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National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Professional Wrestling
In the 1950s, in Las Vegas, a businessmen's conglomerate dominating a $25 million-a-year sports industry hid their illegal practices from the U.S. Department of Justice until they were caught. The sport that privileged cold hard cash over honest competition was professional wrestling, and the conspirators were members of the famed National Wrestling Alliance. National Wrestling The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling examines the NWA promoters' overwhelming success, and the relationships to influential politicians and writers that protected their financial interests for over 50 years. Breaking the façade of sports production, it shows how promoters actually twisted arms to edge out their opponents. Tim Hornbaker documents the life of the NWA, from its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II, to its worldwide expansion. He chronicles the Department of Justice's investigation, providing sports fans with a never-before-told side of wrestling's legacy. The most noteworthy exploits of the National Wrestling Alliance were behind locked doors. Now, the conspiracies of a century-old brand of entertainment will finally be revealed.
- GenresNonfictionHistorySports
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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447 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 21, 2014
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling is the story of the formation, life, and demise of the NWA.
This is the second book in my Kindle Unlimited Experiment. For the 30 day trial, I'm only reading books that are part of the program and keeping track what the total cost of the books would have been.
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling details the formation of the NWA due to the need for one recognized world champion instead of each promoter recognizing his own title holder and the monetary advantages thereof. I find it fascinating that forty or so promoters tried to do what Vince McMahon Jr. did decades later, only instead of one man having his cake and eating it too, many men were fighting over how big of a slice of cake they should get.
The books starts in the days before the formation of the NWA and describes the early days, like promoters battling non-members and forcing them to join or go out of business. I had no idea St. Louis was such a battleground in the forties and fifties. I also had no idea Lou Thesz was an unpopular champion with the promoters and not a huge box office draw for most of his tenure as champ. Danny Hodge's father getting so mad at the man wrestling and beating his son that he jumped into the ring and stabbed him with a pen knife was crazy! Also, I never heard of Sonny Myers but getting sliced by a fan in the dressing room and requiring over 150 stiches was really interesting. Other parts, I already knew, like Toots Mondt and Strangler Lewis having a lot of power in the old days.
Wrestling is a morality play, a conflict between good and evil. So how did Hornbaker manage to suck all the fun out of it? Well, most of the writing was very dry. Every time the NWA hit a bump in the road, there were pages of quotes from court transcripts, newspaper articles, and legal documents. For me, the most interesting part was the profiles of all the important NWA champions from Orville Brown all the way to the point WCW withdrew from the NWA.
The book had its moments but I'm glad I didn't pay the $8.69 list price. 2.5 out of 5.
Current Kindle Unlimited Savings Total: $12.18.
This is the second book in my Kindle Unlimited Experiment. For the 30 day trial, I'm only reading books that are part of the program and keeping track what the total cost of the books would have been.
National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling details the formation of the NWA due to the need for one recognized world champion instead of each promoter recognizing his own title holder and the monetary advantages thereof. I find it fascinating that forty or so promoters tried to do what Vince McMahon Jr. did decades later, only instead of one man having his cake and eating it too, many men were fighting over how big of a slice of cake they should get.
The books starts in the days before the formation of the NWA and describes the early days, like promoters battling non-members and forcing them to join or go out of business. I had no idea St. Louis was such a battleground in the forties and fifties. I also had no idea Lou Thesz was an unpopular champion with the promoters and not a huge box office draw for most of his tenure as champ. Danny Hodge's father getting so mad at the man wrestling and beating his son that he jumped into the ring and stabbed him with a pen knife was crazy! Also, I never heard of Sonny Myers but getting sliced by a fan in the dressing room and requiring over 150 stiches was really interesting. Other parts, I already knew, like Toots Mondt and Strangler Lewis having a lot of power in the old days.
Wrestling is a morality play, a conflict between good and evil. So how did Hornbaker manage to suck all the fun out of it? Well, most of the writing was very dry. Every time the NWA hit a bump in the road, there were pages of quotes from court transcripts, newspaper articles, and legal documents. For me, the most interesting part was the profiles of all the important NWA champions from Orville Brown all the way to the point WCW withdrew from the NWA.
The book had its moments but I'm glad I didn't pay the $8.69 list price. 2.5 out of 5.
Current Kindle Unlimited Savings Total: $12.18.
