Sex, Lies & Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation by Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham, 2002.

The word "disappointment" accurately sums-up my thoughts on this new, tell-all book about Vince McMahon. Disappointment for a plethora of reasons.

Regarding the title ... plain and simply, it sounds like a rip-off of a 1989 film. It just lacks creativity. Secondly, the sub-title doesn't accurately portray the book. Stating, "The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation" makes a reader believe that (1) the entire book was going to be about Vince McMahon and (2) that the "real story" alludes to "the story we've never heard." Not true.

Basically, this book is … simply a history starting with the territories, through NWA, WCW, ECW and ending with modern-day storylines. This is, however, a history that any fan who has been a wrestling devotee for more than a few years could easily recite.

And that's part of the problem with "Sex, Lies & Headlocks" ... it is simply a re-telling of the same old stories we've all heard many times before. Basically, there is nothing new here.

Furthermore, it is obvious that an "outsider" wrote this book. And when I refer to an "outsider," I mean someone who hasn't necessarily watched the industry closely. I refer to Assael as an "outsider" because of the gross misrepresentation of many facts that are littered throughout this book.

For example--Assael states that Hulk Hogan "ended the … career" of Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3. In truth, regardless of other events, Andre subsequently wrestled at Wrestlemania 4-6. A simple glance through the WWF's own "The History of Wrestlemania" would have cleared-up that nasty error.

But this giant-sized (no pun intended) error isn't the only one. Assael claims that Dink (a midget side-kick to Doink) was an "evil clown" and that Diesel (Kevin Nash) lost the WWF title to Shawn Michaels. Yet again, the character of Dink was always a babyface and Nash lost the WWF title to Bret Hart, not Michaels. These, along with inconsistencies regarding the Ric Flair "heart attack" angle, Goldust and the Bret Hart "screw-job" of 1997, add to the lack of the book's credibility. It also leads to frustration for the reader who wonders how someone can write a book about wrestling who is obviously wrestling naïve?

While I read this book in less than a day, it does have many boring-seemingly pointless-sections. These consist of spot-by-spot dictation of several matches (most of which are non-WWF matches; Ric Flair vs Van Vader for example) and elaborate histories of individuals impertinent to the flow of the book.

Not only does this book "jump-around"--both idea-wise and out of order of time sequence--it also begins certain sections and fails to provide readers with a conclusion. We hear about the WWF RAW parodies of Ted Turner and Hulk Hogan, but we are never told about the lawsuit WCW filed to keep the WWF from having these imitations appear at Wrestlemania 12. We are also given some facts but no resolution to the WWF's lawsuit against WCW regarding possible copyright infringement when Hall and Nash jumped to Turner.

My estimate is that half the book is about Vince McMahon. Many chapters are solely dedicated to others. And while, obviously, other key-players need to be established, Assael spends quite a bit of time talking about back-stage politics in WCW, which, are realistically, unimportant in book about Vince McMahon. The reader keeps speculating how these events will tie-in to McMahon but we're never really given an explanation. These sections-along with the aforementioned detailings of certain matches-seem to be merely page-fillers versus substantial information.

The use of vulgarities and slang throughout the text is also uncalled for. This would be understandable in direct quotes, however the use of these terms directly from the author simply makes Assael appear sophomoric and lowbrow versus professional.

Before reading this book, my assumption was that it was an anti-McMahon book. The title seems to substantiate this notion. However, after completing "Sex, Lies & Headlocks," I'm unsure what position the author had. There is no clear portrayal of McMahon as either a "good guy" or "bad guy." In fact, at points, it appears Assael is sympathetic to McMahon and other times not.

Shaun Asseal is a writer for ESPN: The Magazine. Perhaps that's they key I've been seeking. Asseal may know sports. But he doesn't know "sports entertainment."