Awesome Truth: A Wrestling Book Club

Bryan Alvarez is beloved by smarks everywhere for his book The Death of WCW and his work with Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Live. Unfortunately, his new book, 100 Things WWE Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die , likely won't inspire the same enthusiasm. We break down why, despite terrific chapters on Chris Benoit and WrestleMania III, the format and template don't suit Alvarez's knowledge o...

Don't be fooled; this isn't just a Kane documentary. Instead, it covers all the buildup to Badd Blood 1997, including the beginning of the legendary feud between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker and the first-ever Hell in a Cell match. But it's also a reminder that Kane might've had the best debut in wrestling history, and that the WWE Network might actually be finding their way with these short...

When Tommaso Ciampa vacated the NXT Championship in March of 2019, wrestling fans everywhere were devastated. Fortunately, the WWE Network cameras were also rolling, which led to the terrific documentary  Tommaso Ciampa: blackHEART . It's proof that, despite the horrible WWE Chronicle series, the Network can indeed produce docs that are both emotional and relevant. Join us as we dissect the rise o...

Steve Austin versus Vince McMahon. Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant. Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels. Dolph Ziggler versus The Miz? Not all rivalries are created equal, although WWE Greatest Rivalries would love to convince you otherwise. We dive into this coffee table book of the best feuds in WWE history and rank our favorite showdowns of the last four decades.

After two weeks of AEW Dynamite , NXT on USA, and Friday Night SmackDown , where does the WWE vs AEW war stand? Did WWE's new flagship show change with the move to Fox, or is it more of the same from Vince McMahon and company? And will 5-star Young Bucks matches and unique Chris Jericho promos make a dent in WWE's dominance? Join us as we leave the written word behind and attempt to dissect wrestl...

Jim Cornette and graphic novels don't seem like they go together, which made reading Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories an intriguing endeavor. Why did Cornette decide to tell a series of loosely related wrestling stories in a comic book format, ranging from Ric Flair's plane crash to the Montreal Screwjob? And who made him the arbiter of all things kayfabe? Joi...

Kofi Kingston's remarkable win at WrestleMania 35 was the feel-good moment of the wrestling decade; to commemorate the occasion, the WWE Network has produced what might be their finest documentary. It's the latest installment in the WWE 24 series, and it follows the WWE Champion as he visits his home country of Ghana after vanquishing Daniel Bryan. Find out why everyone loves the New Day legend, a...

ECW legend Sabu has penned his autobiography, and it's as extreme as you'd expect. From a childhood story about getting shot in the face to all his in-ring and extracurricular antics as arguably the biggest star of Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling, Sabu's tales are as crazy as they get. Join us as we dissect the dirty life and times of the homicidal, suicidal, genocidal wildman.

What happens when a show about female pro wrestlers removes the wrestling? Unfortunately, this eternal question is answered on the latest season of GLOW . It's still a wonderful show, but less Zoya the Destroya, Liberty Belle, Machu Picchu and Welfare Queen means less enthusiasm from your best buds at Awesome Truth. Join us for our thoughts on the Gorgeous Ladies shifting to Las Vegas and where th...

The Rock and Roman Reigns, together again for the first time since being booed mercilessly at the 2015 Royal Rumble: what could go wrong? Unfortunately, a whole lot; it turns out 135 minutes of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham trading lame insults is not what the doctor ordered, and Reigns is nothing more than a glorified extra. Awesome Truth welcomes a special guest and Fast & Furious aficionado...

In 1991, Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura could've been the biggest television stars in the world. Their pilot Tag Team had the kind of perfectly lame premise — pro wrestlers become cops — that might've cruised to the top of the ratings. Alas, ABC didn't pick up the show. But now, 28 years later, we're revisiting their first and only episode and dissecting whether Piper and Ventura really had a shot...

No one has written a definitive book on indie wrestling, until now. We welcome back returning champion Keith Elliot Greenberg – who is currently in the middle of penning a deep tome on PWG, wXw, EVOLVE, and numerous other indie promotions – to discuss how his conversations with the Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Marty Scurll and other modern indie legends have contributed to this upcoming, much antici...

Conrad Thompson, Keith Elliot Greenberg, Liam O'Rourke, Chris Charlton: these are just a few of the terrific guests we've been blessed to have on Awesome Truth. To celebrate our 50th episode, we're revisiting our interviews with the best of them. Join us for classic insights into Ric Flair, Brian Pillman, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and find out how we booked all these new friends to come on our...

