Book Spotlight: The Six Pack
The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of WrestleMania by Brad Balukjian
Brad Balukjian isn't your typical wrestling writer. He's a scientist by trade, having taught biology and natural history at Laney and Merritt Colleges in California. But he's got the eye of a gumshoe and the heart of a fanboy when it comes to the squared circle.
His book "The Six Pack" is different. It isn't just another collection of unverified war stories from the locker room. Balukjian hits the road, tracking down legends like they're rare butterflies. He's after something bigger than just tall tales, pinfall counts, and championship reigns.
The guy digs deep. He isn't content with the same old shoot stories you've heard a hundred times. Balukjian finds Sgt. Slaughter’s high school football coach, gets the real scoop on Tony Atlas's childhood. It's the kind of legwork that'd make an old-school reporter proud.
This isn't a book for the casual fan looking for gossip. It's for the true believers, the ones who understand wrestling is more than just muscles and mayhem. Balukjian treats these old warriors with respect, but he isn't afraid to pull back the curtain.
The parts about Bill Eadie hit home. Eadie's from Brownsville, Pennsylvania — the same town as my dad — and they share an alma mater (West Virginia University). It's those kind of small connections and measured descriptions, of Brownsville’s run-down Rust Belt streets or running track at WVU, that make the book sing. Balukjian isn't just writing about cartoonish wrestlers, he's writing about people and places.
"The Six Pack" stands out in a crowded field. Most wrestling books are as predictable as a squash match. This one's got twists and turns, like a good scientific bout. Balukjian's done his homework, and it shows on every page.
If you've read his baseball travelogue, "The Wax Pack," you know what to expect (the unexpected, like when he tried to track down Red/White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk). If you haven't, you're in for a treat. Balukjian's got a way of making you care about these guys, even if you’re too young to remember them.
In a world of quick hits and clickbait, Balukjian's taken the time to do it right. He's pieced together a perfectly-paced story that's more than just headlocks and body slams. It's about life after the final bell, about the men behind the gimmicks.
"The Six Pack" is the real deal. It's the kind of book that'll make you look at wrestling different. Balukjian's done what every writer aims to do — he's made you care. And in the end, that's what separates the prelim guys from the main eventers.
- Oliver Lee Bateman