Wrestlecrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: R.D. Reynolds, Randy Baer
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 11/03

The Good
I always thought Mick Foley's book would be the funniest in terms of poking fun at pro-wrestling, unless maybe Bryan Alvarez wrote a book. I was wrong. Wrestlecrap, for those who know the website, was a really fun place to relive some of the most stupid gimmicks, angles and characters that pro-wrestling has cooked up. Here, Reynolds gives us the modern history of WWF and WCW and all the foolish things they've done since the mid-80s boom. Excellent phrasing that really makes this funny, rather than bizarre. A good example being the description of WWF's T.L. Hopper, which ends, "[Hopper] would carry Betsy, his filthy plunger, to the ring, and shove her in his defeated opponent's face. For, you see, he wasn't just a wrestling plumber, he was an evil wrestling plumber." (Pg. 170). Wrestlecrap is a really fun read, especially if you and a friend, or a bunch of friends, are making a road trip because if read properly, this is gold.

The Bad
Obviously this a limited focus, covering only the mid-80s through recent times and limiting it to WWF and WCW. And for serious fans it has to be sad. Wrestlecrap basically showing us all just how immature and regularly stupid the wrestling world is and in some way it makes you ashamed to be a fan. Reynolds points out just how bad it has been and will obviously be in the future. If you don't find this funny, you'll find it depressing, but those people are probably few and far between.

The Rating: ***3/4