Professional wrestling’s most notorious scandals and drug-fueled spectacles are laid out using insider details and investigative journalism in this powerful exposé of the sport. Featuring pieces previously published in magazines such as Penthouse and People, this book examines the demise of the old Mafia-like territories, whose wake, with the help of cable television and deregulation, helped fuel the astonishing growth of professional wrestling. These solemn and thoroughly investigated accounts—of Hulk Hogan’s drug use, the untimely death of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka’s girlfriend, the ill-fated Von Erich clan, and various scandals associated with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon—go beyond the theatrics to illustrate what really goes on behind the curtain and where the sport now stands.

Irv Muchnick's profile page

Irvin Muchnick is a writer whose work has appeared in publications ranging from The New York Times to Penthouse. He is the nephew of legendary wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick. He lives in Berkeley, California.

"A few hundred years from now some archeologist is going to dig up a copy, alongside a box of men’s neckties, and wonder which aspect of our culture was stranger...In a world of timid, formulaic scrivenings on sports and entertainment and sports entertainment, Wrestling Babylon is a sock on the jaw."  “Bert Randolph Sugar, from the Foreword

"The wrestling version of Alice in Wonderland: You fall into the hole and you discover a world you never dreamed of. But Muchnick didn't dream this stuff up, he dug it up."  “Scott Ostler, sports columnist, San Francisco Chronicle

"The only problem with this wonderful book is that it ends too soon."  ?BeyondChron

"Wrestling Babylon is the literary link between fans (including closet intellectuals) and intellectuals (including closet fans)."  “John Heindenry, executive editor, The Week magazine

"Muchnick on wrestling is a surreal thing."  “Roy Blount, Jr.

"Loaded with detailed and well-researched goodies."  “New York Post

"Irv Muchnick knows wrestling like Anna Wintour knows fashion, and his intriguing collection of ring tales is written with passion and savage humor."  “Frank Deford, bestselling author and National Public Radio contributor

"Like his uncle Sam Muchnick, Irv is a great reporter. But Irv is also a great writer."  “Larry Matysik, author, Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling