04.08.2004, 11:46
Frank Pozen hat ein Book Review fuer PWInsider.com geschrieben.
There sure are a lot of pro wrestling books out there. Some of them have big publishers and big marketing budgets behind them. Some of them also have hidden agendas and some are just bland. Some of them refuse to tell the true story. Why write a book if you're going to lie? As she was in her 23 year wrestling career, Penny Banner's autobiography Banner Days is the underdog of wrestling books. There's no big budget here and no hidden agenda. Penny has put her money where her mouth is and published the book herself. That's the way it's been for women wrestlers for years. They're either taken for granted or not taken seriously. Remember, pro wrestling is a boy's club. But Penny Banner earned the respect of her peers in the ring.
The book begins with the night of August 26, 1961 when Penny Banner became the first AWA Women's World Wrestling Champ. Then we learn about Penny's upbringing in St. Louis and the hard work her mother had to do to raise Penny and her siblings. While working as a governess in 1954, Penny stumbled upon pro wrestling. She had never seen women wrestlers. But legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick convinced Mary Ann Kostecki to go see womens wrestling trainer Billy Wolfe in Columbus, OH and try it. And a star was born.
She soon became Penny Banner and established herself as a major draw in pro wrestling. This was mostly because of Penny's many title matches with NWA Women's Champ June Byers. Every promoter in North America wanted this match and fans loved it. Penny never defeated June Byers but credits June for her success in the ring. Penny also was a successful tag team wrestler, first with Bonnie Watson, then with her best pal Betty Jo Hawkins, then with Lorraine Johnson. The team with Lorraine was more of a business partnership than friendship but they sure were successful. Stu Hart put them in main events and some of the boys didn't want to follow them on the show. But the fans loved them. This part of the book also features Penny's dates with Elvis Presley. Let's just say it's very interesting. You'll have to buy the book.
One of the major differences between men and women in wrestling is that men could settle in a territory but women couldn't. They were usually affiliated with a particular promoter like Billy Wolfe or Buddy Lee who booked them all over the place. So Penny Banner travelled all over North America and continued to do so after she left Wolfe and mostly handled her own booking. Penny was in demand as a major attraction. Penny settled down in Charlotte, NC when she married Johnny Weaver and gave birth to her daughter Wendi. I'm not going to give details but Penny's marriage was not pleasant. Penny agreed that the two would remain in a territory together. Though Penny continued to be a top attraction, this probably affected her career adversely. She wasn't as active as she would have liked in Charlotte. Besides, it was a one way deal. When Penny got a call to tour Japan, she wasn't allowed to go. But when Johnny got that same call, he not only went but he didn't take Penny with him. Penny got interested in horses and continued to win all her matches.
In 1977, the Charlotte territory dried up to the point where Penny decided to retire and she won her final match with Susan Green. Penny became a successful real estate agent and competes in the Senior Olympics today. She divorced Johnny Weaver in 1994.
Recently, I had the rare privilege to spend some time with Penny Banner when she came to Toronto for the premiere of the film Lipstick & Dynamite. You may not get that opportunity but I can assure you that the Penny I met is the same Penny who wrote Banner Days. Reading Banner Days is almost as good as sitting across a table talking to her and I speak from personal experience. There's no hidden agenda and no ghost writer.
Banner Days is Penny Banner's true story in her own words and you will know her after reading this book. There are plenty of pictures from Penny's personal collection. Many have never been seen before. All fans should read Banner Days as it tells a story you won't read anywhere else. Order your personally autographed copy from http://www.bannerdays.com/ today.
There sure are a lot of pro wrestling books out there. Some of them have big publishers and big marketing budgets behind them. Some of them also have hidden agendas and some are just bland. Some of them refuse to tell the true story. Why write a book if you're going to lie? As she was in her 23 year wrestling career, Penny Banner's autobiography Banner Days is the underdog of wrestling books. There's no big budget here and no hidden agenda. Penny has put her money where her mouth is and published the book herself. That's the way it's been for women wrestlers for years. They're either taken for granted or not taken seriously. Remember, pro wrestling is a boy's club. But Penny Banner earned the respect of her peers in the ring.
The book begins with the night of August 26, 1961 when Penny Banner became the first AWA Women's World Wrestling Champ. Then we learn about Penny's upbringing in St. Louis and the hard work her mother had to do to raise Penny and her siblings. While working as a governess in 1954, Penny stumbled upon pro wrestling. She had never seen women wrestlers. But legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick convinced Mary Ann Kostecki to go see womens wrestling trainer Billy Wolfe in Columbus, OH and try it. And a star was born.
She soon became Penny Banner and established herself as a major draw in pro wrestling. This was mostly because of Penny's many title matches with NWA Women's Champ June Byers. Every promoter in North America wanted this match and fans loved it. Penny never defeated June Byers but credits June for her success in the ring. Penny also was a successful tag team wrestler, first with Bonnie Watson, then with her best pal Betty Jo Hawkins, then with Lorraine Johnson. The team with Lorraine was more of a business partnership than friendship but they sure were successful. Stu Hart put them in main events and some of the boys didn't want to follow them on the show. But the fans loved them. This part of the book also features Penny's dates with Elvis Presley. Let's just say it's very interesting. You'll have to buy the book.
One of the major differences between men and women in wrestling is that men could settle in a territory but women couldn't. They were usually affiliated with a particular promoter like Billy Wolfe or Buddy Lee who booked them all over the place. So Penny Banner travelled all over North America and continued to do so after she left Wolfe and mostly handled her own booking. Penny was in demand as a major attraction. Penny settled down in Charlotte, NC when she married Johnny Weaver and gave birth to her daughter Wendi. I'm not going to give details but Penny's marriage was not pleasant. Penny agreed that the two would remain in a territory together. Though Penny continued to be a top attraction, this probably affected her career adversely. She wasn't as active as she would have liked in Charlotte. Besides, it was a one way deal. When Penny got a call to tour Japan, she wasn't allowed to go. But when Johnny got that same call, he not only went but he didn't take Penny with him. Penny got interested in horses and continued to win all her matches.
In 1977, the Charlotte territory dried up to the point where Penny decided to retire and she won her final match with Susan Green. Penny became a successful real estate agent and competes in the Senior Olympics today. She divorced Johnny Weaver in 1994.
Recently, I had the rare privilege to spend some time with Penny Banner when she came to Toronto for the premiere of the film Lipstick & Dynamite. You may not get that opportunity but I can assure you that the Penny I met is the same Penny who wrote Banner Days. Reading Banner Days is almost as good as sitting across a table talking to her and I speak from personal experience. There's no hidden agenda and no ghost writer.
Banner Days is Penny Banner's true story in her own words and you will know her after reading this book. There are plenty of pictures from Penny's personal collection. Many have never been seen before. All fans should read Banner Days as it tells a story you won't read anywhere else. Order your personally autographed copy from http://www.bannerdays.com/ today.