New Bahamas pro wrestling history book released

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Bahamas pro wrestling history book released; contains input from nearly 50 professional wrestlers

Darkstream Press today announced the release of the book “Bahamian Rhapsody: The Unofficial History of Pro Wrestling’s Unofficial Territory, 1960 – 2020.”

“Bahamian Rhapsody” is already available for purchase on Amazon.com, and is expected to reach the shelves of Bahamian bookstores in time for Christmas.

The more than 300-page book takes a thorough and extensive look at the history of professional wrestling events in the Bahamas over the course of a 60-year period. It includes dozens of photos, along with interviews and input from nearly 50 professional wrestlers, promoters, and other notable contributors to the development of professional wrestling in the North Atlantic island chain.

“This book is the product of more than four years of diligent work and research,” said Ian Douglass, the book’s author. “I am eternally grateful to everyone who assisted me in ways both great and small. Whether my interview subjects were able to devote one hour or one sentence to this project, it all contributed toward the quality and thoroughness of the finished product.”

Not only was Douglass able to include insights from a broad range of wrestlers, including Dory Funk Jr., Jimmy Garvin, Mike Rotunda, Don Muraco, Tyree Pride, Kevin Sullivan, Steve Keirn, Brian Knobbs, Omar Amir and Adam Page, but the book was also made with the full cooperation of the leading Bahamian newspapers.

“My mother is Bahamian, and the very first wrestling show I ever attended live was at Nassau Stadium when I was only nine years old,” added Douglass. “I did the best I could to craft a book that would be of interest to both casual and enduring wrestling fans, and that would help them understand how the events that unfolded inside of Bahamian wrestling rings should be viewed in the broader context of Bahamian history. More specifically, I wanted it to be a book that Bahamians could read to quickly grasp the breadth of the rabid fan support professional wrestling once received throughout their nation, along with which wrestlers and events mattered the most.”

In addition to broadly covering the professional wrestling events that were held in the Bahamas by territories associated with the National Wrestling Alliance, the book also includes coverage of the development of the independent Bahamian wrestling companies of the 1970s, and events hosted by smaller independent organizations based in the United States and Canada. Furthermore, it explores the challenges of training and developing native-born Bahamian professional wrestlers, from local 1970s wrestling stars like “The Sensational Bahamian Grappler” Arnsel Johnson to multi-time Ohio Valley Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Omar Amir.

Douglass previously co-authored the autobiographies of wrestlers Dan Severn, Buggsy McGraw, Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl and Brian Blair. He has also written for Men’s Health Magazine, MEL Magazine and Splice Today, and has been a contributor to both the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Bahamas Historical Society.