Strong Style

by Scott Norton, Adam Randis (Editor)

Strong Style is the autobiography of Scott "Flash" Norton, world arm-wrestling champion and professional wrestler whose career spanned the AWA, WCW, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. His career took him to ice roads in northern Canada, Pay Per View, small rural towns in Japan, the Tokyo Dome, and North Korea. This autobiography provides an honest look back at the many successes in Norton's career as well as the hardships and personal growth he experienced.

Readers will spend a significant period of time with Norton during his career as one of the few Western wrestlers to become the heavyweight champion of a major Japanese promotion an his relationship with the wrestlers and fans on both sides of the Pacific.

This book is filled with personal stories, anecdotes, and wrestling "ribs" that will amuse and enlighten wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.

Genres: Nonfiction

249 pages, Hardcover

Published May 25, 2019

About the author

After graduating from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications with a BA in writing and a minor in English Literature, I entered the family business where I wrote a ton of industrial scripts and ad copy and accumulated a great deal of experience in video, film and multimedia production. I also learned a fair bit about the importance of an office with a locking door and a pair of windows that overlook a roof. Happiness is often a handy escape route.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong Style is the biography of wrestler Scott Norton.

This book was on my radar for a long time but I didn't pull the trigger on it since I didn't think I had time to read it. Fortunately, the stars were aligned. My in-laws got it for me for Christmas and due to the pandemic, I found plenty of time to read it over the long weekend.

The book opens with Norton wrestling a bear and doesn't let up much after that. Norton goes from being a high school athlete to the arm wrestling circuit pretty quickly. Even though he didn't go into wrestling until he was around 30, the writing was already on the wall since he grew up with Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, and Road Warrior Hawk in the Minneapolis area.

After a disappointing stay in the AWA, a hellish tour of Canada, and a stint in Portland, Norton winds up in New Japan, where he'd spend the bulk of his career.

Norton's style hooked me right away. He's a straight shooter and surprisingly humble. The road stories are great but the core of the book is his relationship with Masa Saito, the Japanese wrestler who took him under his wing and was like a second father to him.

I've read accounts of wrestling in Japan in other books but Norton goes pretty deep into it, like sleeping in closet sized hotel rooms, for instance, and trying to deal with veterans trying to keep their spots like Vader. I've heard of Antonio Inoki's Wrestling Peace Festival in North Korea but I'd never read about what a nightmare it was behind the scenes before now.

Norton goes into injuries and even a parasite he contracted while eating sushi that left him paralyzed for days. He mentions an aborted stint in WCW in 1995 and talks about WCW during the Monday Night Wars and ultimately choosing New Japan over WCW in the twilight of his career.

Strong Style is an A+ wrestling book and if I wasn't already a Scott Norton fan, I would be now. Five out of five stars.

[Jason Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about a really underrated wrestler.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good wrestling bio. Always took a shine to Scott Norton, his story was interesting. Lots of funny stories, good tales of the wrestling scene in Japan. He buries no one - that is usually a fun part of the books, but even without this sort of thing I enjoyed his takes on his peers. Good read!

[Adam Whiteley · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT book. Maybe my favourite wrestler autobiography ever. Goes so in-depth on the '90s and '00s New Japan scene in an interesting way, comparing it to the WCW locker room of the same period. While the American company was fractured and disorganised, with wrestlers usurping bookers and forming hostile cliques, Norton paints the picture of a tight-knit and motivated New Japan locker room who pushed each other to greatness.

We start with his illustrious arm wrestling career (which interested me despite my lack of knowledge), then his run in AWA where he shits on Verne Gagne for being a bully and praises Baron Von Raschke for mentoring him. He also talks about a disastrous "Death Tour" of Canada promoted by a lying Tony Condello, who he seems to have the most vitriol towards. The stories of ribs are hilarious and told in good fun, Norton never seems to have an ego and his recounts of friendships with Curt Hennig, Rick Rude and Road Warrior Hawk are touching.

And then it's all about New Japan and WCW and we get an incredibly detailed insight into what it's like being a gaijin, mentorship from Masa Saito, Black Cat and Riki Choshu, the North Korea shows, wrestling Saito in his retirement match, winning the IWGP championship twice and finally being fired after Inokiism took over the company. It's one of the finest documents in wrestling history and a must read for any fan of Japanese wrestling.

[Dale Kulas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always recall hearing how Scott Norton was one of the toughest guys in the business. As an American fan, I only really recall him from being in the WCW midcard and one of the many secondary nWo members. Norton's book however really dives into the whole background, with an early big focus on his arm wrestling career which was very eye-opening on hearing how one works their way up the ranks in that competition compared to wrestling. Norton dedicates a lot of the book to his New Japan Pro Wrestling run where he says his most notable pro wrestling success. Parts of me wish he would have spent more time on his WCW days, but he went in-depth on the parts of his career that meant the most to him.

There are a lot of great anecdotes and behind-the-scenes antics that had me cracking up, including a classic Curt Hennig joke that ranks as one of the greatest wrestling pranks I have ever heard of. There is also plenty of time given to Scott's hard times going through the grind of the business and dealing with miserable injuries, working matches hurt, and seeing the toils of the industry effect some of his closest friends. Do not hesitate on this book as it is a must for any pro wrestling fan!

[Dushyant Shrikhande · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard much about Scott Norton going into this book, but I was curious to read it because of my interest in Japanese "strong style" pro wrestling and the history of NJPW. The book is very easy to read and it was clear to me that a lot of effort went into elucidating Scott Norton's life story.

[Ben DT Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I didn’t know what to expect in. Scott Norton isn’t a wrestler I know much about or who’s career path I know. But this turned out to be one of my favourite and easily read wrestling books. It’s really great. You can tell he’s a take no shit and speak no lies author. The stories are great, his career path was fun and it makes for a superb read.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Fantastic narrative voice and story weaving. One of my top two favorite wrestling books along with Have a Nice Day by Foley. Read this even if you don’t care about wrestling.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Norton was never a favorite wrestler of mine, but WCW didn't use him to his potential. Reading about his arm wrestling career and his New Japan career makes him far more interesting than a B squad NWO member.

[Michael Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent

I've read better wrestling books but this one was certainly enjoyable enough . Got a little dull at the end but his beginnings were interesting

[Richard Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

String style... Stronger character

Very honest and gripping account of the journey to becoming a professional wrestler and more importantly a MAN. Very good read

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down...one of the best wrestling books I have ever read.

[Joe Loncarich · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's probably a four-star book, but Scott Norton intimidation gives it the extra star.

[Lowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great history of 90's NJPW. So many connections through Scott to some of my favorites. He's a very humble storyteller and hope to meet him some day.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over The Top-The Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace-The N.W.O., when it comes to massive cultural moments of the 80s/90s, Scott Norton found himself a part of it. If you only know Norton for his WCW career, this book is an eye-opener. I was familiar with his NJPW career but not to the extent of his being the most decorated and admired gaijin athlete in the company’s history. And while I knew Over The Top to be a Sylvester Stallone movie, I didn’t know it was based on an actual world championship arm-wrestling tournament that Norton won. His other feats of prodigious strength are jaw dropping, like pushing a Greyhound bus full of passengers down a road, for example. Throughout the book, Norton comes off as honest, humble, and full of integrity. The chapter in the WCW/NJPW tour of North Korea with Muhammad Ali was particularly eye-opening and scary. Norton lays it all out about the dangers that everyone there faced, the extreme poverty and grinding boot heel of the dictatorship. That chapter alone makes the book worth reading.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good all-around look at norton's career, with ample coverage devoted to his early successes in arm wrestling. highly recommended for the muscle wrestler obsessive