History Literature / RingOfHell

* DanBrowned: [[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Dave Meltzer]] carved the book up like a Thanksgiving turkey in a 2008 newsletter, particularly parts about Benoit's later career and perception in the WWE and WCW locker rooms, and damn near everything Randazzo wrote about Wrestling/BrianPillman (a close friend of Dave's).

* {{Determinator}}: Keiichi "Wrestling/JushinLiger" Yamada is described as such by Randazzo - unable to convince the NJPW dojo to train him due to his height he moved to Mexico, where NJPW officials eventually found him living like a street urchin. They then consented to allow him into the NJPW dojo, where they couldn't come up with any abuse that caused him to do anything other than thank them for taking the time to train him.

* ShownTheirWork: Averted several times. While Randazzo has a substantial bibliography, he doesn't really source anything or annotate his book. His version of the feud between the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau does not jibe with details given by anyone else, including the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau. There are also points where he blatantly takes thing from other authors, but doesn't actually research them himself. Randazzo notes that the Dynamite Kid come from a family steeped in violence based upon the fact that the Billington family once held the office of executioner by birthright. This comes directly from Heath McCoy's book "Pain and Passion." However, McCoy, who was much more thorough, notes that this is only possibly true, and that there was an executioner named Billington in the early 19th century in the same town Dynamite Kid Tom Billington hails from. Randazzo just runs with this, probably because it casts Dynamite in a less flattering light. Randazzo also lazily repeats that Goldberg lost 31.5 liters of blood in a poorly conceived incident where he smashed a car window and cut up his arm. This comes from the book "The Death of WCW." As the average man has about 5 liters of blood in his body, it is impossible, even for a big man like Goldberg, to lose anywhere near 30 liters of blood. This was a typo, which "The Death of WCW" is filled with, and should probably read 3.15 liters.

* ShownTheirWork: Averted several times. While Randazzo has a substantial bibliography, he doesn't really source anything or annotate his book. His version of the feud between the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau does not jibe with details given by anyone else, including the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau. There are also points where he blatantly takes thing from other authors, but doesn't actually research them himself. Randazzo notes that the Dynamite Kid come from a family steeped in violence based upon the fact that the Billington family once held the office of executioner by birthright. This comes directly from Scott Kieth's book "Pain and Passion." However, Kieth, who was much more thorough, notes that this is only possibly true, and that there was an executioner named Billington in the early 19th century in the same town Dynamite Kid Tom Billington hails from. Randazzo just runs with this, probably because it casts Dynamite in a less flattering light. Randazzo also lazily repeats that Goldberg lost 31.5 liters of blood in a poorly conceived incident where he smashed a car window and cut up his arm. This comes from the book "The Death of WCW." As the average man has about 5 liters of blood in his body, it is impossible, even for a big man like Goldberg, to lose anywhere near 30 liters of blood. This was a typo, which "The Death of WCW" is filled with, and should probably read 3.15 liters.

Although the book contains many anecdotes about both wrestling personalities and promotions, the primary subject of the book is ChrisBenoit himself. It covers his journey through the professional wrestling world from his start in Stampede Wrestling through Japan, Mexico, WCW and finally the World Wrestling Federation. It ends with the infamous double murder-suicide.

''Ring of Hell'' has been sharply criticized by many people within the wrestling industry, including [[http://www.stormwrestling.com/063008.html Lance Storm]]. Many of the anecdotes in the book were disputed - and then many of those disputations were themselves disputed by others.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Almost every single executive in the wrestling business. Perhaps surprisingly, the generally detested Bill Watts gets a pass[[note]]Watts' less popular moves like removing the ringside mats and banning moves off the top rope, aren't mentioned at all[[/note]]. So does [=Linda McMahon=].

* ShownYourWork: Averted several times. While Randazzo has a substantial bibliography, he doesn't really source anything or annotate his book. His version of the feud between the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau does not jibe with details given by anyone else, including the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau. There are also points where he blatantly takes thing from other authors, but doesn't actually research them himself. Randazzo notes that the Dynamite Kid come from a family steeped in violence based upon the fact that the Billington family once held the office of executioner by birthright. This comes directly from Scott Kieth's book "Pain and Passion." However, Kieth, who was much more thorough, notes that this is only possibly true, and that there was an executioner named Billington in the early 19th century in the same town Dynamite Kid Tom Billington hails from. Randazzo just runs with this, probably because it casts Dynamite in a less flattering light. Randazzo also lazily repeats that Goldberg lost 31.5 liters of blood in a poorly conceived incident where he smashed a car window and cut up his arm. This comes from the book "The Death of WCW." As the average man has about 5 liters of blood in his body, it is impossible, even for a big man like Goldberg, to lose anywhere near 30 liters of blood. This was a typo, which "The Death of WCW" is filled with, and should probably read 3.15 liters.

* ShownYourWork: Averted several times. While Randazzo has a substantial bibliography, he doesn't really source anything or annotate his book. His version of the feud between the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau does not jibe with details given by anyone else, including the Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau. There are also points where he blatantly takes thing from other authors, but doesn't actually research them himself. Randazzo notes that the Dynamite Kid come from a family steeped in violence based upon the fact that the Billington family once held the office of executioner by birthright. This comes directly from Scott Kieth's book "Pain and Passion." However, Kieth, who was much more thorough, notes that this is only possibly true, and that there was an executioner named Billington in the early 18th century in the same town Dynamite Kid Tom Billington hails from. Randazzo just runs with this, probably because it casts Dynamite in a less flattering light. Randazzo also lazily repeats that Goldberg lost 31.5 liters of blood in a poorly conceived incident where he smashed a car window and cut up his arm. This comes from the book "The Death of WCW." As the average man has about 5 liters of blood in his body, it is impossible, even for a big man like Goldberg, to lose anywhere near 30 liters of blood. This was a typo, which "The Death of WCW" is filled with, and should probably read 3.15 liters.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Randazzo wrote that Triple H married Stephanie in 2000, though he failed to mention that was ''in'' ''{{kayfabe}}''. They were married in real life in 2003.
** Not to mention many of the WCW backstage anecdotes that were [[{{Jossed}} Dave'd]] in the Observer when the book was released.

* EnforcedMethodActing: "Japanese Strong Style", the form of pro wrestling practiced in NJPW, is described as being "wrestling that looks like it hurts because it ''does'' hurt".

* DanBrowned: [[Wrestling/TheWrestlingObserverNewsletter Dave Meltzer]] carved the book up like a Thanksgiving turkey in a 2008 newsletter, particularly parts about Benoit's later career and perception in the WWE and WCW locker rooms, and damn near everything Randazzo wrote about Brian Pillman (a close friend of Dave's).

* TheDogBitesBack: Dynamite Kid decided to make Jacques Rougeau his personal whipping boy. Rougeau, who was never a locker room tough guy and had previously been protected by his brother Raymond, eventually snapped and beat Dynamite senseless with a roll of quarters.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Almost every single executive in the wrestling business. Perhaps surprisingly, the generally detested Bill Watts gets a pass[[hottip:*:Watts' less popular moves like removing the ringside mats and banning moves off the top rope, aren't mentioned at all]]. So does [=Linda McMahon=].