Too Sweet

“Indie wrestling has been nothing short of the revolution Greenberg suggests, and his book burrows deep inside its genesis, gestation and still-evolving future.” — Kenny Herzog, Rolling Stone, The Ringer “The elegant prose I grew up reading (in Greenberg’s wrestling articles) is back on display here, as he shines a necessary light on a remarkable time in the indies.” — Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated In 2017, after being told that no independent wrestling show could draw a crowd of more than 10,000, a group of wrestlers took up the challenge. For several years, these gladiators had been performing in front of rabid crowds and understood the hunger for wrestling that was different from the TV-slick product. In September 2018, they had the numbers to prove it: 11,263 fans filled the Sears Centre Arena for the All In pay-per-view event, ushering in a new era. A year later, WWE had its first major head-to-head competitor in nearly two decades when All Elite Wrestling debuted on TNT. Acclaimed wrestling historian Keith Elliot Greenberg’s Too Sweet takes readers back to the beginning, when a half century ago outlaw promotions challenged the established leagues, and guides us into the current era. He paints a vivid picture of such diverse promotions as New Japan, Ring of Honor, Revolution Pro, Progress, PWG and Chikara, and the colorful figures who starred in each. This is both a dynamic snapshot and the ultimate history of a transformational time in professional wrestling. Featuring photographs by Kevin Quiroz. Keith Elliot Greenberg is a New York Times bestselling author and television producer who wrote for WWE’s publications for decades and co-authored the autobiographies of WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair, Freddie Blassie and Superstar Billy Graham, as well as the third edition of the WWE Encyclopedia of Sports Entertainment. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.