Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal

by Irvin Muchnick

Irvin Muchnick — a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick — has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon, he traces the demise of wrestling’s old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWE’s Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the public’s late-empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became. What truly distinguishes Wrestling Babylon, however, is Muchnick’s ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur-carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His People magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sport’s signature superstar. His award-winning Penthouse profile of the ill-starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV-style production values. His never-before-published investigation of the death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend suggests the cover-up of a murder. The book’s appendix — a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention — is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.

Genres: Sports, History, Biography, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Daniel Montague · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are plenty of untalented authors out there. Hacks who just churn out garbage. Irvin Muchnick is not one of these. The man is quite talented and can piece together an interesting anecdote. As the nephew of one of the most prestigious promoters, Sam Muchnick, who ran the St. Louis territory, he also had access to a fount of insider knowledge. With all of this working for him, this could have been an excellent book, instead it was quite a dud. The primary issue with this work was the lack of editing. A good editor, would have reduced the redundancies and tightened the overall arc. While, the first couple of stories, based on his uncle and the Von Erich clan were interesting and full of insight, it started rapidly going downhill. His uncle, Sam, was one of the most influential promotors in the NWA which was a coalition of promotions throughout the country. He may also have been a gangster or gangster adjacent. In a world full of disreputable and frankly crooked people, he was uncommonly decent to the talent and fans. The Von Erichs, were a wrestling dynasty in the Dallas area, who through a host of reasons, namely drugs and other excesses along with a domineering figurehead father, turned into the biggest tragedy in pro wrestling history. Muchnick, catalogued the rise and fall of the Von Erichs with wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, for most of the rest of the book, we are left with speculation and innuendo. While, most of the incidences detailed: Hulk Hogan's steroid use/abuse, Vince McMahon's potential rape of the first female referee, Rita Chatterton, Pat Patterson's sexual peccadillos and the Ring Boy sex scandal are salacious, they were often 3rd hand accounts. No doubt, it would not be surprising if any or even all of those events detailed were accurate, but the author only regurgitated previous knowledge. With recent allegations of Vince McMahon's inappropriate behavior it certainly is not beyond the pale to think that he committed that heinous act. Also, in light of pretty much all of Hulk Hogan's personal life, injecting himself with anabolic steroids and lying about it, seems par for the course. The most interesting fact I learned was that the wrestler, who was the inspiration behind the Jack Black movie, "Nacho Libre", Fray Tormenta, was wrongfully accused of sexual abusing and trafficking of the orphans he helped by a jealous wrestler who was once his tag team partner. Overall, with all of the scumbaggery involved in professional wrestling, it seems quite a shame and frankly lazy to not have more original material. Wrestling is filled with more tragedy than Shakespeare and to not be able to fill out a small book with enough material is downright criminal. Clearly, I do not recommend this book.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the insider stories, wordplay, irony.

8 Ruth’s discreetly unreported debaucheries, a good schmoozer … practical jokes
10 Runyonesque lives
13 Rufus Jones, hard head, soft belly
77 Pimping Iron, McMahon vs Muscleheads 1991
93 Hogan’s Zeroes — vitamins
106 lucha … tecnicos and rudos = faces and heels … a priest was the model for Jack Black’s Nacho Libre
141 JMK … waltz with the nastier fates … excerpt from a 2006 review … Wrestling historian J Michael Kenyon points out that there’s a substantive, as well as a punning, link between the titles WRESTLING BABYLON and Hollywood Babylon. The latter is Kenneth Anger’s underground classic on the seedy underside of the film industry.

[Rose Harmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is it possible to give this 0 stars? It's another salacious look at the wrestling industry, as told by an outsider without any affection for the art form. The only bright spot was a re-printing of the excellent 1988 Penthouse article on the Von Erich family decline. Unfortunately, this sums up this book perfectly: a re-printing of several articles designed to portray pro wrestling in the worst possible light.

[David Bowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this was an interesting read there was very little substance to it. Most conjecture and articles, so Americanised that at time it was nearly impossible to understand what the writer was alluding to. (I suppose what should I expect!). Still, at time (but not often) an insight worth raeding appeared. Pretty disappointintg tbh.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love my guilty pleasures and this was the guiltiest of them all. It has to be the most facintating reads I gone through. For guys only??? I guess. But, if you're feeling adventurous. I do recomend it.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

F.

Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal is one of the most egregious examples of yellow journalism in wrestling I've ever read.

Irvin Muchnick is a talented writer, and the facts he presents are (mostly) accurate. It's the way he presents those facts that are questionable.

Muchnick is the nephew of former St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick. Sam Muchnick was the President of the National Wrestling Alliance (N.W.A.) for nearly 25 years. Because Irvin Muchnick grew up in a family entrenched in wrestling's territorial glory, it's only natural that he holds a grudge against Vince McMahon.

Muchnick lets his personal bias dictate his writing. Even objective points are surrounded by sophomoric jabs. Some of Muchnick's comments are downright cruel.

For example, when talking about the death of Chris Von Erich, Muchnick describes Von Erich by saying, "A five-five runt with no athletic ability and even less business being a wrestler than his brother Mike (who killed himself with sleeping pills in 1987), Chris shot himself in the head just outside his parents' home in Tyler, Texas."

Muchnick is so cruel concerning Von Erich's death because Muchnick has a political/religious vendetta against Von Erich's conservative evangelical father, Fritz Von Erich. Muchnick is unable to set aside his prejudices for the sake of objective writing.

Muchnick also tells several outright lies and alters details to fit his narrative. When creating a list of professional wrestlers who have died early deaths, Muchnick includes:

Owen Hart (equipment malfunction), Bruiser Brody (murder), Big John Studd (liver cancer/Hodgkin's disease), Crusher Blackwell (pneumonia), Larry Doyal (diabetes), Brian Hildebrand (stomach cancer -- also, Hildebrand was a referee, not a wrestler), Kronnus (murder), Jumbo Tsuruta (complications from surgery), Harlem Warlord (complications from surgery), Marianna Komlos (breast cancer), Kodo Fuyuki (cancer)

As well as several other wrestlers who died from illnesses/unforeseen tragedies. Wrestling has seen enough young deaths from drug/steroid use that there's no reason to pad the statistics. Yet Muchnick does because he seems to feel including wrestler deaths outside those parameters strengthens his case. In reality, the opposite is true.

Wrestling Babylon is the worst type of biased journalism. One gets the impression that Muchnick will say whatever he feels he has to stay to "win" an imaginary argument with the subjects of his writing.

[Norman Benford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too outdated to be really enjoyed in 2024. While “Chris and Nancy” by the same author was great, this was mostly a chore to get through. That said, the chapter on the Von Erichs is great and worth reading if you can find the book free or on the cheap.

[cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book is to complicated.

[Dkolacinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compilation of articles on wrestling.