As those who read this regularly know, I don't post reviews of books that I do not enjoy and instead provide feedback directly to the author and/or publisher. Lately, I had little luck in finding a book I really enjoyed, but I finally found one with this excellent biography on Vince McMahon. Here is my review of "Ringmaster."
Title/Author:
“Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America” by Abraham Riesman
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review: Professional wrestling grew from a popular but regional entertainment option to a world-wide entertainment spectacle under the leadership of Vince McMahon. There has been much written about him, his enterprise that currently uses the moniker WWE and many of the wrestlers that were employed by McMahon. This book on McMahon by Abraham Riesman is most complete account of the rise of WWE and also the life of McMahon.
The title of the book is the only part of the book that was disappointing to me. From that title, it sounds like a reader might expect more about McMahon and his wife Linda’s involvement in American politics – everything from his friendship and connections with former President Donald Trump to Linda’s runs for the U.S. Senate under the Republican Party representing Connecticut. While Riesman does touch on those topics at brief moments through the book and a bit more detail in the epilogue, that isn’t the main focus of the book.
Instead, that focus is on Vince McMahon’s life, how he became interested in the business of wrestling and how he gained control of the now-WWE from his father. While the elder Vince did not play much of a role in raising Vince Jr. his influence was shown in how the company was thereafter run. Riesman does a fine job of portraying McMahon fairly, showing all sides of his complex character.
That includes his dealings with wrestlers, whom he names for both real and stage names. It doesn’t matter whether one’s favorite wrestler during their biggest stage of popularity, Riesman discusses how McMahon made handshake deals or promises that were (mostly) broken. This includes very popular performers like Hulk Hogan (who was actually “stolen”, using Riesman’s words, from a smaller regional wrestling association), Rowdy Roddy Piper, Stone Cold Steve Austin or Andre the Giant. Women wrestlers like the Fabulous Moolah are included and even McMahon’s family, such as when his daughter Stephanie was part of the storyline.
Riesman also paints a very good picture of the wrestling business, with frequent use of the word “kayfabe” to continually distinguish what was real and what was staged. He talks about the differences in fans who thought there was genuine competition (“marks”) and those who knew it was fake but enjoyed as artform (“smarts”). This is important to consider when reading about McMahon’s career with the business as he eventually became part of the show as a heel without being an actual wrestler.
Whether it is the many controversies involved in the WWE (the name, steroids, blatant racism and sexism, the alleged rape of a female referee), the actual biography of McMahon or the stories of many wrestlers, any reader with interest in the wrestling industry should pick up this book about the biggest name to ever be involved in the entertainment business of professional wrestling.
I wish to thank Atria Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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