David Shoemaker is an American writer and podcaster known for his coverage of professional wrestling under the name the Masked Man. He began writing about wrestling in 2009, contributing to Deadspin and later Grantland. His work examines wrestlers as performers, the business and culture around them, and the relationship between the characters audiences see and the people who play those roles.
His first book, The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling, appeared in 2013. It grew out of his writing about wrestlers whose deaths prompted him to reconsider their careers and the history of the industry. His 2026 book, Why Hulk Hogan Matters, returns to questions of celebrity and public memory through one of wrestling’s most widely recognized figures. Shoemaker also hosts The Masked Man Show With Kaz for The Ringer.
David Shoemaker Books
| Book | Year | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Squared Circle | 2013 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Why Hulk Hogan Matters | 2026 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
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Before his first book appeared, Shoemaker’s publishing work included book editing and design. Contemporary interviews described wrestling writing as an activity he pursued alongside that career. At Deadspin, his Dead Wrestler of the Week series used obituary-style profiles to revisit performers he had watched while growing up. The profiles became a way to investigate both personal histories and the pressures associated with professional wrestling.
In a 2013 interview, Shoemaker explained that the proposed book developed beyond a collection of essays. Research reaching back to around 1900 allowed him to connect individual character studies with a broader historical narrative. He described the gap between apparently invulnerable television heroes and vulnerable individuals as a central reason for his interest. That distinction shapes his treatment of performers whose public identities often obscure the circumstances of their working lives.
Shoemaker has argued for taking wrestling seriously as performance. Its scripted stories, athletic demands, and audience participation create a form of entertainment that can be examined through theater, mythology, and popular culture. His reporting also addresses difficult legacies and the consequences of the industry’s physical demands. The Ringer podcast continues his coverage through discussion of wrestling events and personalities, extending the subject beyond the historical focus of his books.
Wrestling Books
The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling: Shoemaker uses the lives and deaths of professional wrestlers to tell a history of the business and its audiences. Expanding on his Deadspin and Grantland writing, he connects individual performers with the eras and institutions that shaped them. The account considers wrestling’s theatrical appeal, its place in American popular culture, and the human costs behind characters presented as larger than life. Published in 2013.
Rather than isolating wrestling from other popular entertainment, the book examines the interaction between performers and spectators. Historical profiles explain how earlier generations helped establish conventions that later television audiences recognized. The contrast between the performance and the working person remains central to its discussion of fame, mortality, and remembrance.
Why Hulk Hogan Matters: Shoemaker examines Hulk Hogan’s importance to wrestling and American celebrity. The book follows the creation and changing reception of a public figure whose influence reached well beyond individual matches. Hogan’s heroic persona, later reinventions, and complicated legacy provide a way to consider how wrestling produces stars and how audiences respond when a familiar image changes. Published in 2026.