Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls-From McMahon To McMahon
There are a lot of good wrestling books out there. This is top of the line. The portrayal of Vince McMahon is better than in any book I've read. I highly recommend this book. --Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer LiveUpon hearing Scott Teal was working with Jim Dillon on a book, I knew we would we receiving a treasure trove in a look back through wrestling history. Teal s previous effort with Ole Anderson was a true gem, and Dillon s career, which spans several decades, saw the potential to give insight from not only the peak of the territorial era, but also an in depth view of both WWE and WCW during the national dominance.It didn t hurt the book s depth or credibility since Dillon took impeccable notes throughout his career, logging events into Day Planners over a thirty-year period. Whereas most figures who have released books offer significant events, but often have dates and details incorrect -- or in some cases have to be prodded to jog their memories by their co-writer -- Dillon, Teal, and Philip Varriale probably spent much of their time trying to determine what would not go into the finished product ...If you want one of the most detailed perspectives and accuracy to detail, this book is a must have. I would put Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls: From McMahon to McMahon up there with the books from Thesz, Ole, Funk, and the pieces from Greg Oliver and Steven Johnson.--Rich Tate on georgiawrestlinghistory.comIt was worth the wait. Wrestlers Are Like Seagulls: From McMahon to McMahon fell into my mailbox on Friday afternoon. It's now Saturday morning and I've scarcely slept all night. This is, literally, the first wrestling book in ages that I've been unable to lay down.Not that the start wasn't a little shaky. I'm the sort who keeps careful notes while reading, and to begin with, I wasn't sure what I was going to think of "Seagulls," especially in the opening pages when I noticed a couple of historical discrepancies and minor typos. Oh, no, I was fretting, here's another one of those slapdash wrestling books that is, among other things, going to infuriate me with an endless string of factual errors.But I soon discovered that I had little to worry about. I quickly became engrossed with the highly detailed, straightforward and compelling narrative of how Dillon determinedly worked his way into the wrestling business. And he made me a full-fledged convert by the time I got to page 61, where he referred to the veteran grappler, John Heideman -- and spelled his name right!That is, I think, the only time I have ever seen anyone correctly spell Heideman's name.See how easy I am?I should have suspected by then that the book was going to be something special. On page 44, Dillon had Dick Murdoch -- another commonly misspelled name -- right on the money. (Almost every promoter the man ever worked for had it spelled with a "k," as in Murdock.)One other thing of note, and this is important, too: "Seagulls" has an INDEX!!But all that sort of thing relates to me, as a writer, researcher and historian, and how I approach books on the subject of wrestling.Never mind my eccentricities ... let's just consider "Seagulls" as it is likely to appeal to the average wrestling fan.Most importantly, Dillon's book stands alone among mat tomes I have read for the simple reason that it not only -- most patiently and carefully -- describes how the wrestling business operated in those days of yore, but is the story of a man who -- unlike most wrestling stars -- does not reveal himself as an egomaniac. He is, in fact, the embodiment of self-effacing. Look up "humble" in the dictionary and you'll probably see J.J. Dillon's picture.This, then, is the story of James Albert Morrison's wrestling career ... and, thanks to the fact that Morrison/Dillon may well be the only wrestling performer in history to keep detailed, day-by-day notes of his wrestling travels and matches, including payoffs, it tells you -- in a thorough, engaging and honest manner -- about one man's dream to become a professional wrestler, and how it all came true, in spades."Seagulls" reads as smoothly and easily as any book in the genre ever has -- only Joe Jares' "Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George" could rate above it in that category, and Joe was/is one of the finest sportswriters in the land.Far more importantly, though, is that the book is a King Solomon's Mine full of facts, figures and fascinating stories about the business that is UNPARALLELED -- and I've read almost everything since the 1911 edition of "The Life Work of Farmer' Burns" (formerly the World's Champion Wrestler). (Funny, but I just happen to have a copy of it sitting beside me on the desk while I work on a Burns-Gotch essay.)I've never read anything that even came close to describing how the business worked in those wonderful days of what are now, alas, yore -- which is the added delight of the tome.Believe me when I say it has earned a PERMANENT place of honor on my desk (right next to the dictionary), where I can easily grab it for future reference.I am telling EVERY human to buy it. Sit right down and start on another, puleeze ...--J Michael Kenyon, wrestling historian