Drawing Heat the Hard Way: How Wrestling Really Works

Larry Matysik has turned into a prolific author. With three other wrestling themed books to his credit, Wrestling at the Chase, Brody (with Barbara Goodish), the St. Louis Record Book, Larry now turns to giving us an in-depth inside look at professional wrestling and how it works. If anyone is qualified to write such a tome, it's Larry Matysik. From the age of 16, Larry became an assistant to one of the greatest wrestling promoters who ever lived, the legendary Sam Munchnik, a founder and long tiome president of the National Wrestling Alliance. Larry became an announcer as well as promoter and publicist. This man can truly say he beared witness to thye true heyday for professional wrestling in America. If you are someone who is involved in pro wrestling in some way, this book is required reading. If you are just a fan who wants to really know what makes this thing called professional wrestling tick, this is your book. Like Larry's other books, this is excellently written and a highly informative and enjoyable read. The author's passion for the subject shines through like a beacon.

What a terrific read this is.The author's insights of Vince McMahon;how he thinks and operates his wrestling empire are the best I have ever read.I daresay that alone was worth the price of the book to me.The author worked alongside the late Sam Muchnick who ran the legendary St. Louis area and shares what a shrewd businessman Muchnick was and the deals he made; often with nothing more than a handshake that were good for the business and not just himself. This guy has no axe to axe to grind,no reputation to protect.It is a no BS,no "kayfabe" and no-nonsense look at how pro wrestling really works.Bravo and thank you Larry Matysik.

Larry Matysik's Drawing Heat the Hard Way gives an unprecedented, in-depth, behind the scenes look at pro wrestling. In an easy-to-read, enjoyable, and conversational style, Matysik reveals the guts of an often misunderstood and ever changing slice of Americana. As with any subject, much swirls beneath the surface of pro wrestling. Through personal anecdotes and solid analysis from someone who's been in the middle of the business for the last forty years, the book pulls the reader along at the pace of good novel. Die-hard fans and casual observers alike will get a kick out of this one, Matysik's third and, I think, the best of the three enjoyable books he's written on the subject of pro wrestling. It's top of the line.

In "Drawing Heat," a veteran (40+years) announcer, booker, and sometime promoter, offers his take on the last decades of wrestling history. He also suggests its possible future. The chapters: "booking 101," and "booking 102," should be required reading for anyone looking to enter "the business" in any capacity. He shows how a smart booking team can build towards a profitable series of cards, and, conversely, how a "hot spot," or a "Dusty finish," can produce a quick profit, but kill business over time. Matysik's portraits of some of the characters he has worked with over the years: his mentor Sam Muchnik, Vince MacMahon, and especially Frank (Bruiser Brody) Goodish, are sharply etched, and fun to read' I found the anecdote of Bruiser Brody's encounter with a fan during a plane ride, who asked Brody if wrestling was fake, and when the wrestler told him it was, then began arguing why it was real, not only funny, but a good metaphor for the suspension of disbelief every fan experiences! The art of pro wrestling is telling a story that encourages, and allows us to suspend disbelief, and get caught up in what we see and hear. And of course, he explores the question--"why?" is he (and by extension his readers)still a fan of a "worked" sport that shatters more dreams than it fulfills; that sometimes appeals to our worst impulses? And yet like the author, I admit I remain a fan after 50 years of watching wrestling in arenas, gyms, and of course on television. A casual fan might find this book provides too much information--like the old saw about not wanting to know how sausage is made, if you want to continue to enjoy it! The true student of pro wrestling will find this a delightful, and insightful read.

Drawing Heat the Hard Way is one of the best wrestling books I've ever read. A lot of times with these books, you get the feeling the author is just going through the motions to earn a quick payday. Larry Matysik is different in that he takes you inside the "mind" of the business in a 3 dimensional ways that others can't. It took guts to take on a project like this, but Larry has shown with his earlier projects that he is leading the way in book form wrestling journalism. He pulls off another winner that will educate, entertain and make you think about wrestling in a different way. There is a chapter on Vince Jr. that will leave you sitting back and wondering what must really go on behind WWE closed doors. a chapter on the independent contractor status of wrestlers is equally fascinating ... each chapter is better than the last ... I really feel like I have a better understanding of what goes on behind the promotions doors. 5 star read ... it will rate at the top of any collection of wrestling books ... it ranks at the top of mine ...