Wrestling books are a strange category of literature. The most prominent books tend to be biographies, either autobiographies (such as Mick Foley’s), ghost written biographies (such as The Rock’s) or unauthorized biographies (the most visible done on Steve Austin).
There are plenty of other books written on professional wrestling, varying from the “unauthorized” looks at the industry to very simple texts written for younger readers. In addition, there are general information books that cater towards the mainstream, casual audience. “Wrestling’s Heels and Heroes” by Robert Picarello tends to fall under this last banner.
Much like the various magazines available on professional wrestling, “Wrestling’s Heels and Heroes” has a markish tone which reveals little of the behind-the-scenes information that most websites do. The title, which contains the word “heel” is about as inside as the book gets. While jaded internet reporters might snicker at the overall content of the book, it is not intended for them. Instead, this is an introductory look at professional wrestling geared most towards new fans who need to get caught up on the major players in the industry.
The book is made up of a series of short profiles on the major stars in the WWF and WCW. Each about three pages in length, these brief histories go through a short passage about the wrestler’s pre-wrestling days, then hits on the main highlights of the wrestler’s career. The look at the wrestler’s career is done in a kayfabe-style which one could best compare to the tone an official promotional retrospective would feature. For instance, the Mick Foley section has a description of his early days in wrestling, and then some highlights from both his WCW and WWF tenures. It’s as if the official WWF and WCW text was combined into one co-promotional
In addition to about 50 male wrestlers, “Wrestling’s Heels and Heroes” features profiles on around a dozen female wrestlers, giving them the same few-page write up. Finally, Picarello looks back at the careers of some all time great competitors, such as Andre The Giant and Bruno Sanmartino.
Readers expecting an in-depth expose on the world of professional wrestling, or the backstage political dirt that plagues the sport will surely be disappointed by “Wrestling’s Heels and Heroes.” The book doesn’t stir up any trouble, and certainly hasn’t said anything that would upset any wrestler featured within. However, that isn’t the intent. Taken as an introductory course on the history and careers of today’s top wrestling superstars, “Wrestling’s Heels and Heroes” can be enjoyed by young or new wrestling fans who need a good background on wrestling.
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