20 Best Wrestling Books Ever
19. Shoot First, Ask Questions Later - James Guttman
The art of the shoot interview is something that exploded in the mid-1990s, just a few years before wrestling books. Fans couldn't get enough of tapes that housed dirt-digging interviews designed to find out who hated who behind the curtain. It was a match made in heaven: bitter ex-employee and eager audience.
Running the World Wrestling Insanity website for years, James Guttman decided to collate some of his most memorable shoot interview experiences into a complete book. The title doesn't have a definitive flow exactly, as it jumps from story to story without much need for chronology. However, the lack of focus on time sensitivity doesn't hurt Shoot First, Ask Questions Later at all.
A wacky interview with Ole Anderson is recounted brilliantly, taking the reader into Guttman's almost certainly uncomfortable shoes as he's grilled on mathematics by the veteran.
Other tales live up to Ole's crazed questioning, including a surprising show of niceness from Scott Steiner, and a fired-up Tito Santana lifting the lid on a prospective WWF Heavyweight Title reign.