The unexpected death of Jamie Melissa Hemmings in February 2025 left a void in the tight-knit pro wrestling writer community. Fortunately, she left behind an unparalleled body of work, some of which are brought together in this collection. Curated by her long-time editor, Greg Oliver, be prepared to laugh, cry, and undoubtedly order some more books on her recommendation.
Softcover: Amazon.ca * Amazon.com
Kindle: Amazon.ca * Amazon.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A Writer’s Writer: The Works of Jamie Melissa Hemmings was created for Jamie’s Celebration of Life on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the town hall in tiny Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. We chose to post it for sale as a celebration of a different sort — of her work. Any profits will be going to the college fund of her son with Martin Hemmings, Liam.
Thank you to Marty Hemmings especially for believing in this from the get-go. The Hemmings and Kreiser families and friends have been through a lot, and the hope is that this helps heal some of the wounds. Ian Douglass attended the actual funeral in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and essentially spoke on behalf of all of us in the wrestling business, and we are pleased to share his words here too.
During the process of putting together, a lot happened, including the dissolution of the partnership that was SlamWrestling.net. This book, however, was a unifying project, and the new owners gracefully allowed it to continue. Jamie’s impact on the site and its staff is immeasurable.
Steve Johnson did all the layout, going over and above, to pay tribute to someone he met only once. We both called in many favors for photos, from true friends like Brad McFarlin, Pete Lederberg, Chris Swisher, Ricky Havlik, Steve Argintaru, George Tahinos, and new friend Denis Duquette. It is great to see some amazing photos from the past from Bob Leonard and Roger Baker in here too. We hit up PR reps in both publishing and wrestling to get some hi-res images, since those weren’t needed online when the stories first ran.
In a few cases, I reached out to the interview subjects themselves, and hearing their own memories of their conversations with Jamie — on and off the record — were a thing of beauty.
There may be a hole in our hearts from where Jamie once was, but this volume can fill a hole on your bookshelf, which The Queen of Wrestling Books most definitely would approve of.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
BYGONE DAYS
Karen Kellogg 3 • Sandy Parker 7 • Princess Jasmine 11 • The Sweetheart 15 • Lady Wrestler documentary 18
RETROSPECTIVES
Bob Leonard 23 • JJ Maguire 35 • Malia Hosaka 40 • Rocky Johnson 43 • Julian Shabazz legacy 46 • Ken Dunlop 56
INSIGHTS
Mayra Dias Gomes 63 • Mercedes Martinez 74 • Abraham Josephine Riesman 78• Markus Burke 84 • Ken Shamrock book 90 • Mad Maxine 95
SLAM! IN DEPTH
Goldy Locks 101 • Barry Orton (1) 104 • Barry Orton (2) 107 • Barry Orton (3) 112 • Bob Orton Sr. 118 • Barry Orton (4) 120 • Tom Cole (1) 125 • Tom Cole (2) 128
GETTING PERSONAL
John Tenta 131 • “The Figure Gore” 137 • Watching wrestling 142 • Bookmarks COVID-CON 144
REVIEWS
Parts Unknown 147 • Becoming Warrior 150 • Tito the Bonecrusher 155 • Mauro Ranallo 157 • Scarlett Harris 160
OTHER VOICES
Ian Douglass 165 • Bob Kapur 167 • Marty Hemmings 168
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 171