Ten Pounds Of Gold book review
The 2nd edition of Ten Pounds of Gold, by Dick Bourne and Dave Millican, is a chronicling of arguably the most recognizable world title in the history of pro wrestling. The NWA world heavyweight championship belt once signified that whoever held this title was the greatest wrestler in the world. The belt was a symbol of excellence, carried by some of the greatest wrestlers of all-time like Harley Race, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk and Jack Brisco. And this book is a golden journey through some of wrestling’s greatest moments and feuds as you follow the belt’s voyage through pro wrestling history.
However, this book is more than just a detailed journey of the NWA world title, it’s a history lesson that educates fans, wrestlers and historians on the politics behind the belt’s inception, the men to wear the title and much more. If that’s not enough to satisfy your pro-wrestling appetite, there’s over 50 photos of the world title and the men that held it.
The 2nd edition features an additional 70 pages that includes these great photos and more chapters of informative details. However, if you still want to get the 1st edition, which is a hard cover with colored pictures, then you can order either or at the official website.
The authors do a great job setting the stage for why the belt was created, how it was introduced and who the major players were behind the title’s creation. In fact, you get a detailed account on the belt’s construction and all of the tweaks that were made over its existence.
Perhaps, my favorite part of the book was the introduction of the belt in 1973. The unveiling of the belt took place right before a world title match between Harley Race and Jack Brisco in Houston. The new belt received almost as much media attention as the match itself.
In addition to the details about the title’s unveiling, the book also has numerous copies of newspaper articles about the championship match and the world title. I found it highly enjoyable reading the old newspaper clippings and applaud the authors for putting these clippings in the book.
Another nice feature of the book was the timelines of the wrestlers who wore the belt, the exchanging of the world title and all of the repairs done to the belt. It was a quick and easy way to peruse through wrestling history.
At its peak, this belt was envied by all other wrestling promotions. Sadly, it did not receive a glorious “send-off” like it did during its unveiling. In fact, it disappeared from the wrestling spotlight for the larger gold belt that became synonymous with Ric Flair and the NWA especially during the late 80′s and early 90′s.
However, this book pays proper tribute to the great world title, thus giving it the appropriate farewell that the belt deserved. If you are a fan of this belt, or the men who wore it, then I recommend that you read Ten Pounds Of Gold and relive the 13+ years of this wrestling era.
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