Col. DeBeers [Figure-Four Daily Interview]

The Good
I typically subscribe to Figure-Four/Wrestling Observer Online now for several month stretches every year. Typically, I follow the shows faithfully, listen to back shows religiously and put any newsletters I want to read on my Kindle for consumption when I can find the time. When I have tedious work to do, I listen to hours upon hours of a single show. Last summer, I poured over hours of Figure-Four Dailies and found a handful of them to be so exceptional that I'll be going back and reviewing them for this blog. One that was a standout was Bryan's interview with Ed Wiskowski (aka Col. DeBeers), although this predated my listening to his RF Shoot, it convinced me that this guy was a shoot master. Wiskowski's vast experiences, great storytelling and sharp insight make him one of those individuals that I'll go out of my way to listen to talk wrestling. Bryan does the standard - how'd you get in?, tell us about your athletic background (football) and all that, but is able to pull in the follow-ups that Rob never can. Although it was brief, Wiskowski talking about his experiences in South Africa were captivating and that area is so rarely covered.

The Bad
Only an hour barely scratches the surface of such a full career. Wiskowski touches briefly on his numerous European tours, which is often left out in shoot interviews with pro-wrestlers. Since he and Bryan are familiar with one another personally and have lived in the Pacific Northwest, they had a great chemistry. The Colonel, who loathes Dave Meltzer, only briefly mentioned him in talking about how Dave did not not thinking his character drew money. Bryan had him back on after Buddy Rose died, but he could probably have him on as much as Paul Lazenby, Dr. Lucha and it'd never grow old or dull.

The Rating: ***1/2