Who Was That Masked Fan:? A Wrestling Tale
J. Rocky Colavito
Independently published (July 7, 2023)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy
“Whether it is rebooted versions of various cinematic monsters, or relying on the presence of real mental derangement makes manifest the dangerous outsider as yet another monster to conquer. These examples represent [albeit superficially] the foundation for the successful union of professional wrestling and horror, a well-situated storytelling and character development strategy to better frame the battle between good and evil and the principals in the battle,” Rocky Colavito wrote in his article, More than Hard Core Death Matches: Pro Wrestling and Horror’s Interdependence published on The Butchered Writers Substack on April 11, 2026.
I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, as I’ve never read any of the horror wrestling genre and am not a fan of the sport at all, but when offered a peek into the world, I admit I was curious to see how this would play out. And I found it delightful! It was a full seventy pages of wrestling action and smack talk with a mysterious character who makes the NEW a better club, The Spirit, and a sweet little boy who dreams of becoming a wrestler in the ring himself one day, Handy Andy. With The Spirit’s help, the club finds their own way back to the spirit of wrestling and Handy Andy finds his way to fame during middle school, which only grows in turn. It’s all backdropped by the ghosts of the greats hovering over the ring in the back and watching the action. And man, was there a lot of action!
Rocky Colavito’s mind is stellar at capturing a wrestling fight on the page. His use of technical terms is above bar but didn’t alienate me as the reader; it only increased my understanding of a sport I knew nothing about. There was no room to breathe while I was reading these action scenes. It became apparent to me that wrestling stories do indeed have their own place in the genre of horror because there is good fighting evil every time. Who comes out on top? I never know until the match is over, but the adrenaline is pumping and the wrestlers are at their best performance levels and smack talk. If you’re looking for a refreshing book to pick up, you might try Who Was That Masked Fan?: A Wrestling Tale. It just might surprise you and win you over like it did me.
