Booker T. Huffman w/ Andrew William Wright, Foreword by John Bradshaw Layfield
Medallion Press, 2015
Hardcover, Ebook
Booker T. Huffman and Andrew William Wright (co-author of The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and The Rush of Wrestling) return with their second book chronicling the life of one of the wrestling industry's most decorated performers. My Rise To Wrestling Royalty (2015) picks up where the first book, From Prison To Promise (2012) left off. While his first book detailed his young life prior to entering pro wrestling, this one extensively covers his career from his early days in WCW through his 2012 entry into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Huffman gives readers a very complete picture of his active and prolific in ring career. He (and Wright) pay great attention to detail with regards to dates, locations and elements of specific matches and angles. There are no major peaks in Booker T's career that are omitted. Huffman also gives the reader a lot of thoughts and insight into many of his angles,
matches and those with whom he worked. Huffman's career spanned a very active (often tumultuous) period, his first person account of the last two plus decades is both unique and informative. The margin of the book features a tally that serves as a counter for each of Huffman's title wins, this is a really nice touch.
matches and those with whom he worked. Huffman's career spanned a very active (often tumultuous) period, his first person account of the last two plus decades is both unique and informative. The margin of the book features a tally that serves as a counter for each of Huffman's title wins, this is a really nice touch.
Unlike From Prison To Promise, this volume does not focus on Huffman's personal life. Huffman's chronicle of his early life was very interesting. He wrote in an honest and open manner that resulted in a very interesting and positive book. While this book is chronologically a sequel, the subject matter and writing style are quite different. Instead of the frank and honest tale of From Prison To Promise, this book feels as if it a half work/half shoot summary of matches and story lines. He shares some personal information, but not to the same degree as he did in the first book. Huffman plays his cards closer to the chest this time around. While this is completely acceptable, he is a more adept writer when writing about his personal struggles and triumphs than he is writing about his professional (in character) ones.
The first half of the book (until the closure of WCW) is a good mix between on screen a back stage happenings, however, the final parts of the book read as detailed move by move summaries of matches. While the author's attention to detail and his memories of his career are remarkable, the book has a tendency to fall flat as several pages are devoted to a virtual play-by-play of a relatively standard match or a less than compelling angle. While he provides a complete look at his career, there are some moments where Huffman could have delved into some matters with greater detail. For example, thoughts surrounding his Wrestlemania XIX match with Triple H were noticeably brief. The racial tones of the angle leading up to the match, rumours of a planned and squashed Booker T win and a belief that the loss was a huge set back to Booker T's professional status are all frequently discussed topics. Huffman, perhaps making the smart political move, does not address any of these. He also devotes a very small amount of space to his run in TNA.
Overall, this is a good book that provides an astounding amount of detail about the career of Booker T. While it lacks the heart of the first book, it is an enjoyable read.
The first half of the book (until the closure of WCW) is a good mix between on screen a back stage happenings, however, the final parts of the book read as detailed move by move summaries of matches. While the author's attention to detail and his memories of his career are remarkable, the book has a tendency to fall flat as several pages are devoted to a virtual play-by-play of a relatively standard match or a less than compelling angle. While he provides a complete look at his career, there are some moments where Huffman could have delved into some matters with greater detail. For example, thoughts surrounding his Wrestlemania XIX match with Triple H were noticeably brief. The racial tones of the angle leading up to the match, rumours of a planned and squashed Booker T win and a belief that the loss was a huge set back to Booker T's professional status are all frequently discussed topics. Huffman, perhaps making the smart political move, does not address any of these. He also devotes a very small amount of space to his run in TNA.
Overall, this is a good book that provides an astounding amount of detail about the career of Booker T. While it lacks the heart of the first book, it is an enjoyable read.
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