Patrick W. Reed is a writer based in London. He has worked in a variety of roles within the wrestling business since 2013, and in November 2023 released his first book, Kayfabe: A Mostly True History of Professional Wrestling.

Kayfabe explores a life-long fascination - how professional wrestling evolved from a legitimate folk sport into an intricate and unique performance art, and an international success story. It’s a history that takes in America’s Wild West, the Music Halls of Victorian London, the circuses of P.T. Barnum, the genesis of Mixed Martial Arts, all the way to the dizzying heights of Wrestlemania. As befitting a story with roots in Vaudeville Theatre, it’s full of twists, turns, surprises, myth-making and half-truths, with walk-on parts from some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment over the last two hundred years, and explains how wrestling went from a carnival con to a billion dollar business.

Since 2024, Patrick has been the host of the Bunkum & Ballyhoo podcast, which looks at showmen, con artists, hustlers, hoaxers and liars throughout history.

On this website, you will find more of Patrick’s writing on the Blog page, including further explorations of the themes covered in Kayfabe, and explorations of some areas of professional wrestling history that have been under-discussed elsewhere, as well as occasional thoughts on the modern wrestling scene. You will also be able to keep up with any future projects.

You can also support Patrick’s work on Patreon.

Photo Credit: Head Drop