This was a wonderful book. The two-, and three-star reviews seemed to have at least one common complaint: the fact that the author had a negative outlook on wrestling and therefore wrote a biased book. While, admittedly, the author does initially have a "negative" outlook on professional wrestling, it becomes apparent during the course of the book that his disdain doesn't come from wrestling itself, but from the culture that causes teenage boys and grown men alike to turn to such a violent sport for feelings of validation. This begs the question, of course, of whether or not one must adore wrestling in order to write a book about it. Simply because the author has an opinion that isn't gushing with adoration on the subject of professional wrestling doesn't mean he or she is any less qualified to write a sociological book exploring the psychological reasons for which legions of fans flock to wrestling for escape from the quotidian routine of everyday life in America. One could just as easily find another way to be entertained, but millions of people choose professional wrestling; this book examines the "why" behind that.
One reviewer stated that while the author spent time in Van Nuys with the people of XPW he (the author) made no reference to the company's ties with pornography: a statement that is blatantly false; the author talks for several paragraphs about his time spent on the site of where a pornographic film was being shot and uses pornography to parallel professional wrestling.
In short, the book was exceptionally well-written and I often found myself in a state of self-reflection when the author opined on American cultures obsession with what is considered the ideal image of "manliness". The book is fantastic and makes an attempt to delve into the minds of the people who devote their free time to professional wrestling (mostly the independent companies), and though others complain that the book makes broad, sweeping generalizations about wrestling fans, the fact is that the author cannot possibly HOPE to interview every, single wrestling fan he meets.