Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Updated details on forthcoming professional wrestling-related books
April 18th - What's The Best That Could Happen?: My Love Letter to Pro Wrestling by Steph De Lander
From the sandy shores of a small beach town in Australia, to the bright lights of a WWE ring, Steph De Lander's career has been anything but ordinary. More than anything, this is the story of a girl who had no choice but to learn how to fight with her back against the wall. Through injuries, heartbreak & soul crushing setbacks, Steph's journey has never been easy, but that's what makes the wins even more special. Follow along as you get to deep dive into the heart and soul of a chaotically passionate twenty-something who refuses to take no for an answer. This is a unique real-time look into what it takes to reach the highest level in the world of Professional Wrestling.
April: Eat Sleep Wrestle will publish:
Best Hand in the House - The autobiography of Legendary Larry D.
We are Grindhouse - A look behind the scenes at a year in the life of Grindhouse Pro Wrestling Academy
May - Crowbar Press releases at www.crowbarpress.com:
TWA promoter Joel Goodhart will be releasing a memoir, co-authored by Scott Teal and Dan Murphy this May at the TWA Reunion Show on 5/3.
Ed Don George: The Remarkable Life of an Olympian and Pro Wrestling Champion by Dan Murphy.
Wilbur Snyder: The World's Most Scientific Wrestler by Richard Vicek & Steven Verrier.
May - Abdullah the Butcher has announced he will be releasing an autobiography in May. No further details yet available.
July 22th -Pro Wrestling in Memphis: A History by Mr. G. Wayne Dowdy
Mayhem on the Mat in Memphis
For most of the 20th Century, professional wrestling was the most popular sport in the City of Memphis. It not only had great entertainment value, but also reflected the city’s culture of cruelty, kindness, and violence. The vibrant professional wrestling culture that developed in Memphis, with its emphasis on elaborate promotions, strong characters, and wild performances, transformed the sport and made the Bluff City one of the most significant wrestling centers in the United States. Join author G. Wayne Dowdy as he chronicles Sputnik Monroe’s successful battle against segregation, the Jerry Lawler/ Andy Kaufman feud, and introduces wrestling legends like Jackie Fargo, Tojo Yamamoto, Bill Dundee, Handsome Jimmy Valiant, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, and Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson.
July 29th - Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro-Wrestling's New World Order Changed America Hardcover by Marc Raimondi
From ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi comes a compelling, gripping narrative history of professional wrestling’s legendary faction, The NWO (New World Order), from their inception in 1996 to their influence on American pop culture today.
In 1996, professional wrestling was one of the most watched sports on cable television, with more than 5 million people tuning in every week. And in the late 1990s, pro-wrestling was the hottest thing in American pop culture, with companies making millions in action figures, video games, and simple black t-shirts emblazoned with three little letters: NWO.
The NWO, or New World Order, became a business like no other, and was responsible for the explosive ratings and rabid fanbase. It started with an ingenious storyline starring Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and the titular Hollywood Hogan—Hulk Hogan gone bad. Together, they formed a new era of characters to root for: The Bad Guys.
Never before had audiences cheered for the villains, rooting for them over the heroes. The NWO broke down wrestling’s fourth wall in a clever new way, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. And suddenly, watching professional wrestling not only became socially acceptable, but a necessity if you wanted to stay up to date with pop culture. Their impact was infectious and long-lasting. It was entertainment that shaped a generation.
Written by Marc Raimondi, a current ESPN reporter with nearly twenty years of experience in journalism, this narrative history explores professional wrestling’s most popular faction and how their existence influenced American culture like never before.
September 30th - Irresistable Force: The Life & Times of Gorilla Monsoon by Brian Solomon
This first-ever biography of wrestling legend Gorilla Monsoon features rare photos and a detailed career timeline, exploring his groundbreaking contributions to the sport.
A crucial figure in the development of what would eventually become the juggernaut known as WWE, Robert “Gino” Marella, better known as Gorilla Monsoon, has never had his whole story told — until now.
From his wrestling days as the rampaging monster who sold out Madison Square Garden and challenged world champion Bruno Sammartino dozens of times, to his pivotal role behind the scenes as part owner and would-be successor to Vince McMahon Sr., to his days as the beloved television commentator who narrated the memories of millions of young fans, Gorilla Monsoon is one of the most fascinating figures in pro wrestling history.
It’s a story that starts with the aspirations of the son of Italian immigrants who becomes a national standout in collegiate wrestling and an Olympic hopeful, then takes an unlikely trajectory through the bizarre world of pro wrestling, eventually landing him in what was then known as the WWWF. He wound up owning one-quarter of the company before his 33rd birthday, and after a Hall of Fame career that saw him wrestle Muhammad Ali and box André the Giant, among many other things, he settled into a very high-profile position during the golden age of WrestleMania and Hulkamania, forming fondly remembered commentary teams with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
His name and his voice are etched deep in the memory of wrestling fans the world over. This is his incredible story.
