Shooters The Toughest Men in Professional Wrestling

by Snowden, Jonathan

• ISBN13: 9781770410404
• ISBN10: 1770410406
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-08
• Publisher: ECW Press

Summary

Detailing athletes such as Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley, this guide covers those who have divided themselves between bouts on the professional wrestling circuit and legitimate confrontations. From catch wrestling masters Ad Santel and Billy Robinson to the Japanese professional wrestler who gave birth to the global phenomenon that is modern mixed martial arts (MMA), this investigation travels from the shadowy carnival tent and the dingy training hall to the bright lights of the squared circle and the Las Vegas glitz of the octagon. Stu Hart's infamous Calgary Dungeon, Billy Riley's legendary Wigan Snake Pit, and the rigorous UWF Dojo in Tokyo are all explored, revealing the secret history of both professional wrestling and the rising sport of MMA. Squared circle icons Stranger Lewis and Lou Thesz and Olympic heroes Danny Hodge and Kurt Angle are also featured.

Author Biography

Jonathan Snowden is the author of Total MMA and coauthor of The MMA Encyclopedia. He works for the Department of Defense, and he has trained in Brazilian Jiujitsu and the Army Combatives Program. He is a former radio DJ and television producer for the White House Communications Agency. He lives in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Intro	p. 1
Muldoon and the Dawn of American Wrestling	p. 3
The Uncivilized Import: Catch-as-Catch-Can	p. 13
"Farmer" Burns	p. 23
Jenkins, The Turk, and the American Title	p. 29
The Russian Lion Roars	p. 37
Old World vs. New World: Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt	p. 47
From the Kodokan to the Count of Combat: Mitsuyo Maeda	p. 59
A World Without Heroes	p. 65
Policement, Trustbusters, and the Double Cross	p. 78
Thesz	p. 93
The Revolution Will Be Televised	p. 105
The Great Danny Hodge	p. 117
No One Before Kimura, and No One After	p. 124
Wigan	p. 132
Judo Gene and Bad News	p. 145
The Inoki Legend Born	p. 159
Brisco: The Last of His Kind	p. 168
The UWF and Shoot Style	p. 176
The Next Level: The Shoot-style Revolution	p. 183
UFC: No Holds Barred	p. 196
Fighting for Pride	p. 208
Saku	p. 215
Brawl for All	p. 233
Your Olympic Hero: Kurt Angle	p. 247
The Next Big Thing	p. 254
Wrestling Invasion	p. 267
The Future	p. 285
Sources	p. 291
Acknowledgments	p. 309
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.