Why people recommend it
Death of the Territories by Tim Hornbaker is a detailed historical account documenting the complex business strategies, territorial rivalries, and eventual corporate consolidation of professional wrestling promotions in the United States. On an episode of Behind the Bastards, host Robert Evans heavily praised the book while examining the shady history of the wrestling industry. Evans strongly recommended the text to any dedicated wrestling fans, asserting that it serves as the absolute best resource by a mile for those seeking granular, forensic detail on how the regional territory system operated and eventually collapsed under corporate pressure. During the same podcast, Evans utilized Hornbaker's research directly, quoting passages from the book to explain how Vince McMahon Senior and other industry pioneers implemented completely novel business strategies to expand their influence across regional boundaries. Across the episode, Hornbaker's text is treated as the definitive historical authority on the subject, offering listeners a rigorous, behind-the-scenes look at the ruthless capitalism, egos, and systemic changes that fundamentally shaped modern professional sports entertainment.
Who recommended it
- Robert Evans Recommended
Robert Evans — 2 mentions
“with Bruno Vince senior pioneered a strategy totally new to the field and I'm going to quote now from a book called death of the territories by Tim hornbaker”
“if you were a huge wrestling nerd and you want forensic detail about how this went the book death of the territories is the best resource by a mile”