A book unlike any other, on the astonishing growth of pro wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. Muchnick – nephew of the late, legendary St Louis promoter Sam Muchnick – traces the demise of wrestling’s old Mafia territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWE’s Vince Mc Mahon lurks throughout – but equally evident is the public’s late-empire lust for bread, circuses and blood.