Since the debut of Rikid&#333;zan in 1951, Japanese professional wrestling has created a legion of grappling superstars, taking a distinctly Western art form and making it something uniquely their own. It began with a simple story-a valiant Japanese star taking on enormous American invaders, the narrative a reflection of Anti-American sentiment that remained strong after Japan's defeat in World War II. Even before television sets were widespread, Japanese fans would gather around TVs at department stores and publicly cheer their heroes to victory. Rikid&#333;zan spawned dozens of copycats and proteges, each one a hero in his own right. Soon, Japanese wrestling became an industry of its own, big enough to support multiple companies and thousands of matches a year. The top wrestler in every company was usually the heavyweight champion, each king part of a legacy that extended all the way back to Rikid&#333;zan himself. All are part of something bigger than themselves, representative, for a time, of the best Japan could offer the wrestling world. Wrestling historian Matt Charlton puts each major champion in context, capturing their likeness and telling their story. The result isn't just a beautiful illustrated guide to the champions of Japanese wrestling-it's a history of the sport itself as told by an admiring enthusiast of the form.

J-Crowned: An Illustrated Guide to the Champions of Japanese Wrestling

Literature & Fiction

Charlton, Matt

History & Criticism

Hybrid Shoot

From his fights inside the cage with Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Dan Severn to his even more fearsome battles outside of it, this book takes an in-depth look at one of the most fascinating men in all of combat sports. In Shamrock: The World's Most Dangerous Man, acclaimed Bleacher Report sportswriter Jonathan Snowden offers a compelling and hard-hitting look at the factors that led to the rise and incredible fall of one of mixed martial arts most enduring icons Ken Shamrock.\nThrough extensive research and more than 100 interviews, Snowden reveals a complicated man who, even when on top of the sports world, was planting the seeds of his eventual fall. These are the stories behind the headlines, a rare glimpse at what life is really like for a WWE Superstar and UFC Hall of Famer including the drugs, crime and debauchery that almost cost Shamrock everything.

Shamrock: The World's Most Dangerous Man

Sports & Outdoors

Snowden, Jonathan

Biographies

King of Pancrase\nWWE Superstar\nUFC Hall of Famer\nLegend\nFrom his fights inside the cage with Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Dan Severn to his even more fearsome battles outside of it, this book takes an in-depth look at one of the most fascinating men in all of combat sports. In Shamrock: The World's Most Dangerous Man, acclaimed Bleacher Report sportswriter Jonathan Snowden offers a compelling and hard-hitting look at the factors that led to the rise and incredible fall of one of mixed martial arts most enduring icons Ken Shamrock. 
Through extensive research and more than 100 interviews, Snowden reveals a complicated man who, even when on top of the sports world, was planting the seeds of his eventual fall. These are the stories behind the headlines, a rare glimpse at what life is really like for a WWE Superstar and UFC Hall of Famer including the drugs, crime and debauchery that almost cost Shamrock everything.\nPraise for the work of Jonathan Snowden\n"The best book on the real history of MMA that I've seen. . .This book really is so great I couldn't put it down." 
—Wrestling Observer on Total MMA "If the history of MMA was taught as a college course, Total MMA would be the official textbook used for the class." —Sam Caplan, former Bellator matchmaker "An incredible resource for any fan . . . the book is a treasure trove of MMA stories, people and history." —Chicago Sun-Times on The MMA Encyclopedia "Highly recommended." 
 —WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross on Total MMA

Biographies & Memoirs

Product Description 
There's something about blood that can take a routine professional wrestling match and turn it into a work of art. Blood spilled, pooling on the mat or painting blonde hair red, immediately raises the stakes of any match. In the business, they used to believe red turned into green—when the blade emerged from its hiding place to scrap the forehead, box office receipts grew right alongside the scar tissue. It's visceral and inarguably real, a physical repudiation of the age-old heckling every fan has heard a million times—"it's all fake, isn't it?" 
In Way of the Blade, Segunda Caida's Phil Schneider, a leading wrestling critic and internet wrestling pioneer with the Death Valley Driver Video Review, looks at 100 of the best, bloodiest matches in the sport's history. Starting in the 1950s and spanning the decades and continents, Schneider tells the story of a very weird sport. You'll meet wrestling chickens, Nazi doctors of philosophy and Japanese death match specialists. You'll relive classics everyone knows and discover some hidden gems previously witnessed by a mere handful of fans lucky enough to have been in the building the night the carnage went down. 
Gorgeously illustrated by Chris Bryan, this book is destined to become a classic in the burgeoning field of wrestling criticism and a handy guide for fans looking for insight into their favorites and to be introduced to new matches, complete with the context necessary to explain why and how they became legendary. 
 Review 
"This book rules. Maybe I'll make it into Volume 2!"\n-Erick Stevens (Former Ring of Honor star)\n"If there are ten people on the planet who have watched more pro wrestling from around than globe than Phil Schneider, I'd love to meet them. And that level of obsessive fandom and expertise comes in handy when producing a book like this. These aren't randomly selected matches he skimmed Wikipedia to find. It's the product of a lifetime's fandom--and it shows."\n-Jonathan Snowden (Shamrock: The World's Most Dangerous Man, Total MMA)

Way of the Blade: 100 of the Greatest Bloody Matches in Wrestling History

Schneider, Phil

Individual Sports

Imagine a new world of professional wrestling. 
Travel back in time to an era before the capitalists won the Cold War. Before cable television had narrowed the field to a handful of bloated behemoths. Back then, wrestling was a very different place. The entire scene could change depending on where you parked your Plymouth on a given night. From the blood-soaked South to the fading glitz of the West Coast, dozens of regional wrestling troupes vied for supremacy, each with its own unique cast, each putting a distinctive new spin on the old grunt and groan game. 
Set in a funhouse mirror of our own world, THE TERRITORIES leaps into the madness of 1980s professional wrestling, presenting the business the way we liked it—wild, unruly and a little unhinged. Filled to bursting with steroids, bad choices, body slams and love, this is an unvarnished vision of an industry so seedy even gangsters give it the side eye. Edited by long-time wrestling enthusiasts Chad Dundas (Champion of the World, The Blaze) and Jonathan Snowden (Shooters, Shamrock), more than a dozen writers spanning fictional genres and styles take you deep into a sport that is never truly what it seems.

The Territories: Wrestling Stories

Mamatas, Nick

Ridler, Jason

Dundas, Chad

Seccia, Kevin

Fifield, Richard

Laben, Carrie

Brooks, Dan

Fowlkes, Ben

Dilbert, Ryan

Genre Fiction

Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin

Heydorn, Zack

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