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WRESTLING BOOKS
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King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story
Description: An enthralling look into the world of oldschool wrestling by a man who doesn't get any more oldschool. Read about Harley Race's journey from working from the very bottom to the very top of the wrestling world, pulling no punches along the way. There is no point of view more unique than Harley Race's.
Rating: I give this a high 9 out of 10 stars. Extremely well written, insightful, entertaining, funny and touching all at once. This book is a complete tribute to the life and career of Wrestling true "King of the Ring". I don't see how any fan of the Kayfabe wrestling era can call themselves a fan without reading this book. New fans could stand to read this as a lesson in what wrestling is all about.
Reviewed by Brad Dykens on January 30, 2005.
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King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story - by Harley Race with Gerry Tritz
Description: I wanted really bad to get my hands on this book. I grew up watching WWE during the mid-1980s and finally found NWA wrestling on cable prior to my teen years. My first sight of Harley Race on tv that I could remember was Royal Rumble 1989. I must have watched him several times on WWE television before that PPV because I knew a little of his history as a former world champion, just not in the company he was working for during his "King" days.
After he left the WWE and went into WCW as a manager for the likes of Lex Lugar, Paul Orndorff, Vinnie Vegas (Kevin Nash), and of course Big Van Vader WCW always pushed Harley's past as a several times former world champion. I still have the tape of Slamboree 1994 where Harley was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame. Another memory of Harley Race as a person was around the time of Owen Hart's death. There was a story about how Owen liked to pull pranks on other wrestlers during the off time. This smarten people up who got to hear the story of Owen at one of Harley's BBQs. It was said that whenever the WWE came near Harley Race's area, he would have the "boys" over for a BBQ. And at this BBQ, Owen decided to put hot sauce in the ladle right before Mick Foley went to get some chili. It showed that Harley was one of those legends that gave back to the future of their own business.
Another reason that I wanted to read Harley Race's autobiography had a lot to do with what I read in other wrestler's books. Terry Funk and Ric Flair described Harley in their own autobiographies as an extremely tough person. Hulk Hogan shared a story of how he feared Harley during the WWE's expansion era when coming into Harley's own territory. But it wasn't until I picked up The Harley Race Story that I found out so much more about this former champion.
I literally felt that I could hear Harley Race's gruff sounding voice as his story unfolded.
Rating: I would have to agree with Brad Dykens on his review of this book that was posted on January 30, 2005. I give this a high 9 out of 10. Hearing legends speak about Harley Race on Hall Of Fame dvds or just watching a few of his select NWA title matches does not compare with the actual story of this man's life and career.
Reviewed by DFA James on March 25, 2007.
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