Book Review: The
Hardcore Truth – The Bob Holly Story
American wrestler Bob
Holly first popped up on your reviewers radar when he one of the
company's mid-card stars and your reviewer was a mere fan with mere
dreams of having his own wrestling column (we both have come a long
way since then). Holly back then was one of the WWE (then WWF's)
newest stars, he was then portraying a character called Thurman
'Sparky' Plugg and to a degree was living the dream, as this car
racing incarnation somewhat echoed his own life.
Plugg soon became a
thing of the past and Holly went through various in-ring persona's.
Some worked better than others, but to his credit Bob still went out
there each night and performed to the best of his ability. It was his
rejuvenation as a hardcore brawler that saw him finally find career
fulfilment and main even wrestling honours.
I first encountered
Holly's co-writer Ross Williams a few years back when I was working
on piece on Ireland's most famous wrestler Dave 'Fit' Finlay.
Williams was a wonderful person to work with back then and we have
since became good friends. However whilst I knew of his career in
business, acting and as a wrestler, I was quite excited to hear he
was embarking on one as a writer too.
So now a few years down
the line I am very proud to be one of a few select UK reviewers to be
able to critique this fine look at the life of Bob Holly, written by
Bob Howard (aka Bob Holly) and of course Ross Williams.
'The Hardcore Truth' is
a very well told account of how a hard-working man from Califronia
was able to overcome the odds in one of the worlds biggest wrestling
organisations and come out of it relatively unscathed.
Howard's early
wrestling career was a tough one. He worked hard and kept his head
down, as most young grapplers do and he still encountered much
politics.
What is refreshing here
is that unlike many wrestler biographies this is a book that does not
dwell on any bad times. Here we get a warts and all take on Holly's
life in the WWE and beyond and it is a wonderfully entertaining and
informative one.
The backstage tales of
wrestles egos, tantrums, storyline madness and much more make this a
book no serious wrestling fan can be without.
I don't want to ruin
your reading pleasure, but lets just say that this is one of those
rare things, it is a book you cannot put down when you start reading.
Williams and
Holly/Howard have worked very closely here. Their images of life in
the WWE are unbelievable and yet we now know they are true. The
quotes and stories are superbly told too. This is a unique look at
the life and career of someone who gave 16 years of his life to an
organisation and whilst he found found fame and fortune, he was still
left adrift by them.
Bob Holly will always
be the hardcore wrestler I remember him as. He was always
entertaining, gave his all and most of all he believed in what he
did.
I for one would love to
see Bob find a place in some wrestling organisations backstage team
someday soon. He would be a wonderful trainer/backstage producer. I
also wish Ross all the best in his future writing career too.
The Hardcore Truth –
The Bob Holly Story, is available from ECW Press now.
By Phil Allely
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