Ballyhoo!

The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling (Sports and American Culture)

By: Jon Langmead

Narrated by: Kirk Winkler

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Ballyhoo! The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling is a history of professional wrestling’s formative period in the U.S., from roughly 1874 to 1941, and the contested interplay of wrestlers and promoters who built the “sport” as we know it. During this period, the major conventions that would define wrestling to the present day were perfected and codified, as wrestling morphed from a rough sport practiced on farms and at town gatherings to melodramatic mass entertainment that reliably drew large crowds in cities across the nation.

The narrative uses the life and career of Jack Curley—a boxing promoter whose fortune took a turn for the better when he began promoting wrestling matches—as a compass as it charts the development of wrestling. By the late 1910s, Curley’s shows were selling out Madison Square Garden monthly. Ballyhoo chronicles his competition with the other promoters, as well as the lives of colorful athletes like “Strangler” Ed Lewis, Frank Gotch, the “Masked Marvel,” Jim Londos, “Gorgeous George” Wagner, “Farmer” Martin Burns, and “Dynamite” Gus Sonnenberg.

The book is published by University of Missouri Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2023 The Curators of the University of Missouri (P)2024 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A page-turning cultural history..." (Amy Reading, author of The Mark Inside)

“A meticulously detailed, gloriously colorful, continuously gripping account of a master showman and his cohorts...” (Jeff Leen, author of The Queen of the Ring)

“Langmead has crafted a history of a sport (or is it entertainment?) that feels definitive and engrossing." (Booklist)

The evolution of professional wrestling

Jon Langmead puts the jigsaw puzzle pieces of pro wrestling history together in "Ballyhoo!" This is a highly recommended work for those that appreciate the lineage of the industry we call professional wrestling, or at times, sports entertainment. The author explains how a sport that once featured long drawn-out matches, transitioned to offering exciting, entertaining bouts.

"Ballyhoo!" documents the mark wrestling and boxing promoter Jack Curley made on the business of professional wrestling. Curley was able to establish and offer an entertaining style of wrestling for the growing audience during a boom period. Curley promoted the high-profile Frank Gotch vs. strongman Georg Hackenschmidt for the World Heavyweight title match to the delight of wrestling fans.

The book presents wrestling to today's fans as it was perceived by the media in the early days. The author also notes how promoters would shmooze with mobsters, professional athletes, and politicians to protect and grow their business interests. Curley promoted matches at the famed Madison Square Garden, before butting heads with another promoter, Tex Rickard.

The fans pay to see the stars, and "Ballyhoo!" covers the early draws of the sport, such as Ben Roller, Joe Stecher, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, former NFL star Gus Sonnenberg, Wayne Munn, polish strongman Stanislaus Zbyszko, and Jim Londos. These pioneers paved the way for the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and The Rock.

Langmead discusses the shenanigans in and out of the ring during this golden era of wrestling. The book leads up to the next wrestling boom period, when the sport became a fixture on American television. The author does a fantastic job explaining the evolution of professional wrestling, five stars! Kirk Winkler also provides sensational narration.