20 Best Wrestling Books Ever

11. Turning The Tables: The Story Of Extreme Championship Wrestling - John Lister

Damien Sandow With Book
Amazon

Written by John Lister, Turning The Tables is an unauthorised account of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling. At 196 pages, it's short, but doesn't scrimp on any details about the cult-like promotion that demanded attention throughout the 1990s. Lister comes across as a fan of the company, but one who realises the shortcomings that eventually led to its demise.

Previously, the same author had penned a collection of his own experiences crossing the Atlantic from England to take in ECW events. As a university student fascinated with wrestling, he and some friends made several trips to the United States, taking in WWF and ECW shows along the way.

That clear love of ECW shines through, making the read a much more enjoyable one than the more saccharine (and WWE-produced) The Rise & Fall Of ECW. Whilst the DVD was excellent, the book of the same name didn't really cut it.

Turning The Tables is bursting with statistics associated with the group, such as pay-per-view information and the wage structure in ECW. Thus far, it's the best book written about the hardcore promotion.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.