A very good book about a true scumbag. Amazing the loyalty his lieutenants have had for Vince, despite his backstabbing ways.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. I liked this story of Vince McMahon and the WWE. It was interesting to hear about his life and the history of the company.

This is one of the most underwhelming wrestling books ever. It had the easiest job in the world and managed to screw it up.

Fascinating insight into a figure who has done far more to shape popular culture than most realize. The parts about Donald Trump and the comparisons to McMahon are especially striking.

I have never really been a wrestling fan. However, when I heard the author on a podcast, I thought I would give this one a read. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. As a non-fan, I learned a lot about wrestling. I already had an image of McMahon as kind of a scoundrel but I did not know how much. As I read more, I was constantly asking myself "Why am I reading this?" It was mildly interesting but I do not feel that the "Unmasking of America" part was ever truly delivered. Perhaps, it I was more of a wrestling fan I would have been more into this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because my partner is a major wrestling fan and thought it would be fun to learn more about one of his passions and share new facts to him. This book was well done and well researched. Gave a more rounded view over this form of entertainment that I wouldn't have known myself.

Vince McMahon is a more relevant figure than ever before for good and bad - This book pinpoints his equally complicated legacy looking at his journey leading WWE from his days taking over for his father to the company becoming a global brand. I follow wrestling religiously and know most stories from years of books, interviews and podcasts. This book made me learn a lot more about Vince and the McMahon family.

This was...not the book I thought I was reading. It essentially drops at the height of the Attitude Era, and while the research in this novel is incredible, But I wanted to hear a bit more of the less publicized ideas and actions of the last 20 years, and the ways in which McMahon struggled to evolve with the times.

You may not watch wrestling. You may never have heard of Vince McMahon, but you’re living in his world. Or, that’s what Riesman believes, and she makes a pretty good case in this biography.

As a wrestling fan and nonfiction lover, I’ve read my fair share of wrestling histories. What I really appreciated about this book was the insight we gain about Vince’s childhood. Although Vince’s layer activities are fairly well known, his early life and the events that led to the formation of the man we see today are not as easily available. Riesman uncovered fascinating details about Vince’s youth.

Additionally, the book is clearly well researched and written. You do not have to be a wrestling fan to enjoy learning about the sordid underbelly of the industry, especially with Riesman’s prose.

An amazingly excellent look at the bombastic personality that is Vince McMahon. This book was very well done and as a lifelong WWE fan it was totally fascinating.

As a avid wrestling fan, I was so excited to receive this book. I was not disappointed with this book. I have been a fan of wrestling since the early 80's and watching WWE when it was WWF. It was great to reminisce about some of the matches that were included in the book. Very good read about Vince McMahon and the organization. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Throughout Ringmaster I could not figure out if I liked it or not. Until Suck It Act 1, I knew then I did not like the book.

Much like pro wrestling, I found myself reading to see what angle the author was going to take and I didn't like how we ended up.

I found the subjects the author focused on strange and his penchant for jumping back and forth between subject's annoying.

I won't be recommending this book to my friends, it's like reading a supermarket tabloid with a feature on Vince

Wow, I wasn't expecting this to be as in-depth as it was given how notoriously private McMahon is, but this was a very interesting, intense, and dense look into his life written prior to the scandal he's faced. I feel like wrestling fans are going to be captivated by this story of how he came to be, especially since so many are completely disillusioned about him and "the product" over the last year or so.

Rieseman has written an engaging memoir that doesn't shy away from controversy. Highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this nonfiction title about Vince McMahon. I watched the then-WWF as a kid with my brother but hadn’t watched it in decades until the Covid pandemic began. The now-WWE provided entertainment during a time that was scarce on entertaining options. I liked learning behind-the-scenes info about the Business and the athletes/characters that we were watching every week. This book by Abraham Reisman does just that about the ever-present McMahon. It does not reveal a flattering portrait of the man who has been at the center of the pro wrestling business for over 50 years. McMahon is presented as ruthless and willing to do just about anything to promote WWE. Fans of a certain former president and friend of McMahon will not appreciate the author’s tone about the man. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance digital copy of the book.

