Literary Squared Circle #18 – BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Jim Cornette turns 60 on Friday. Cornette is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. He has been involved in professional wrestling since the age of 14. In addition to his managerial career, Cornette has worked as a promoter, booker, agent, color commentator, and trainer. He currently hosts two wildly successful wrestling podcasts, The Jim Cornette Experience and Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru. Cornette has also authored several books on the subject. In honor of Corny’s upcoming milestone birthday, the Literary Squared Circle reviews his latest book, the 2019 graphic novel Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories by Jim Cornette and Brandon Easton. Illustrated by Denis Medri (IDW Publishing, 2019).
In Behind the Curtain, Cornette acts as host in a Rod Serling Twilight Zone kind of way. Cornette introduces readers to behind-the-scenes stories from the world of professional wrestling. My personal favorite is the story of Sputnik Monroe, who desegregated Memphis wrestling in the late 1950s. I am amazed that there has not been a big screen adaption of Monroe’s story as of yet. It has “Hollywood” written all over it. Other stories featured in Behind the Curtain include tales about The Sheik, Andy Kaufman & Jerry Lawler, Junkyard Dog & The Fabulous Freebirds, and the disturbing story of Dr. Jerry Graham and the death of his mother.
Every story is an engrossing one, including a story I had not heard before. The story is about Tim Woods (aka Mr. Wrestling), and the incredible lengths he went to to protect kayfabe after being involved in a plane crash in which he was the only babyface. All of the other passengers were heels, including Ric Flair and Johnny Valentine.
In addition to Cornette’s “Real Pro Wrestling Stories”, he also shares three dream cards featuring wrestlers from various generations (i.e. Jim Londos vs. John Cena and Dynamite Kid vs. AJ Styles). Cornette also provides readers with the definitive glossary of pro wrestling terms (i.e. gimmick, kayfabe, and mark). To say there is a lot of information jammed into 80 pages would be an understatement.
Admittedly, I have not read many graphic novels. I am not a “comic book guy”. However, I found Behind the Curtain to be not only an entertaining read, but an informative one as well. I thought the illustrations were well done and the content was fantastic. At 80 illustrated pages, Behind the Curtain is also a quick read. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I highly recommend it to any fan of professional wrestling.
5 Stars out of 5
In Behind the Curtain, Cornette acts as host in a Rod Serling Twilight Zone kind of way. Cornette introduces readers to behind-the-scenes stories from the world of professional wrestling. My personal favorite is the story of Sputnik Monroe, who desegregated Memphis wrestling in the late 1950s. I am amazed that there has not been a big screen adaption of Monroe’s story as of yet. It has “Hollywood” written all over it. Other stories featured in Behind the Curtain include tales about The Sheik, Andy Kaufman & Jerry Lawler, Junkyard Dog & The Fabulous Freebirds, and the disturbing story of Dr. Jerry Graham and the death of his mother.
Every story is an engrossing one, including a story I had not heard before. The story is about Tim Woods (aka Mr. Wrestling), and the incredible lengths he went to to protect kayfabe after being involved in a plane crash in which he was the only babyface. All of the other passengers were heels, including Ric Flair and Johnny Valentine.
In addition to Cornette’s “Real Pro Wrestling Stories”, he also shares three dream cards featuring wrestlers from various generations (i.e. Jim Londos vs. John Cena and Dynamite Kid vs. AJ Styles). Cornette also provides readers with the definitive glossary of pro wrestling terms (i.e. gimmick, kayfabe, and mark). To say there is a lot of information jammed into 80 pages would be an understatement.
Admittedly, I have not read many graphic novels. I am not a “comic book guy”. However, I found Behind the Curtain to be not only an entertaining read, but an informative one as well. I thought the illustrations were well done and the content was fantastic. At 80 illustrated pages, Behind the Curtain is also a quick read. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel, and I highly recommend it to any fan of professional wrestling.
5 Stars out of 5
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