There's Just One Problem: Inside the WWE with Demented-but-True Stories of Mayhem, Metal Chairs, and Major Insanity
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- Create Date：2022-10-29 06:52:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brian Gewirtz
- ISBN：1538710536
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Summary
Former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz brings readers behind the scenes for an unprecedented look at the chaotic， surreal， unbelievable backstage world of the WWE。
With untold stories from a career spanning over 15 years and featuring the biggest names and controversial moments in wrestling history， HEELS AND HEROES is an honest， unflinching look on how an introverted life-long fan unexpectedly became one the most powerful men in all of professional wrestling。
For decades wrestling was shrouded in secrecy。 It had larger than life personalities， bone crunching physicality and jaw-dropping theatrics but backstage it was an industry devoid of outsiders。 Then in 1999， after working together on a special for MTV， Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned to 26-year old television writer Brian Gewirtz and asked “You ever consider writing for WWE？” That question， and its answer， would have a profound effect on both of their lives for years to come。
HEELS AND HEROES is a story about perseverance， tenacity， and steel chairs。 Most writers in the WWE last for a matter of months; Gewirtz was there for over 15 years， writing some of most memorable and infamous storylines in WWE history （covering the “Attitude Era”， the “Ruthless Aggression Era” and into the “PG” and “Reality” eras）。
Throughout this journey Gewirtz found himself becoming both friend and antagonist to some of the biggest names in WWE history – Stone Cold Steve Austin， John Cena， Stephanie McMahon， Bill Goldberg， Paul Heyman， Chris Jericho， Shawn Michaels， and the two men who he worked the most closely with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson。 These men not only shaped his life professionally but also personally， forcing him to grow and change both as a writer and a human being。
So how does a lifelong fan and outsider break through to become the ultimate insider？ How does a low-key personality deal directly with his boss， the most brash， unpredictable “alpha male” on the planet， WWE Chairman Vince McMahon？ How does one gain respect in a locker room that wants nothing more than to see him disappear？ Where does one go when every year in wrestling takes you further away from the writing career you always wanted？ Taking advice from his idol， the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper， when you’re so full of fear， there’s only one way to push through: become fearless。
With untold stories from a career spanning over 15 years and featuring the biggest names and controversial moments in wrestling history， HEELS AND HEROES is an honest， unflinching look on how an introverted life-long fan unexpectedly became one the most powerful men in all of professional wrestling。
For decades wrestling was shrouded in secrecy。 It had larger than life personalities， bone crunching physicality and jaw-dropping theatrics but backstage it was an industry devoid of outsiders。 Then in 1999， after working together on a special for MTV， Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turned to 26-year old television writer Brian Gewirtz and asked “You ever consider writing for WWE？” That question， and its answer， would have a profound effect on both of their lives for years to come。
HEELS AND HEROES is a story about perseverance， tenacity， and steel chairs。 Most writers in the WWE last for a matter of months; Gewirtz was there for over 15 years， writing some of most memorable and infamous storylines in WWE history （covering the “Attitude Era”， the “Ruthless Aggression Era” and into the “PG” and “Reality” eras）。
Throughout this journey Gewirtz found himself becoming both friend and antagonist to some of the biggest names in WWE history – Stone Cold Steve Austin， John Cena， Stephanie McMahon， Bill Goldberg， Paul Heyman， Chris Jericho， Shawn Michaels， and the two men who he worked the most closely with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson。 These men not only shaped his life professionally but also personally， forcing him to grow and change both as a writer and a human being。
So how does a lifelong fan and outsider break through to become the ultimate insider？ How does a low-key personality deal directly with his boss， the most brash， unpredictable “alpha male” on the planet， WWE Chairman Vince McMahon？ How does one gain respect in a locker room that wants nothing more than to see him disappear？ Where does one go when every year in wrestling takes you further away from the writing career you always wanted？ Taking advice from his idol， the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper， when you’re so full of fear， there’s only one way to push through: become fearless。
Reviews
Andy Jerrick
，
There’s much more insight as to how the WWE machine works rather than individual stories about wrestlers， which is a breath of fresh air。 Solid stuff。
Heather
，
This book was pretty fun。 There's probably not much here new as far as wrestlers go - some of them are jerks， some of them are cool， some of them are both depending on the day - but I found the peek behind the creative side of the WWE pretty interesting。 Gewirtz talks a lot about the writing of promos， and I loved getting to know a bit about how different wrestlers work （or don't work） with writers。 And the chapter about working with Rowdy Roddy Piper， his childhood hero， legit made me tear up。 This book was pretty fun。 There's probably not much here new as far as wrestlers go - some of them are jerks， some of them are cool， some of them are both depending on the day - but I found the peek behind the creative side of the WWE pretty interesting。 Gewirtz talks a lot about the writing of promos， and I loved getting to know a bit about how different wrestlers work （or don't work） with writers。 And the chapter about working with Rowdy Roddy Piper， his childhood hero， legit made me tear up。 。。。more
Jefferson
，
Pros:• Entertaining stories about professional wrestling • Insider look at what goes into the weekly shows and PPVs• Unique tell all tales that show the true sides of the talent， management， and guests that have been part of the WWECons:• Only interesting for those who watched professional wrestling growing up • The author elaborates in parts of the story only to say “okay， that didn’t really happen” too many times • Slightly too long
Dan Bartfield
，
I wanted to like this book so much！First off， Gewirtz just can't describe what this book is supposed to be。 Is it a memoir or just a collection of autobiographical essays？Second， as a wrestling fan， I was so annoyed with the things he did not discuss。 CM Punk is almost never mentioned in the book。。。 One of the most polarizing wrestlers of all time who was main eventing Raw while Gewirtz was a head writer。 And there's more he should have brought up but did not。Lastly， his tone just gets old as th I wanted to like this book so much！First off， Gewirtz just can't describe what this book is supposed to be。 Is it a memoir or just a collection of autobiographical essays？Second， as a wrestling fan， I was so annoyed with the things he did not discuss。 CM Punk is almost never mentioned in the book。。。 One of the most polarizing wrestlers of all time who was main eventing Raw while Gewirtz was a head writer。 And there's more he should have brought up but did not。Lastly， his tone just gets old as the book goes on。 I didn't find his sense of humor very funny and it just started to get annoying。 。。。more
Joe Loncarich
，
Lots of fun stories about the behind-the-scenes world in WWE。
Jake Chavez
，
A great read for any wrestling fan
Frank Flores
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Per tradition I take my nephew to WWE every time they are in town。 We recently went and I thought who the hell writes this stuff？ Coincidentally this book came out around the same time to answer my questions。 Wild stories for sure！
Ty G。 Nelson
，
Fun read for wrestling fans。 Really pants the picture of what life as a WWE writer was like。 Feels like he held back some good stuff。 Not looking for “dirt” but this comes of off like too much time was spent considering what to include。
Charles Blevins II
，
I really enjoyed this look into life as a WWE writer and the perspective from an outsider。 Brian’s passion is witnessed throughout the book and does a great job storytelling。 I highly recommend this to any wrestling fan as well as someone looking for an entertaining read with some funny stories series lessons and a unique perspective on success。
Katrice
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I expected to be more into or entertained by this book。 I wasn't。 While it was well written and even had some moments that had me chuckling outloud， I just couldn't get into it and it ended up being a little of a slog I expected to be more into or entertained by this book。 I wasn't。 While it was well written and even had some moments that had me chuckling outloud， I just couldn't get into it and it ended up being a little of a slog 。。。more
Matt
，
I loved this book about the behind-the-scenes action of WWE circa the late 90s and early 2000s。 Brian Gewirtz happened to be one of the main writers for WWE during time period， which also lines up with my peak professional wrestling fandom， followed by the time that I stepped away from watching wrestling for 13 years。 I learned more about that time period in wrestling that I loved， the McMahon family， and the inner workings of WWE。
Robbie Doherty
，
Very entertaining read。 Lots of funny stories and cool facts about the behind the curtain goings-on of the rasslin’ biz。 Must read for a true fan。
zac brown
，
As a WWE fan， I found the behind the scenes stories of the WWE really interesting。 When he was writing about the guest GM segments or other promos he helped the Rock or Jericho with， I found myself looking them up right after on Youtube。
Lex
，
There are some entertaining anecdotes here， but as wrestling memoirs go， this one is fairly mid-tier。
John Strauser
，
As a wrestling fan I thoroughly enjoyed the book。
Grump
，
Cool slash light read about what it’s like to be a writer in the fairly recent era of WWE。 Good Vince stories， mostly funny self deprecating humor and for me some super interesting insights into the business from a behind the scenes perspective。 Of the handful of pro wrestling books i’ve read this one has that uniqueness of not being by a wrestler who snorts， fucks and gets hurt。 I’d put it on the shelf next to the Gary Hart book if that one ever went back to print。
Henry
，
Brian approaches his time writing for the WWE — at a time when such jobs were brand new — with hilarity， lightheartedness and self deprecation。 Although he gushes for Vince McMahon way too hard at times， the book is still a unique perspective of WWE when it was king of the TV。
Bianca J
，
This book was a WWE fans dream。 We all know wwe is scripted but it’s not something that’s really acknowledged especially by the company。 So it’s rare to get so much inside insight into how things work behind the scenes。 I loved reading all the different stories behind some of my favorite and least favorite storylines。 I just really enjoyed it。
Sean
，
A fantastic occupational memoir。 Gewirtz is vulnerable， funny and an excellent self-interrogator。 As a reality TV producer， I related to just about every story he writes about at WWE， but as a superfan of pro wrestling， I was riveted by how he overcame the unique challenges of this totally cool job。The way he portrays VKM is astonishingly complex and fascinating， multi-layered。Loved the last two sentences of the chapter before the epilogue。
Kris
，
3。5
Riley K。
，
I really enjoyed getting a look at what happens beyond the wrestling curtain。 As a lifelong wrestling fan， this really does bring joy to me。 Wrestling was there for me when the times were tough。 I enjoyed reading about Gewirtz and his encounters with the wrestlers。
Amanda Rusk
，
This book is hilarious。 I would highly recommend this book to any wrestling fan。 I can really appreciate his love and passion for wrestling！
Jack
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great stories and a fun， self-deprecating voice to carry through the big egos and medieval sacred practices of the wrestling business。 Wrestler’s court， fist fight with Heyman， Michael Cole not being able to hold his pee on a plane， are awesome。 Can’t believe we almost got a Eugene movie。 Very few come across in a positive way - The Rock， maybe， is it。 I enjoyed the crossover stories of celebrities or fame - Bob Barker drinking wine， Tyson backstage smoking and swiping magazines。
Tony Dunn
，
Whenever a new wrestling book arrives from a new talking head with a new perspective on the backstage gossip from the attitude era etc…I’m all in！ This time around it’s writer Bryan Gewirtz describing his “16 year Iron man match” with WWE as head writer of Raw， Smackdown and Pay Per Views from 1999 to 2015。 This book is a little different to most， as we get to hear stories from points about in WWE history that aren’t covered too often （Raw guest Host era， XFL， Rock vs Cena， Roddy Piper’s return） Whenever a new wrestling book arrives from a new talking head with a new perspective on the backstage gossip from the attitude era etc…I’m all in！ This time around it’s writer Bryan Gewirtz describing his “16 year Iron man match” with WWE as head writer of Raw， Smackdown and Pay Per Views from 1999 to 2015。 This book is a little different to most， as we get to hear stories from points about in WWE history that aren’t covered too often （Raw guest Host era， XFL， Rock vs Cena， Roddy Piper’s return）。 This is obviously a breath of fresh air because all too often it can be the same old stories thrown out there， with an ever so slightly different perspective， that’s not enough the make it any more interesting （Montreal anyone！？） The only thing that didn’t resonate with me is that there are quite lot of American tv references that I just didn’t get， similar to Justin Roberts’s book。 In fact， as a whole this is a very similar experience to Justin’s effort， which isn’t a bad thing at all， both are great！ Ultimately， in Bryan’s tale， we see the same trajectory that comes to all but a few WWE employees， sharply downwards。 Bryan clashes with Vince McMahon and we get another real insight into how he treats people behind the scenes。 Bryan tries to explain that he was wrong and he should have been more patient， but we all know McMahon was just being his usual self…。a prick。 Side note : I didn’t realise that it wasn’t Bryan himself on the audiobook until the very end。 Well done to the narrator for making it believable enough for me to think it was actually the author！ A very nice addition to the WWE tell-alls that have been doing the rounds recently。 Check it out if you’re into that kind of thing！ 。。。more
Patrick
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Great read for any wrestling fan。 Lot of good stuff about the production from a writer’s perspective and some behind the scenes stories。
Btmerriman
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Backstage stories about wwe。 Of course I liked it。
John Schorg
，
Books about professional wrestling usually are great to read because of the colorful histories of those who took part and the stories about life in the business。 This is an exceedingly minor addition to that genre。 The author isn't really interested in talking about the way the business has changed over the past 25 years。 If you have become disillusioned with wrestling， that's just tough。 You are better off reading Mick Foley's book or the Bill Hanstock book "We Promised You a Great Main Event。" Books about professional wrestling usually are great to read because of the colorful histories of those who took part and the stories about life in the business。 This is an exceedingly minor addition to that genre。 The author isn't really interested in talking about the way the business has changed over the past 25 years。 If you have become disillusioned with wrestling， that's just tough。 You are better off reading Mick Foley's book or the Bill Hanstock book "We Promised You a Great Main Event。" Two other things: the amount of brown nosing of Dwayne Johnson is epic， and you will be endlessly distracted by the number of incidents where the author "wishes" he had said or done something tough or cutting， only to say or do nothing。 。。。more
Philip Haagensen
，
Growing up， I had little interest in professional wrestling。 It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when my kids became addicted to WWE that I embraced the events and even had my favorite wrestlers （Batista was my guy！）。 So it’s accurate to say the tenure of Brian Gewirtz， author of THERE’S JUST ONE PROBLEM…， had a hand in my indoctrination to actually enjoying the world of professional wrestling。 To be fair， the early events I attended with my 8 and 12 year old kids were mostly spent with my daughter Growing up， I had little interest in professional wrestling。 It wasn’t until the early 2000’s when my kids became addicted to WWE that I embraced the events and even had my favorite wrestlers （Batista was my guy！）。 So it’s accurate to say the tenure of Brian Gewirtz， author of THERE’S JUST ONE PROBLEM…， had a hand in my indoctrination to actually enjoying the world of professional wrestling。 To be fair， the early events I attended with my 8 and 12 year old kids were mostly spent with my daughter fearing the introduction of the Undertaker and my son hoping CM Punk got his shot at a championship。 I was more actively concerned with crowd watching。 That was where all the entertainment was for me。 But something funny happened over the course of several years and attendance of live Smackdown， Raw， and pay per view events。 I realized none of it was really about the wrestling。 It was about heroes and villains （err…babyfaces and heels） squaring off in mortal combat with multi week （sometimes years） storylines， carefully constructed to maximize audience involvement。 It was a comic book come to life， and I loved comic books growing up。 I mean， Randy Orton WAS Sabretooth。 John Cena WAS Wolverine。 Their battles were epic。 But behind much of this narrative were writers like Gewirtz， scripting the story to maximize impact， and， above all， generate fan interest which translates into profits。 And boy， did WWE succeed in that endeavor。 I realized these storylines， for me， were far more compelling than the actual wrestling。 When done right， I couldn’t wait for the next tv episode。 My kids just wanted to see their heroes and villains; I went along for the drama （well…ok。 I also fan watched quote a bit still）。 All this said， I always wanted to know a little more about the WWE creative process and get a peek behind that massive entrance。 Gewirtz does exactly that here， with a fondness and self deprecating voice which can only come from a little distance and perspective。 Now seven years removed from his WWE employment， Gewirtz looks back on his tenure as the one time 7th most powerful person in the WWE with a calmness and self introspection he would not have had back when he was employed by The Company。 To be clear， this is not a guy with a gripe writing a tell all memoir。 If you’re here for that， you’ll leave disappointed。 Gewirtz has both respect and fondness for his time at WWE with no axes to grind。 He’s fair in his assessments of past incidents and controversies， recalling events with candor and humor making for a quick read as the chapters fly by。 Gewirtz weaves in WWE terminology， explaining the wrestling vernacular early on with lasting impact。 So when he uses these terms in context throughout the book as it moves forward， you feel like a bit of an insider privy to the wrestling lingo and experiencing these situations like you’re in on the storylines。 And he does all this coming off as your best friend sitting around the picnic table at the company appreciation day barbecue。 I mean， the guy IS a writer。 I won’t spoil any of the stories， but Gewirtz has anecdotes on most all the major WWE talents from the early 2000’s and behind the scenes commentary for several major storylines。 The fact that so many wrestlers agreed to blurb this book just goes to show you that Gewirtz was highly regarded by the Talent he worked both with and for in The Company or， at least， time has allowed them to judge him positively。 All throughout the book Gewirtz not only dishes on events and criticism of said events but carefully analyzes the success or failure of each event providing fascinating analysis as well as capturing reactions from the wrestling talent and management。 He never comes off as full of himself; actually just the opposite。 It all makes for an insightful， behind the scenes glimpse of an entertainment juggernaut。 This was a totally enjoyable read。 I’d recommend it to anyone who grew up with a WWE themed bedroom （like my son） or kept John Cena’s autographed picture on their wall （like my daughter）。 But also anyone intrigued by the inner workings and day to day highs and lows of working for a cultural behemoth like World Wrestling Entertainment。 4 out of 5 “I can smell what you’re cooking， Gewirtz” stars。 。。。more
Daniel Kukwa
，
I'm still enough of a pro-wrestling/WWE fan to be intrigued by this book。。。and the end result was a reading experience that left me simultaneously fascinated， humoured， and appalled。 The people working in the WWE （both talent and backstage） are definitely not people I would feel comfortable with。。。and the humour of Brian Gewirtz and his fellow writers is definitely NOT my sense of humour。 That said， this peek behind the curtain was never less that informative and entertaining。。。but this world is I'm still enough of a pro-wrestling/WWE fan to be intrigued by this book。。。and the end result was a reading experience that left me simultaneously fascinated， humoured， and appalled。 The people working in the WWE （both talent and backstage） are definitely not people I would feel comfortable with。。。and the humour of Brian Gewirtz and his fellow writers is definitely NOT my sense of humour。 That said， this peek behind the curtain was never less that informative and entertaining。。。but this world is definitely not for the timid。 。。。more
Shaun Stanley
，