TODD MARTIN’S LIST OF RECOMMENDED PRO WRESTLING BOOKS

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PWTorch VIP audio analyst Todd Martin has been on PWTorch staff since May 2015. During that time, he has reviewed many pro wrestling books. Below, by listener request, is a list of the books he has reviewed each year for PWTorch. Below that are prior books he has read with his five tier classifications from “Best of the Best” to “Avoid.”

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Tier 1: Best of the Best

“Stone Cold Truth” by Steve Austin
“Backlund” by Bob Backlund
“Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks” by Freddie Blassie
“Becoming the Natural” by Randy Couture
“Is This Legal?” by Art Davie and Sean Wheelock
“Wrestlers are Like Seagulls” by JJ Dillon
“Nitro: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner’s WCW” by Guy Evans
“Have a Nice Day” by Mick Foley
“Foley is Good” by Mick Foley
“More than Just Hardcore” by Terry Funk
“No Holds Barred: Evolution” by Clyde Gentry
“Tangled Ropes” by Superstar Billy Graham
“Cheating Death Stealing Life” by Eddie Guerrero
“Last Outlaw” by Stan Hansen
“Hitman” by Bret Hart
“My Life in Wrestling” by Gary Hart
“Hardcore Truth” by Bob Holly
“National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling” by Tim Hornbaker
“A Lion’s Tale” by Chris Jericho
“Undisputed” by Chris Jericho
“Keirn Chronicles Volume 1” by Steve Keirn
“Mad Dogs Midgets and Screw Jobs” by Pat LaPrade and Bertrand Hebert
“The Pain and Passion” by Heath McCoy
“Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels” by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson
“Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams” by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson
“Crazy Like a Fox” by Liam O’Rourke
“Walking a Golden Mile” by William Regal
“Legends and Icons: A History of Olympic Auditorium and Southern California Professional Wrestling” by Rock Rims
“When It Was Big Time” by Rock Rims
“Shamrock” by Jonathan Snowden
“Hooker” by Lou Thesz
“The Cowboy and the Cross” by Bill Watts
“Chokehold” by Jim Wilson
“Keirn Chronicles Volume 2” by Steve Keirn

Tier 2: Highly Recommended

“Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook” by Jim Cornette
“Inside Out” by Ole Anderson
“Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart” by Martha Hart
“Queen of the Ring” by Jeff Leen
“To Be the Man” by Ric Flair
“Mondo Lucha A Go-Go” by Dan Madigan
“It’s Good to Be the King Sometimes” by Jerry Lawler
“Blood in the Cage” by L. Jon Wertheim
“Fall Guys” by Marcus Griffin
“Catch Wrestling” by Mark Hewitt
“Total MMA” by Jonathan Snowden
“Pure Dynamite” by Dynamite Kid
“Brisco” by Jack Brisco
“Let’s Get It On” by John McCarthy
“King of New Orleans” by Greg Klein
“Shooters” by Jonathan Snowden
“Pound for Pound” by Brian D’Souza
“Rags Paper and Pins” by Jim Cornette and Mark James
“Live as a Man Die as a Man Become a Man” by Enson Inoue
“Grappler: Memoirs of a Masked Madman” by Lynn Denton
“Kamala Speaks” by Kamala
“Yes” by Daniel Bryan
“My Fight Your Fight” by Ronda Rousey
“Born to Fight” by Mark Hunt
“Hard Way” by Don Fargo
“Through the Shattered Glass” by Jeanie Clarke
“Best Seat in the House” by Justin Roberts
“Mad Dog” by Bertrand Hebert and Patrick Laprade
“Slobberknocker” by Jim Ross
“Rise: Surviving the Fight of My Life” by Paige VanZant
“Egg Shells: Pro Wrestling in the Tokyo Dome” by Chris Charlton
“Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers” by Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson
“Strong Style” by Scott Norton
“New Jack: Memoir of a Pro Wrestling Extremist” by New Jack
“Japan: The Rikidozan Years” by Haruo Yamaguchi
“Quitters Never Win” by Michael Bisping
“Eighth Wonder of the World” by Bertrand Hebert and Pat Laprade
“Khabibtime” by Khabib Nurmagomedov
“Master of the Ring” by Tim Hornbaker
“Truth Bee Told” by Brian Blair
“Instant Classic” by Chavo Guerrero Sr.
“Mox” by Jon Moxley
“Blood and Fire: The Unbelievable Real Life Story of Wrestling’s Original Sheik” by Brian Solomon
“Complete List of Jericho” by Chris Jericho
“Funky” by Ben Askren
“Tod is God” by Tod Gordon
“The Woman Who Would Be King” by Madusa Miceli
“Our Fight” by Ronda Rousey
“George Gordienko: Canadian Wrestler, Artist and Renaissance Man” by Steven Verrier
“Six Pack” by Brad Balukjian

