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When it comes to a list of accomplishments and accolades, Justin Roberts will always be able to say he ring announced the main event of Wrestlemania but he'll also be able to lay claim to writing what may be the most honest book ever about what it's like working for World Wrestling Entertainment. In fact, it may be a book that is too honest for the liking of some.
Roberts' new autobiography Best Seat in the House promises to take readers on a backstage journey into life behind the scenes in WWE and more than accomplishes that goal, hitting the high mark not just for wrestling autobiographies but even books that will one day be seen as historical documents on the business. While never technically an employee (despite his best efforts, Roberts remained relegated to independent contractor status his entire run), Roberts was in the trenches more than anyone, including some of the WWE talent, during his run as he was in the middle of the tornado that is live production every week (literally, as the ring announcer standing center ring) and being in the trenches on the road for the company 4-6 days a week, especially when you factor in travel time. If anyone had first-hand knowledge of the good and the bad, it's Roberts.
The book takes readers on a chronological look into Roberts' time in the business, from fan who become obsessed with announcing and who pestered anyone with even an ounce of inside connections or knowledge to college broadcast major to potential WWE announcer to full-time announcer to someone who gets his dream job only to find out that disillusionment and unhappiness sometimes comes with the reality that is revealed when someone gets exactly what they are wishing for.
Roberts, who wrote the book himself without a ghost writer assisting, takes a very nuts and bolts approach to the book, recounting his experiences in a way that comes off honest and reputable. Despite having the opportunity to grind an ax and get receipts for things that he hated that happened over the course of his run (including being bullied by Smackdown talents on European tour, including a physical injury) or being yelled at for making mistakes that he didn't know he was making - because he was going by an earlier edict issued by Vince McMahon that was now being reversed - Roberts doesn't make a case for why he was right and others were wrong. Instead, he lets it hang there for the reader to decide for themselves whether these people are right, rude or plain evil. By not attacking when he obviously had the ability and (some might say) even the right, Roberts adds to his credibility and that credibility rewards not just himself, but the reader.
In some ways, the book is sad because one can feel the passion being beaten out of Roberts. He's achieved his dream job and wants to do all he can to make WWE and its events better for the fans, because he has that perspective of what it's like being a paid customer who loves pro wrestling. One can feel his frustration when he pitches joining the creative team and then is flown across the country to meet with Stephanie McMahon, only to sit around at WWE HQ only to be told the company decided he didn't have enough experience. So, why was he even flown there? Even more maddening is Roberts' story about applying for a position in the company that he is more than qualified for, only to have human resources ask him to tell them about him, as if years of working for the company wasn't a good enough foundation.
Plus, the story of being called into Vince McMahon's office because he didn't present a script of verbiage Roberts was going to use at Wrestlemania, when Roberts was never asked to even create the verbiage in the first place, is beyond amazing. If one ever wanted insight into what it's like trying to pitch Kevin Dunn or negotiate a WWE deal or just finally apologizing for mistakes were made because your boss decides to change things on a whim without telling you, well, this is the book for you. In many ways, the reader has to ask whether Roberts was just being ribbed the entire time he worked there as a way to try and drum him out of the company, because all of it sounds almost too much to be true.
The book is not all downtrodden, however. There are lots of stories of the exhilaration of what it was like to just have the opportunity to announce, to walk out and stand center ring at the Allstate Arena where Roberts would go to watch wrestling, what it's like to announce Ultimate Warrior who he loved growing up or even just the sheer appreciation for those who were helpful to him or made wrestling fun, from Blackjack Brown to Tommy Dreamer and beyond.
A very pointed chapter deals with Roberts' friendship with the late Connor Michalek and Roberts' sadness over WWE, as a company, changing the story about how Michalek and his family came to get involved with WWE. Roberts, obviously affected by his friendship with Connor, who he spoke to regularly and his passing, also writes about how painful it was to see the WWE video pushing Connor's Cure every night, a constant reminder of the loss of this person who meant so much to him, and of the constant frustration of being rushed after the announcement to push the next thing by WWE directors, including Kevin Dunn. Even though it is something that greatly troubles Roberts, he still praises the company for what they did for Michalek, noting that Stephanie McMahon personally paid to bring the family to Wrestlemania.
Great wrestling books usually fall into one of two categories for me personally - they tell a great story where you follow someone as they go through these unique, wonderful and even troubling life experiences as only pro wrestling can account for or they provide great historical insight into a time period, company or era. Roberts, possibly without even meaning to do so, hits both bases with a tremendous book that will be as much as his legacy as anything he's done in his career.
For more on Justin's new book, visit www.JustinRobertsBook.com
Justin will be signing this weekend in Orlando at Wrestlecon as well as at Barnes & Noble (Plaza Venezia). Tommy Dreamer, who wrote the foreword for the book, will also be at the B&N. For additional details, click here.
To order Best Seat in the House, click here.
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