You'll love this action-packed, lavishly illustrated look back at the Golden Age of Professional Wrestling-the greatest stars of the mighty Mid-Atlantic, the WCW and WWE. John Hitchcock shares his vivid memories attending live matches and television broadcasts from Greensboro during the 1960s on through the 1990s.
You'll read about wrestlers on their way up and on the way down: Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Johnny Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel, Rip Hawk, Terry Funk, Ernie Ladd, Johnny Weaver, the Four Horsemen, Klondike Bill, even the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling!
"They were a staple during grappling's heyday in Greensboro, N.C., and routinely appeared in front of thousands of jeering fans at arenas throughout the Jim Crockett-run territory. Unlike their "Four Horsemen" contemporaries, though, this roguish group was comprised of vocal ringside fans who occupied a prominent spot at the Greensboro Coliseum during the 1980s and early '90s. Long before the days of "smart fans" and "cool heels," there was "Front Row Section D."
"Hitchcock relishes all the memories of attending live matches and television broadcasts during the 1960s on through the '90s, and there are plenty of photos and clippings to go along with the stories. Long-forgotten stars live on the pages of this book, and there are laughs galore on every one of them as readers relive some of the Mid-Atlantic glory days through Hitchcock and his eclectic cast of characters.
"Like those long-revered shows of the past, this book is well worth the price of admission."
-Mike Moneyham, Charleston Post & Courier
"Front Row Section D is a collection of stories Hitch has been honing for many years, stories that he lived while running his mouth from the front row at (mostly) Jim Crockett Promotion wrestling shows at the Greensboro Coliseum. Hitch is a world class heckler, and, as he straightforwardly explains, used his Fine Arts degree to help him design signs to take to the shows.
"Hitch, never shy about talking himself up, oddly never writes that he's responsible for the sea of doofuses carrying signs to every TV wrestling show, looking to get on the air. In the '80s Crockett Promotions taped a lot of their TV in our area, and Hitch and his friends (like, you know, me) were the shows because we were right up front with those signs. It got to where I would rush home from work on Saturdays to check my VCR to see if we got on the air for yet another week.
"There's also the single most caustic, least respectful chapter in any wrestling book on the biggest wrestling star of the day, Hulk Hogan, and how he left the Greensboro Coliseum with his tail between his legs and and a plastic fist on his head, not to be seen for years and years.
"Hitch isn't just some asshole aggravating the crap out of people working for a little ving just like everybody else. The best serious chapter of the book is his appreciation of the great U.S. Champion Johnny Valentine. There are personal profiles of Rip Hawk, a gross story about the lengths Brute Bernard would go to protect kayfabe, and an account of the famed U.S. Title Tournament. Hitch also tells the story of how the Front Row was instrumental in the organic origin of Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and Arn Anderson becoming the Four Horsemen, a story Horsemen manager J. J. Dillon has verified on the PWTorch Livecast."
- Bruce Mitchell, Pro Wrestling Torch
"Hitchcock is a born storyteller. You can easily imagine him weaving these yarns to customers at his store or to friends at Denny's after the matches, and this book is the better for it. It's not really a history of the so-called "sport" in Greensboro, though reading about some of the stars and feuds of the past will bring back memories for longtime fans. It's more a memoir, bringing you into this group of friends who got a peek into wrestling's inner circle and had a good time doing it."
Jay Reddick, GSO News & R
About the Author: John Hitchcock graduated from Greensboro College with a major in painting in 1978. He is a Greensboro, North Carolina native and life-long Professional Wrestling fan. This is John's second book. The first, Dear John, The Alex Toth Doodle Book, was honored with an Eisner Award nomination in 2006. He was featured in the documentary film about the life of artist Alex Toth in 2007. Hitchcock is an artist, storyteller, sort-of wrestler, and owner of Parts Unknown The Comic Book Store for the last twenty five years. Single (and quit looking for love a long time ago) leaves John plenty of time for his next book, Comic Book People, about the famous artists and writers he has been friends with for the last thirty years and counting.
