Smackdown is about the rise and fall of World Wrestling. This is an outstanding examination of the last decade of pro wrestling - charting the meteoric rise and embarrassing fall of one of the world’s most lucrative entertainment industries. As wrestling dominated pop culture in the early ‘90s, wrestlers like The Rock, Goldberg, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mick Foley became household names. Before them, the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Jake The Snake Roberts - the big guys with oversize personalities who antics in the square circle had transformed a bunch of men in skin tight pants pretending to fight each other into a multi-million dollar entertainment industry. So what happened? At the turn of the millennium the popularity of the men in suits began to wane. In early 2001, both ECW and WCW closed their doors and were bought out by WWE. Shortly thereafter WWE hit the skids and were superseded by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling - the phoenix from the ashes of WCE and ECW.
Between The Ropes examines the last decade of pro wrestling, looking at both the unprecedented surge in popularity that turned it into a legitimate billion-dollar business and the decision-making follies that put the acid drop on the big guns. Analysing the four major North American promotions from standpoints of their business, storyline and characters, Fritz and Murray present a complete and fascinating picture of the rise, fall, and possible return of the one-ring circus. It includes unique first-hand insight from The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Vince McMahon, Mick Foley, Bret Hart, Sting, Eric Bischoff, Chris Jacob, Rob Van Dam and Shane Douglas.