John Cosper

Before Mania, before TV, before there was even a ring, there was wrestling.It was the 1880s, and from the circus to the bar to the opera house, wrestling was already a spectacle. In this new collection of short stories, you'll journey back to a simpler time when wrestling breathed new excitement into a nation healing from war. Discover a world where the wrestling mat first offered men a chance to obtain fortune and glory. Witness the courage of a former slave fighting to make his own name and the passion of a daring young woman in her fight for equality. Experience the heroism of these pioneer athletes, bound by more than blood, and the villainy of those greedy enough to profit from an unsuspecting public.Pro wrestling historian and award-winning writer John Cosper takes you back to the earliest days of the sport, capturing the spirit of a bygone era. Inspired by the real life tales of the men and women who laid the roots of professional wrestling, Grappling by Gaslight is a page turning thrill-ride straight from the old school carnival midway.

JJ Maguire was truly the master of wrestling ring music. As Jimmy Hart's go-to songwriting partner since their days in the Gentrys, JJ collaborated on 110 pieces of music for WWF, WCW, and WWE. His list of credits probably looks like your playlist of favorite wrestling themes, as he wrote the entrance music for Demolition, the Honky Tonk Man, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase, Shawn Michaels, and (in WCW) Hulk Hogan. He was a member of Hulk's Wrestling Boot Band, contributing music to the album "Hulk Rules," and he's currently the host and MC for Kentucky Zone Wrestling.That said, JJ Maguire is far from just a wrestling guy. JJ Maguire was a musical prodigy who turned heads at the piano at the tender age of five. He was a member of the legendary rock group The Gentrys and played with numerous other bands from Kentucky to California. He wrote music for Hulk's TV show Thunder in Paradise and even won a recurring role on the show. In a career spanning six decades, he's rubbed shoulders with Prince, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, Vince Neil, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley, Henry Winkler, Robert Conrad, Mark Mothersbaugh, Telly Savalas, Carol Alt, Patrick MacNee, and John Landis. He visited the shop of the legendary Hollywood car builder George Barris. He discussed Kentucky burgoo recipes with Bob Hope. He shot pool with Jackie Gleason inside the Great One's basement. He even got a kiss from Farrah Fawcett.The book opens with a foreword from Jimmy Hart, Maguire's long-time song writing collaborator, who writes, "JJ has always been there when I needed him. When we were with The Gentrys, he was there. When I was with WWF, he was there. When I moved to WCW, he was there. Through the Wrestling Boot Band, Thunder in Paradise, and so many adventures, JJ Maguire has been by my side. He is a good friend and one of the most talented people I've ever met in my life."Yes, JJ Maguire is the master of wrestling ring music. Yes, he is the face of Kentucky Zone Wrestling. And yes, he wrote or co-wrote a lot of your favorite wrestlers' theme songs. But his book is more than just a wrestling story. It's a story for music lovers, for TV and film lovers, and for anyone who has ever had a dream. From the heart and soul of small town America to the bright light and glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the pageantry of professional wrestling, this is the true story of "Hurricane" JJ Maguire Updated in 2024, this new edition of JJ's autobiography includes a new cover and a new afterword by co-author John Cosper in remembrance of JJ, who passed in 2022.

For too long, people have looked to the fairy tale realm as a place where good and evil are as different as black and white. The good citizens of those dark cities and darker woods know the truth, and the truth is now in print.The Big Bad Goodnight throws a new light into the darkest corners of a world once sanitized by the Brothers Grimm. Those who dare to open its pages will learn the real, dirty, gritty reality of the a hard luck Wolf, a femme fatale with fairy wings, a small-time hoodlum named Rumplestiltskin, a hard-luck "delinquent" with a chance for redemption, a calculating serial killer dares to called himself Charming, and an unhinged psychopath named Goldilocks.The Big Bad Goodnight will transform the way you view everything from enchanted frogs to gingerbread men. It's a noir escapade in the tradition of Double Indemnity, The Lady from Shanghai, Cape Fear, Sin City, and of course... MAD Magazine. Pour yourself a stiff one, brother. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.