April 15, 2018
I liked the ECW Press books about wrestling. I’m torn on my views of this book.I found a lot of it boring and lacking. There were stories about wrestlers and how popular they were, but I never got a feel for why. What was it like to see Lou Thesz? What was a Brisco match like-suspense? violent? I don’t know.
What I liked about this book was the parts I didn’t know. I figured that all these promoters got together to have a united alliance. They would all share in the revenue from a champion. They would trade wrestlers. It didn’t always work out that way. Promoters wanted their guy as champ. There were champs because of politics rather than fan approval. That was different from what I would think. The NWA still exists. That was news. It’s a shell of it’s former self-from the book.
I want to find these wrestlers on the web and see some matches. I learned about the past, but it got boring at parts.
What I liked about this book was the parts I didn’t know. I figured that all these promoters got together to have a united alliance. They would all share in the revenue from a champion. They would trade wrestlers. It didn’t always work out that way. Promoters wanted their guy as champ. There were champs because of politics rather than fan approval. That was different from what I would think. The NWA still exists. That was news. It’s a shell of it’s former self-from the book.
I want to find these wrestlers on the web and see some matches. I learned about the past, but it got boring at parts.
October 19, 2018
A great textbook of the history of the most important affiliation in pro wrestling.
It was dry at times, but all history will be at points.
I enjoyed learning about each booker, and the first $100,000 gate
Well done Mr Hornbaker, well done
It was dry at times, but all history will be at points.
I enjoyed learning about each booker, and the first $100,000 gate
Well done Mr Hornbaker, well done
December 9, 2011
Man, this is the perfect example of a great story completely ruined by shoddy writing and organization. I am a huge wrestling fan, and know very little about the NWA, except for the "mainstream" guys- Lou Thesz, Strangler Lewis, etc. I had hoped this book would fill in the blanks I had in my wrestling knowledge. In a way, it did, but this was written more like a high school book report than a historical treatise. As an example, the story of Fred Kohler moving his wrestling show from the Mairgold Arena to a smaller venue, and the reasons behind it, is explained, in depth, FOUR TIMES, in four different chapters. Lou Thesz's rise to the top is recounted three separate times. The organization of this book makes no sense. Instead of following a timeline, going from the beginning and working out, it jumps all over the place and focuses on key characters. Not a bad idea,a the problem is all of these people interact with each other throughout the 40s and 50s, so the stories just keep repeating. This, coupled with an incredibly dry style (does this author even like wrestling?), makes the book super tedious after the first 100 pages. I have to admit, this is the first book in five years that I haven't been able to finish.
August 12, 2009
While this book seems to be well researched, the layout of the information and the style with which it was presented leaves a bit to be desired.
The author had apparently made up his mind prior to writing this book rather than presenting the facts and allowing the reader to do so. He presents the NWA as an organization originated to squash smaller, less established promoters and makes them out to be criminals in doing so. I think there is certainly an argument to be made with this in mind, however I would have preferred to come to this conclusion based on the facts, not have it thrown in my face from the first discussion.
Hornbaker's chapters on the individuals making up the NWA is interesting in that he presents virtually all them as above board, good people. An interesting dichotomy since these good men made up this evil organization.
Between the jumping around within the timeline, the lack of post 1963 history and the lack of information regarding those involved in the NWA post 1963, the book fell short. That said, for those interested, it is worth the read for the historical information it does contain.
The author had apparently made up his mind prior to writing this book rather than presenting the facts and allowing the reader to do so. He presents the NWA as an organization originated to squash smaller, less established promoters and makes them out to be criminals in doing so. I think there is certainly an argument to be made with this in mind, however I would have preferred to come to this conclusion based on the facts, not have it thrown in my face from the first discussion.
Hornbaker's chapters on the individuals making up the NWA is interesting in that he presents virtually all them as above board, good people. An interesting dichotomy since these good men made up this evil organization.
Between the jumping around within the timeline, the lack of post 1963 history and the lack of information regarding those involved in the NWA post 1963, the book fell short. That said, for those interested, it is worth the read for the historical information it does contain.
November 17, 2007
A good overview of the history of the NWA, the alliance of wrestling promotions that basically paved the way for a national wrestling promotion. Heavy on the early history, with names and wrestlers most modern readers would not recognize, the book weaves biographical chapters with the history of the alliance.
