Ringmaster

Riveting, essential reading. Rick Perlstein, author of Reaganland The definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the worlds most influential media empiresand features never-before-seen research and exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent. Even if youve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahons world. In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret The Hitman Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical Mr. McMahona figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit. Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trumps closest friendsand Trumps experiences as a performer in McMahons programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th Presidents campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trumps cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force. Accessible to anyone, regardless of wrestling knowledge, Ringmaster is an unauthorized, independent, investigative chronicle of Vince McMahons origins and rise to supreme power. It is built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahons childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. Far more than just an athletics or entertainment biography, Ringmaster uses Vinces story as a new lens for understanding the contemporary American apocalypse.