An ex-girlfriend from another dimension travels to Alan's door - and she wants him dead Alan always had a snappy come back for any woman who dumped him. "In another dimension, you and I live happily ever after." He didn't really believe it, of course. Who would? It was sci-fi fanboy nonsense That all changed when an ex-girlfriend from another dimension showed up with a laser gun, ready to kill him. Aided by another world-jumping ex-girlfriend who has come to save him, Alan seeks help from Miller, the eccentric former classmate who gave him his trusty comeback line. Miller knows the secret to interdimensional travel, but can anything save them from the dangers of the multi-verse? Doppelgangers, dragons, hyper-intelligent beavers, and Thelma Todd. They all play a role in this world-jumping, interdimensional tale of love and revenge. If you ever wondered what your life was like in another dimension, this book will curb your curiosity

"Dave has always been my friend, and he has always been one of my heroes too. He could walk that walk and talk that talk. David Schultz was a man's man. As fearless as he was dangerous, yet one of the most honorable wrestlers the wrestling business ever knew." - Bret "Hitman" Hart, Two-time WWE Hall of FamerAsk anyone who watched wrestling in the early 80s who the most dangerous man in wrestling was and they will tell you it was Dr. D. Trained by Herb Welch, the Tennessee native terrorized fans in Tennessee, Memphis, Florida, Calgary, Japan and Minnesota before being recruited into the WWF at the request of Hulk Hogan. Dr. D was a singles and tag team champion for multiple promotions, and he faced some of the most dangerous men in the business: Antonio Inoki, Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody, and Johnny Rodz. Yet he is remembered to this day for taking down a very different opponent: ABC reporter John Stossel, who dared to utter the words, "I think this is fake." While the Stossel incident precipitated the end of his wrestling career, but it's hardly the end of the story. Dr. D turned babyface in real life, finding an even greater calling as a professional bounty hunter. Working out of Connecticut, Dr. D traveled the world and brought back hundreds of "skips" who had fled from justice. Dr. D tracked fugitives from New York to California to Puerto Rico and even Egypt with a 100% capture rate. If he couldn't coax you into coming back of your own free will, he still possessed the skills taught by Herb Welch that could turn even the biggest thug into a crybaby. Call him a wrestler. Call him a bounty hunter. Just don't call him fake Dr. D David Schultz is the real deal, a hero in the wrestling locker room who became an even greater hero in his post wrestling career, clearing the streets of dangerous men and women with his Southern charm and a shooter's grip.

Before there was Bobo Brazil, before there was television, there was the original Black Panther Jim Mitchell wasn't the first African American to make a living in the sport of professional wrestling, but the Louisville, Kentucky native was the first to become an international superstar. Trained by the great welterweight champion Jack Reynolds, Mitchell broke out in the business in the early 1930s, becoming a main event superstar in the Indianapolis territory by the age of 23. Jim Mitchell became a top draw in every territory he worked, from his adopted home base of Northwest Ohio to the Boston area to the Pacific Northwest to sunny Southern California as well as sojourns to Europe, Canada, and Australia. He feuded with some of the biggest heels of his era including Danny McShain, Wild Red Berry, and Martino Angelo. His most storied rivalry was with none other than Gorgeous George, a feud that culminated in a riot in the hot summer of 1949 at the Olympic Auditorium. He was a trailblazing African American athlete whose exploits were overshadowed by the advent of television and the rise of a new generation of stars, not the least of which was Bobo Brazil. Wrestling historian John Cosper takes you back to the golden age of professional wrestling and uncovers the lost story of a true pioneer. The Original Black Panther is filled with stories of Mitchell's exploits taken not only from the newspapers of the day, but from a treasure trove of documents found in Jim Mitchell's home years after his death. More than 100 images of programs, posters, ledger books, personal letters, and photographs from Mitchell's own archive bring the story of this amazing man to life. With a foreword written by WWE Hall of Fame Mark Henry, Jim Mitchell's biography is a must read for every professional wrestling fan. It's the long lost story of the man who broke ground for future generations and fought the prejudices of his day by becoming a champion in and out of the ring. "Wrestling historian John Cosper has done it again. His newest book, The Original Black Panther: The Life and Legacy of Jim Mitchell is a fascinating journey into the history of one of wrestling's forgotten superstars. This book is compelling, informative, and leave you wanting more. Major kudos to Mr. Cosper. Another great job " - Tim Hornbaker, author of "Death of the Territories"

