WWE 24/7 - Legends of Wrestling - "Heatseekers"

The Good
An early "Legends of Wrestling" sees Jim Ross hosting and panel of Michael Hayes, Mick Foley, Eric Bischoff and Jerry Lawler. The topic is "heatseekers" - folks who stir sh*t in the lockerroom, have heat with almost everyone and yet find success. The discussion is decidedly limited to WWF and Crockett/WCW with the time period being about the mid-80s through the mid-00s. Most of the names are understandable and most of them are people that panelist legitimately had heat with for one reason or another. Mick Foley loves to play good guy here as he likes or sees redeeming qualities in most people mentioned. They talk about people who got big heads due to quick success despite not really liking or being particularly good at pro-wrestling (Lex Luger and Goldberg). They talk about people who rub people the wrong way (Scott Hall & "Buff" Bagwell). As well as people who are obnoxious and slimy (Vince Russo, Ed Ferrera and Paul Heyman). I think most of the names raised were fair and most of the complaints were understandable.

The Bad
I felt okay with panelist, until they went into McMahon defense mode at the end. Yes, many people are bitter about the success of Vince McMahon and the WWF. Yes, many people blew opportunities with the company. Yes, many of those people have drug and alcohol problems. But, Vince McMahon surely made some poor decisions, mistreated some people and did some things that rightly gained him some heat with a great many people. I wished that they had reflected on some of the people of the past who were heatseekers, perhaps in introducing the topic. Buddy Rogers and his clique (Johnny Valentine, Johnny Barend, Magnificent Maurice, etc.) spring to my mind. I think you could come up with a variety of people that all those people worked with whether it's Austin Idol (who Jerry Lawler actually liked…), Mr. Fuji (whose over-the-top ribs were dubbed as cancerous by some) or any number of promoters who were crooked carnival folk (Toots Mondt, Jack Pfefer and other mid-century promoters), bad on pay-offs (Gulas and Jarrett) or nasty in demeanor (Watts, Shire or Ole Anderson). Certainly the scope of this was grossly limited.

The Rating: ***

A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex

Author: Chris Jericho, Peter Thomas Fornatale
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Released: 10/07 


The Good
When it was revealed that Chris Jericho was releasing an autobiography at the age of 36, it seemed strange. Although he had so far had an impressive career, Jericho had never reached that top echelon that everyone thought he would when he jumped to the WWF in 1999. This book attempted to be not a memoir of a storied career, but rather a “dreams come true” story. In that sense, it fulfilled its goal. Jericho had many obstacles to overcome throughout his career and when made his highly touted debut in the WWF, his dream came true and that’s where this book ends. So, if you’re a WWF/WWE fan, you’re going to have to wait. This book talks about his world travels and does so in the most humorous and entertaining manner that a pro-wrestling autobiography has ever done. Jericho did not intend this to be solely for pro-wrestling fans and certainly not WWF/WWE fans, but it certainly helps the enjoyment if you are the former. He breaks it up into several parts: his childhood and years on the Canadian indies, Mexico, Germany, Smoky Mountain, Japan, ECW and WCW. This comprehensive career being captured makes this a great resource. And if you know people like Dr. Luther, Drew McDonald, El Dandy and Bruiser Bedlam, this book has a different level of enjoyment. Personally, this was very enjoyable. I grew up listening to the same music, loving hockey and, of course, marking out for all things pro-wrestling, so Jericho’s references to these in jokes made this a classic for me. This was a fast and addictive read that was well composed, well edited and well organized. This is inarguably a new must-have for pro-wrestling fans.


The Bad
Jericho’s decisions to omit his WWF/WWE run, leave in kind words and photos with Chris Benoit and seek out a non-WWE publisher could all be strikes against this. Ending at August 1999, leaves this open for a follow-up that could be published by the WWE, but the issue of his partnership/rivalry with Chris Benoit is a huge stumbling block to overcome if he decides to write that book. The jokes and references may not harm this, but it certainly caters to a small crowd. Although he has stated this is not just for pro-wrestling fans, it does not seem like a book that non-fans would necessarily enjoy. Perhaps, but this is definitely not as non-fan-friendly as other books. As with any autobiography, Chris Jericho could be knocked for having a big ego or being bitter about some things, but in comparison to some of his peers, he seems like Mr. Positive. Other than those few relatively mild knocks, this book is hard to fault.


