Panther Pleasants - Wrestling in Hitler’s Shadow
The story of Eric “Panther” Pleasants, the Norfolk wrestler who fought for Hitler.
Bunkum & Bullsh*t - The Magic Maskelynes
A dynasty of magicians, from one who made exposing fraud his life's work, to his grandson, who propagated a wartime fraud of his own. Spanning generations, it's a story that takes in World War 2, the debunking of phony mediums, and history’s first hacker, with walk-on parts for drag acts, pro-wrestlers and a spot of Channel Island local history.
The Masked Marvel Unmasked! - The Story of Johannes Van Der Walt, Maybe The Worst Person In Wrestling History
"Mask Marvel Unmasked" - that was the headline in the Daily Herald on 5th February 1942. It's easy to see why that would be exciting - what is a mask if not a mystery waiting to be solved? The reveal of a masked man's secret identity is the stuff of comic book fantasy and speculation, after all.
But beneath this mask was not a marvel, but a monster.
The Fights That Made Antonio Inoki: #1 The Great Antonio
In this series, The Fights That Made Antonio Inoki, I will look at the stories behind some of the fights that stand out from the pack, that I didn't have scope to discuss within the book. These are the fights that cemented Inoki's legacy, that made headlines, or that otherwise merit a closer degree of scrutiny.
First - The Great Antonio.