"He's just a bleeder," they said. "He can't wrestle. All he can do is bleed "Mad Man Pondo never argued when people called him "just a bleeder." He knows who he is, and he's embraced it. He knows that his high tolerance for pain, his fearless nature, and his talent for bleeding are the reason he's wrestled all around the world, starred in three video games, appeared in a horror film with one of his great heroes, befriended celebrities from the A-list to the D-list, and become a legend to deathmatch wrestling fans everywhere.Now, Mad Man Pondo is telling his story his way. He takes you from his early days as a wrestling fan in Flora, Illinois who accidentally got his butt kicked by Jos LeDuc to his glory days as a headliner for Big Japan. You'll read about in-ring encounters with Junkyard Dog, Terry Funk, and Kevin Sullivan; real life run-ins with David Blaine and Benny Hinn; and unexpected confrontations outside the ring with crazed fans and the Yakuza. You'll learn how his small cable access show Skull Talk led him to become a casting agent for Jerry Springer and how a deathmatch legend gets to rub shoulders with the likes of MC Hammer, Jonny Fairplay, Mick Foley, Eli Roth, and Robert Englund. Pondo shares stories about his most legendary deathmatch encounters and the inspirational story behind his all-women's promotion, Girl Fight. And you'll read his unforgettable speech from the Juggalo March on Washington D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial where Forrest Gump once cried out, "Jenny "With a foreword by Vanilla Ice (yes, THE Vanilla Ice ), dozens of must-see photos, and countless stories from friends, fans, and fellow grapplers, Memoirs of a Mad Man is an all-out extreme autobiography as graphic and over the top as a Four Corners of Pain Deathmatch.

Leo Whippern was a talented young painter, the descendant of Hungarian royalty, and a phenomenal athlete, but as "Sailor" Tug Carlson, his life was headed no where. He was just another fit grappler in black trunks with nothing to make him stand out. Then without any warning, Tug Carlson was gone. In his place came a veteran of Her Majesty's Royal Navy, a world-traveler, a British nobleman intent on teaching the Americans what a truly outstanding athlete looks like. K.K. Herzbrun, daughter of his lordship, and John Cosper (author of "Dr. D" David Schultz's best-selling autobiography) tell the story of a forgotten legend of the 1950s, a heel on par with the great Gorgeous George who sold out arenas from coast to coast in the 1950s. Inspired by Lord Lansdowne, the same man whose gimmick inspired Gorgeous George, Whippern transformed himself into the British heel Lord Leslie Carlton. His new heel persona made him a rich man as he created drama in and out of the ring, but his family life after wrestling proved to be even wilder than any wrestling storyline. Lord Leslie Carlton's tale is a story of triumph and heartbreak. It's the story of a stellar athlete and a talented artist, an eclectic migrant family, a tragic murder, a vengeful wife, and the daughter who somehow found the God her father never believed in.

Tuesday has always been Louisville's night for wrestling. Ohio Valley Wrestling tapes their TV show on Tuesday, and Memphis Wrestling ruled the Louisville Gardens for decades. But 35 years before Jerry Lawler came to town, Heywood Allen presented Louisville with a front row seat to the golden age of grappling. The Allen Athletic Club ran every Tuesday night at the Columbia Gym on 4th Street, bringing Louisville fans a steady stream of the biggest names in wrestling for 22 years. Fans booed Wild Bill Longson and cheered heroes like Mildred Burke. They embraced the pageantry of Gorgeous George and thrilled to the terror of Ginger the Wrestling Bear. They celebrated hometown heroes like the Black Panther Jim Mitchell and jeered the dastardly Stu Gibson. They even cheered the Nature Boy Buddy Rogers while booing the great champion Lou Thesz The Allen Club had it all: mud wrestling, ladies wrestling, tag team wrestling, alligator wrestling, and midget wrestling. They packed the Columbia Gym, the future Louisville Gardens, and even an open air arena every week with rowdy fans who weren't above throwing seat cushions if they didn't like what they say. They even presented live wrestling on television the week WHAS TV went on the air. Promoters Heywood Allen and Francis MacDonogh established a tradition that continues to this day. Tuesday night is wrestling night in the Derby City, and it's all because of the weekly extravaganza that came to be called Louisville's Greatest Show