Disco Fury. Wrathchild. Bam-Bam Bambi. Ladies Choice. Backyard Billy. Cheerleader Melissa. Backwoods Militia. Gorgeous Michelle Starr. Welcome to the world of minor-league professional wrestling.
For the past two decades, wrestling has enjoyed a huge following that has grown from cult status to one of the entertainment world's most lucrative industries, over the years creating mega-stars out of wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Chynna, and The Rock. But for every WWF superstar there are countless wanna-be's: pretenders to wrestling's various thrones who hurl, pounce, pin down, and act out in community halls and high school gymnasiums across North America, paying their dues while counting the days before they get the call to the big leagues.
One Ring Circus pays homage to the wrestling life: the sound and the fury heard amid the backdrop of household lightbulbs, screaming sound systems, and near-rabid fans who are often as colourful and outrageous as the wrestlers they clamour for. Author and photographer Brian Howell spent three years following the wrestling circuit, and his book of images and narratives perfectly captures the visceral energy of a remarkable, near-clandestine community whose artful and out-there theatrics--alive and well somewhere between here and Palookaville--is nothing short of inspirational.
Includes more than 100 black and white photographs.