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Mat Memories: My Wild Life in Pro Wrestling, Country Music, and with the Mets Paperback – April 6, 2021

by John “Alexander” Arezzi (Author), Greg Oliver (Author), Mick Foley (Foreword),
4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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A man with three different names ties together the stars of professional wrestling, country music, and the New York Mets. John Arezzi was a lifelong Mets fan who dreamed of a job in baseball. In 1981, he took a job with the Mets Class A team in North Carolina. But Arezzi had another love: professional wrestling. He ran a fan club for the villainous “Classy” Freddie Blassie as a teenager, then progressed to wrestling photographer, and finally even stepped into the ring himself as John Anthony. Eventually he escaped to pursue a new life in altogether different world: country music. After adopting a new name, John Alexander, his many accomplishments include discovering both Patty Loveless and (decades later) Kelsea Ballerini. But wrestling is tough to shake … In the 1990s, Arezzi hosted the pioneering radio talk show Pro Wrestling Spotlight. He also ran the first major conventions, assembling a wrestling who’s who to meet with fans. He promoted shows, both at home and abroad, and was a key figure behind importing lucha libre into America. Mat Memories is Arezzi’s chance to hold the mic, and he holds nothing back ― he names names and tells the untold behind-the-scenes stories: from the ring, the stage, and the diamond.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    ECW Press
  4. Publication date
    April 6, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1770415645
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1770415645
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

From the Publisher

Mick Foley

John Gibbons

Suzanne Alexander

One Man. One Wild Life. John Arezzi.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“John is a believer. He takes chances on people he believes in. I should know. For whatever reason he believed in me and put my show Headline Country on TV for 14 years. He’s an underdog’s best friend. Whether it’s baseball, wrestling or country music, he smells potential and opportunity like a bloodhound.” ― Storme Warren, Sirius XM “The Highway”

“John Arezzi’s adventures in wrestling assure him a place in history. A pioneer of wrestling radio shows, the father of the modern fanfest/all-star convention, and even a wrestler himself, albeit briefly, John has a multitude of experiences and stories pertaining to his love of and participation in pro wrestling. I’ve even forgiven him―almost―for being responsible for letting loose wrestling’s greatest plague on an unsuspecting citizenry. What plague you ask? Read the book and see if he admits it!” ― Wrestling personality Jim Cornette

“John Arezzi was there for the superfan of Pro Wrestling. From his radio show in NYC, to the Weekend of Champions conventions, he just knew what hardcore fans wanted. Then he just disappeared and I always wondered what happened to him. I never forget the people that were good to me on my way up and I'll always be grateful to John, who was one of those who was so good to me. That’s why I was excited to see John back on the scene and wanting to share his story with everyone. I'm really looking forward to John's book!” ― Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Sean Waltman, a.k.a. Xpac

“This book is inspiring as it’s rooted in John’s character and offers life lesson after life lesson. Here’s an example: During my walk halfway across America to raise awareness for foster children aging out of foster care into homelessness, John enlisted his contacts and resources to facilitate a sponsorship with Red Roof Inn so my support car driver would have a place to stay each night ― free of charge. John never mentioned it to me during the seven-month, 1,700 mile walk. I only learned he did this years later.” ― New York Times Bestselling Author and Country Music Artist Jimmy Wayne

“John Arezzi was a wrestling superfan, which led to his many accomplishments in the business. He’s done it all! From newsstand magazine ringside reporter in the 1970s, to promoting the first wrestling conventions in the 1990s, to starting the talks to bring AAA Lucha’s foray into the United States, and helping bridge the relationship between AAA and ECW, John is first class. This book tells it all.” ― Lucha Libre Legend Konnan

About the Author

John “Alexander” Arezzi is an entrepreneur who lives in Long Island and Nashville. He runs MatMemories.com and the Pro Wrestling Spotlight Then & Now podcast. Greg Oliver is the author of 15 books, and the producer of SlamWrestling.net. He is the 2020 recipient of the James C. Melby Historian Award for his contributions to pro wrestling history. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and son.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ECW Press (April 6, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770415645
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770415645
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 51

About the author

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Greg Oliver

Greg Oliver

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A writer, editor, producer, and stay-at-home dad, GREG OLIVER has 20 books out -- and counting.

His latest, which was published in Feb. 2024, is "Run with the Bull: Three Generations of Sports and Entertainment." It's the story of comedian Eric Johnston, whose father was wrestler Danny "Bullwhip" Johnson and his grandfather was Bull Johnson.

Greg is best known for writing about professional wrestling, including the acclaimed Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame series with Steven Johnson, and "The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story" with Debrah "Madusa" Miceli. He is the Producer of the SlamWrestling website.

He's done six hockey-related non-fiction books: "Father Bauer and the Great Experiment"; "Blue Lines, Goal Lines & Bottom Lines"; "Don't Call Me Goon"; "The Goaltenders' Union"; "Written in Blue & White"; "Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton" (with former NHL and WHA goalie Gilles Gratton), and one baseball book, "Gibby: Tales of a Baseball Lifer" with former Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons.

The biography, "Who's The Man? Billy Van!", written with Stacey Case, came out in late 2020.

As well, Greg has written two books for children: "Duck With The Puck" (with his son, Quinn), and "Santa's Day Job".

