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Book review – Ring of Hell
By Zach Arnold | June 6, 2008
Name of book: Ring of Hell – The story of Chris Benoit & the fall of the pro-wrestling industry
Where you can buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore
When it comes to professional wrestling-themed books, most of them are nice one-time reads that are often too long and contain too much filler. However, Matthew Randazzo V’s Ring of Hell does not fit into that category. It’s a book that has been a long-time coming for an industry that always needs to be constantly psychoanalyzed, and Ring of Hell is just the book that gets the job done.
I have known the author for several years, as he used to write op-ed columns for me. I always have had great respect for Matthew and that respect level has grown quite a bit after reading his brand new book. The main character in the book is Chris Benoit. However, Matthew manages to build upon Benoit’s profile and write a book that not only analyzes what led to Chris Benoit’s meltdown, but also the factors that have led so many people to get into the pro-wrestling business — even when the crash-and-burn rate blows away other sectors of the entertainment business.
Unlike most books covering pro-wrestling, Ring of Hell is a book that will appeal to individuals who are not diehard fans of the business. It’s a delicate high-wire act that Matthew should be given quite a bit of credit for in terms of managing to pull this off. No easy feat, by any means whatsoever. If you appreciate and study the aspects of the fight business that take place outside of the ring (from the psychology of the workers to the cutthroat business tactics that promoters have to employ to survive), then Ring of Hell will definitely catch your attention.
Make no mistake about it — there’s a certain edginess, if not raw feel to the book. There’s quite a bit of colorful language and some pretty deep accusations made. It takes some guts to put some of the stories that Matthew did in the book. He deserves credit for being a good storyteller here.
Most good books generally engage readers into experiencing a wide range of emotions — laughter, sadness, crying, confusion, anger. Ring of Hell fits right into that category of books that manages to pull this off.
Obviously, every good book has a few weaknesses. Probably the biggest ‘weakness’ of the book is the length. At 341 pages, it’s definitely a time-consuming read. It is also an intense read and extremely detailed. If you are into reading books that cause time to seemingly fly by, this may not be your cup of tea. However, if you are interested in a book that brings the red meat when it comes to addressing some extremely hard-hitting and controversial topics, then Ring of Hell is a book that I would recommend for all fight fans. I’m not just talking about professional wrestling fans — I’m also talking about MMA fans, boxing fans, or fans of other sectors in the fight game. You don’t have to be a pro-wrestling fan to understand and take away some of the lessons in Ring of Hell regarding the psychological aspects of why pro-wrestling appeals to so many people and how that appeal has definitely crossed over into the fight game in general.
The biggest positive, at least from my perspective about Ring of Hell, is that the author actually does a really good job of trying to tie up so many different international facets of the fight game. As someone who made a name covering the Japanese fight scene, I can attest to how difficult it can be to keep your casual North American fight fan interested in covering something that is often seen as ‘exotic.’ Ring of Hell does a fantastic job of profiling Chris Benoit’s travels from Japan to Canada to the States. It’s an aspect of the book that I’m not sure a lot of people will give the author credit for. It’s a lot tougher than it looks.
Overall, I would definitely give two thumbs-up for anyone considering reading Ring of Hell. It’s a book that you will read and, at the very least, learn some new things about the business that you didn’t know before. I feel strongly in saying that the book deserves praise for addressing some topics that few authors have ever wanted to touched upon.
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