Matt Borne [SmartMarkVideo Shoot Interview]

The Good

At the time of this recording, about ten years before his passing, Matt Borne was seemingly pulling himself together.  He had long been a notorious drug abuser who never lived up to his potential.  In this fairly standard shoot, Borne goes over his career, the characters in it and seems pretty honest about his failures.  While he had some good runs in World Class and Mid-South, which he talks about, most remember him best as the original evil Doink.  The gimmick was over-the-top, but he really did it perfectly for the short time he was working it.  Borne definitely had a dark side that he tapped into to play the role.  Ultimately, his demons spoiled that run and he never quite got another chance as he slipped into a deep depression and his personal and professional life were in shambles.  This is lengthy interview that flows pretty quickly.  Borne has some great anecdotes and worked a number of territories, so this was interesting for an overview of the pro-wrestling scene of the 1980s.

The Bad

It seems like ripping on a shoot interview that is not full of vitriol is a bit unfair, but it certain can make them dull and uninteresting.  Borne seems at peace during this and does not want to say much about people like Rip Oliver, Buddy Rose, Bill Watts or others that he had issues with.  Thankfully, Borne is honest about his personal problems and gives the impression that he recognizes how they harmed his life, career and opportunities.  Understandably, he still had issues as his death was linked to pain medication.  This shoot is not going to blow anyone away with its insight, controversy or humor, however, it offers a glimpse into that period of the early 1980s through the mid-1990s when pro-wrestling was probably its wildest with all the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll that you could expect.

The Rating:  ***1/2