In 2008, he was a co-recipient of the James C. Melby Award for professional wrestling journalism from the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Hall of Fame at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. In 2021, he received the Cauliflower Alley Club's James C. Melby Historian Award, and the Bill Fitsell President's Award from the Society for International Hockey Research.

His freelance work has appeared everywhere from Sports Illustrated to The Hockey News, to The Globe & Mail, and he's participated in countless radio and television interviews, and was the writer of the Sweet Daddy Siki documentary that aired on CBC's Documentary Channel.

Greg lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and son.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
51 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Baseball4Life
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book had it all. A roller coaster career, highs and lows, and a never say die story. John really has had a wonderful life, and his story reads like the American Dream. A story of a resilient man, who opened doors for many, and watched them rise to the top of their fields. Highly recommended! Thanks John for sharing your journey with us!
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mike walsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Pro Wrestling Spotlight/Long Islanders Will Love This
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
John tells some great stories, those of us in the community he grew up in will get a huge kick out of it, but beyond that, he never gets an ego. I like reading more than the audio book, which is still very good, but I prefer John off script.

This book actually inspired me in that, there's always a way to find your self in the business you love, if you sacrifice and work hard enough. And BS.

Get this book if you like wrestling, music, baseball, long island, just get it. Quick, personal, entertaining read.
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Mike J.
5.0 out of 5 stars No Huss! Wrestling style
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
A great read
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MDF
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Autobiography of a Common Man
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023
Arezzi’s story brings insight to his journey through wrestling and having the surprising country music and baseball gifts. From a man that is behind the scenes of the wrestling entertainment world, the moments he shares are ones never to forget. Even to this today, we all encounter multiple journeys in life and his life is no exception and sharing his world from multiple perspectives. This book is recommended for any reader of nonfiction especially those in the sports entertainment industry.
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Ary D. Rosenbaum
5.0 out of 5 stars More than just wrestling
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2021
Until a few years ago, I didn’t know much about John Arezzi. The book reveled a very interesting life in wrestling, radio, and music, and so much more. John was involved in the wrestling business at a very young age and what I found interesting was that he held wrestling fan conventions before anyone would think of such a thing. Of course, Herb Abrams used one to launch the UWF. I read the book in two days and extra points for him for being a Mets fan.
One person found this helpful
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Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2021
Very interesting life of John Arezzi and his hardships along the way. At first I was more interiested in the wrestling ascpet of his life but stayed for the rest from his life at home , his time in college and his crazy time in the music industry. Would recommend.
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LSmith
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting memoir
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
John Arezzi has led a very interesting and varied life. He has held jobs in three very different entertainment industries – baseball, country music and professional wrestling. He has also had three different names he used at various times in these professions. His story is told in this very entertainment memoir written with Greg Oliver, a respected author on professional wrestling.

Arezzi grew up with two loves: professional wrestling and the New York Mets. As a teenager, he started a fan club for his favorite wrestler, "Classy" Freddie Blassie and even wrote a regular newsletter about the heel. While he remained a wrestling fan, the pull of getting a chance to work in the Mets organization was too strong and in 1981, he worked for one of the Mets' minor league teams. However, the wrestling bug had bitten him too much and he ended up going back to that business. He even appeared in the ring as John Anthony. In a book filled with entertaining stories, that one is probably the funniest and most entertaining of them all as he flubbed some of his parts but somehow was able to finish two matches.

After that, he hung up the tights for good and settled in for various jobs in the industry. Whether it was hosting a radio show, writing newsletters and articles, managing wrestlers – you name it, Arezzi was involved. His most notable accomplishment was organizing the first wrestling conventions in which fans could meet their favorite wrestlers and purchase pictures and autographs. His time in wrestling was filled with conflict as well as success and Arezzi pulls no punches when he describes the difficult times as well as the good times.

In an unusual switch, when he had reached the end of his rope in the wrestling business, he took a job selling advertising time for a country music radio station. From here, he started a successful stint in that music genre in which he was responsible for the discovery and start of three women who went on to successful country music careers: Patty Loveless, Sarah Darling and Kelsea Ballerini. Through this, he went by the name of John Alexander, mainly to have a more "conventional" name upon advice from another woman in the business, Suzanne Alexander. While it was hard for him to give up the wrestling, it is clear from his writing that he was very grateful for the success and relative calm that country music gave him compared to wrestling.

Whether his story is about wrestling, music or baseball, Arezzi drops a lot of names and doesn't hold back anything. The stories are plentiful and entertaining. The worst that can be said about the book is that at times, the details in some of the wrestling accounts get bogged down that it is difficult to follow and has so many names that a casual fan may not understand the full picture. What keeps them going is Arezzi's enthusiasm and honesty about everything, making for a good read that anyone who follows wrestling or country music will enjoy.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Peter
4.0 out of 5 stars He has had a varied life
Reviewed in Australia on April 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
John Arezzi has had a varied career in Baseball, Country Music and Wrestling. In this book he leads us through his life detailing his actions in all three fields and how he fared.

He appears to be very honest about his career and the many times that he was fired or made incorrect decisions that really affected him. It is easy to look back in hindsight and see what should have been done but at the time as he proves, it is difficult to choose wisely.

I will admit that I skimmed through the Baseball and Music sections while concentrating on the wrestling side of things. He does tell a lot of good stories and is not afraid to place blame on himself.

The book reads well and drifts along nicely, I liked how he names names about who he thought was good or bad at times in his life.

Overall, a good look at his career.
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