to print.
Chris Jericho: No Is A Four Letter Word - The third book nearly lost me, but I remember this being better because Chris must have been on the verge of joining AEW so he was a little more critical of himself and explained his thought process behind some of his more questionable creative that showed he hadn't completely lost it. It wasn't that necessary, but this included a few things he hadn't covered to death on his podcast and it restored some faith in Jericho. I never read Chris' book about all his lists - it just sounded like a CageMatch.com print out.
Mick Foley: Countdown to Lockdown - I thought this was kind of a sad read. Foley seemed like he was in a such a better place when he retired in 2000, this just seemed like a book about somebody trying to relive their glory days (again) and just not being able to let go. Supposedly Mick was considering returning again this year, 15 years later before he was quickly advised not to do it. Like the TNA comeback, this felt like a cheap knock-off of the Hardcore Diaries - an attempt to merchandise the return even further but there's just nothing that interesting. The only positive was that the WWE went out of their way to promote the book, Mick was touched and the two settled their differences and Mick was able to mend that bridge.
Eddie Guerrero - Yes, there certainly was an Eddie book. I was worried this would be like the documentary which was a little lacking but I guess since the WWE didn't own a lot of his footage they were hamstrung with what they could show. The book goes into so much more depth and the chapters where he goes into detail about how his life fell apart and how he put it all back together was really inspiring. He also wasn't shy to talk candidly on WCW and he's one of the few guys I've heard speak ill of Kevin Nash. Kev has always been one of those guys who was loathed online, but loved by the wrestlers even when you'd think they'd be total opposites. I'm not sure if it was a receipt for a Wrestlemania XX comment, but that left a big impression.
Rey Mysterio - Rey on the other hand is a guy that seemingly loves Nash but really wish he didn't lose his mask. I also think he went into depth on the Juvi in Brisbane story which was fascinating (AEW better bring the Juice back).
Booker T - Pretty forgettable, Booker appreciated everything, he just wished he didn't cut that promo on Hogan.
William Regal - I seem to enjoy my stories on addicts. Thankfully, Regal was lucid enough to still talk about his career, put over some of his favourite matches and how he got over in the WWE.
Bobby Heenan - I thought it captured Bobby's wit quite well, but I don't think he went into any real depth. Not because he was afraid to, I just don't think it was in Bobby's nature to dish on the thousands of performers he would have come across. Still, he doesn't miss Schiavone and I think that really poisoned the well on Tony for years.
Jim Ross - Listened to both his books on audio. Kind of just paint by numbers book, exactly what you'd expect from good ol JR.
Nitro - Finally a good follow-up to the Death of WCW with a lot of side-stories that hadn't really seen the light of day. It also has some more nuance and seems like a more balanced take on the situation. I'm due another revisit.
AJ Lee - I just remember it was largely about her upbringing and her struggles with her mother's mental health and her own. There were some interesting insights into early 2010s WWE, and some relationship drama with Dolph Ziggler and how she got together with Punk.
Hulk Hogan - I remember reading through this in a desperate attempt to try and out-do Strobe's legendary post on Inoki. There was so many Hogan-isms in here that I realised I had wasted my time and making a tongue in cheek post about all of Hulk's Big Fish stories may not have been in the best spirit.
Eric Bischoff - The big response to Death of WCW. A lot of this would be expanded upon when Eric started 83 Weeks but Eric fronted up and gave his perspective on what he tried to do for WCW and some of the challenges he had backstage which needed to be stressed.
American Hardcore Theatre - Still the best god damn book ever made, still waiting for 1997-on, but apparently the writer is too busy kicking ass.
I also flicked through Mox, Becky, the Young Bucks and Bryan's books. Haven't gone cover to cover, just the odd chapter that piques my interest. Stand-outs include the Bucks complaining about a tag match they had with Danielson/Strong, Becky talking about how she got heat during her Lacey Evans program and also Shamo barging in on Bryan and Brie.
EDIT: Damn not so quick after all. I'm sure there's a few I'm forgetting as well.
