Picking up William Regal's book, I had to wonder why in the hell WWE would pick Regal to write a book. He's not a draw in American wrestling by any means and he isn't a main eventer in WWE. I mean, he is an excellent wrestler and has timeless classics, but he is not someone you would think WWE would put money behind to churn out a book. I just kept wondering, "Why Regal?" until I got home and read the book. Then I knew why.
Regal's book, like every other wrestling biography I have read, starts off with a prologue that is from an event later in his life that is supposed to hook the reader. Boy does it. By the prologue alone, I could tell why WWE put their faith in this book. He talks about his drugs and alcohol addictions in-depth describing just how far gone he was and then leaves a great tag line to get people hooked into reading: "How had I let my life become such a mess? It's a long story..." It was supposed to hook you, and for me, it did and then some. Over the next few days, I could not put down this book except to eat, go to the bathroom, and sleep. Regal does not write this book himself, but the ghost writer Neil Chandler does an excellent job of capturing all of Regal's mannerisms into the book as I feel like they are Regal's exact words. In the book, everything of Regal's life is talked about. Growing up in Britain, becoming a fan, becoming a wrestler, perfecting his trade, his family, his wife, his kids, his addiction, his recovery, his sudden heart illness, and everything else. It's truly a great story. You think once he gets out of his addiction, it is smooth sailing from then like most other stories, but not this one. A little while after he recovers from his demons, he is hit in the face with a crippling heart disease that almost killed him. Jeez. This book screams "Hollywood movie" to me.
One of the strongest things about this book is the detail to which Regal goes into his drug abuse. Most recovering addicts in wrestling talk about it, but not in the detail that Regal did. For God's sake, if I took half of what that man took in the worst stage of his addiction, I'd be lucky to be a vegetable! This book is your typical look into a pro wrestler's life, and it's no different than any other biography in that aspect, but the depth of which he goes into his addiction (and illness for that matter) just oozes the feeling of spectacular to me. Some of the typical stuff you will read about in this book are Regal recounting days when he got up, coughed, forgot to cover his mouth, and saw dark red blood on the wall across from him, or when he stayed holed up in his bedroom like Howard Hughes for a while. Detailed is this book and plentiful are the horrid looks into a wrestler drug addict's life that we've never seen before. Ever wonder how bad Chris Candido probably was before he sobered up? What about British Bulldog? Art Barr? Well, this book will show you and then some.
Shifting from the strongest, the weakest part of the story would have to be the blatant absence of his wife and kids. Regal puts in a few words here and there about her being great for not leaving him et cetera, but other than that, you never really read much about them. This is really not just me nit-picking either as I would have loved to see how Regal's kids reacted to his father's addiction and sudden illness, as well as more from his wife as opposed to just, "God bless her for not leaving." I know it is a wrestling book, but I think cases like that would be better examples of Regal's addiction hitting home. The absence of family is a recurring thing in all wrestling books though, from the Hardy Boyz to Edge, but in this instance, I felt like it was pivotal to the story and too important to overlook. Am I just supposed to believe that his kids and wife didn't even wonder what Regal was doing in his room for the week he just shacked up like the famous aviator did? Wrestling book or not, family is the most important part of anyone's life and going through the things he did, not reading more about his family knocked this book down a peg or two.
Regal may have ignored his family in the book, but the dues he paid in Europe? Hell, no. In fact, this is the first I've ever read about wrestlers' travel schedule in Europe and I was shocked to see just how much Regal and did and just how far he went (Germany, France, Austria, et cetera). Regal's story of breaking in reminded me much of Freddie Blassie's story of breaking in which led me to believe that the aura of kayfabe took longer to crack across the Atlantic than it did here in the US of A. It was a great part of the book though, talking about his shows in Europe, the traveling, the promoters, et cetera as by now, most fans know everything about American traveling and such that wrestlers do, but Europe? Most don't even know there is wrestling in Austria! Regal's book succeeds in these two very insightful views, both on his addiction/illness and the wrestling in Europe (not just Britain as you would think).
Overall, William Regal's book, in my opinion, is one of the best WWE produced books and definitely a must read. It will certainly not knock off Foley's great works or even Flair's epic, but it sure as hell knocks off everyone else. I wondered why WWE would push a book from a mid-carder heel that has never main evented anything for them. I got my answer in the very blunt reality that Regal portrayed in his book. Though missing details about the rest of his life (namely his family), the harsh truths showed in this book give a better understanding to foreign wrestlers and wrestling addicts. This book is surely one to pick up from your local bookstores and once you read that prologue, you're hooked. That's how it was for me. From the moment you read just how far gone he got, you are dying to know what happens and through the journey to get your answer, you'll get laughs, heart wrenching stories, and a look at wrestling most never show or ever see. Go buy Walking a Golden Mile today and find out just what that look at wrestling is. In the words of Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that," so this is "Squared Circle Reviews" signing off and hoping you enjoy what you watch and read!
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|