July 12, 2004 Observer Newsletter: Ric Flair book controversies, TNA PPV dropped by DirecTV

The book “To Be The Man,” by Ric Flair, has become the most talked about thing in wrestling over the past week, both for Flair’s own self-portrayal, which even became an issue with his family, and his portrayal of several wrestlers, most notably Mick Foley and Bret Hart.

To understand all of this requires an understanding of the background of the book and a lot of history and personal dynamics. As noted last week, the book was written by Keith Elliot Greenberg, a long-time writer for WWE publications, best known for his work in the Freddie Blassie autobiography that came out last year. It was edited by Mark Madden. Those right there are two entirely contrasting personalities. Greenberg is a member of the WWE family, as he’s written for the promotion for two decades, and the book he wrote was very different than what was released. Different, as in less controversial. 

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