Face-Off 7: Terry Funk & Bob Backlund [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
A good solid interview where two guys with genuine respect talk about the past. I've heard the Funker half a dozen times and have never heard Backlund, so part of me felt like this was lacking because so much of the focus was on Amarillo. They respect for one another played well though and it was totally different than Terry with Shane Douglas, Steve Corino or Mick Foley. These two were much more contemporaries and had this long history and careers that never overlapped other than that brief period in the mid-70s. I think this was a good combination, but you feel like there is a whole layer missing as well.

The Bad
Tandem interviews are so hit-or-miss and this one could probably be called either based on your preferences. Terry Funk is fascinating interview and I've enjoyed hearing him several times in different places and sometimes paired with people. Bob Backlund, whom I'd never heard in a shoot before, was about what I expected. This was a pretty low-key type of interview where they put each other over, they put their glory days over and buried the current product a bit as well. Although I found this enjoyable and interesting, it just seemed to be lacking in some way.

The Rating: ***1/2

RF Video's "Behind Closed Doors" with JJ Dillon

The Good
JJ Dillon has always been a favorite of mine (in this capacity, not so much as a manager) because he is very insightful, very straightforward and has some good stories to share. As someone who worked all over the place, including with the Funks and Eddie Graham as well as the assistant booker to Dusty Rhodes in the mid-80s and as one of Vince McMahon's right-hand men as the Head of Talent Relations, JJ Dillon certainly has psychology to share. They spend a far amount of time going over his career, but it is the nuts and bolts of booking, working angles and such that makes this good. Talking about getting a break as a different type of heels up in the Maritimes, talking about his approach to interviews, talking about the Florida standard of big events, talking about simply why angles worked makes this excellent. This is quite an extensive shoot at roughly three-hours in length, but the thoroughness in his anecdotes are all parts of the lesson.

The Bad
Since I enjoy listening to JJ Dillon, I feel like I've heard some many of his stories already. While that does not totally kill the enjoyment, it is perhaps not as good as hearing his material fresh. He is certainly an acquired taste as he is not particularly bitter, humorous or crass. JJ Dillon has nice things to say about most everyone and even when he has an issue (such as with Abdullah the Butcher, Mick Foley or Dusty Rhodes), he can put it into perspective. That is probably a healthier attitude, but if you want over-the-top, you won't get it here. While contextualizing is important, I felt too much time was spent on the career of JJ Dillon. What made Jake Roberts' and Bret Hart's "Behind Closed Doors" shoots excellent was they really dug into the psychology, whereas this one, Paul Orndorff's, Stan Hansen's and many others seems like a regular old RF Video shoot under another name.

The Rating:  ****1/2
 

Terry Funk: More than Just Hardcore


Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Terry Funk, Scott Williams
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 3/05

The Good
One of the most storied careers that reaches into more facets of pro-wrestling than perhaps anyone is that of Terry Funk. A second-generation pro-wrestler who grew up learning from the old-timers only a generation removed from the carnival hookers, Funk’s respect for pro-wrestling’s history is strong without being overly romantic. He criticizes Lou Thesz’s selfishness and the bitterness of old codgers who think the current product has nothing to do with pro-wrestling. Funk’s glory days in the US territories and All Japan are filled with funny anecdotes, astute observations and sound explanations. He is self-effacing without undermining his legacy and he gives candid comments without apology. Terry Funk seems like a man genuinely satisfied with his accomplishments and the bitterness just does not ruin his autobiography as it does others. Although he had his share of personal, physical and career-related problems, Funk does not excessively detail them. He gives pro-wrestling fans a book they want. Scott Williams channeled the Bill Watts’ story into an excellent book, but I would argue that this is better. What it lacks in booking psychology it makes up for in sharp insight into cutting promos, business shifts and stylistic changes.

The Bad
The only complaints I could make about this are the limited length. Obviously, Terry Funk’s in-ring career has spanned four decades and that could supply substantial material for a lengthy book. Heck, Mick Foley produced to bulky opuses with a career that was half that length. Funk also grew up in the business and has been involved as an owner and booker in addition to his in-ring experience. Terry Funk’s career seemed like something so massive and daunting that it could never fully be encapsulated in a average length autobiography. Scott Williams does a tremendous job, but will it satiate everyone’s appetites for territorial wrestling, hardcore wrestling and modern sports entertainment? The paying fans and pending reviews will be the best barometer of Williams’ achievement.

The Rating: ****1/2

       

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

Stan Hansen [RF Video's "Behind Closed Doors" Shoot Interview]

The Good
RF Video's second shoot interview with Stan Hansen is not much different from the first. It is a little more scattered, but that can be okay. Stan Hansen has a variety of experiences in both the US and Japan that could be explored. Rob goes more into the Japanese experiences than I would have expected, but ultimately his ignorance of the culture, product and legacy of Stan Hansen limit the depth of discussion there. Hansen explains how he grew to enjoy Japan, why the preferred that style and some of his experiences with different people in and out of the ring. Overall, he seems to understand the nature of this interview better than previous outings, so he is a little more open. I found this enjoyable, but it was certainly not all I would have hoped for.

The Bad
A notorious kayfaber, Stan Hansen even says, "What's kayfabe?" when asked about it. Rob takes the bait and tries to explain it before realizing how stupid he is. Hansen sort of knows what the score is and answers a fair number of question with "that's what I've heard, so it must be true" and perpetuates old angles with a grin (i.e. breaking Bruno's neck with the Lariat). While he was not as bad as I've heard, it got aggravating at times as he did not give the straightforward answer you'd hope for. Overall, it seems that Rob's inability to develop a narrative, ask follow-up questions or carefully ask more prying questions really hindered this. If Stan Hansen wants to play the kayfabing game, you've got to be a better interviewer to get more out of them. People like Arn Anderson, Jimmy Valiant and Stan Hansen will always be worthwhile people to interview, but it takes a quality interviewer to get them to really shoot.

The Rating: ***1/2

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