The Rating: *****

The Rise and Fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling



Directors: Kevin Dunn
Distributor: WWE Home Video
Released: 11/04


Featured Talent
Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eric Bischoff, Ron Buffone (ECW TV Director), Dawn Marie, Tommy Dreamer, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Spike Dudley, Mick Foley, Eddy Guerrero, Paul Heyman, Chris Jericho, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon, Nunzio (Little Guido), Rhino, Stevie Richards, Al Snow, Lance Storm, Tazz, Rob Van Dam

The Good
Perhaps no WWE documentary has and will have the impact that this one did. This seemed like a way to get some ECW library footage out there and gauge whether or not to release more. The highlight though is a lengthy documentary that discusses the legacy of the eight-year company known as Extreme Championship Wrestling. Paul Heyman is he superstar here, his passion, vision and sorrow all come across. The first part shows ECW's development from just another indy to one with unique personalities, hardcore wrestling, highly involved fans and great booking. Then it shows how it really shocked the system. Although the violence and controversial angles are what it became known for, ECW featured excellent straight wrestling, international stars, international styles and an avenue for talent to expose their real abilities. From superstars like Steve Austin and Mick Foley to guys with a lot left in the tank like Bam Bam Bigelow and Sid, ECW provided a place to show their wares in a way that helped them get bigger gigs. Heyman's ability to accentuate positives and mask negatives is covered and demonstrated quite a bit. That really shows the recent flaws of the WWE, it is too scripted and too neat to allow for the spontaneity that pro-wrestling thrives upon. It also tells how their success - getting onto syndication, pay-per-view and finally primetime television were so vital to their survival and success. Unfortunately, Heyman could not manage the books and it led to the eventual death. This offers a fair look at the legacy of ECW and while Heyman and former stars sing its praises, Eric Bischoff and even Vince McMahon are there to prevent it from being too overblown. ECW never was and probably never could have been the #2 pro-wrestling company, they had a niche audience and probably lacked mainstream appeal, yet they unquestionably changed the landscape of pro-wrestling in the US. This DVD ended up being so popular that it spawned a "One Night Stand" pay-per-view and later an ECW brand.

The Bad
Like any rise and fall story, this has some doses of bitterness, nostalgic sentiments and fuzzy memories. Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer and several others genuinely loved ECW and everything it was and provided them. There are some inaccuracies that are glaring. One is that ECW was this complete split from the old, which it certainly was not. If anything, it was a return to the old. It used blood and brawling like pro-wrestling in the late 60s and 70s had to combat the style of TV pro-wrestling from the 1950s. However, there was still plenty of excellent wrestling featured and even veteran talent, specifically Terry Funk. Second issue is the romanticizing of ECW. This company, like any company, put out some garbage, but often dressed it up. Their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, was not very good, yet it was so well hyped, so well remembered and so important that its lack of quality is overlooked. That illustrates the biggest problem with this documentary. One feels as if they are hearing half of the story. Since they only used WWE contracted talent (other than Ron Buffone), the contributions of people like Raven, Shane Douglas, The Sandman, Sabu and even Terry Funk are not fully appreciated. Others, like Steve Corino, Justin Credible, Jerry Lynn and even Tajiri are basically left out of the ECW story. For those perspectives, there is the documentary Forever Hardcore, which is excellent at filling in some of the gaps left by this WWE effort.

The Rating: ****1/2

Radio-free Insanity [club wwi] - Eric Bischoff

I came into a batch of shoot interviews from James Guttman's World Wrestling Insanity website (I owe you some money JG, but I'll give you some great free high praise for now).  Guttman is definitely in the upper echelon of interviews I've heard.  He may not be as tough as Gary Cubeta, as knowledgeable as Dave Meltzer, as personable as Sean Oliver (KC) or as hilarious as Dr. Keith Lipinski, but he has components of all four that make him excellent in his own way.  His interviews tend to run 30 minutes to an hour, but few go much longer than that.  Although you'd think that would limit their scope, he gets a lot in there and has clearly learned his craft unlike some others who've been doing it for YEARS!  The audio quality is alright, but I won't squabble too much over that.  The "what's going on by you?" and "anything to say to all the lil' (insert a Hulkamaniac-like name of the pro-wrestler's followers) out there?" lines are nice signatures and I've got nothing but good things to say about JG and the Radio-free Insanity, I'm even tempted to buy the book now!

I will review a couple standouts from the Club WWI archives and I strongly urge people to check it out.









The first one that really caught my ear during a long road trip was with former WCW Executive Vice-President and WWE personality, Eric Bischoff.  This was before Bischoff's recent foray into TNA land.

The Good
Love him or hate him, Eric Bischoff is a great talker, a media-savvy businessman and a true visionary.  He is also painful honest with his perspectives.  JG is a knowledgeable and respectful interviewer who seemed to gain Bischoff's respect and therefore scored a great interview.  I've heard Bischoff in several different places (from WOL and the LAW to WWE and professionally done documentaries) and he's never sounded for insightful.  In just over an hour, he shows just why he was able to become a boss at WCW, take that company to new heights and explains how it fell apart.  While his book has been blasted, this seems excellent to me.  His use of the Von Dutch phenomenon to make a point shows how outside of the bubble he truly is.

The Bad
In all his honesty, Bischoff puts targets on himself.  He has been said to have hated pro-wrestling, yet grew to respect it.  That love-hate relationship gives him this quality that turns off many pro-wrestling enthusiasts.  He really beats up on "dirt sheets," the Internet and pro-wrestling's core fans, which has to turn off 90% of the listeners.  Although it's hard to compare a 65 minute interview to a 4 hour one, Eric Bischoff makes a very strong showing, but you really wish he'd do that career retrospective, fantasy booking or whatever shoot that could expose the goods that his book apparently lacked.

The Rating: ****1/4