Wrestling at the Chase

?Wrestling at the Chase is a fond, informative, amusing, and even poignant
look at the who's who of professional wrestling and legendary St. Louis
promoter Sam Muchnick. St. Louis was the capital, and Muchnick the ruler of
professional wrestling, before Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment
took over. What happened in St. Louis paved the way for today's multi-billion-
dollar sports entertainment industry. The centrepiece of this magical
operation was "Wrestling at the Chase," a television program which broadcast
from 1959 to 1983 from the majestic Chase Hotel. Larry Matysik was Muchnick's
protégé and longtime announcer for the television show. With an insider's eye
for detail and accuracy, he recalls funny and amazingly touching tales about
the characters who created professional wrestling as we know it. Ric Flair,
"King Kong" Brody, Dick "the Bruiser," the Von Erichs, Lou Thesz, Gene
Kiniski, Pat O'Connor, Johnny Valentine, Dick Murdoch, Harley Race, Buddy
Rogers, Jack Brisco, and Andre the Giant are all prominently featured. So is
Muchnick himself, the Damon Runyan of wrestling, a man who helped mould the
bizarre business of circus and sport. The savage twists of the politics of
wrestling are on display as well, particularly the changes that rocked the mat
world during the early '80s.