Paul Orndorff [57Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
Paul Orndorff is a great interview in that he really was great, he really got the shaft and he has really been tragically lost in history. It is not simply bitterness, delusions of grandeur or anything like that, it is all true. That makes you really get into the interview. You know the sad story and it's so different from those of Buddy Landell, Chris Benoit, David Von Erich, Owen Hart and on and on. Orndorff had worked hard and developed into perhaps the most complete package that pro-wrestling had ever seen. That seems to be the narrative that Cubeta is trying to get across that from breaking in down in Florida and developing in Memphis and Alabama to bringing his game to a new level in Mid-South, Georgia and Mid-Atlantic, Paul Orndorff was one of the very best in the world when he came into the WWF. He drew as a top heel opposite Hulk Hogan and was a cut above guys like Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy and the other giants they fed to Hogan. He looked better, worked better and when paired with Piper was undoubtedly a better promo. Then he hurt his neck, worked to keep himself at the top level, but ultimately his body failed him and he was never a top star again (although still a great worker as late as 1994). Cubeta really gets that tragic story across and it makes me think he'd be a wonderful candidate for WWE Documentary.

The Bad
The 57Talk interviews are typically very good, but they are not as open-ended or pessimistically-directed as many of the others. Gary Cubeta wanted to tell Paul Orndorff's story through the man himself. You could say this is too one-tracked, especially for those who like the storytellers who go off in all kinds of directions in the 2-hour plus formats that RF Video, Highspots, SmartMarkVideo, etc. use. You might also feel that this is too favorable to Orndorff as Cubeta certainly strokes his ego throughout this. I've seen his RF Video shoot called "Return to Bitterness," which is very telling of its content. Orndroff certainly can come across as a bitter character if you do not take into account where he was prior to his neck injury. I think some people like to hear the angry tirades of people like Ole Anderson, the Honky Tonk Man, Bruno Sammartino and others and simply dismiss them as bitter old men. This is not that interview.

The Rating: ****1/4

Ted Dibiase [x2 57Talk Shoot Interviews]

The Good
Gary Cubeta is really good at asking pointed questions and conducting straightforward interviews and he had several direct themes to this one. He wanted to talk about Mid-South, he wanted to talk about the birth of the "Million Dollar Man" and he wanted to get some perspective on the business, the world and faith from DiBiase. I would say he accomplished his goals. I think Cubeta definitely intended to have DiBiase on more, but as with some guests it didn't happen and as of February 2011, they are out-of-commission (again.) Anyway, this was decidedly different than other interviews that I've heard with DiBiase. He certainly talked a lot about fresh events (he had just pre-taped a segment with his son) and was wanting to talk about mostly the modern situation. There was a fair amount of defending the current product, the current situation (ie WWE dominance and lack of companies) and even Vince McMahon himself. I think these were genuine sentiments, although I can imagine some might interpret them otherwise. This had a lot of non-wrestling content that I found interesting.

The Bad
I can imagine many people finding shoot interviews that put over Jesus, Glenn Beck and Vince McMahon while burying Barack Obama, John McCain and Eric Bischoff to be off-putting. I have read that this was a rambling interview that was really hard to listen to, but that is largely up to your own taste. Yes, DiBiase went on some odd tangents. Yes, he seemed to have done a 360 from his staunch anti-WWF stance due to the "sex and violence" of the Attitude Era. Yes, he put his son over again and again. I generally like listening to Ted DiBiase and I enjoyed a good portion of this, but a lot of it was take-it-or-leave-it level content.


The Rating: ***

Lanny Poffo [57Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
An early shoot interview by Gary Cubeta and it is very good, largely because he's interviewing Lanny Poffo. Although you might know him as the effeminate heel known as The Genius, the younger brother of Randy Savage or even WWF jobber Leapin' Lanny Poffo, this guy can talk and is one of the best shoot interviews there is. His RF Video shoot really opened a lot of eyes to his abilities and thankfully he's gotten more interviews as a result. Gary, always with the focused questions, spends a lot of time talking about the Sheik and Detroit, the ICW and his time with Hulk Hogan in the WWF. I enjoy that approach because it makes this a very different interview (although not as different as Lanny's anti-communist rant against Canada's national healthcare when he was on the LAW). I thought the discussions on hardcore wrestling, steroids and developing one's persona were all great, insightful parts to this 90 minute shoot.

