(NOAH) "Anything Is Possible ~ The Eddie Edwards Story" by Eric Maher and Mark Poulton

"You never know when opportunity is going to knock, and I want to be ready"

 "Anything Is Possible ~ The Eddie Edwards Story" is an illustrated children's book based on the career of Eddie Edwards (real name Eric Maher). I am going to review it from the point of view from a pro wrestling Noah fan.

The book starts out the way most people all over the globe get into wrestling, holding matches with their siblings in the front room, and watching it on the television. Even the most jaded among us in the 2000s, can remember the heady days of the 1980s during our innocent childhood naivety, watching the larger than life stars of the WWF (as WWE then was) or WCW come out to lights, loud music, lock up with each other, and perform what seemed to us like superhuman feats.
While this happens as I have said worldwide, what struck me was the similarities between both Eddie Edwards and Naomichi Marufuji; both played similar sports before getting into wrestling (they both did basketball, but Marufuji not Little League), and both grew up holding wrestling matches with their siblings. Also, Edwards is one of three, and Marufuji the youngest of four, and like his equivalent in Noah, Edwards is a major part of rebuilding Impact. Both companies have known glory days, both had to fall a long way after bad business decisions, and both have had to claw their way back up and overcome a mistrustful public and fan opinion.

The book charts Edwards from his early days to winning the GHC Heavyweight Championship, which in itself is a major achievement for a gaijin wrestler, and has never been done since August 2017, and probably will not happen again. It cannot be understated just how big an achievement this is. Noah have put all the other belts on gaijin wrestlers, but never the Global Honored Crown (heavyweight belt). Misawa's belt.

Misawa would have approved.   

Naturally, there are no illustrations of any Noah wrestlers (copyright and image issues), and only a few American ones are mentioned, but the illustrations themselves are beautiful. No two picture is the same, and there will always be something for kids to look at in the background, whether it be the airplane flying in the sky, or the broken piggybank on the floor or the pennants on the bedroom wall. Edwards himself, comes across as a very approachable and likable character.  

To the casual observer, the green that Edwards wears is for the Boston Irish (Maher is after all an Irish surname), but to the Noah observer it means not only that, but it also represents the late Mitsuharu Misawa, the founder of Noah, and of course it is the color of the promotion (when he was GHC Heavyweight Champion, the commentators (and Toshiaki Kawada) at Korakuen Hall referred to him as, "the GHC champion in the Misawa green".) Like Misawa (and also like Marufuji when he debuted, and currently Kaito Kiyomiya), Edwards wears the green and white (although he has now changed his look in Impact in 2018). 

  

The book is written in simple language so that children can read it themselves without being overwhelmed by words and wording, and in a font which is good for the reader who has visual issues or the child who is learning to read. At the back there is a glossary of terms, and long list of all the belts that Edwards has ever won. There is also a very moving picture of himself in the Noah green with the GHC Heavyweight. 

My four year old nephew would love it. It's a perfect book for children, it's short, to the point, the language is not overwhelming, and importantly in this day and age when all children hear growing up is that they will never amount to anything because they will never be able to go to college or university as they can't afford the fees, and even if they did, there are no jobs for them afterwards, and the sad soaring rates of depression and hopelessness among the young due to a seemingly gloomy future, it gives a message; never give up, no matter how hard you have to work.
Anything is possible.

LINKS
"Anything is possible" UK (available in hardback and kindle)
"Anything is possible" USA (available in hardback and kindle)
Eddie Edwards Books
"Anything is possible" ~ interview with Eddie Edwards (good read about his experiences in Noah)

Note: a limited edition plush was also sold in the USA, due to copyright issues it was not made available in any other country.