Tod Is God: The Authorized Story of How I Created Extreme Championship Wrestling

The uncensored inside story of ECW's founder Tod Gordon's journey from jewelry store owner to one of the three most powerful promoters in pro wrestling.

"An incredible, entertaining and insightful story of one of the most important--and also underappreciated--promoters in wrestling history. A must-read for any wrestling fan, promoter, executive or any of the boys looking to laugh and learn." --Alfred Boima Konuwa III, Forbes

Extreme Championship Wrestling was the revolutionary, industry-redefining wrestling federation of the '90s, and founder and owner Tod Gordon is telling his story for the first time. Gordon went from local Philadelphia businessman to the third most influential man in wrestling as ECW became the fiery challenger to WWE and WCW. ECW's young roster featured inventive risk-taking talent that both major federations sought to emulate but could never duplicate. Chants of "E-C-W!" rang out in wrestling arenas across all federations for decades.

"...a must-read story detailing the colorful history of ECW." --Justin Barrasso, Sports Illustrated

In Tod is God--so named for a chant the ECW fans created to honor the founder--Gordon chronicles each step of the company's meteoric rise to prominence, as well as the elements that led to his removing himself from the company before its demise. Gordon's former partnership with ECW booker Paul Heyman made for magical TV and in-ring moments. The friendship between Gordon and Heyman, both a blessing and curse, was the once-in-a-lifetime bond responsible for so many of history's greatest teams, bands, and partners. Gordon has stayed silent on the causes for the split and, by doing so, assumed blame for it. Until now.

"The true, raw and unvarnished journey of an extreme influencer who changed the entire trajectory of the professional wrestling industry. The letters ECW never cease to fascinate fans and Tod Gordon finally reveals all the inner workings and machinations that came with the creation, rise and fall of the most influential wrestling company of the 1990s." --Mike Johnson, PWInsider

Tod is God is the closest you'll ever get to living ECW's ride to the top. Come sit beside Sandman, Sabu, Terry Funk, Cactus Jack, and other ECW stars as Gordon brings you inside the locker rooms, hotel rooms, and car rides. From the triumphs and breakthroughs to the frustrations and tragedies, you'll live it all alongside the man who started it all.

"ECW was figuratively (and occasionally literally) the match and accelerant that took the wrestling business from being a niche product to a staple of broadcast and cable television. Without Tod Gordon, there never would have been a WWF Attitude Era. He ended up changing an entire industry." --Dave Scherer, PWInsider

Author: Tod Gordon, Sean Oliver
Publisher: Permuted Press
Published: 07/25/2023
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.60h x 6.20w x 1.60d
ISBN13: 9781637588666
ISBN10: 1637588666
BISAC Categories:
- Sports & Recreation | Wrestling
- Biography & Autobiography | Sports
- Biography & Autobiography | Business

About the Author
At age thirty-seven, Tod Gordon had a mid-life crisis and, instead of buying a sports car, founded ECW. The federation was quickly seen as the third wrestling organization, a younger and hipper alternative to WWE and WCW. ECW and its revolutionary effect on the business has been the subject of books and documentary DVDs for nearly three decades. Gordon is also the owner of Carver W. Reed, the Philadelphia jewelry and pawn institution founded in 1860. He has also served as president of both the global charity The Variety Club and the Pennsylvania Pawnbrokers Association. Gordon lives in Philadelphia with his wife Adrienne. This is his first book.

Sean Oliver is the author of six books, including three Amazon bestselling wrestling books as well as three novels in the supernatural thriller genre. He has also written for the screen and is a 2021 Writer's Digest Writing Competition winner in the script category for a TV pilot called Trixie. Oliver is also an actor and voice artist with over a hundred major motion picture and TV credits and has directed national television commercials. He co-owns the wrestling production company Kayfabe Commentaries and co-hosts the Kliq This podcast with Hall of Famer Kevin Nash. Oliver is also a teacher in New Jersey where he lives with his wife and two daughters.