Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended (Even If You Hated WCW), 16 Jan 2007
Eric Bischoff has certainly been a hated figure for fans and wrestlers alike over the years. After all, he started off as a lowly "host" on WCW programming and eventually worked his way up to Vice President of the company (a position that changed hands on a regular basis before he was put in charge). He took WCW to the top, but in many people's eyes, he brought them right back down to the bottom.
Well, now Eric is here to give HIS side of the story. He starts off by correcting several inaccuracies regarding his qualifications and his role within the now defunct American Wrestling Association (amazingly, the door of opportunity opened for Bischoff after the promoter Verne Gagne gave him some free air time to plug his idea for a new kids toy, "Ninja Star Wars").
Bischoff eventually became an AWA announcer (although by his own admission, he was terrible. It was simply a case of "right place, right time" and no-one else being available, or in some cases, being worse than him). He talks about his job interview with WWF (he tried out for an annoucing job there, but didn't get it), but it's when he moves onto WCW (World Championshhip Wrestling) that things get really interesting.
Contrary to what you may think of Eric Bischoff, but when talking about his former employers and co-workers, he doesn't rip into or "chew them out" for no good reason. He tries to see the positives in every situation (although in WCW, at least internally, there weren't all that many).
Despite what people may think about the departure of announcer Jim Ross soon after Eric came to power in WCW, Bischoff doesn't bash "JR" completely and actually ponders why JR got the story round that he "fired" him (according to Eric, he didn't have enough authority to "fire" anyone at that point and actually agreed to let Ross go as he was unhappy in the company).
You'll also get the other side of Steve Austin's departure from the company, how Jesse "The Body" Venture took a personal dispute with Hulk Hogan a little too far, plus the birth of Monday Nitro and the dominance over the WWF, as well as the demise of WCW and Bischoff's eventual run with WWE.
A common criticism about this book was that Bischoff takes tremendous credit for the success of WCW, but does not shoulder much of the blame for its downfall. I would disagree. Up until the release of this book, no-one REALLY knew just how chaotic a place WCW was to work within (we've heard from the wrestlers, but we've never really heard a business perspective). Eric does admit to some of his faults, but emphasises how WCW was constantly full of "suits" who either hated or didn't understand wrestling. He also explains how the merger between Time Warner and Turner and another AOL merger was actually more of a curse than a blessing.
The only reason I didn't give this book the full 5 stars was because Bischoff simply doesn't spend long enough on his WWE career (although I guess he didn't want to upset the people he STILL works with). Also there are a few spelling errors and a picture of Sensational Sherri has the caption "Missy Hyatt" (who Bischoff really speaks his mind about). Obviously, the latter is not his fault.
Overall, this is recommended reading for any current WWE fan or anyone who used to watch WCW and is curious as to what really went on behind the scenes. Definitely one of the best wrestling bios in a while.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Had me from the start..., 17 Nov 2006
I'm just about a third of the way through this book but am so engrossed want to encourage others to buy it before I finish! I've read mainly autobiographies of the wrestlers themselves, so knew this would be different. It is a great insight in the business and its personalities. Eric is honest about his feelings about people he has worked with, and is open about his own mistakes as well as those of others. He doesn't put the bad mouth on people without backing it up with a reason, and even then, you get the impression he is leaving you to make your own decision about that person. He sets rumours straight, even when the truth is less in his favour than the fiction (his academic qualifications for instance). Contrary to what many people think, he has a lot of respect for his peers, even if he doesn't agree with them. This book is a must read for old and new fans alike.
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7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb insight into the Monday Night Wars, 27 Oct 2006
I think this book was superb, you find out a lot about Eric Bischoff and WCW you may not have known. Bischoff is very candid in his views and pulls no punches with Ted Turner, WWE or any person inparticular.
This book gives Bischoff the credit he deserves for being a major reason why wrestling became so popular, and the reason why WWE is the major force in pro wrestling today.
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