Tier 3: Solid Reads

“Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America” by Scott Beekman
“How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life” by Steve Williams
“Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians” by Greg Oliver
“Batista Unleashed” by Dave Batista
“Rise and Fall of ECW” by Thom Loverro
“Hardy Boyz: Exist to Inspire” by Matt and Jeff Hardy
“Bruiser Brody” by Emerson Murray
“Stu Hart: A Lord of the Ring” by Marsha Erb
“Gorgeous George” by John Capouya
“Bang Your Head” by Missing Link
“Heart for the Fight” by Brian Stann
“The World According to Dutch” by Dutch Mantell
“Catch Wrestling Round 2” by Mark Hewitt
“Little Evil” by Jens Pulver
“Made in America” by Matt Hughes
“Got Fight?” by Forrest Griffin
“100 Years of Australian Professional Wrestling” by Libnan Ayoub
“Swimming with Piranhas” by Howard Brody
“Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time” by John Molinaro
“Bodyslams” by Gary Michael Cappetta
“Brody” by Larry Matysik and Barbara Goodish
“Wrestling at the Chase” by Larry Matysik
“Bobby the Brain: Wrestling’s Bad Boy Tells All” by Bobby Heenan
“Reflections of an American Dream” by Dusty Rhodes
“Controversy Creates Cash” by Eric Bischoff
“Why I Fight” by B.J. Penn
“Godfather of Grappling” by Gene LeBell
“Lita: A Less Traveled Road” by Lita
“Hardcore Diaries” by Mick Foley
“Adam Copeland On Edge” by Edge
“Heartbreak and Triumph” by Shawn Michaels
“Between the Ropes” by Brian Fritz and Christopher Murray
“Brawl” by Erich Krauss
“Hardcore History” by Scott Williams
“Drawing Heat the Hard Way” by Larry Matysik
“Countdown to Lockdown” by Mick Foley
“MMA Encyclopedia” by Jonathan Snowden and Kendall Shields
“Straight from the Hart” by Bruce Hart
“Too Much Too Soon” by Tony Atlas
“Wrestling Reality” by Chris Kanyon
“Last Laugh” by Bill De Mott
“Hey Boy Where’d You Get Them Ears” by Paul Boesch
“Gatekeeper” by Gary Goodridge
“Nikita: A Tale of the Ring and Redemption” by Nikita Koloff
“Hacksaw: The Jim Duggan Story” by Hacksaw Jim Duggan
“From the Fields to the Garden” by Stitch Duran
“Uncaged” by Frank Shamrock
“Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons” by Steven Johnson and Greg Oliver
“Superfly” by Jimmy Snuka
“The Three Count” by Jimmy Korderas
“Fightnomics” by Reed Kuhn
“Into the Cage” by Nick Gullo
“Best in the World” by Chris Jericho
“Capitol Revolution” by Tim Hornbaker
“Damn Why Did I Write This Book” by JTG
“Tuesday Night at the Gardens” by Jim Cornette and Mark James
“Crippler” by Chris Leben
“Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight” by Josh Gross
“Realest Guy in the Room” by Dan Severn
“Accepted” by Pat Patterson
“Looking at the Lights” by Pete Gas
“No is a Four Letter Word” by Chris Jericho
“Second Nature” by Charlotte and Ric Flair
“King of Strong Style 1980-2014” by Shinsuke Nakamura
“It’s Vader Time” by Vader
“Brute Power” by Buggsy McGraw
“Scars Silence and Superglue” by Sabu
“If You Don’t Buy This Book Everybody Dies” by Tracy Smothers
“Life is Short and So Am I” by Hornswoggle
“Self Help” by Al Snow
“Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues” by Matt and Nick Jackson
“Mat Memories” by John Arezzi
“Chris Candido: No Gimmicks Needed” by John Cosper and Jonny Candido
“Tortured Ambition: The Story of Herb Abrams and the UWF” by Jonathan Plombon
“Scars and Stripes” by Tim Kennedy
“The Bushwhackers: Blood Sweat and Cheers” by the Bushwhackers
“Just a Dream To” by Justin Credible
“Gene Kiniski: Canadian Wrestling Legend” by Steven Verrier
“What Pro Wrestlers Are Showing the Audience” by Yoshihiro Tajiri
“Breathe” by Rickson Gracie
“Becky Lynch: The Man” by Rebecca Quin