For the past few years, Abraham Josephine Riesman has been one of my favorite writers in the world of pop culture. Between their [always great *Vulture* articles] and their fantastic Stan Lee book, *[True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee]*, I know that when Riesman writes something, I need to sit up and take notice.

So, when I found out that Riesman’s newest book, *[Ringmaster]*, available today, was going to be the first attempt at making a definitive look at the life and times of WWE chairman and all around enigmatic, if not psychotic, figure, Vince McMahon, I became overjoyed. *True Believer* was a great look at another almost mythical figure in Stan Lee, so undoubtedly, *Ringmaster* would follow in kind.

Unfortunately, however, here is where I learned the trouble of high expectations. Over the run of its 461 pages, *Ringmaster* is a great encapsulation of the life and times of Vince McMahon. That said, as a deep wrestling fan, I’ve been reading about McMahon and his various trials and tribulations for decades now, so the book already is on the back leg. Attempting to write a narrative for those who haven’t really heard of Vince McMahon, *Ringmaster* serves as a great 101 level course for the man for those new to his life story, but for me, I was aching for a 201 level deep dive.

You get a holistic view of McMahon’s childhood, his terrible step father, his estrangement from his father — until he takes the reigns of his father’s business, the World Wide Wrestling Federation —, the birth of WrestleMania, the apparent coverup of murder and sexual impropriety, this book has a bit of everything. Yet, at the same time, the story is somewhat hamstrung by Riesman’s own fandom. It’s stated early on that Riesman stopped watching pro-wrestling around the death of Owen Hart in 1999. To that same point, Riesman has the majority of *Ringmaster* end here.

This is a massive and unfortunate gap for those hoping for a career spanning guide to the life and times of Vince McMahon. The 1980’s heyday, mid-90’s downfall, and late 90’s rebirth are stories constantly told, with varying degrees of validity, by both countless wrestling journalists, and WWE themselves. The post “Attitude Era” timeline, circa 2001, including such things as the murder/suicide of Chris Benoit, rise of John Cena, and embarking on their own streaming service have been relatively untouched, and remain so here. This is damned even further by the fact that — due to the time this was written and prepared for publication — the book does not delve into last Summer’s reveal of further sexual assault allegations, hush money, and ultimately, McMahon’s departure from the company. Until he returned at the beginning of the year. To sell the WWE.

Undoubtedly, there is a hell of a book in there…and unfortunately, that book is not in *Ringmaster*. After reaching 1999, a number of post 2000 highlights are discussed, but with nowhere near the level of detail or effort seen in the prior chapters. To tie together with the full title of the book — *Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America* — the end of the book tries to tie pro-wrestling tactics and a shared business history between McMahon and Donald Trump, but much like the coverage of a post 2000 era, this too feels glossed over and barely making more than a surface observation, when there is undoubtedly, more meat on the bone.

Perhaps the issue lies with me in the reader’s chair. I know too much about Vince McMahon, and have a want for what this book clearly isn’t. If you’re new to the world of wrestling, and haven’t heard these tales before, *Ringmaster* is a well-researched, eye-opening tome. But for me, it was running back prior material. I continue to adore Riesman’s writing, and hope that this book does well enough that they can write a second volume for the hardcores like me.

***Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America* is available now. An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this title.

First off: I came to this book as someone who's not super familiar with the WWE or Vince McMahon, but liked the author's previous book on Stan Lee, True Believer.

If you're someone who IS super into WWE and wrestling, I think you're going to enjoy this book - it's a look at how Vince McMahon took over professional wrestling as it exists, and though I think the promo material/subtitle of the book overstate it, reshaped some of American culture. The research is there and the care throughout the book shows.

If you're someone like me who's not, you're going to hit a few walls where faced with walking through more kayfabe means that you skim the rest of the chapter before setting things down. This is fine! I think this book hits its intentions even if I was hoping for more of the What This Says About Our Nation side of things than is actually present.

