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The six pack : on the open road in search of WrestleMania / Brad Balukjian.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Hachette Books, 2024Copyright date: ©2024Edition: First editionDescription: xiv, 302 pages : illustrations, 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780306831553
  • 0306831554
Other title:
  • 6 pack
Subject(s):
Contents:
Author's note -- Kayfabe glossary -- Part I: The entrance. Prologue -- Part II: The lock-up. Back on the road -- The Iron Sheik vs. Khosrow Vaziri -- Part III: The highspots. Mr. USA Tony Atlas vs. Anthony white -- Mr. McMahon vs. Vince McMahon -- Tito Santana vs. Merced Solis -- Sgt. Slaughter vs. Bob Remus -- The masked superstar/demolition Ax vs. Bill Eadie -- Conquistador #1/The Red Demon/Mac Rivera/Jose Luis Rivera/The Black Demon/Shadow #2/Juan Lopez/El Sultan vs. Marcelino Rivera -- Part IV: The finish. Hulk Hogan vs. Terry Bollea -- Javanmardi -- Part V: The final bell. Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on sources -- And much, much more!
Summary: "In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian's life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion. Balukjian seeks out six of the Sheik's contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) explosion in the mid-'80s, to unearth their true identities. As Balukjian drives 12,525 miles around the country, we revisit the heady days when these avatars of strength, villainy, and heroism first found fame and see where their journeys took them. From working out with Tony Atlas (Tony White) to visiting Hulk Hogan's (Terry Bollea) karaoke bar, we see where these men are now and how they have navigated the cliffs of fame. The Six Pack combines the spirit of a fan with the rigor of an investigative reporter, tracking down former WWF employees, childhood friends, and mutually curious archivists. Wrestling is perceived as a subculture without a cultural home, somewhere between sport and theater--often dismissed as silly and low-brow. But what makes this book so compelling is the humanity beneath each wrestler. The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and the rest of the cast were not characters in a comic book movie. They were real people, with families and feelings and bodies that could break. Most of them did, in fact, break; some have been repaired, but none of them will ever be the same."--Amazon.com.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Shelving location Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction New 796.812 B198 Checked out 07/10/2024 33111011475411
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction New 796.812 B198 Available 33111011361553
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the bestselling author of The Wax Pack , comes another eye‑opening road trip adventure into a pocket of iconic pop culture--professional wrestling--starring the Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, and many more larger‑than‑life characters of the WWF in the 1980s.

"Perhaps one of the most truthful and enjoyable reads about my profession ever. I absolutely loved this book." -- Former WWF Champion Bret "The Hitman" Hart

​

In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian's life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion.



Balukjian seeks out six of the Sheik's contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) explosion in the mid-'80s, to unearth their true identities. As Balukjian drives 12,525 miles around the country, we revisit the heady days when these avatars of strength, villainy, and heroism first found fame and see where their journeys took them. From working out with Tony Atlas (Tony White) to visiting Hulk Hogan's (Terry Bollea) karaoke bar, we see where these men are now and how they have navigated the cliffs of fame.



The Six Pack combines the spirit of a fan with the rigor of an investigative reporter, tracking down former WWF employees, childhood friends, and mutually curious archivists. Wrestling is perceived as a subculture without a cultural home, somewhere between sport and theater--often dismissed as silly and low‑brow. But what makes this book so compelling is the humanity beneath each wrestler. The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and the rest of the cast were not characters in a comic book movie. They were real people, with families and feelings and bodies that could break. Most of them did, in fact, break; some have been repaired, but none of them will ever be the same.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-299).

Author's note -- Kayfabe glossary -- Part I: The entrance. Prologue -- Part II: The lock-up. Back on the road -- The Iron Sheik vs. Khosrow Vaziri -- Part III: The highspots. Mr. USA Tony Atlas vs. Anthony white -- Mr. McMahon vs. Vince McMahon -- Tito Santana vs. Merced Solis -- Sgt. Slaughter vs. Bob Remus -- The masked superstar/demolition Ax vs. Bill Eadie -- Conquistador #1/The Red Demon/Mac Rivera/Jose Luis Rivera/The Black Demon/Shadow #2/Juan Lopez/El Sultan vs. Marcelino Rivera -- Part IV: The finish. Hulk Hogan vs. Terry Bollea -- Javanmardi -- Part V: The final bell. Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on sources -- And much, much more!

"In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian's life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion. Balukjian seeks out six of the Sheik's contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) explosion in the mid-'80s, to unearth their true identities. As Balukjian drives 12,525 miles around the country, we revisit the heady days when these avatars of strength, villainy, and heroism first found fame and see where their journeys took them. From working out with Tony Atlas (Tony White) to visiting Hulk Hogan's (Terry Bollea) karaoke bar, we see where these men are now and how they have navigated the cliffs of fame. The Six Pack combines the spirit of a fan with the rigor of an investigative reporter, tracking down former WWF employees, childhood friends, and mutually curious archivists. Wrestling is perceived as a subculture without a cultural home, somewhere between sport and theater--often dismissed as silly and low-brow. But what makes this book so compelling is the humanity beneath each wrestler. The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and the rest of the cast were not characters in a comic book movie. They were real people, with families and feelings and bodies that could break. Most of them did, in fact, break; some have been repaired, but none of them will ever be the same."--Amazon.com.

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