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RING OF HELL: THE STORY OF CHRIS BENOIT & THE FALL OF THE PRO WRESTLING INDUSTRY
by Matthew Randazzo V

In this unprecedented, uncensored exposé of the tragic 2007 Chris Benoit murder-suicide, author Matthew Randazzo V reveals the dark side of the pro wrestling industry—where drug addictions, sociopathic superstars, and broken families are the norm and situations like Benoit’s are all-too-often ignored. Now learn how “family man” Chris Benoit was transformed into a grotesque, steroid-popping monster, a shadow of his former self, whose untimely demise made headlines around the world.

"Fans of the wrestling business will experience real shock and awe with Matthew Randazzo's new knockdown, drag-out page-turner Ring of Hell. This hard-hitting, no-holds-barred account of the industry takes a shocking look behind the curtain of a secretive subculture where performers die young, promoters get rich and broken families are the norm." ––Mike Mooneyham, author of The New York Times bestseller Sex, Lies, and Headlocks and columnist for the Charleston Post and Courier

"With all the zeal of a back-alley surgeon, Matthew Randazzo V wields the scalpel of reason to flay alive the corrupt, drug-addled, incestuous, racist world of pro wrestling, creating what is probably the first ever history of 'Sports Entertainment' that appeals to somebody besides wrestling fans. Alternately hilarious and depressing...Ring of Hell is a must-read." ––K. Thor Jensen, author of Red Eye, Black Eye

"One of the best books ever written about professional wrestling––certainly the best ever written by a non-wrestler." ––Shelton Hull, columnist for Folio Weekly

"Were it not for fact that pro wrestling is the redheaded stepchild of American society, Randazzo would likely be up for a Pulitzer Prize for the journalism contained in this book.... This book sets a new standard for exposing the truth about pro wrestling, one that may never be topped and certainly won't be anytime soon." ––Rick Morris, Sports Talk Network radio host and McGraw-Hill business journalist

"While dissecting what made Chris Benoit tick, Matthew Randazzo takes a scathing look at the sleazy manner in which the pro-wrestling business operates. Randazzo adroitly exposes the elements that contributed to Benoit's demise. So much sordid behavior is described from Benoit's time in WWE and the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling that hard-partying rock stars seem like choirboys in comparison." ––Alex Marvez, columnist for Fox Sports and Scripps-Howard News Service

"I know [Matthew Randazzo V], and he is legit. For an outsider to the industry, if that's the correct term, he seemed to have more access to inside info than all but a few people. No matter what the book says about this period [in wrestling], it's a viewpoint that should be looked at and thought about."
––Dave Meltzer, Yahoo! Sports and Editor of The Wrestling Observer

"It's an amazing story well-told and an honest look inside a brutal and backwards business."
––Jon Snowden, author of Total MMA and editor of the Total MMA Newsletter

"Randazzo takes a scalpel to the dark underbelly of the wrestling business and slices away with a butcher's intensity and surgeon's skill and carves out a tale of desperation, frustration, misplaced loyalties and heartbreak." ––Dan Madigan, former World Wrestling Entertainment writer, and author of Mondo Lucha a Go-Go and the 2006 feature film See No Evil

"Matthew Randazzo has written a great pro wrestling book that requires no knowledge of the business. But if you are a fan, there's a deeper experience to be gained. Ring of Hell challenges your perception of these heels and high-flyers––and confronts you with the flesh-and-blood price paid for your precious childhood memories." ––Chad Damiani, former World Championship Wrestling announcer

"Ring Of Hell is an unfiltered, unbiased look into the world of professional wrestling and sheds light upon the shortcomings of an industry that has shrouded itself in paranoid secrecy for years. A must-read book for anyone." ––Domenic Cotter, former World Wrestling Entertainment producer

"Randazzo is to the Benoit tragedy as Woodward and Bernstein were to Watergate." ––Jerome Cusson, National Sports Review

Click Here to visit Matthew Randazzo V's website and find out more about Ring of Hell

Click Here to read a review of Ring of Hell at FightOpinion.com


Click Here to read a review of Ring of Hell on Money Jungle Safari

Click Here to watch Part 1 of Matthew Randazzo's interview on SA Radio

Click Here to watch Part 2 of Matthew Randazzo's interview on SA Radio

Click Here to listen to Matthew Randazzo on Monday Night Mayhem, “The Home of Wrestling Radio”

Click Here to read Matthew Randazzo’s exclusive interview with The Angry Marks’ Adam Bernard

Click Here to read an article about Chris Benoit and Ring of Hell in The Link

Click Here to read what UGO.com has to say about Ring of Hell and the reformation of the Pro Wrestling Industry

Click Here to read an article about Chris Benoit and Ring of Hell by In Cold Blogger

How To Reform Pro Wrestling - 3000 word feature article at UGO.com, the Hearst Corporation's online media giant which draws 11 million unique monthly visitors.

Click Here to read a review of Ring of Hell in the Charleston Post and Courier

Click Here to read Matthew Randazzo's interview about Ring of Hell on CLEWS

REVIEWS
"With all the zeal of a back-alley surgeon, Matthew Randazzo V wields the scalpel of reason to flay alive the corrupt, drug-addled, incestuous, racist world of pro wrestling, creating what is probably the first ever history of 'Sports Entertainment' that appeals to somebody besides wrestling fans. Alternately hilarious and depressing, soaked with sweat, blood, and piss, Ring of Hell is a must-read." ––K. Thor Jensen, author of Red Eye, Black Eye

"In June of 2007, the professional wrestling community was rocked by the suicide of wrestler Chris Benoit, after murdering his wife and seven-year-old son. In this wide-ranging expose, crime reporter Randazzo demonstrates that, among professionals driven to incredible levels of steroid, drug and alcohol abuse, Benoit was not unique. Benoit spent years in Canada and Japan enduring training that bordered on the medieval, eagerly employing steroids to achieve the industry's standard physique. As his star rose, so did the injuries and the chemicals; Benoit's signature move, a flying headbutt, was responsible for countless concussions. Culminating in a 2001 spinal injury that left him at risk of permanent paralysis, Benoit, like many other wrestlers, treated himself with copious doses of painkillers before returning to work for more punishment. Combined with a crumbling marriage, Benoit's life became a perfect storm of mental and physical anguish.... Wrestling fans will savor the industry gossip." ––Publishers Weekly

ISBN 978-1-59777-579-3
NOW AVAILABLE
$12.95 US/$14.95 CANADA
HARDCOVER
6” x 9”
278 pages

ISBN 978-1-59777-622-6
AVAILABLE MAY 2009
$25.95 US/$29.95 CANADA
TRADE PAPERBACK
352 pages

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