The biggest sticking point in the reading flow would be the chapters dealing with the lawsuits and government litigation the NWA faced in the 50s as part of an antitrust movement. This is because the author liberally uses large sections of lawsuits and legal documents in these chapters, and anyone who has ever read a legal document knows how fun that is.
The only other drawback is that the book is so heavy on the early history, while the later history is summarized in one chapter, pretty much. Oh, and for some reason Harley Race's story is never told, even though he is mentioned as a multiple-time champion in the book.
But, overall, it was interesting and definitely worth reading for fans of pro-wrestling, sports history or those with an interest in odd history.
The biggest sticking point in the reading flow would be the chapters dealing with the lawsuits and government litigation the NWA faced in the 50s as part of an antitrust movement. This is because the author liberally uses large sections of lawsuits and legal documents in these chapters, and anyone who has ever read a legal document knows how fun that is.
The only other drawback is that the book is so heavy on the early history, while the later history is summarized in one chapter, pretty much. Oh, and for some reason Harley Race's story is never told, even though he is mentioned as a multiple-time champion in the book.
But, overall, it was interesting and definitely worth reading for fans of pro-wrestling, sports history or those with an interest in odd history.
January 16, 2026
Before there was Sports Entertainment, Professional wrestling was run through the territory system. It was basically a consortium called The National Wrestling Alliance, where promoters from all over the country paid into the NWA so they could a) have a say in who the world champion was and b) get the top wrestlers of the time, people like Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Killer Kowalski, Bruno Sammartino and Antonino Rocca to come to their territory and wrestle in their desired arenas. This was before television and the crowds would oftentimes be rabid and abusive to the heel wrestlers and their managers. This collection of personalities that comprised the NWA fell anywhere between PT Barnum style showmen, to Don King style fight promoters, to shrewd businessmen, who in most cases had to kiss the ring of the Alliance President and/or the champion in order to get bookings.
This book is a soup to nuts history of the NWA, what happened in their glory years of the 50's, 60's and 70's and what caused it to eventually fall apart. There were many different factors, egos, money, or lack thereof, and television, which a lot of the old guard failed to get ahead of the trend and were left in the dust because of it. It was people like Jim Crockett and Vincent Kennedy McMahon, who saw the big picture and forced the territories out.
Although there are some interesting profiles of the legendary names and wrestlers like Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Jack Brisco, etc. I wish there would have been more anecdotes or personal quotes or stories that would have livened this book up a bit.
This book is a C-, it is so dry and formulaic that it literally reads like an encyclopedia entry. The author could have done so much more with this and it's a bit disappointing.
Recommend only if you are into the history of professional wrestling.
This book is a soup to nuts history of the NWA, what happened in their glory years of the 50's, 60's and 70's and what caused it to eventually fall apart. There were many different factors, egos, money, or lack thereof, and television, which a lot of the old guard failed to get ahead of the trend and were left in the dust because of it. It was people like Jim Crockett and Vincent Kennedy McMahon, who saw the big picture and forced the territories out.
Although there are some interesting profiles of the legendary names and wrestlers like Ric Flair, Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Jack Brisco, etc. I wish there would have been more anecdotes or personal quotes or stories that would have livened this book up a bit.
This book is a C-, it is so dry and formulaic that it literally reads like an encyclopedia entry. The author could have done so much more with this and it's a bit disappointing.
Recommend only if you are into the history of professional wrestling.
February 8, 2019
I can’t remember reading a book that was this poorly written. There are so many fascinating things to examine about the old-school wrestling business, but this book examined none of them in favor of giving birth dates and parents’ names for a hundred different people, listing the gross receipts from a hundred different wrestling shows (with zero context about how much the money meant in, say, 1936), and introducing people several chapters after discussing them at length.
There are a lot of really good books written about pro wrestling. Just as examples, Mick Foley and Chris Jericho are each so good at writing memoirs that they’ve just kept writing them. (Mick Foley sometimes says that he’s never seen a negative review of his first book, and I believe it.) This book, though, this book reads like what you thought of when you saw I was reading a book about pro wrestling.
I hope somebody writes a good NWA book sometime.
There are a lot of really good books written about pro wrestling. Just as examples, Mick Foley and Chris Jericho are each so good at writing memoirs that they’ve just kept writing them. (Mick Foley sometimes says that he’s never seen a negative review of his first book, and I believe it.) This book, though, this book reads like what you thought of when you saw I was reading a book about pro wrestling.
I hope somebody writes a good NWA book sometime.
