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Yin Yee

Entertaining, easy read, recommended

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2018

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In many ways, Bob Holly's book was better than his wrestling career- no offense implied. As he mentions in his book, he never got a real push, was underpaid, and underappreciated for 15 years. It was refreshing to read about the perspective of a jobber to the stars in the WWE who was there for around 3-4 eras.

He actually was a good wrestler and performer but was always labeled as a "good hand" and someone who could be relied upon to test new wrestlers, work in tag and opening matches, and be an undercard roleplayer. He guesses it was because of his mic work or HHH buried him.

Bob Holly repaired his reputation with this book- beforehand he was considered a bully like JBL, but when he did his podcast book tour he came off as being personable, honest, and just stated his opinions from his point of view.

I think some of his opinions are too subjective because the front office never told it to him straight and he was forced to make up explanations for them. I guess they never had the heart to tell him he was never going to be a draw and was going to be a jobber for life to them.

Boomer

Reads like Holly's career - a few bright spots but mostly flat

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2020

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As a fan of the WWE from the 80's to the early 00's I saw a lot of Bob Holly's work and he always struck me as a solid mid carder. Great athlete obviously. I picked up his autobiography as the latest in a long line of wrestler bios I've been reading because I thought it'd be great to see the POV of someone who had been around for 15 years in that locker room

It's an interesting book for sure. This is a guy who busted his ass trying to break into the industry and I respect him for that. Once he made it into the WWF, the rest of the book details the storylines he was given and his opinion on the angles and personalities in the company from the mid 90's until he left in the latter part of the 2000's

While that sounds all well and good, interesting doesn't necessarily mean enjoyable. I disagree with all the five star reviews here because this book has a heck of a lot of negativity in it. Holly seems to want to use this as a platform to rip into the many, many people that he perceives as having wronged him, as well as those that he feels were less talented, but still pushed above him on the WWE ladder. I get it, it's his bio and he can say whatever he wants, but that doesn't make it fun to read. He largely blames backstage politics and interference for his failure to ever rise above mid card status during his 15 year run. I can see there's probably some truth to that - he certainly got the short end of the stick in some horrible gimmicks (New Midnight Express? seriously?) but so have a lot of other guys who have eventually risen to the top. I remember how Austin and the Rock started out and they had awful gimmicks there too. He comes off as very bitter, and while he was a great athlete, I think he lacked the charisma and presence to get to the very top.

In any case, Holly's got nothing to be ashamed of. He made it to the biggest wrestling company in the world and stayed there a long time. I'm glad he was able to retire before he suffered an injury that could have left him in a wheelchair.

James M

About as average as the wrestler himself

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019

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I love reading wrestlers' autobios. I liked the idea of reading one by a middlecard so and. This guy comes across as very bitter with more axes to grind than a lumberjack camp. Yes, the was some amusing stories, but I've never read a book in this genre where the writer complains more about his station in the hierarchy of wrestlers, and slinging dirt at those he didn't like. Ironic because geeeeee talks about how much he hated complainers and how he just did his job. He does come across as sort of sympathetic, as I'm sure it would be frustrating to wrestle as long as he did, and never get anywhere near the top of the card. A good read, but tainted by the overall negative vibe on which it's presented.

Average Joseph

Expected a 5 star book, Not disappointed whatsoever!

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2019

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Wow,what can I say? This book is everything I expected it to be. Bob Holly tells it all with no BS involved. If you are a fan of pro wrestling and watched WWF/E programming from 1994-2009, BUY this!!!! There are great stories, ranging from a duffel bag saving JBL's life to really solid chapters on Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit to talking about giving Al Snow a birthday suit during a match, it's all there and it's all uncensored. Bob goes into backstage politics quite a bit during the time he was there,and its interesting to see creative's mindset during the attitude era ans afterwards. If I could give it infinite stars I would.

Jerry

Sometimes, the truth can be brutal

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2015

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I had to think long and hard, but I really can't point out a flaw in this book. This book is probably not going to be a classic, but it doesn't claim that.
It claims to show the true story of Bob "Hardcore" Holly, and I believe it does that. It doesn't paint him to be superhuman or perfect in any way.
I first saw him in a show on MTV called Tough Enough. He clearly knew his stuff and wouldn't accept any nonsense.
I had left WWE many years earlier as it seemed to turn stupid, but he brought me back to WWE only to rarely see him in action.
I doubt that he could have been as big as Stone Cold or Rock, but he should have been used more and better than he was.
I think there should always be room for a no-nonsense, legitimately tough guy in wrestling if only as a foil to the other characters and perhaps more.
In my mind, Bob Holly should have been a "jobber to the stars". He could immediately lend credibility to anyone who could hang with him.
Anyway, this book will provide a lot of insight into Bob Holly's life and wrestling career, but it's not always a pleasant read; it's the hardcore truth, and the truth can be brutal.

