Between the Ropes by Brian Fritz

Usually books by those on the fringe of wrestling (ex: radio hosts and Internet writers) make you wonder why these people even watch wrestling if they hate it so much. This is a very refreshing change as the love of wrestling that the author has shines throughout the book. If you are new to the sport and want to know the stories of the four most important wrestling organizations over the past decade, this book is for you.

Brian Fritz is the host of a radio show called Between the Ropes. Over the past few years, he has had the opportunity to interview some of the most important people both inside the ring and outside of it (ex: Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, Randy Savage, and Sting).

The book can be divided into four parts. He tells the stories of ECW, WCW, WWE, and TNA. Between these stories, he tells some stories involving the funnier moments of the radio show. While there have been full books dedicated to each of these organizations, this is the first that tells all four in one place. Especially enjoyable is his fair opinions on the recent problems the WWE had. Instead of just knocking the WWE for every decision they have made, he explains the circumstances behind some of their decisions and why there might not have been better alternatives available at the time.

Usually books involving those on the fringe of wrestling (ex: Internet writers and radio hosts) make it a point to try and be cool by knocking the WWE because they want to be seen as smarks. Brian does not follow this hideous trend and because of this his book is a very enjoyable read. As an example of this trend, recently I read Word Wrestling Insanity and spent the whole time wondering why someone that hates the WWE so much would bother to continue watching it, let alone write a book about their hatred of it.

Overall Recommendation: Highly Recommended