Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America

Written by Abraham Josephine Riesman

Narrated by Alyss Weissglass

This definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, is “riveting, essential reading” (Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author) as it charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires. Featuring exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent.

Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world.

In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit.

Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force and has helped foment “the worst of contemporary politics” (Kirkus Reviews).

Ringmaster built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. “Smart, entertaining, impressively reported, and beautifully written. Wrestling fans will devour it, but everyone who wants to better understand this crazy country and one of its truly original characters ought to read it” (Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797155661

Abraham Josephine Riesman

Abraham Josephine Riesman is a journalist and essayist, as well as the author of the biographies Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America and True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee. She was a longtime staffer at New York magazine and its culture site, Vulture, and her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, VICE, The New Republic, and elsewhere. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her spouse and their cats.  

Reviews for Ringmaster

[cmg1563 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The beginning to middle of this book is Incredible! The life of Mr. McMahon is well documented early on, but towards the end of this book it seems the direction shifts to wrestling storylines. It seems the train got back on the track by the final chapter, but I would’ve enjoyed a bit more consistency in the duty of showcasing McMahon, rather than highlighting various WWE in-ring feuds.

[Larry Parker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great history other than the fact that it was a small platform for digs at Trump. Take that out, and it's 4 stars.

[david moses · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a revelation. I’ve come to believe that pro wrestling is the cultural art most indicative of America’s direction, and Josie (Abraham Riesman) shows you why.

[Rob Fulton · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What’s with the stupid political attacks on trump and DeSantis?

You had to ruin the book in the first chapter? Is this a hit piece on the WWE trunk and DeSantis ?

What a disappointment and waste of time. Nice to see you use big words to sound smart. This ain’t a good book.

[Jason Troutman · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Really? A book about wrestling has to start out with opinions on Trump,Covid,and the GOP? People really have a mind virus and can’t help but to stand on a moral soapbox that they’re right in their political ideology.

[James Jeff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Major credit for covering a man’s life from the age of 12-78 yrs old. That’s a lot of ground to cover and in-depth research to conduct. The time period jumps were a bit much, and some of the transitions were hard to follow on the audio book. I do wish more of the 2000-2022 time period was covered, but I understand. I almost feel like the story is to be continued, like we haven’t reached a conclusion to the story. Great Job !