Got My Hands On This

For those of you who don’t know, this is one of the holy grails of wrestling books as there was a single printing and nothing else.  I heard that it was available at a used bookstore in town and was there as soon as possible to see if it was still available.  As you might be able to guess, it was, meaning I got to have some fun.Now I didn’t buy it, as I can’t bring myself to pay $100 for the sake of a single book (though it regularly sells for more than that online).  I did however sit down and read it cover to cover in the store (which took some time).  This one had a little something inside though, as in addition to being autographed by Cornette himself, there was this surprise:

That would be an autograph from Bill Watts, saying “Jimmy, without a doubt, my life has been blessed by your wonderful friendship and talent”.  Watts was the owner of Mid-South Wrestling and very influential in developing Cornette’s character and star power.

Now what is so special about this book?  Well in addition to some amazing photographs, including personal letters and even pay slips from shows, Cornette kept a log of nearly every Midnight Express match ever and included them here, plus most of the houses for the shows.  This includes notes under several matches, including why a house might have been up or down or impressive or a disappointment.  There are also several of Cornette’s hilarious stories, funny Christmas poems he wrote on Christmas cards to the locker room back in WCW (he read them on a recent podcast and they’re worth hearing) and a complete history of the team, both before they got together and after their split.

All in all, if you can somehow find this thing (good luck) and can afford it, check this out as it’s one of the most unique and informative wrestling books you’ll ever find.

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