Brooks on Books: The Hardcore Diaries by Mick Foley

What a great idea former WWE champion Mick Foley had for this follow-up to his two previous autobiographies (plus several novels): a diary account of his participation in a wrestling "angle," or storyline, detailing his perspective on the whole affair from conception to execution of the build to the concept's culmination in the final match. Foley has proven himself a funny guy and a talented writer, and his idea promised to provide a unique insider perspective on how pro wrestling angles are developed. The Mickster gets off to a good start with an entertaining account of how he pitched the original angle, and this very idea of chronicling it in book form, to Vince McMahon.

If "The Hardcore Diaries" stayed focused on that aspect, it would be a sharper, more memorable book. As it is, though, perhaps because of a lack of material, perhaps because the strain of writing while traveling and wrestling and actually participating in the storyline took energy away from his author duties. Actually, though, Foley admits much of this material is taken from his blog, so maybe he just isn't as inspired this time out.

The angle that serves as the book's theme involves him, a WWE Diva named Maria, Terry Funk, Edge, and a whole lot of resistance from the company's creative team. I wasn't watching the WWE at this time and didn't see any of this play out on TV, so Foley's narrative is crucial in clarifying what happened, especially as it changed drastically over the course of the 6 months or so it was to play out. Whether it be due to the limitations of the diary format, the lack of a quality editor to help him out, or the frequent interruption of the main story with autobiographical material and other unrelated anecdotes, the Hardcore Diaries theme is often jumbled and confusing. The switching back and forth between time periods is not handled well, and the insertion of stories about other Divas or meeting Katie Couric or charity work detract from the ostensible premise of the book.

So "Hardcore Diaries" is ultimately a disappointment. Now, that said, I still devoured it in a matter of days--partly because I happened to be spending a lot of time waiting in public spaces that week and partly because books about pro wrestling are easy, absorbing reads for me. Foley's writing is often repetitive and unclear this time out, but he is still a funny guy whose appealing personality comes off well in print, and there is enough insight about the backstage goings-on to make this a fun volume for any Hardcore WWE or Mick Foley fan. Others should stay away, though, and even pro wrestling fans might be bored by many passages.

By the end, in fact, even Foley himself seems a little burned out by his battles with the front office to preserve his vision of his ideas for the storyline, and some of the descriptions of matches and promos seem a bit rushed. I would have liked to have seen more analysis of what he did in the ring and how the actual matches were put together, as opposed to how interview segments were, but perhaps the WWE (or Mick himself) wanted to preserve at least some of the inner workings of the in-ring action.

It's a shame because if Foley had concentrated on fulfilling the potential of what he pitched (the book, not the angle), he might have delivered the knockout must-read behind-the-scenes book that fans of his previous autobiographies could have reasonably expected. As it is, I recommend it to fans as a cheap used book purchase or library read, but not at the full hardback price.