Wrestling Lit. 101

By Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daniel Levy, Andrew Purvis, Julie Rawe, Sachiko Sakamaki, Alex Taylor, Owen Thomas, Josh Tyrangiel

BUT IS THE PEN MIGHTIER THAN THE BODY SLAM? With all the shouting at wrestling matches, you might miss the cries of "Author! Author!" But wrestling lit is getting so popular that Jesse Ventura has signed up for a second round, to be released by Pocket Books in September. To get you up to speed on the chair-wielding set's literary pursuits, a primer:

The Rock Says...

Author The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson

Real author Joe Layden

Writer's muse Shakespeare, the Rock

Highest accolade No. 1 on New York Times nonfiction best-seller list

Painful formative event Senior-year back blow dooms NFL dreams

Have a Nice Day!

[Author] Mankind, a.k.a. Mick Foley

[Real author] Mick Foley

[Writer's muse] Jonathan Kellerman

[Highest accolade] 13 weeks on New York Times best-seller list

[Painful formative event] Loses ear, gains mask in wrestling accident

Who's Next?*

[Author] Bill Goldberg

[Real author] Bill's brother Steve

[Writer's muse] Hunter S. Thompson

[Highest accolade] A mid-six-figure advance from Crown

[Painful formative event] Football career cut short by knee injury

Konishiki Exposed

[Author] Konishiki, the first American sumo

[Real author] ghostwriter

[Writer's muse] John Grisham

[Highest accolade] After book is published, wins Fair Play award

[Painful formative event] Failure to win top rank wounds pride

*Tentative title; book due out in November