The Bad
With Gary Cubeta's interviews, there is always the issue of the bits and pieces being left out. Since he does not try to shoehorn a career retrospective into an hour and a half, he leaves a lot out. Sometimes those parts are very significant and sometimes he never hooks back up with that person. I always enjoy Lanny's little sayings and such, but he seemed to have a few foul balls here. I guess it was early in the morning or something. Anyway, I feel this was a good, but not the best performance by Lanny Poffo.

The Rating: ***3/4

Adrian Street [57Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
I am fascinated by British wrestling and unfortunately there is not a lot of media coverage (that I've seen) given to those men who were such big stars years ago. Adrian Street was probably the amongst the hottest acts in Britain that became a hot act in the States, whereas many like Billy Robinson, Tony Charles, Al Hayes and such found mixed results. He, however, had this totally different life in the US while in his forties and kind of established himself in a way few others have been able to. Not one to downplay his legacy, Adrian Street explains how rough things were when he broke in, he spends a lot of time talking about Wigan's Snake Pit (which he did not attend) and just how accomplished he became during his time in Europe. In fact, his unpublished autobiography is 600 pages of just his life before coming to the US in the late 1970s. He admittedly blows his own horn and I came away knowing much more about this downplayed gimmick wrestler from the 1980s. Gary Cubeta does not have great knowledge of Adrian's career and practically none of his pre-US tenure, but he is able to get the ball rolling and how it rolls!

The Bad
Although this was excellent, 80 minutes was just not long enough. Adrian Street's career realistically spanned 30 years, but he's been active since his final run in Continental. Gary Cubeta mainly focuses on his years in the US and the development of his "Exotic" character, but Adrian clearly has much, much more to offer. They talk about the standard things, what it was like here, what was it like to work so-and-so and general reflections on Adrian's career. This was great, but it seemed to only be a scratching of the surface. Adrian Street is a braggart, no question about it. I've never thought he was a great draw, but to hear him, you'd think he was the great thing around. I tend to believe his act was a bit of a hotshot act that worked to pop houses, but he never had very long runs anywhere. I certainly rethought his contributions to pro-wrestling, but I still question just how huge he was.

The Rating: ****

Killer Brooks [57 Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
Detroit was such a strong promotion for so many years and it has not been covered in great detail. Here, one of its greatest stars gets into the nitty-gritty of the Sheik's promotion, its successes, its failures and its numerous top stars. Brooks had an insight that was excellent to here after Captain Ed George (the Sheik's son) and his understandable glamorizing of the promotion because Brooks was a little more measured and was able to explain the promotion's decline to an extent. He detailed his departure from the Sheik for a short-lived rival, his deep regret and his emotional death-bed reunion with the Sheik. Aside from that, Tim Brooks had some funny anecdotes about breaking into the business in Amarillo, tales of being blackballed (after leaving the Sheik) and having his own pro-wrestling school. I found this to be a great interview in its limited scope and this could have been part of an excellent series by 57Talk.

The Bad
I can only think of a handful of shoot interviews where technical problems drastically impact the quality of the interview, but this is one of them. Killer Brooks' poor cell phone simply cuts out a few times and they have to restart it. The instance where it really kills things is where he's just getting into the details of his leaving the Sheik in Detroit and starting a rival promotion and it goes dead. I would also say that this was hindered by its length. The bulk of the interview was spent on Detroit, but Killer Brooks had success all over the place. I am sure this interview was only intended to be the first in a series, but it never came to pass. This is a good, although incomplete (by my estimation) shoot interview.

The Rating: ***3/4

Buddy Landel [57Talk Shoot Interviews]

The Good
One of the more interesting pro-wrestlers in that people largely think highly of him despite the fact he could be labeled a "failure" with some just cause. Buddy Landel's career is, as he admits, a "real sad story" as he was loaded with potential as one of the best talkers and workers of the mid-1980s, but he threw it all away because of his "demons." In this three-part series with Gary Cubeta, they try to "analog" (a cross between analyzing and cataloging, I guess) his career. While this is an unfinished product, Gary would later admit that he troubles getting Buddy back on the phone, it has great depth and authentic analysis. Buddy can talk all day, he can put himself over, he can bury himself and he really needs little direction. Gary Cubeta does not usually sit back and let a guest ramble, so in this early 57Talk interview, he tries to escort Buddy through a career retrospect better than Buddy's RF Video shoot (which is good, by the way). The main focal points are Buddy's early years in the Tennessee area, his first heel run in Puerto Rico and his big run in Jim Crockett Promotions with some time given to his Mid-South (Buddy n' Butch) and later Memphis (Bill n' Buddy) runs. Cubeta and Landel have a great chemistry and it makes for a real strong series of interviews. While this is not the whole story, it may be the best parts of it.

