Is Wrestling Fixed? I Didn’t Know It Was Broken

From Photo Shoots and Sensational Stories to the WWE Network — Bill Apter’s Incredible Pro Wrestling Journey

Ebook

Complete with exclusive photographs and sensational backstage stories, Is Wrestling Fixed? is the much anticipated memoir from the biggest legend in wrestling fandom himself, Bill Apter

As a kid growing up in New York in the late ’50s, Bill Apter fell in love with professional wrestling, and it wasn’t long before he was rubbing shoulders with the greats as a young reporter and photographer. Since then, he’s become the world’s best-known wrestling magazine personality, and he’s had professional and personal relationships with a who’s-who of the business, like Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Sting, and Ric Flair.

In his fun-loving memoir, Bill Apter takes us from the dressing rooms of the Bruno Sammartino era and the last days of the territories, to the birth of WrestleMania, the emergence of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the “Attitude Era,” to today’s WWE and superstars like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Roman Reigns. He also shares stories of his days photographing boxing and his interactions with stars like Muhammad Ali and other champions, and documents his appearances on the WWE Network and his work as editor of 1wrestling.com.

Find out which wrestler threatened him, learn about the dead wrestler who was really alive, and discover how hanging out with Andy Kaufman led to the comic’s notorious feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler. Still intimately involved in the wrestling business, the award-winning Apter has a story on everybody.

Table of contents

Table of contents
Is Wrestling Fixed? 1
Foreword by Jerry "the King" Lawler 5
The Disclaimer Apter was Forced to Write 7
One: It's Never Too Late to Start Again 10
Two: Attacked! 17
Three: Published 24
Four: Mr. Weston and Me 29
Five: How Apartment Wrestling Cost Me My Career 37
Six: A Day at The Office 42
Seven: Apter's One Night Stand with Medusa 46
Eight: How Apter Found Out Bruno Was Going to Lose 49
Nine: Revealed: Some of My Secret Contacts and How Ratings Were Done 54
Ten: Finally Revealed: "My Confession to a Deceased Wrestler!" 64
Eleven: Did the Ghost of Curt Hennig Lead Apter to George Strait? 68
Twelve: The "Superfly" Vow I Made to Vince McMahon Sr. 74
Thirteen: Call the Cops —Apter's Bleeding 80
Fourteen: "The Dead Wrestler — Who Was Alive!" 86
Fifteen: Buddy Rogers — I Knew Them Both 89
Sixteen: Apter Suffers Bruided Ribs Wrestling Shawn Michaels 96
Seventeen: Stalked 100
Eighteen: Bischoff Disses Apter — Calls Him A "Parasite" 104
Nineteen: How Ohhhh Yeahhhh Became A Terrifying Ohhhh Noooo! 108
Whatcha Gonna Do, Bill Apters, When Sylvester Stallone Calls You 114
Twenty-One: Shooting PWI Cover #1 — A Mask Task and an Impossible "Dream" 121
Twenty-Two: The Tunning Truth About Dan Shocket and Eddie Ellner 124
Twenty-Three: "I'll Kick Your Ass If I'm Not on the Cover Next Month!" 127
Twenty-Four: Von Erich's Fury Causes Anxious Days and Sleepless Nights 131
Twenty-Five: Punk Fan Booted from Sunnyside Arena! 136
Twenty-Six: Apter Helps Promoter Who Succumbs to His Own Demons 140
Twenty-Seven: Apter's Astonishing News: "I'm Leaving PWI!" 144
Twenty-Eight: IWrestling to Apter's Rescue 155
Twenty-Nine: A Powerful Lesson Learned for Tomorrow 157
Thirty: Apter Nearly Booted Out Due to Magazine's Past 161
Thirty-One: Apter Claims Cardboard Gold 167
Thirty-Two: The Truth About the PWI 500 172
Thirty-Three: Taking a Lickin' but Still Tickin' 175
Thirty-Four: A "King" Plus Andre the Giant Equals Big Trouble with Vince Sr. 180
Thirty-Five: I Was A Backyard Wrestler 184
Thirty-Six: TV Time 186
Thirty-Seven: His Name is Paul Heyman and He Was a Wrestling Photographer 192
Thirty-Eight: The McMahons 195
Thirty-Nine: An Apter "Old School" Style Gossip Column 199
Forty: Apter Makes A Historic Meeting Happen: When Andy Kaufman Met Jerry Lawler 207
Forty-One: My Pal Sal 215
Forty-Two: Don't Get Too Close — But I Did 218
Forty-Three: Strike a Pose 222
Forty-Four: Benoit 228
Forty-Five: Apter and the Ice Cream Boy 232
Forty-Six: Apter Loses His Pro Debut 235
Forty-Seven: Meet the Parents 238
Forty-Eight: Apter Stunned by Recognition Overseas 241
Forty-Nine: Way Back When It All Began 245
Fifty: Karaoke and a Horrible Joke 247
Fifty-One: Yes, I Was Paid by WWF For Two Years 251
Fifty-Two: The Award Goes To... 255
Fifty-Three: Other Careers Mixed In with My Wrestling Career... 259
Fifty-Four: Sing Me a Song, Wonderful Willie! 263
Fifty-Five: Apter Says Work Is a Good Four-Letter Word 266
Fifty-Six: The Family 272
Fifty-Seven: The Hunger for Younger and Some Last-Minute Random Thoughts 278
Fifty-Eight: Random "Apter Thoughts..." 281
Back-word 300
Copyright 303