Published on 12, July, 2020
I decided that I needed a new book to read and managed to find one on my bookshelf that I’d only half read so thought I’d finish it off: Tower, An epic History of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones. I just wondered what everyone else is reading at the moment? What does everyone else like to read?
Nitro: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Fall of Ted Turner's WCW by Guy Evans.
It's an amazing account of how a billionaire bought a wrestling company and squandered tens of millions trying to just throw money at something, instead of having an actual hands on business approach.
Not highbrow, but fun nevertheless. Surreal to tell the truth!
wow! amazing how little sense that people with too much money can sometimes have
Thank you for taking the time to explain the book to me. I might actually have to read it sometime as it does sound rather good
The guy who bought WCW was Ted Turner, the owner of CNN. Jane Fonda's husband at the time.
He seems to have the best intentions for everyone at the start. I think his naivety, and enthusiasm sort of open Pandora's box. He recruits the wrong people, lets the lunatics run the asylum, and seems to think plowing more money in will make the demons go away. Bullying, egos, lawsuits, drug abuse, criminal mistreatment of employees, and lots of other stuff going on. You get all points of view too.
There's Machavellian intrigue, Bacchanalian excess, and tragedy in spades. I'd imagine it would read even more outrageously if you had no knowledge of the subject. I read a lot, and I thought it would be a pretty uninvolving read, but it is very engrossing.
I watched one of the guys who ran the backroom, and shows recently saying that at TNT meetings, the news guys from CNN actually took pointers from the writers at WCW of how to spin news stories. He was making a comparison between the talking heads on "News Networks" like Fox, CNN, and the like, then giving practical examples how it worked. Showmanship, turned into political currency.
Here's a link.
https://youtu.be/n2RCT6Li4UQ
I like the part at the end where he points out Lincoln was a wrestler, and Trump was in wrestling for a time. The Cult of Personality indeed!
It actually sounds really interesting. An example of how money and ego can destroy people. It’s not my usual type of book but I’m intrigued now...
It really does tell a story of how someone with a fleeting interest, and a heap of cash, can do more damage than good. A lot of the performers careers were ruined. The investment got a few people very rich, very quick. Some others got short term big paydays, but the damage to their careers was irreversible.
It's quite a tragic story. Wrestling is a pretty crazy backdrop (no pun intended), because of all the physical risks, and the culture it contains. The guy had everything for it to work, except restraint. Money actually was the fuel that burned it down. A "too many cooks" situation.
I've read quite a few stories about business shenanigans, but this has a very different setting. A few people made it out OK, but I'm just getting to that part.
It's very surreal, but 100% true. The sheer amount of sources verify the story. I'd actually say it's one of the best books I've read in the last few years.