Ernie Ladd [Highspots Shoot Interview] 

The Good
Ernie Ladd is a well-spoken and sharp man whose athletic background and role as top star in pro-wrestling make him unlike anyone else who ever came down the pike. In addition to having an amazing career to talk about, Ladd had some interesting stories of racism in the Deep South, his political views which are interesting as a black man who is a long-time Republican and even his story of being "saved" was unique. I found Ladd to be a great storyteller and while not as over-the-top as his promos (he was in the latter stages of the cancer that would take his life), he really pulled you in. Initially, I was on the fence about whether or not the detailing of his extensive and impressive football career would be a huge addition, but he was so adamant about his greatness, so fiery about Grambling's and the SWAC's legacy of great football players and so passionate about describing the unusual cohesiveness (across racial lines even) of the AFL's San Diego Chargers that you had enjoy it. He even called the question of "how would Grambling have stacked up against the white teams that they couldn't play" out as being "stupid" because clearly they would have crushed anybody! You get some great insight into the greatness of the "Big Cat."

The Bad
I sometimes hold off on listening to a shoot interview in anticipation of it being really awesome. This was one of those and it was good, but it did not blow me away. Ladd is one of my all-time favorite promos and this was not a promo (not that it should've been), so much of his fire and humor were missing. He showed hints of both, but this was the musings of a dying old man, not the rantings of a man in his prime. Clearly Highspots had a two-hour time frame because they seemed to be limited in their depth and it could've easily been twice as long. I think if prompted appropriate Ladd might have delivered a little more strongly, but it was an average interview with an average interviewer and an above-average legend, so they is some disappointment there for me. Especially since Ernie Ladd is no longer with us.

The Rating: ****

The Cowboy and the Cross - The Bill Watts Story: Rebellion, Wrestling and Redemption


Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Bill Watts, Scott Williams
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 1/06

The Good
I anticipated this book for a long time and it didn't disappoint. Bill Watts' shoot interview with RF Video is arguably the best in their history and this book is more orderly version of that. He has a colored past and delves into without coming across as bitter or proud of his bad-old-days, he is wiser. His wrestling career is very interesting because few know about his accomplishments and that he was in fact an NWA Championship caliber talent. He was very successful before getting involved in booking and promoting and he is very honest about it. He pulls no punches, but often realizes the folly of his old ways. In regards to booking, his words are unmatched. Watts carefully explains numerous decisions with an eye for detail that is baffling. Scott Williams captured his genius in a way no one, not even his own words, has before. That is the strength of this book without question.

The Bad
Many pro-wrestling books are the story of men who have climbed to the top and fallen hard before being saved. It makes sense that in their reflecting time, they (or a ghost writer) get it down and they sell it off. It is a way of testifying to god's glory because he saved them from a life of sin. Watts' book is very much one of those. It seems genuine though and he was not willing to cut that down to a degree that "most" pro-wrestling fans would like to read. While I appreciate his dedication to his faith and the deep reflection he emparts...pro-wrestling fans will not take to that (generally speaking, of course). He is writing to an audience that enjoys a product that he is almost damning. It is a strange parallel that many of the wrestling writers partake in.

The Rating: ****1/2