[ARC Review] We Promised You a Great Main Event by Bill Hanstock

In We Promised You a Great Main Event, journalist and long-time wrestling fan Bill Hanstock takes the reader behind the scenes (into Gorilla position, if you will) of the long history of WWE. From the early, carnival-style events that Vince McMahon Sr. debuted in the northeast, to the current, global climate of WWE in 2020, Hanstock covers the full gamut of successes and failures at the hands of the McMahons. Hanstock does a good job of balancing the events and personalities that have been at the forefront of WWE storylines with the trials and issues happening when the cameras stopped rolling.

This book definitely feels like it has a niche audience. Yes, any WWE fan would find parts of this book to enjoy, but Hanstock seems to be writing for a smark - a smart mark/fan - rather than the casual fan, or the fan who chooses to believe the storylines are reality and the characters they see on TV are real. If you find yourself always cheering for the babyfaces and booing the heels because that's how WWE wrote it, then this book might ruin too many of your childhood dreams. However, if you've found yourself more than once on wrestling dirtsheets, then you'd probably enjoy reliving some of WWE's best and worst moments, on screen and off. Hanstock employs plenty of humor, and takes a true smark perspective on all the major events and players in WWE's history. The book was enjoyable, well-written, at times funny, and contains plenty of information the McMahons would probably rather you didn't know.

A huge thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of We Promised You a Great Main Event.