Customer Comments

 Much Like Arn Himself, It's Just Darn Good, July 16, 2001
Reviewer: Jonathan Wong from Hawai'i
All in all, Arn Anderson 4 Ever: A Look Behind the Curtain is, simply put, a darn good book. The book is all that it maintains to be, a look at his life and the 15 years he spent in the wrestling business. The book chronicles his life from his very humble childhood beginnings ALL the way up until the end of his career. In sum, it is a great look at his life and his wrestling career. It is the story of a man achieving his American dream.

In all, I believe this book will be of benefit and interest to three distinct groups of people. First and foremost, I believe this is REQUIRED READING for ANYONE who has ever fancied the thought of becoming a pro-wrestler. Perhaps better than any of the other wrestler biographies out there, Arn's book REALLY paints a clear cut picture of how grueling life on the road truly can be. You get a real feel for the thousands of miles traveled for peanuts, the thousands of days spent away from family, and the interesting characters you meet and deal with when leading that lifestyle. Also, he paints a very realistic picture of what it takes to make it in this business including surviving on the road, getting along with the boys in the locker room and having that OLD SCHOOL mentality about having respect for the business and the boys that came before you and giving your 110% in all that you do. He clearly chronicles how he broke into the business and how he survived (and ultimately thrived) in it. In my opinion, this is required text (along with Foley's books and Gary Michael Cappetta's book) for Wrestling 101.

Secondly, I believe this book will be of benefit to any wrestling fan. Arn is one of the all-time respected vets in the business. Wrestling fans will marvel at his stories of his fifteen years in the business. The story starts of on how big a fan he was as a child, to how he trained and broke in and his tours throughout the independent circuits in Georgia, Mid-South and Florida. The remainder of the text chronicles the NWA history of the 4 Horsemen, his brief stint as a Brainbuster in the WWF and the "mid-90s" depression in WCW with the Dangerous Alliance to the rebirth of the Horsemen and the rise of the NW O. In all, it is a great tour de force of his wrestling career and basically a summary/history of the "modern-era" of pro-wrestling. In addition to this, you'll also marvel at the GREAT ROAD STORIES he has about a lot the boys he's traveled with. If you are into adventure tales you'll love what Arn has to say about the many, many, travels he has done across the country and what has to say about a lot of the other wrestlers. It's a great tale for wrestling fans.

Another great feature of the novel are the little "aside excerpts" where Arn (or guest writers) give their little takes on some of the issues in wrestling or on other wrestlers. This was especially nice to read. It was a "nice touch."

Finally, I believe this book would be of interest to ANYONE who just wants to read the story about a man and his dream. This book is like Chicken Soup for the Workerman's Soul. It's just good tale about a man, his dream and how he achieved it. It's also the story of a man and his family. You'll really see a side of the Enforcer that the camera never captures. He comes across truly as a great family man with all the mush he writes about his granny, wife and children. You come away with a great feeling in the end when you see how Arn went from his humble beginning's in a little shack in Georgia with his grandparents to the summit of his professional with his wife and two kids. In all, it's a great story of the American Dream (no NOT Dusty Rhodes...)

Highly Recommended.

Customer Comments

Chyna: straight scoop on a class act, February 1, 2001
Reviewer: carlwwffan from New York, New York United States
I have been a WWF fan for 20 years and the "new" WWF has great performers headed by The Rock, Triple H, Steve Austin and of course, Chyna. I just read her book cover to cover last night and greatly enjoyed it. Like Mick Foley's book, Chyna tells her story without pulling punches and as the real person behind the character. Mick Foley's book was great because he told the truth about his life and what being a wrestler was like in the beginning for him and right through his star status. Chyna's book has the same quality. It makes you want to congratulate her on all of her well deserved success, commend her for her honesty and hug her for all she's been through to get where she is today. The Rock's book had him going in and out of character and the book was not very good...there is no 'Rock' but there is a Mick and a Joanie. They are real people and reading about them makes you care about them. Congrats Joanie on a great book and on all of your accomplishments. From the ring to the talk show circuit, Joanie is a class act that can handle herself with honesty and dignity, even the nonsense of a Howard Stern interview. Read the book and find the heart under the muscle and the brains behind the makeup. You won't be disappointed...and that's the bottom line and have a nice day....

Customer Comments

These Recipes Are That D@mn Good, November 6, 2000
Reviewer: Chad Spivak from North Miami Beach, Florida
Yes, Triple H himself would have to agree with that statement. Okay, so I am a fan of the WWF, and I was going to buy the book anyway, but I love to cook as well. This book was a really nice surprise.

Jim Ross looks like he likes to eat, so why wouldn't his cookbook be excellent. Not only is is loaded with lots of good photographs, but the recipes are dynamite. So far, I have made the Rock's chocolate chip cookies, and the APA's beer bread (man, was that tasty). I really enjoyed the little descriptions written by Jim Ross for each one as well. Some of them are quite funny.

All in all, this recipe book seems to be a real winner, but then again, anything related with Vince McMahon and the WWF seems to be gold, at least as of late. This cook book would be a nice addition to any at-home chef's collection, and would easily make a nice conversation piece at your next party.

P.S. - I can't wait to try the Big Boss Man's "Pepper Steak." Just don't invite Al Snow over for dinner!
Some neat recipes, July 24, 2001
Reviewer: papakwanzaa from Austin, Tx United States
As a wrestling fan, and a food fan, this was a must own for me, and it should be for you too! There isn't much to say about this book, except for the fact that it has some great recipes, some fairly good recipes, some not so good recipes, and some awful recipes. Some of my personal favorite recipes are for Tazz's Red Hook Garlic Bread, Grilled Steak Benoit, and Stone Cold Steve Austin's Texas (French) Toast. Some of the worst recipes are some of the cookie recipes (I think by Saturn or Big Bossman) which consist of "Buy your favorite premade cookie dough. Heat oven to temperature on packaging. Put cookie dough on cookie tray. Put tray in oven for time indicated on packaging. Eat" Yeah, thanks guys. Amazing recipe there. Anyway, its a good little cookbook, nothing amazing though. If you're a WWF fan and you have a kitchen, you should own this book.