A documentary series on the seedy underbelly of pro wrestling, produced by famed truth-tellers Vice Media? This is what we've been clamoring for...except not at all. How could telling the stories of Bruiser Brody, the Von Erich family, the Fabulous Moolah, and 'Macho Man' Randy Savage go so wrong? We break down all six episodes of the Vice series Dark Side of the Ring and try to figure out why thi...

For years, a dark match between Bret Hart and Tom Magee was lost in the WWE archives. Now it has been found, just in time for the WWE Network to slap together a documentary and scoop Conrad Thompson's Starrcast event. Fortunately, the doc happens to be great. Join us as we offer a rare bit of praise for a WWE Network offering and ponder why Magee was considered a potential heir to the Hulk Hogan t...

ECW's true swan song is one of the best moments in modern wrestling history; inspired by John Lister's  Turning the Tables: The Story of Extreme Championship Wrestling , we're about to revisit it. Join us for Awesome Truth's first event recap, where we dissect what made ECW special, praise Eric Bischoff and JBL for being the evening's perfect heels, and reward WWE for finally getting out of the wa...

It's finally time to get extreme. Despite growing up outside of Philadelphia, Awesome Truth has yet to cover Extreme Championship Wrestling. To accompany us on this long-awaited deep dive into Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Sabu, Taz, and the rest of the legends who made ECW great, we welcome John Lister, author of  Turning the Tables: The Story of Extreme Championship Wrestling , to discuss h...

Break out the pitchforks because we're heading back to the barren wasteland that is WWE Chronicle. You'd think a brief documentary on the WrestleMania 35 main event would be a nonstop thrill ride, but you'd be wrong. The New York crowd was hot for Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Chronicle subject Charlotte Flair, but this kayfabe-centric series just can't stop tripping over its own feet. Join us as...

When HBO's Last Week Tonight devotes an entire episode to WWE business practices, you know Awesome Truth will reassemble for a special bonus episode of their own. John Oliver took aim at WWE's wrestlers being labeled independent contractors and the internet lost its collective mind; we break down his detailed thoughts on the matter, Vince McMahon's extreme bouts of insanity, and whether All Elite...

With WrestleMania weekend and the NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard show at Madison Square Garden right around the corner, there's no better time to talk New Japan Pro-Wrestling with author and historian Chris Charlton. He's written two books on Japanese wrestling, Lion's Pride and Eggshells , and he's here to discuss the history of the Tokyo Dome, comparisons between Vince McMahon and Antonio Inoki, and all...

The WWE Network is awash in documentary content, but nothing gets in-depth quite like Breaking Ground. Covering NXT and the Performance Center in late 2015, you get a real glimpse into future superstars like Bayley, Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze and Apollo Crews, plus cameos from William Regal, Sami Zayn, Scott Hall, and Triple H himself. But is it a true high-quality doc series or just the best of a...

For the first time in forever, there's a major motion picture in theaters and it's about WWE! The rise of female phenom Paige (now known as Saraya) has been adapted into a feature film called Fighting with My Family , and its 91% Rotten Tomatoes score means critics are weirdly onboard with a movie where Vince Vaughn says "NXT" and "belly to back suplex." What did we on Awesome Truth think? Join us...

He created three of the biggest wrestling podcasts in the world, and now he's here on Awesome Truth! Conrad Thompson, the host of Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard , 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff , and What Happened When with Tony Schiavone , joins us for a very special episode to discuss his favorite recent wrestling book, how he snagged a WWE Network show, and where his podcasts fit into th...

That's more like it, WWE Network. Though WrestleMania 34 wasn't the best show of all time, you could be tricked into thinking it was after this documentary. From Matt Hardy and Rusev roaming Bourbon Street to Shawn Michaels praising Ronda Rousey and Titus O'Neil tying Paul Heyman's tie, this is the kind of backstage pass that makes wrestling docs worthwhile. Unfortunately, it's also a reminder tha...

New Japan Pro Wrestling is arguably the hottest wrestling promotion in the world, second only to WWE in worldwide success. But their ups and downs are legendary, and documented brilliantly in Chris Charlton's book on everything from Antonio Inoki to Kazuchika Okada. Though it was written in 2015, before the rise of Kenny Omega and the arrival of Chris Jericho, Lion's Pride offers a detailed look a...