Top reviews from other countries

NJL1974

An essential insight into the Golden Era of the WWE, from an unexpected source

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2015

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Bob Holly is a hard man. He was born on a hard day, in a hard week, during a freak outbreak of total hardness. Got that? Good - Bob wants to make that very clear.

Bob Holly was in the WWE for 13 years. 13 years which included the Montreal Screwjob, the Attitude Era, the deaths of Owen Hart, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero (and too many others), the Monday Night War, the collapse of WCW and the WWE brand extension and subsequent move to a PG product. During that time, he won precisely zero prominent titles and, to my mind at least, never had a single memorable match, angle or feud. By the time he left, he had a reputation as a locker room bully.

This book describes the life of a mid-card WWE wrestler and the sacrifices that it takes to get to that role and to stay in it. Holly is one of the guys who spent years getting beaten up for a living, making the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Batista and Randy Orton look good so that they can go on to be superstars.

Before getting to WWE, Holly worked as a mechanic, spent his spare time racing stock cars and training as a wrestler, going through the (now familiar, thanks to the raft on wrestling autobiographies on the market) routine of brutal training and regional promotions where he would travel hundreds of miles and get paid peanuts. He also entered (and appears to have won, as a rule) legit hardman contests in Southern US bars, and, on one occasion, wrestled a bear.

Holly presents himself as a simple man, with a simple philosophy of life, based around Hard Work, Physical Strength and Toughness, Keeping Your Head Down and, most important, Respect. Holly takes respect very seriously. Anyone he perceives as disrespecting him, the WWE or the wrestling industry is brutally exposed in this book. There are many instances of Bob ending a story with 'I lost all respect for him after that'.

And that is the great strength of 'The Hardcore Truth'. Holly gives it both barrels, giving his history of the 00s WWE with no sugar coating. Over the course of this hugely entertaining 300 pages, he lambasts, among others, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H and (the pick of the bunch) Jeff Jarrett. It comes as very little surprise to reach the end of the book and hear that Bob does not believe that he has any friends from the wrestling industry. And that was before they read his book!

At its conclusion, The Hardcore Truth asks its reader to re-consider their view of Holly, so I have does as he asked, and (unfortunately), I find myself concluding that Bob is a bit of a plonker. As one of a self-appointed gang of genuine Hard Cases in the WWE (along with John 'Bradshaw' Layfield, Ron Simmons, Steve Blackman and The Undertaker), Bob hands out his version of justice (no surprises to learn that it is generally physical) as he sees fit. He has absolute contempt for wimps and 'pussies'. He wrestles 'stiff', expects others to do the same, and is not averse to pushing the acceptable boundaries when he feels it necessary. At the same time, however, he allows himself to be bullied, abused, manipulated and over-looked by Vince McMahon and the WWE management / creative team. He excuses this in the main by making it clear that he feels a real man should keep his head down, his mouth shut and do the job. However, it is clear that is very bitter about not being placed in a higher spot in the card, not being pushed and not being included in Wrestlemania Cards on many years. That sounds a little bit 'pussy-ish' to me, Bob.

But Bob lives by Bob's rules and it is hard not to warm to a man who would rather sacrifice his career (and his body) than his principals. I am delighted to hear that Bob is healthy, happy and (reasonably) wealthy after his career, because he was part of the Greatest decade of wrestllng in history. I would urge anyone who remembers that Golden Age to read this book.

Stuart H

If you like wrestling autobiographies this is a must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2013

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I was blown away by how much of a page-turner this was. Totally unexpected. Bob Holly's book is about as honest as it gets and should be a textbook for any sports-man/woman/entertainer attempting to write their own.

Bob is brutally honest about his experiences in wrestling, some of the people that we read about in numerous other autobiographies (his thoughts about Shawn Michaels, both then and now, are fascinating) and a career that was good but perhaps didn't reach the pinnacle of his talent. His explanation of the now famous Tough Enough incident is particularly fun to read and pretty much sums him up as a character. The wrestling industry is much worse for his absence.

A really good read.

adam pritchard

perfect read for fans interested in Hardcore Holly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2019

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perfect read for fans interested in Hardcore Holly
he is funny witty and doesn't shy away from the truth but can be abit biased about how much he would succeed

tomrankin

The Honest Truth

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2015

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A great book by one of my favourite wrestlers. I personally thought Bob Holly was not a nice man based on his critics throughout the dirt sheet fraternity, however this book made me realise why I liked the character so much - no nonsense, loyal, honest, and tough. Turned me round to Bob Holly the man - an opinion that I probably shouldn't have had in the first place. Between this and Bret Hart's book an accurate representation of late 80s/late 90s ish wrestling. A great read and well worth recommending.

Sam

How do you like me now?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2017

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What a great read, really shows you how much hardcore holly grafted and spent endless hours pushing for the career he wanted.
Makes you look at your life and really think damn I need to work harder.

A fun read but its sad to see that holly never was pushed into that main event status.
" Dont think I forgot about you biggg showww"

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