Reddit reviews The World According To Dutch

Wrestling's as real as theater or opera; instead of verses or arias, they do spots and promos. The latter is one of the reason the indy scene gets a more passionate following, as they understand that they cannot push the product as a con or rigged show; the only reals marks are kids until they figure it out, which, with the Internet, is quite easy.

Their history as a whole is quite intricate, from a carnival attraction in the late 1800s to a "legitimate" sport in the 1930 (at the time you had to be a real wrestler to hold the title, as you either could be betrayed by the opponent, the referee, the booker, the territory or the wrestling institution). It's only when you get to the 70s that we get a glimpse of the perverse effect of sensationalism had on the squared circle, which we see in full effect in Natch's article, such as cocaine, steroids, ring rats, ludicrous contracts, alcohol, etc.

We were lucky to have a solid 20 years of awesome wrestling, such as the WWF and NWA in the 80's and the WCW/WWE feuds in the 90s which prompted the consolidation & the end of the territory system across North America. However, it was a steep price: Natch is only one of many troubled performers that, when everything settle down, became a lost asset; and that's without including roster attrition to drug & physical abuse and crime-related incidents, which are at an all-time high in the sport's 150 year existence. Moreover, there is the lost integrity of the martial art, which at the time was for self-defense and competition, that, if performed correctly (e.g. Piledriver or chokehold) can be devastating for an opponent; most wrestlers today cannot wrestle efficiently to fully compete with another martial artist.

If you want to learn more, I can easily recommend the following books:

• National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling
  
• Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
  
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
  
• The World According To Dutch
  
  I'm still looking for books regarding: Eddie Quinn and the Quebec territory from 1950 to 1980, The Japan scene from the NWA days to today and The indy scene from 1990 to today (including ECW).
  
  There is a lot of interesting material for such a fake show. :)

• The World According To Dutch and Tales from a Dirt Road by Dutch Mantel are both great
  
• Swimming with Piranhas: Surviving the Politics of Professional Wrestling by Howard Brody - not a wrestler, but a prolific promoter and former NWA President
  
• The Professional Wrestler In The World Of Sports-Entertainment and The Somebody Obession by Matt Murphy are really good to give insight into the business in the indies.
  
  
  BONUS:
  
  
• Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America - By Scott Beekman