FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 2000. All Rights Reserved

Books by James Martin In the popular imagination, wrestling and reading go together like monster trucks and truffles. But in a world where a maudlin talk-show host can move trainloads of Kleenex-Lit, is it really so weird to see pro wrestlers chase each other to the top of the New York Times best-seller list? Besides, many novelists would be hard-pressed to top the opening scene in Mick "Mankind" Foley's Have A Nice Day!, in which the multilingual protagonist loses an ear in Munich. "I liked the Mankind book a lot," says Bret "Hitman" Hart, co-author (with Perry Lefko) of the newly-published The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. "But people need to understand that we don't all wrestle like that. I've always thought Mick Foley was a very good wrestler. Unfortunately, the only way he could make a name for himself was to masochistically beat himself up. You could take the belt off your pants and whip the shit out of him with it, and that was a normal day at the office for him. "My heart goes out to him. I hope he made enough money to buy the best damn wheelchair ever designed." Himself no stranger to pain (but still in possession of both ears), the Hitman is nursing a concussion that's keeping him on indefinite hiatus from World Championship Wrestling. Until then, his days are much like anyone else's. This particular Thursday, for example, started with a brisk MRI, followed by a Midday interview. Right now he's trying to scarf back a quick lunch in a mega-bookstore café. Later in the day, he'll risk carpal tunnel syndrome during the latest stop in his cross-Canada book-signing tour. Unlike Mankind's weighty tome, The Best There Was... is a skinny paperback, heavy on the photos. Those seeking insight and/or navel-gazing (not to mention graphic gore) should look elsewhere: there's a minuscule bit of childhood recollection, and an obituary for his late brother Owen, but the book is less about the man behind the Hitman than it is a straight-up curriculum vitae of titles held and matches won. Yet even though his stints as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) world heavyweight, intercontinental heavyweight, and tag team (with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) champ built his international superstar stature, the book is noticeably light on photos from that era. "The WWF has almost gone out of the way to erase my history," he explains while signing autographs for an endless parade of (don't these people work?) bookstore staff. "The WWF always promised me complete access to all my archives. Even when I met Vince McMahon on the day before my brother's funeral, he promised me unlimited access to all my photos. Four days later, I was told, 'Vince McMahon does not recall that conversation taking place.'" Hart readily admits the book was intended as light, "positive" fare for his loyal fans. In conversation, he'll talk at length as to why ex-boss McMahon is "not a good guy," but the book keeps the Vince-bashing to a dull roar. (On a related note, anti-McMahonites are urged to check out the new documentary Beyond the Mat, in which the WWF bigwig is seen heartily encouraging a grown man to puke into a wastebasket.) "I didn't want to dig too deep with this book," Hart explains. "It's not intended to be like Mankind's book, it's not meant to be the War & Peace epic biography of Bret Hart – that will come out eventually, when my career is over." Hart has one most excellent reason why he's pulling punches for now. "I've been in wrestling my whole life and I have a lot to say. I don't want to give the impression that it would be all bad, because I have a lot of good things to say about wrestling, but there are some things that might be...," he searches for the right word, "...sensitive. I'm not out to hurt other wrestlers, but I want to write a detailed, in-depth book. An honest book. "For me to do that and still be in the ring wrestling with certain guys, to put my body in their hands – it just wouldn't be the safest thing to do."

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