The Six Pack cover art

The Six Pack

On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania

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The Six Pack

By: Brad Balukjian
Narrated by: Brad Balukjian
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of The Wax Pack, comes another eye-opening road trip adventure into a pocket of iconic pop culture—professional wrestling—starring the Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, and many more larger-than-life characters of the WWF of the 1980s.

In 2005, Brad Balukjian left his position as a magazine fact-checker to pursue a dream job: partner with his childhood hero, The Iron Sheik (whose real name was Khosrow Vaziri), to write his biography. Things quickly went south, culminating in the Sheik threatening Balukjian’s life. Now seventeen years later, Balukjian returns to the road in search of not only a reunion with the Sheik, but something much bigger: truth in a world built on illusion.

Balukjian seeks out six of the Sheik’s contemporaries, fellow witnesses to the World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF) explosion in the mid-‘80s, to unearth their true identities. As Balukjian drives 12,525 miles around the country, we revisit the heady days when these avatars of strength, villainy, and heroism first found fame and see where their journeys took them. From working out with Tony Atlas (Tony White) to visiting Hulk Hogan’s (Terry Bollea) karaoke bar, we see where these men are now and how they have navigated the cliffs of fame.

The Six Pack combines the spirit of a fan with the rigor of an investigative reporter, tracking down former WWF employees, childhood friends, and mutually curious archivists. Wrestling is perceived as a subculture without a cultural home, somewhere between sport and theater—often dismissed as silly and low‑brow. But what makes this book so compelling is the humanity beneath each wrestler. The Iron Sheik, Hulk Hogan, and the rest of the cast were not characters in a comic book movie. They were real people, with families and feelings and bodies that could break. Most of them did, in fact, break; some have been repaired, but none of them will ever be the same.

©2024 Brad Balukjian (P)2024 Hachette Books
Social Sciences Sports Wrestling Combat Sports
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Critic reviews

“With a PhD in entomology, a beat-up Ford Fusion, and a prior career as a fact-checker, Brad Balukjian is both the least likely and the absolute best person to write this book. His humility, intelligence, and devotion to fact serve a work that is revelatory, emotionally on point, and addictively readable. It's all here—the lawsuits and exploitation, the clashing egos, the brain damage and the debauchery. But this is less an exposé than a love letter—to the strutting monsters of Balukjian's youth and to the men they ultimately became: surprisingly reflective, sometimes broken, always fascinating. What an achievement this book is.”—Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Fuzz

“Is pro wrestling real? Of course it is! It’s real enough to make a man take to the road in search of his boyhood heroes, undertake a sweet journey of self-discovery, and produce this gem of a book filled with wit, warmth, and wisdom.”—Jonathan Eig, author of King: A Life, Ali: A Life, and Luckiest Man

"The Six Pack isn’t mere rediscover-my-youth journey. It’s a joyful odyssey into the blissful, wacky, weird, outrageous world of 1980s wrestling. So step up to the top rope and leap into Balukjian’s masterful time machine.”—Jeff Pearlman, author of The Last Folk Hero and Three-Ring Circus

What listeners say about The Six Pack

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Good

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. There is a lot of history which you can get elsewhere and probably know if you’re into this subject. The experiences of Brad seeking out and being around the subjects are what makes it work though. Good, but as I say, bit long when you factor in the history narrative to ensure new readers understand the subjects.

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Excellent

A very well researched, written and read book. Brings out the real people behind the usually blurred characters that are professional wrestlers. Some fascinating insights into the formative years of the individuals scrutinised, backed up with fact checking by the author. The book has a great cadence and the content is wonderful. *****

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A superb listen

If you are a fan of the golden era of WWF then I highly recommend listening to this. Incredibly well researched and even long time fans will learn something new from this title.

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just a joy to listen to

just a really enjoyable nostalgic listen or if your a modern wrestling fan just a joy to hear the great history of some of greats

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Without doubt the best wrestling based book I've read!

A have read/listened too, without exaggeration 100s of wrestling based books. I would rank this as my favourite. Brad has such an innovative writing style, and gives real depth to the human beings behind the larger than life characters. You feel like you're following him on a journey, and it is completely engrossing. Love it. Thank You, Brad.

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