While the golden age of British Wrestling is long gone, you can relive it in a series of books written about the history of the business in the UK.
We have compiled the best books you need to read about the history of British wrestling. This includes biography’s, autobiography and history books, each one invaluable to expanding your knowledge of professional wrestling in the UK.
Here are the best British wrestling books you can buy today. We’ve included links to Amazon if you want to pick up these books, either physical copies or eBooks.
(Note: This page contains affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.)
The Wrestling (Simon Garfield)
One of the most comprehensive books about the Golden Age of British Wrestling has to be Simon Garfield’s “The Wrestling”.
The book is written from a series of interviews he had, over a number of years, with all of the biggest players in the business from a bygone era. Legends like Giant Haystacks, Mitzi Mulluer, Brian Dixon, Max Crabtree and more lend their voices to this book, as they go through the vast history of the wrestling in Britain.
The entire book is just quotes from the wrestlers. However, it is set out in a more linear fashion, each chapter telling a certain story or timeframe from the mouths of the wrestlers who lived it.
For anybody interested in wrestling history, this is the one book you need to buy. It was originally published in 1996, but was republished in recent years to make it more accessible. With interviews with a number of wrestlers who have since passed, there is no wrestling book with the breadth of knowledge available within.
Get your copy of “The Wrestling” by Simon Garfield on Amazon
Who’s The Daddy? (Ryan Danes)
If you ask anybody in the UK (above a certain age) to name a wrestler, they will inevitably give one name – Big Daddy.
The rugby player-turned-wrestler spent time in the Coldstream Guards, and after a brief retirement returned to wrestling to become the biggest star the country has seen.
He wrestled in front of packed arena up and down the country, released his own hit single and even had his own TV show! With celebrity fans like Margerate Thatcher and The Queen, Big Daddy was truly a superstar.
However, his life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. He suffered from an abusive wife (his third), struggled with poverty and bullying, as well as injuries suffered from his trips up and down the country.
“Who’s the Daddy?” by Ryan Danes gives a no-holds-barred look at the life of Shirley “Big Daddy” Crabtree. It is a must-read for anyone interested in not just Big Daddy, but the history of wrestling on ITV’s World of Sport too!
Get your copy of “Who’s The Daddy?” by Ryan Danes on Amazon
El Bandito (Orig Williams)
Orig Williams’ wrestling book is one of the best wrestler’s autobiographies you will ever read.
Despite being translated from his native Welsh, the book if filled with the authors’ personality. He spins tall tales from his travels around the world, from 120,000 seater stadiums in Pakistan, to fans rioting to get a glimpse of Mitzi Mueller in the ring in Turkey.
When he’s not moaning about political correctness, or being called a Welsh bastard (which happens a lot in this book), he is giving great insights on the world itself, not just on the wrestling.
Orig Williams had an interesting life, which involved his time in the army earning him a career in football. He proved too violent for the Welsh FA, and soon swapped his football boots for wrestling boots.
The rest, as they say, is history. For a look at the life of a travelling wrestler, who lived more like a circus ringmaster than an athlete, who scoured the globe for punters to sell his fighters to, then this is the book for year.
If you are a wrestling fan who is from Wales, it’s a book you won’t be able to put down. He details how he got wrestling on S4C in the channel’s early days, and how instrumental he was to getting women’s wrestling on TV in the days when it was banned!