Tier 4: Only If You Have Particular Interest in the Subject

“Sisterhood of the Squared Circle” by Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy
“Assassin: The Man Behind the Mask” by Joe Hamilton
“Behind the Mask” by Rey Mysterio
“Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography of Wrestling’s Living Legend” by Bruno Sammartino
“Mouth of the South” by Jimmy Hart
“Arn Anderson 4 Ever” by Arn Anderson
“King of the Ring” by Harley Race
“Sex Lies and Headlocks” by Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham
“In the Pit with Piper” by Roddy Piper
“Hollywood Hulk Hogan” by Hulk Hogan
“Ring of Hell” by Matthew Randazzo
“My Life Outside the Ring” by Hulk Hogan
“Is That Wrestling Fake” by Ivan Koloff
“Under the Mat” by Diana Hart
“The Solie Chronicles” by Robert Allyn
“Chairshots and Other Obstacles” by Bobby Heenan
“Adventures in Larryland” by Larry Zbyszko
“Ted DiBiase: The Million Dollar Man” by Ted DiBiase
“I’m Next” by Bill Goldberg
“Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George” by Joe Jares
“First Lady of Wrestling” by Missy Hyatt
“Life and Legacy of Frank Gotch” by Mike Chapman
“It’s True It’s True” by Kurt Angle
“Octagon” by Kevin Lynch
“Iceman: My Fighting Life” by Chuck Liddell
“Inside the Lion’s Den” by Ken Shamrock
“Tales from a Dirt Road” by Dutch Mantell
“The Road Warriors: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling” by Animal
“Often Imitated Never Duplicated” by Lou Albano
“Woo Mercy Daddy” by Jimmy Valiant
“Masked Decisions” by Vincent Evans
“The Voice of Reason” by Chael P. Sonnen
“When Wrestling Was Rasslin” by Peter Birkholz
“Wrestling with the Devil” by Lex Luger
“Mid Atlantic Memories” by Mike Mooneyham
“The Third Man” by James Beard
“Fight for the Forgotten” by Justin Wren
“Is Wrestling Fixed” by Bill Apter
“A Star Shattered” by Tammy Sytch
“Rowdy” by Ariel Toombs and Colt Toombs
“Part Reptile” by Dan Hardy
“Sisterhood of the Squared Circle” by Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy
“Don’t Call Me Fake” by David Schultz
“Kayfabe” by Sean Oliver
“The Pact” by Cody Garbrandt
“Death of the Territories” by Tim Hornbaker
“Before a Fall” by Lee Daly
“There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Kid” by Titus O’Neil
“Soulman” by Rocky Johnson
“Under the Black Hat” by Jim Ross
“Don’t Call Me Chico” by Tito Santana
“Too Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution” by Keith Elliot Greenberg
“Living the Dream” by Randy Hales
“A Chosen Destiny” by Drew McIntyre
“There’s Just One Problem” by Brian Gewirtz
“Just Tyrus” by Tyrus
“Ken Patera: Weight of the World” by Ken Patera
“Katie Bar the Door” by Mike Rodgers
“Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America” by Abraham Riesman
“Jessie Kresa is ODB” by Jessie Kresa
“Grateful” by Eric Bischoff and Guy Evans
“Macho Man” by Jon Finkel
“Ballyhoo” by Jon Langmead

Tier 5: Avoid

“Crazy is My Superpower” by A.J. Lee
“Food Fight” by Austin Aries
“Wrestling with the Truth” by Downtown Bruno
“Master of the Iron Claw” by Fritz Von Erich
“The Story of the Development of NWA-TNA” by Jerry Jarrett
“Tales from the Ring” by Tito Santana
“First Goddess of the Squared Circle” by Fabulous Moolah
“Rock Says” by Rock
“Rope Opera: How WCW Killed Vince Russo” by Vince Russo
“Gordon Solie: Something Left Behind” by Robert and Pamela Allyn
“If They Only Knew” by Chyna
“Positively Page” by Diamond Dallas Page
“Forgiven” by Vince Russo
“True Lies and Alibis” by Blackjack Mulligan
“Be Ready When the Shit Goes Down” by Forrest Griffin
“Every Man Has His Price” by Ted DiBiase
“Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story” by Mike Chapman
“This Is Gonna Hurt” by Tito Ortiz
“Sheikh of Baghdad” by Adnan Al Kaissy
“Cross Rhodes” by Goldust
“Death Clutch” by Brock Lesnar
“Say Uncle” by Jake Shannon
“Wrestling the Hulk” by Linda Hogan
“Best of Times” by Jerry Jarrett
“If You Don’t Want the Answer Don’t Ask the Question” by Bill Dundee
“Physical Chess” by Billy Robinson
“From Prison to Promise” by Booker T
“1000 Lives” by Dick Slater
“50 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time” by Larry Matysik
“It’s Time” by Bruce Buffer
“Animal” by George Steele
“Hart Strings” by Julie Hart
“Who’s Your Daddy” by Ryan Danes
“Multiple Personalities of Mark Lewin” by Mark Lewin
“Wrestling for My Life” by Shawn Michaels
“My Rise to Wrestling Royalty” by Booker T
“I Probably Screwed You Too” by Kenny Bolin
“Matlands” by Jim Brunzell
“NXT: The Future is Now” by Jon Robinson
“Crazy is My Superpower” by AJ Lee
“Food Fight” by Austin Aries
“Struttin’ and Cuttin’” by Brutus Beefcake
“Mayor Kane” by Glenn Jacobs
“Incomparable” by Nikki and Brie Bella
“Wrestling for Saddam” by Bob Roop
“The Last Real World Champion” by Tim Hornbaker
“Mr. X” by Danny Davis