November 7, 2021
Utterly fascinating. I had had some previous preconceptions of the NWA before reading this and found that a lot of them were incorrect. Anyone wanting to learn about wrestling history should pick this up. My only nitpick would be the layout of the book. He details the history of the NWA up to 1975, then has chapters on notable champions, the lineage of the NWA Championship, promoters, members of the NWA, then back to NWA history from 1975 to 2007 when the book was published. I would have done the history straight through, then put the other chapters after that. Plus there wasn’t a lot of information about Mildred Burke, her struggles with the NWA and the lineage of the women’s championship. Otherwise, this was excellent!
December 8, 2018
Good book for the hardcore wrestling fan who wants to understand the history of this very unique business. The writing style is a bit dry and very straightforward. The first two thirds of the book offered a really interesting history of the business from the 30s through the 60s. The last third was an encyclopedic rundown of promoters and wrestlers that was on the dull side.
The book is focused almost entirely on the pre-1975 era. Overall, a recommended read for a super-niche group (you know who you are!).
The book is focused almost entirely on the pre-1975 era. Overall, a recommended read for a super-niche group (you know who you are!).
August 1, 2022
“The National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling” was a very thorough and in depth accounting of the history of wrestling’s cartel. There is plenty to learn about many of the characters of the NWA years and the events that basically broke it down to modern day. At times, the writing was a bit dry and the good story gave way to just a plethora of information. At times some of the chapters were just way too long and a better division should have been found. A good reference book for wrestling fans.
January 12, 2019
I liked the book overall. It was interesting to read about the men who revolutionized the wrestling industry starting in the 1950’s. The book also details what caused the NWA to fall apart over the years. My main complaint was the chapter toward the end that discussed a number of the promoters from the period and how they interacted with the NWA. This chapter just felt too long and belabored their impact more than I wanted to see.
I would give 3.5 stars really.
I would give 3.5 stars really.
January 21, 2022
Contains a ton of good information and is clearly the product of tremendous research but is written about in about as dull a manner as is humanly possible. Additionally it's poorly structured with each chapter as topical overviews that don't build on each other, leading to a lot of repetition of the same information and the lack of any through-line that might help the reader build any momentum whatsoever.
August 8, 2018
While I did enjoy this book it seemed very disheveled and skipped a bunch of important information. The early history of the NWA was very interesting including the various time that they were investigated for being a monopoly. If you are into the vast history of pro wrestling then this is a decent read. just don't expect it to stay very cohesive towards the end.
December 24, 2018
I enjoyed this book, especially how the NWA came together. I am not the biggest old-time wrestling fan, but the behind the scenes machinations are always fascinating. The lawsuits, backbiting, and double crosses from the pre-WWF era were interesting. The last third of the book, I already knew mostly about, so it was not as interesting. I would highly suggest the book to hardcore fans.
February 19, 2021
Full of amazing history from dates, places, wrestlers, promoters, territories & lawsuits. For wrestling historians, this book is a must read, though it can be a slog for casual fans, I'd imagine. As someone who has watched wresting for over 40 years, this was an essential read.
May 25, 2018
There's some really interesting information in this book. But it's Hornbaker's style that makes you want to put yourself in a headlock over its dense and often boring prose.
March 6, 2019
Good book. Very informative. But this book needed an index in the worst way.
April 17, 2019
Interesting account of the rise and fall of the organization that controlled pro wrestling for years, the NWA.
May 7, 2008
Wonderful history of the early days of Professional wrestling. This is for people who really want to learn, not just a casual read. Can seem a little daunting if you dont know what you are getting into.
December 24, 2012
Suited more for a wrestling historian than the average wrestling fan. I really enjoyed the depth of the history contained in the book. There was really an amazing amount of research done to complete this book!
January 20, 2013
This was a fun book for those really interested in the history of wrasslin, and the industry outside the ring. The problem is that is reads like a high school history book - but the wealth of information contained in it is wonderful.
March 1, 2008
An overview of the oldest and one of the most prominent wrestling leagues in North America.
November 25, 2012
Terrible writing, boring narrative, tremendously useful information. I've got a .pdf copy to loan out if others are interested.
February 19, 2014
Excellent if you love the history of things. A definite slow read but informative.
September 21, 2013
Very informative read with details, but very dry and I felt like I was sledging through it. Still historical, full of information and from that it was okay.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews