Honky Tonk Man & Missy Hyatt [RF Video Face-Off Shoot Interview]


The Good
RF Video's Face-Off series features many interesting combinations, some good, some not so good and this is somewhere along that same continuum. The Honky Tonk Man is always entertaining, although perhaps has been overexposed like the Iron Shiek, New Jack and Missy Hyatt. Missy, seemingly prompted by RF Video, interviews Honky for the opening segment and that is fine. Then they get into the Honky rhythm and RF pops in a few questions and there off and running. Missy gets in some comments, but the talking is mostly done by Honky. They wax nostalgic, they bury people and they talk about how the business has developed into the current product. Some of this is very good, interesting stuff.

The Bad
I think I've said that once you've seen one Missy Hyatt shoot, you've seen them all. She has a core of people she hates (Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, Kevin Sullivan, Dark Journey and such), she has a core group of people she puts over (Eddie Gilbert, Jim Ross, Tammy "Sunny" Sytch and such). Honky Tonk Man is not all that different, but his career was much longer, fuller and he has more to share. I wondered if Missy would drag Honky down or if Honky would pull Missy up. I tend to think more of the former. Honky takes most of this, which is fine by me. This is what it is and it is not the best interview involving either of them, the best Face-Off interview or anything like that.

The Rating: ***3/4

Missy Hyatt [Wrestling Universe Shoot Interview]

The Good
Missy Hyatt is one of those rare people who despite having little or nothing to do with pro-wrestling anymore, not supplying much insight and a less than legendary career keeps getting brought onto radio shows and asked to do shoot interviews? The reason being that Missy Hyatt loves to fling mud and loves to talk about all the sex and drugs in the business. Shockingly, Missy never entirely comes across as bitter, but rather as someone who will dish the dirt and makes no bones about who she likes, who she dislikes and what opinions she has of everyone else. The WrestlingUniverse shoot series is exceptional and they largely throw softballs at Missy, so she can hit jaw-dropping homeruns (if you've never heard Missy Hyatt before). She says who screwed who, who she screwed, who she did not screw and who she owes favors. You'll learn about certain pro-wrestler's abilities, inabilities and adequacy. You'll learn about valet's drug problems, man problems and attitude problems. It is a free-for-all with the only caveat being she does not want to spoil her book (which was about what you'd expect).

The Bad
If you've never heard Missy, than you'd probably dig this. If you've heard her on WOL or a tame radio show, you'll probably notice she's a bit more colorful. If you've heard her YouShoot or some other shoots (RF Video, SmartMark Video, etc.) than this will probably seem like more of the same. She puts people over, but rarely specifies their good qualities usually just that they were "nice" or "smart." Conversely, she often buries people like Kevin Sullivan, Tony Anthony and Jeff Jarrett for no apparent reason and does not validate her thoughts with examples of being wronged. In the overall scope of her shoots, I'd rate this as "above average." I must insert though, you have to enjoy listening to the kind of interview she does.

The Rating: ***1/2

Jackie Gayda [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Other than trainers and brief interviews with Tough Enough participants, I've never heard an in-depth look at the show. Jackie, who was a co-winner of Tough Enough II, proved to be a decent talent, but simply never worked that much. The look at TE from a participant's perspective was really different and with a fifth season in the works, it was interesting to think about the production and storytelling that actually goes on. Jackie seems like a very down to Earth person who got curious about pro-wrestling because she was athletic and interested in broadcasting and production. It makes sense that she, a fitness model type, would be brought up too soon, but for whatever reason she was simply dumped after a year and a half on the main roster (along with new husband Charlie Haas). Although her time in business was brief and her actual knowledge is limited, Jackie Gayda's distinct entrance into the sport is one worth exploring.

The Bad
Jackie Gayda career was the proverbial "cup of coffee." From the time she was on Tough Enough II to when she ended her regular involvement with TNA is only five years! Yes, she won the show. Yes, she had a couple runs on WWF TV. But is she really worthy of an extensive shoot? A large portion of this focuses on her experiences with TE2 and even her try-out for the first Tough Enough. Very little TNA is discussed. OVW is talked about as a training ground and there is not much focus on angles or things along that line, which is typical RF Video lack of knowledge.

The Rating: ***1/4