Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Under the Black Hat

  • My Life in the WWE and Beyond
  • By: Jim Ross, Paul O'Brien
  • Narrated by: Jim Ross
  • Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (1,069 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Under the Black Hat cover art

Under the Black Hat

By: Jim Ross, Paul O'Brien
Narrated by: Jim Ross
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Mayor Kane cover art
There's Just One Problem... cover art
Nitro cover art
MOX cover art
Young Bucks cover art
Tod Is God cover art
Kayfabe: Stories You're Not Supposed to Hear from a Pro Wrestling Production Company Owner cover art
Titan Sinking: The Decline of the WWF in 1995 cover art
The Hardcore Truth cover art
Best Seat in the House cover art
Damn! Why Did I Write This Book? cover art
We Promised You a Great Main Event cover art
Dynamite and Davey cover art
Raw cover art
Tremendous cover art
The Last Real World Champion cover art

Summary

From legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross, this candid, colorful memoir about the inner workings of the WWE and the personal crises he weathered at the height of his career is “a must-read for wrestling fans” (Charleston Post Courier).

If you've caught a televised wrestling match anytime in the past 30 years, you've probably heard Jim Ross' throaty Oklahoma twang. The beloved longtime announcer of the WWE “has been a driving force behind a generation of wrestling fans” (Mark Cuban), and he's not slowing down, having signed on as the announcer of the starry new wrestling venture All Elite Wrestling. In this follow-up to his best-selling memoir Slobberknocker, he dishes out about not only his long career, which includes nurturing global stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena, but also about his challenges of aging and disability, his split from collaborator Vince McMahon, and the sudden death of his beloved wife, Jan. The result is a gruff, endearing, and remarkably human-scale portrait, set against the larger-than-life backdrop of professional wrestling.

Ross' ascent in WWE mirrors the rise of professional wrestling itself from a DIY sideshow to a billion-dollar business. Under the Black Hat traces all the highs and lows of that wild ride, in which Jim served not only as on-air commentator, but talent manager, payroll master, and even occasional in-ring foil to threats like Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Undertaker. While his role brought him riches and exposure he had never dreamed of, he chafed against the strictures of a fickle corporate culture and what he saw as a narrow vision of what makes great wrestlers - and great story lines. When suddenly stricken with Bell's palsy, a form of facial paralysis that makes it impossible to smile, he stared down his greatest fear - being cast out of the announcing booth for good.

Picking up where Slobberknocker left off and ending on the cusp of a new career in a reimagined industry, Under the Black Hat is the triumphant tale of a country boy who made it to the top, took a few knocks, and stuck around - just where his fans like him.

Not only being one of the greatest wrestlers of the WWE, Ross is also “a master storyteller, and this book is the perfect forum for his forty years’ worth of tales” (Chris Jericho, former WWE champion). 

©2020 Jim Ross (P)2020 Simon & Schuster

More from the same

Narrator

What listeners say about Under the Black Hat

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    946
  • 4 Stars
    112
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    895
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    830
  • 4 Stars
    93
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Bored me to tears

This was after my favourite era in WWF but this story / style of writing bored me to tears

Only lasted few chapters, it was my own fault though, I was never a fan of his commentary either

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

10/10

10/10 one of the best wrestling books ever. meltzer would give this book 7 stars

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good god almighty!

Incredible listen. Starts right into closing time of the Attitude Era and doesn’t let up. Great stories all interwoven with the tragic death of JR’s wife Jan. Nice one JR

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A story of man that never gave up

Absolutely loved it.
This book truly is a love story about Jim Ross, his wife Jan, and his mistress: Professional wrestling.
I went through a roller coaster of emotions while reading this. It's Engaging, laugh out loud Funny, Shocking, and few stories actually got me p**sed off at times. And it bought tears to my eyes. This Book has a Huge Heart.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

I'm a Jr fan this book made me more of jr fan absolutely amazing book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

awesome

absolutely awesome. a true legend . And an essential listen for any wwe fan

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent follow up

JR pulled no punches here. A rollercoaster ride filled with great stories - fun, interesting and occasionally tragic, all delivered with the articulate Oklahoma voice that was the soundtrack to many childhoods.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very insightful

Excellent stories. Engaging, emotional and enthusiastically told. An essential book for any pro wrestling fan

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the voice of my childhood

fascinating hearing the stories, truly heartbreaking chapter 50 JR the voice of wrestling amazing listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

5 stars!

a must for any wrestling fan. JR telling his own story makes this audiobook unmissable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful