Bruno Lauer : Wrestling With The Truth Book Review by Jimmy Wheeler
By Bruno Lauer
Published by Crowbar Press
Released June 2008
253 Pages, paperback
Often over looked in the managerial ranks of wrestling history, but the book of Bruno Lauer better known as Downtown Bruno or Harvey Whippleman should not be looked past. Through-out a career spanning 30 years Lauer would manage a total of 53 wrestlers, some well known, some not so well known, whilst being the ring leader for a total of 10 different stables, to end up as what he describes as the go to man for any odd, but essential jobs that are needed doing within the World Wrestling Entertainment.
Wrestling With The Truth the autobiography of a man truly hated through-out the Memphis wrestling territory, one of the most villainous managers in their memories and in the more recently one of the most annoyingly hated bad guys of the early 90’s in the World Wrestling Federation, who would have thought he would go on to write one of the most laugh out loud books to date from the industry.
Bruno Lauer recounts his life, very rarely going into too much personal detail preferring to stay with the professional side of things. Bruno’s first main focus is his entrance into the sports entertainment ranks through the carnival circuit, followed by a winding road to Hawaii with the Maivia’s to Memphis against Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, with his often unfortunate yet hilarious outings along side Sid Eudy, taking us to Kansas City, Florida and the Mid-West. Bruno takes us all the way up to his last match where he would win the World Wrestling Federation’s Women’s championship and gives a glimpse into his life behind the scenes.
There are stories about everyone he has come across in the industry including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Paul Heyman, Kevin Kelly, Vince McMahon Jr. himself and many others, also offering a unique view of behind the scenes in WWE that is rarely given in such an open manner. Bruno Lauer throws no worked shots as he retells this up and down story that is his roller-coaster adventure ride of employment in his beloved line of work, professional wrestling.
Chris Jericho says it best on the back of the book ‘Entertaining, visual, and vicious.’ Wrestling With The Truth is all of them things from start to finish, through the eyes of a veteran in the business who has suffered many hardships but always managed to continue with his dream and put a humorous spin on it. Complete with 94 black and white photo’s through-out and a 12 page photo gallery at the rear of the book, Bruno Lauer’s story will stick out in the annuals of wrestling biography for being hilarious, blunt, open, opinionated, informative and if nothing else just a down right good entertaining read, then again with the last chapter being called ‘Shoot All Panda’s’ you wouldn’t expect any less.