There are hundreds upon hundreds of books out there about the squared circle; some written by wrestlers, industry journalists or other personalities; some by more traditional authors who may also contribute to non-wrestling books.
But does it go the other way? Have wrestlers themselves written books that aren't necessarily focused primarily on wrestling?
As it turns out, yes they have (or else, it would have been very difficult to write this column!). Here are ten books that may certainly mention wrestling, but don't ever dwell on the sport.
There's No Such Thing As A Bad Kid: How I Went From Stereotype To Prototype
Titus O'Neil wrote this book in 2019, leveraging his reputation of being a mentor, coach and exemplary parent.
There's No Such Thing As A Bad Kid dives in to O'Neil's own experiences growing up in a rough home and how he took that information and advice to become a better parent.
Tietam Brown
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley wrote this novel in 2003, his first attempt at writing fiction after the publication of two top-selling autobiographies.
Tietam Brown is the story of a teenager living in upstate New York, who experiences a very violent upbringing. The novel wasn't quite as well-received as his first two literary offerings.
I Ain't Got Time To Bleed
WWE Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura has actually written more than half a dozen books, virtually none of them focused solely on his wrestling career.
I Ain't Got Time To Bleed (his famous line from the Predator movie) was published in 1999 and deals with his unusual entry into the political arena. He would later write books about government, conspiracy theories and the benefits of marijuana.
No Is A Four Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling But Succeeded In Life
The first three books written by Chris Jericho were largely focused on his wrestling career (as will his upcoming fifth book, a list of all the matches he's had in his career). But the fourth book was a little different.
No Is A Four Letter Word was published in 2017, and is less a career retrospective and more a story about life advice and the insights he's gained as a wrestler, musician and podcaster over the past 30 years.
Making The Game: Triple H's Approach To A Better Body
When WWE Hall of Famer Triple H was approached about writing a book in the early 2000s, he wasn't ready to document his life story, but instead countered with a book about bodybuilding.
Published in 2005, Making The Game focuses on the exercises and techniques The Cerebral Assassin used to transform his physique at the age of 14 from relative weakling to bodybuilding contender.
Scooter
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley wrote this novel in 2005; his second attempt at fiction writing after the aforementioned Tietam Brown).
Scooter is the story of a young man living in the Bronx, obsessed with baseball and dealing with a violent and often-unfair upbringing, written in the very distinct Mick Foley style we've seen him use in four different autobiographies.
My Life Outside The Ring: A Memoir
We'll be honest; the second autobiography by WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan comes perilously close to to violating our "little to do with wrestling" rule, given that is at least a portion of this story.
Having said that... My Life Outside The Ring: A Memoir, published in 2010, is primarily the story of how The Hulkster dealt with his marriage falling apart and his son landing in jail due to a traffic accident, and the tremendous trauma it caused him.
Have More Money Now
Ironically, this book by WWE legend John Bradshaw Layfield was published in 2003 when he was still playing a beer-swilling cowboy and before he became the arrogant millionaire that would have strongly helped this book out.
Have More Money Now talks to setting financial goals, creating a budget you can stick to and establishing a good credit record, and very little about driving in stretch limos with horns affixed to the front of them.
Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa's Jolly Elf
Our third non-wrestling book on this list from WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is a book about The Hardcore Legend's obsession with Santa Claus.
Published in 2017, Saint Mick follows Foley in his post-wrestling career of Santa Ambassador and gets into the Christmas spirit that is incredibly important to him and his family.
Elbow Grease
The last book on our list may be the furthest from professional wrestling of them all.
Published in 2018, Elbow Grease is John Cena's debut as a children's book author, writing about a monster truck who perseveres in the face of adversity. Cena has since written a couple of sequel Elbow Grease book for children.