He was the son of two folks about whom he never speaks: Vicki Hanner and Leo Lupton Jr. He was a son of North Carolina, however much he may mask that fact.
Vince lost his virginity at a very early age.
Vicki filed for divorce from young Vinnie's father on grounds of desertion, but in a novel way: she filed in rural Leon County, Florida, the region in the Panhandle that surrounds Tallahassee, and her stated residence was in Lakeland, Florida—roughly 250 miles even farther south.
The divorce was granted on March 18, 1947, and, on April 5, Vicki walked the aisle for the third time in less than six years, married Leo at her parents' house.
Vincent Kennedy McMahon was the man behind the curtain in professional wrestling, ruling the hearts, minds, matches and lives of WWE superstars for almost 40 years.

Thanks net gallery arc thanks to the author also.

Following up on his critically acclaimed examination of the life of Stan Lee, Abraham Riesman takes aim at Vince McMahon, a powerful and divisive figure in the world of professional wrestling.

Without a doubt, the true draw of this book would be Riesman’s work in shining a light on the early years of Vince McMahon, born Vinnie Lupton, a young troublemaker from the Carolinas who wouldn’t meet his biological father, Vince McMahon Sr., until later in life.

McMahon presents himself as an everyman, and while his origin story could absolutely make a case for the image he projects, it would be laughable to suggest that he "pulled himself up by the bootstraps" to become the powerful figure he is today. Eased into his father's already established promotion, he had a distinct advantage that other promoters did not and was able to establish his name and reputation off the back of his father.

The meat of the book takes the reader up to 1999 where Vince McMahon reveals himself to be The Higher Power - the conclusion to a convoluted storyline that by that point had been going on for months seemingly without an endgame in mind. I suppose it’s as good a spot as any to end the book, but that’s twenty-four years before the book’s release date and it’s not like Vince McMahon hasn’t been making waves since. In an interview with POST Wrestling, Abraham said he expressed trepidation about stopping at such a point but given the breadth of all that he covered, he’s comfortable with where he left things. It would be difficult to disagree.

All the major scandals and defining moments of Vince's pre-2000 life and career are covered in great detail. Riesman covers moments like the ring-boy scandal, the steroid trial, and the Rita Chatterton rape allegation. Abraham also examines how Vince was able to out-muscle the nation's promotions by buying up television time in competing markets and luring away top talent to perform in his ring.

While there is an epilogue that covers the more newsworthy events of the last two decades such as the double-demise of the XFL, Linda’s foray into politics, his growing relationship with Donald Trump, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Benoit murder-suicide and the ensuing focus on drug-use in WWE, and even though Reisman made a strong case for stopping where he did, I would have liked to have more focus placed on the aforementioned subjects in the book and maybe less on subjects like Bret Hart and Montreal, an event that at this point is akin to beating a dead horse.

For those like myself who have been a fan of professional wrestling for over thirty years and have read countless books and taken in even more documentaries, you may not find a lot to sink your teeth into outside of the author's dogged work uncovering much of Vince’s early years, which were largely a mystery. That said, if you’re someone who isn’t well versed in the life of McMahon and newcomers who want to learn more about Vince with his name being in the news for all the wrong reasons, then I cannot imagine a more comprehensive look at his life and career.

This is a very well written story of the face of American wrestling, Vince McMahon. I learned a lot but also remained interested throughout

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book to review.

I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars; I tried very hard to like this book. I’m a huge mark for wrestling and love learning about the back stage politics of it all, but I just could not get into this. The writing style struck me as confusing. At some points it was the most formal literature review that I have ever read. At other points it struck me as overly familiar, like all 100+ interviewees were the authors best friends. And the language went back and forth between the formality and familiarity of it all. The author also is not consistent in that sometimes they introduce the same interviewee 5-6 times and other times you have to remember from 150 pages earlier who someone was. Given how many individuals continue to the authors narrative this book lacks a cohesive narrative voice. Try as I may for nearly a month, I could not finish this book in its entirety.