October 28th - The Last Hart Beating: From the Dungeon to WWE by Natalya Neidhart
WWE Superstar Natalya “Nattie” Neidhart—the longest-serving female wrestler in WWE history—invites readers inside her extraordinary journey, from her upbringing in the legendary Hart family home through her more than two decades in wrestling
While most children grow up running around with their friends, Nattie Neidhart was schooled in the Hart family Dungeon, in the shadow of her grandfather Stu Hart, father Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and legendary uncles Bret and Owen Hart. With every body slam and piledriver, Nattie fought her own way into pro wrestling—the first and only woman in her family to do so—to become a two-time women’s world champion and one of the most visible, titled, and world record-holding Superstars in WWE.
In this raw, unwaveringly honest memoir, Nattie opens up for the first time about her life as the legacy of the Hart family dynasty, candidly sharing untold details on:
From heart-pounding glory to devastating loss, The Last Hart Beating pulls no punches when it comes to the drama, hilarity, and outright mayhem of life inside the ring and out.
November 4th - Consensual Violence by Del James
A new graphic novel by Del James, who wrote the story Without You that inspired one of the greatest music videos of all time, Guns N' Roses' November Rain will be released in June 2025, featuring a gritty story about a female professional wrestler out for revenge after being assaulted by her trainer. James is a long-time wrestling fan and has attended shows all over the world and is a major piece of the GNR organization. Promotional material for the book, which will be released by Deadsky Publishing, notes:
An aspiring wrestler's life is changed forever when her trainer sexually assaults her, leading her down a dark path for revenge and on a collision course with dirty cops, cartel killers, and a remorseless rapist.
Giulia Brusco was born in Italy and graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Bologna. Her career in comics began in 2000 coloring Star Wars Tales for Dark Horse Comics, followed work with DC Comics. Her most popular works include the Millennium Trilogy adaptations, Scalped, Django Unchained, and Saucer Country for Vertigo Comics. Brusco also worked on adaptations for Marvel of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ender's Shadow, as well as the mature readers’ Max series The Punisher. She has since worked on The Goddamned for Image Comics as well as titles for TKO presents, including Feeding Dangerously. Currently, Brusco lives in London and works on Texas Riders and Judge Dredd for 2000 AD with r.m.Gué ra.
Born and raised in New York, Del James is a meat-eating, pro-choice, sober atheist. He writes horror fiction and is best known for the short story "Without You" that inspired the "November Rain" video by Guns N' Roses. Published in numerous horror anthologies and magazines, James released a collection of short horror stories entitled The Language of Fear that's on its third printing. James has directed music videos as well as writing live television for the Ultimate Fighting Championship but prefers professional wrestling over MMA.
Arjuna Susini was born in Livorno, Italy, in 1984. He graduated from the International School of Comics in Florence in 2008. In 2011, his first comic, Bullet Ballad, was published by BD Edizioni. Since then he's worked on a growing number of titles for a myriad of publishers; Mistry P.I., Shikary Force: Hunters, Made Men, Leone, The Replacer, Heist or How to Steal a Planet, Blood of Sunset, Forever Forward, Lamentation, and as a concept artist for Mighty Box on the game Posthuman: Sanctuary. He's a teacher of the "Scuola internationale di Comics" in Florence.
December 30th - Daffy: Golden Age Wrestling Queen
DAFFY: GOLDEN AGE WRESTLING QUEEN is the first of a historic two-volume series collecting at long last the complete adventures of Daffy Dill, the original comic book Queen of Wrestling. Originally serialized in Smash Comics in the 1940s, and featuring an array of contributors, DAFFY showcases playfully innovative cartooning and design as the titular heroine battles a lineup of unusual challengers from crooked gangsters and bootleggers, to monsters and rogue toreadors. Daffy's adventures showcase a stunning variety of classic cartooning styles, from series creator Gill Fox's chunky brawler, to the flashy, stylish lines of the great Janice Valleau (working as “Ginger”). Witness the evolution of Daffy Dill as she evolves from a lovably klutzy behemoth to a whip-smart, scrappy fighter who can solve any problem and suffers no fool for long. Daffy Dill's adventures are presented here for the first time in 80 years, painstakingly restored and ready at last for another round in the ring.
IN THE PIPELINE: OFFICIAL RELEASE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
“I am your champion” - The Life and Death of Wrestler Gino Hernandez by Lizzy Flanagan, to be released by McFarland Publishing
Greg Valentine autobiography, co-written by Kenny Casanova.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
