Review: Capitol Revolution: The Rise of The McMahon Wrestling Empire
Tim Hornbaker, ECW Press, 2015
Paperback, Ebook
Hornbaker's follow up to his 2007 book The National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of The Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling, does not disappoint. Capitol Revolution is an amazingly well researched book that follows the involvement of the McMahon family in sports promotion throughout the majority of the 20th century. Hornbaker shows the birth and development of what would become pro wrestling's largest empire against the backdrop of the formation and expansion of the NWA and the growing involvement of the various state athletic commissions. The book shows an industry that was filled with fragile political alliances that were as important to its success as the in-ring product was. Hornbaker provides a great overview of the promoting careers of Jess McMahon, Vincent J. McMahon and Joseph "Toots" Mondt in a time period that is not often covered in other books. While Mondt, due to his longevity and more colourful nature, is the more central character of the three; the book gives more insight into the lives and careers of Jess and Vince McMahon Sr. than any other contemporary source on the market.
Hornbaker's National Wrestling Alliance... was an excellent book that covered many of the same personalities and time period and, though Capitol Revolution is a very worthwhile read, it is slightly less satisfying than Hornbaker's last work. It is, however, a very good companion piece despite some inevitable redundancies in content. Whereas most of the book deals with the subject in a very detailed manner, the final decade of the McMahon Sr era is not as thorough. While Hornbaker's aim was to chronicle the rise of the empire, the overall flow of the book is hampered due to the fact that the narrative feels as if it comes to a screeching halt as the WWWF enters the 1970s. A final moot point is the choice of the publisher to feature a photograph of Hulk Hogan on the cover. Hogan, though an active wrestler during the very tail end of the period detailed in the book, did not rise to prominence until after the acquisition of Capitol Wrestling by Titan Sports. While it may be a smart marketing move, readers could be easily misled into thinking the book also covers the Hogan era whereas the book ends as McMahon Jr is assuming control of the company. Though already covered many books, one hopes that Hornbaker considers looking into the mid-1980s expansion of the WWF.
All in all, this book is highly recommended for most readers -- especially those with an interest in the history of professional wrestling in the United States and/or the McMahon family. Hornbaker's research is excellent and he writes in a very enlightening yet entertaining style.
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