Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Keith Elliot Greenberg
Date: 09/16/2022
Your Host: James Walsh
A fun conversation with the man who literally wrote the book on professional wrestling – Keith Elliot Greenberg. Keith has worked with the WWE on the WWF Magazine and various wrestling related book releases including Ric Flair, Billy Grahm, & Freddie Blassie’s autobiographies as well as the Encyclopedia of WWE. Today, he’s here to promote Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the era of COVID-19
A fun chat with a great guy. The book is available now and needs to be read! Highlights of our conversation can be read below. But, check out the MP3 and the youTube link to hear the chat as we discuss far more than is covered here including Ric Flair’s reluctant approach to writing his autobiography, his love of the legendary wrestlers of the 1970’s, and so much more!
KEITH ELLIOT GREENBERG
On how the idea to write a book about the pandemic period of wrestling came about:
“Well, it sort of came about by accident. I had written a book that came out in 2020, in the middle of COVID, called “Too Sweet, Inside the Indy Wrestling Revolution.” That book finished up at the first episode of AEW Dynamite. It followed 4, at that time, indy wrestlers – Jungle Boy, Joey Janela, Marko Stunt, and Orange Cassidy working an indy show, GCW, in Asbury Park, New Jersey and then getting in a car and driving to Washington DC for the first Dynamite. And, at that time, I said, “There has to be a sequel to this. How will this turn out? What will this mean for the indies? What will this mean for NXT? That is what I thought the book was going to be! It was going to be “2020! The Best Year to be a Wrestling Fan!” The indies were thriving, WE finally had competition, and who knew where it might go? I thought it would be a great sequel to see how it all played out. But, by the time it was completed, by the time the epilogue was completed, COVID happened. I had already signed a contract to do a sequel. But, I had decided, and my Executive Editor Michael Holmes had agreed, that this would be a book about the COVID era of professional wrestling.”
On balancing politics in with the story of COVID in wrestling:
“That was something I was very delicate about. There are some who feel I took a lot of pot shots at Donald Trump. But, I also feel I took a lot of pot shots at the Democrats. The first chapter of the book tackles politics because in that time, it was so difficult to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. The politics had become clownish – Not jsut in the US but in the UK as well – I speak about Brexit. But, I didn’t feel I could write a book about the COVID era of wrestling without talking about everything that was going on because everything that was going on informed wrestling starting with the restrictions but extending to the Black Lives Matter movement and even the Speaking Out movement. ”
On the awkwardness of wrestling with no crowd:
“I remember watching AEW Dynamite with my daughter and Lance Archer was coming to the ring and he kicked the guard rail. My daughter is now 18 so she would’ve been nearly 16 at this time. She said, “What is he doing? You do that to scare the fans! But, there are no fans!” I was like, “Everyone is in the same boat. They’re trying to figure it out as they go. There is no president for this!”””
On if WWF/WWE wrestlers were ever aggressive about being included in the WWE Magazine:
“That happened all the time. Some were extremely aggressive with the, “Why didn’t you write something about me?” Or, “What about this angle?” Some handled it a little differently. Rico Constantino – He ingratiated himself to us so much that we wanted to write about him! (laughs) Back in the 80’s, I was very close to Lanny Poffo! I remember writing about how Lanny was working to improve his repertoire in the ring. But, that is how some guys got included. They approached the writers with ideas for us to write about.”
On writing “Classy” Freddie Blassie’s autobiography:
“Freddie Blassie was, perhaps, my favorite wrestler growing up. So, that was a thrill. But, the fact that Freddie wanted me to write his autobiography because we knew each other for a long time was even more gratifying. Freddie knew he didn’t have long for the world. And, he actually passed away just a few weeks after the book came out. But, the book was an opportunity for Freddie to tell his story and his story went all the way back to the 1930’s! That is such an important part of the story of professional wrestling because back then, there was no history of professional wrestling! For all the criticisms of Vince McMahon, by Vince McMahon opening that door and letting people in, that allowed professional wrestling to have a viable history just like any other sport. This was a chance to tell that story from someone who was there and someone who lived it. And, in doing the book, I had a chance not just to interview Freddie Blassie but also some of Freddie Blassie’s peers who’s voices appear in the book. That includes Killer Kowalski, John Tolos, Fabulous Moolah, and Arnold Arnold Skaaland. And, they’re all gone now. I’m just so grateful that I was the one who was able to put all those interviews together in one place.”
On why Superstar Billy Graham was complimentary to Bruno Sammartino in the book but insulted him during the book tour:
“I don’t know why he did that. Billy knew I was a big fan of Bruno but he also knew I would separate my being a fan from my professionalism. He was very complimentary to Bruno in the book. I did not interview Bruno for the book, though. I did interview Bruno for other things but not this book. Bruno and Vince McMahon were enemies for years – Decades, even up until when I think it was Triple H who bridged that relationship. But, Billy Graham said, “I don’t care what the company’s position is on Bruno. I revere Bruno and I intend to make that clear in the book.” I didn’t interview Bruno for that book – I was fortunate enough to interview Bruno at other times. But, Bruno held Billy in high regard. He chose to give him the title!”
On why the Iron Sheik book was shelved:
“I did two versions of the Iron Sheik book. I did one for Simon and Schuster for WWE. At that time, the Iron Sheik had a bit of a drug problem. WWE was like, “There is no way that we can release this. We’re going to send this guy on a book tour? (laughs) But, I remained close with the Iron Sheik. We had known each other from before, also. He kicks drugs and I wrote a piece in Playboy Magazine about how he kicks drugs. And, I appeared in an Iron Sheik documentary movie that came out. From that, now the book is with ECW Press, the same people who put out “Follow the Buzzards: Pro Wrestling in the Age of COVID-19.” But, with WWE, I heard someone very high up, not Vince but somebody very high up said, “How does this help our brand?” (laughs) “How does this help our brand when the book is about smuggling drugs into different countries, getting arrested with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper with ground up pills and everything else.” So, the book never came out! Periodically, people say, “Can I see the book?” And, I’m like, “Nope, WWE owns that book.” But, I’ve come to find out that paperback copies of the book were sent out as review copies and I never saw one! But, when my last book came out, someone told me they bought a review copy of that unreleased book for $700 and sold theirs for $1,400! (laughs)””