Roland Bock: The Trajectory of a European Wrestling Legend

Roland Bock: The Trajectory of a Life - Europe's Strongest Professional Wrestler
¥3,960 (Tax Included)
Author: Andreas Matl
Translator: Satoshi Sawada
Specifications: B5 size / 464 pages / 1 color / Hardcover
ISBN: 978-4-909125-64-4

The Wrestler Antonio Inoki Struggled Against the Most
Fighting a Bull, Fighting Himself
The memory of that deathmatch still vividly revives within me.
The battle with my comrade, Antonio Inoki, an unforgettable moment etched in my life.
I want to deliver my passionate feelings to the readers of Japan from Germany.
Roland Bock

After a childhood of poverty, he became the European amateur wrestling champion and participated in the Olympics. He turned professional and made a name for himself in a deathmatch against Antonio Inoki. However, the outcome was arrest and imprisonment. From there, he miraculously made a comeback as a businessman. Although he was called the "Disco King," the turmoil continued. He moved to Southeast Asia, but returned to his home country due to business failure and infectious disease. And then, a new challenge---a book depicting a dramatic life.
Bock has not yet given up on life.

The author, Andreas Matl, is a journalist and a passionate professional wrestling fan himself, whose book "45 Sekunden - KIM BUI," which depicts the athletic life of gymnast Kim Bui, was selected as a Spiegel magazine bestseller.

Protagonist: Roland Bock
Born in Germany in 1944. He began amateur wrestling at a local wrestling club at the age of 14. He achieved results in the European Championships and participated in the 1968 Mexico Olympics. He was the leading candidate for the 1972 Munich Olympics, but was expelled due to a conflict with the German Amateur Wrestling Association. He turned to professional wrestling in 1973. He was active as a wrestler and promoter, and organized a big event in Europe in 1978 to fight "Antonio Inoki," the man who drew with Muhammad Ali. Although he engaged in a fierce battle that remains in wrestling history, he suffered a huge financial loss, and furthermore, tax evasion and fraud were discovered in the settlement, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. After his release, he made a comeback as a businessman, running a large-scale disco business and obtaining a kingly life. In the 1990s, he entrusted the business to his employees and moved to Thailand in Southeast Asia. He enjoyed a paradise-like life. In the 2000s, he returned to Germany, but at that point, the disco, which had fallen into financial difficulties, had been taken over by others. However, his ambition to pursue new businesses did not wane, and he started a new business and lives in Germany.