FIGHTS: Review - 'Fight Card's 'Rise of the Luchador'

A PROUD VALE TUDO CHAMP SWALLOWS HIS PRIDE TO ESCAPE HIS PAST IN THE FIGHT CARD PULP TITLE

by

Bowie V. Ibarra

  

I don't think I've ever read a book that drew the kind of heel heat Fight Card's 'Rise of the Luchador' did as I read it.  There was a kind of contempt for lucha libre, pro-wrestling, and such legends as El Santo throughout the book, reflected through the protagonist, Carlos.  But by the end of the title, I realized where the author, Jason Ridler writing as Jack Tunney, was going with it and completely appreciated the finish.

The story revolves around Carlos, a former Vale Tudo champ from Brazil on the run from a violent drug lord.  It turns out Carlos killed the drug lord's son in a street fight, and Carlos finds sanctuary in a traveling carnival as a bouncer.  But when the big hero of the carnival's pro-wrestling show becomes seriously wounded by a crazed crowd member, Carlos is encouraged to don the mask and take his place.  But the attention his character draws brings him to the attention of the drug lords, still seeking him out.

As a fan of both combat sports and pro-wrestling, I really understood the perspectives of the folks in the story.  And though there was an underlying contempt for lucha libre and pro-wrestling and its fans in the book, Ridlerdid a fantastic job of balancing the strengths and weaknesses of MMA as well as pro-wrestling.  

Again, Ridler was drawing some serious heat from this avid pro-rasslin' and MMA fan.  And like a classic heel, the author's story was making my blood boil at how disrespectful the story appeared to be for the craft of pro-wrestling.  I was so mad, I kept reading to see where it was going, like the heel making me want to buy a ticket to a show to watch him get stomped.

Yet as the story developed, there was a method to the madness. 'Rise of the Luchador' built to a fantastic finish. In the end, it was a title that gave respect to the art of pro-wrestling and the art of combat sports.

Get your copy via kindle HERE.

You have got to explore the Fight Card titles HERE.

Check out more of the great combat sport-themed titles of Jason Ridler HERE.

BOWIE V. IBARRA is the author of the combat sport series 'Pit Fighters' from ZBFbooks.com.  It's the adventures of several fighters from around the world who form a stable to compete in the early days of MMA competition.  You can pick them up today in paperback or Kindle HERE.

 

Network with Bowie and check out all his other cool books featuring zombies, blood, and fights at his official website, ZBFbooks.com today.