The Bad
While I appreciate Buddy Landel for his abilities, his honesty and his humor, I have to say this is missing some of punchiness I'd expect. This is a guy who, according to himself (although Gary Cubeta, myself and everyone questions this), was slated to beat Ric Flair for an NWA World title run, yet he was too strung out on valium to go to TV. While he admits it is a sad story, Buddy is not angry, bitter or crazy from missing his big chance. It seems like so many former stars are one of those three and that's what makes them a charismatic interview, but Buddy simply seems at peace with it. I cannot fault him for that, but it sort of leaves this flat. Buddy is also pretty guarded in talking about the specifics of his addictions, just that they consumed him. You might also be disappointed at the lack of Mid-South and Smoky Mountain in this, but those were probably yet to come.

The Rating: ****

Bobby Jaggers [57Talk Interview]

The Good
A lot of the old-time territory guys have these labels attached to them - ribber, stooge, tough guy, etc. Bobby Jaggers has the label of "bull-shitter" attached to him. Now, I do not want to come out and say everything he says is bull and everything he did is bull. I will say he is a top-notch talker who needs few questions asked of him to deliver a great interview. I will say he had some extraordinary tales that I've never heard myself (and I've listened to hundends of hours of shoot interviews). I will also say that he does not entirely deny that label that he admits to having. Bobby Jaggers had a great career and he had many experiences that are surely worthwhile. If you go into this knowing that he might be a bit of an exaggerator, than you should enjoy this thoroughly. Gary Cubeta did three separate shows with him and it's hard to say which of them I prefer. He covered his career, he detailed the death of Bruiser Brody, he talked in depth about several territories (Amarillo, Kansas City, Florida, San Francisco) and he both put over and buried a lot of people. This was an all-out-there shoot interview and whether you love, hate or believe Bobby Jaggers, how can you not enjoy this?

The Bad
One of the common knocks on Gary Cubeta is that his personal knowledge is not great, so his interviews can be scattered, unorganized and some key issues can go uncovered. Isn't this the knock against most every shoot interviewing outfit? I'm simply not one for chronology unless it serves a real purpose. Why do I need Bobby Jaggers to share his Amarillo stories first and when he has a sidebar from a later period it gets the "we'll get into that later" treatment? I can understand how people feel that this is the logical setup and an overview is needed, but this linear focus is not a must. At least not for me. As for this specific interview, Jaggers strong opinions are contrary to many popular opinions (Pat O'Connor was a terrible worker, Roddy Piper was only pushed due to his politicking, Buck Robley's booking tenures were cut short because promoters feared him, etc.). Was he originally going to be the third Freebird? Was he really Dusty Rhodes biggest drawing opponent (up to that point)? If you can assume that Bobby Jaggers' reputation as an over-the-top storyteller is warranted, then you can enjoy these interviews.

The Rating: ****1/4

Skandor Akbar [57Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
An excellent three-part series conducted by Gary Cubeta that focuses on World Class (in part 1), Tri-State, Mid-South and the UWF (amongst other things in part 2) and everything else (in part 3). I enjoy how Gary narrow focuses his interviews and pumps in questions that are both pertinent and personally interesting throughout the interviews. Despite some technical difficulties, he and Skandor seem to have a good rapport that leads to an honest and insightful interview. They talk extensively about the demise of World Class, the sale of the UWF and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions and even get into some areas I'd not heard Skandor discuss much. Gary is quick to jump on Amarillo (in its last days under Dick Murdoch and Blackjack Mulligan), Australia (under Skandor's cousin Frankie Caine) and his brief runs in Florida and the WWWF. Skandor is just a torrent of memories and Cubeta is able to direct him into some great aspects that RF Video simply could not do.

The Bad
I feel like this is the tip of the iceberg. Skandor Akbar is a fascinating interview and I always enjoy him, but I always feel like there's a stone that's been unturned. Gary Cubeta uncovers some of the parts that RF did not, but some are not really delved into deeply. I think his experiences in Tri-State, which is so unexplored, and post-Barnett Australia would be excellent if given the time. Skandor is never at a loss for words and has a sharp memory, but basically sticks to the interviewer's questions. As great as this was I still want more.

The Rating: ****1/4