Squared Circle

A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact The Squared Circlegrows out of David Shoemaker s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column Dead Wrestler of the Week (which boasts more than 1 million page views) a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who like him grew up worshipping a sport often derided as fake in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circleis the first book to acknowledge both the