Timeline of the WWE - 2000 - Rikishi
The Good
The Timeline series has so much potential and if the right people are chosen they can really provide some good insight or at the very least a unique perspective on the year in question. Rikishi seems like a pretty honest guy and much of this focuses on his particular experiences in the year 2000. Sean Oliver is a fantastic interviewer and he pulls a solid interview out of someone who might not be the best interview. He poses some pretty standard questions, covers some key figures and throws in a few hardballs. This was a fun interview and, in my opinion, one of the better jobs by Sean Oliver.
The Bad
The fault of the Timeline series, which I've stated before, is that they often leave out a lot because of the narrow focus of a single. Rikishi had probably the biggest year of his career, but a lot of this focuses on his career before and after 2000. He also is not particularly insightful about the goings-on in the WWF at this time. I've never heard an extensive interview with Rikishi, but this did not convince me to seek one out. He was affable and all, he is probably a fun dude to have a beer with, but shoot interviews are not his thing. This was a good idea, but I'm three in and this series has yet to improve. C'mon Superstar Graham!
The Rating: ***1/2
Showing posts with label Competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Competition. Show all posts
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Art of Managing with Gary Hart & Sir Oliver Humperdink
The Good
Gary Hart was one of the greatest shoot interviews ever and I've never heard him do anything that was not excellent. Sir Oliver Humperdink, in stark contrast to his on-screen character, is pretty low-key and uncontroversial, but insightful nonetheless. Mark Nulty is generally a meticulous researcher and interviewer and this is perhaps his best effort yet. What makes a great manager? How do you get talent over? How do you get the right heat? How do you cut a "money promo"? And so on and so on, Mark Nulty puts together an orderly and provocative interview. Gary Hart carries the day here (as one would expect) and even throws a couple jabs at John Nord, Jim Ross (I think?!) and "The" Sting. Humperdink is excellent as well and cuts a great lil' impromptu promo on Dusty Rhodes. This is just great stuff and what I think Kayfabe Commentaries is largely geared toward.
The Bad
I'm sure plenty of people might find this boring. It is in-depth, thorough and not particular controversial in its commentary. While one could find this dull that is largely a matter of opinion. I personally found this riveting and cannot say much negative about it.
The Rating: *****
The Good
Gary Hart was one of the greatest shoot interviews ever and I've never heard him do anything that was not excellent. Sir Oliver Humperdink, in stark contrast to his on-screen character, is pretty low-key and uncontroversial, but insightful nonetheless. Mark Nulty is generally a meticulous researcher and interviewer and this is perhaps his best effort yet. What makes a great manager? How do you get talent over? How do you get the right heat? How do you cut a "money promo"? And so on and so on, Mark Nulty puts together an orderly and provocative interview. Gary Hart carries the day here (as one would expect) and even throws a couple jabs at John Nord, Jim Ross (I think?!) and "The" Sting. Humperdink is excellent as well and cuts a great lil' impromptu promo on Dusty Rhodes. This is just great stuff and what I think Kayfabe Commentaries is largely geared toward.
The Bad
I'm sure plenty of people might find this boring. It is in-depth, thorough and not particular controversial in its commentary. While one could find this dull that is largely a matter of opinion. I personally found this riveting and cannot say much negative about it.
The Rating: *****
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Guest Booker with Jerry Jarrett [Re-Booking WCW in 2000]
The Good
Jerry Jarrett is widely considered one of the great minds in pro-wrestling and here he has the chance to demonstrate. This episode, like many of the others, does not consist entirely of fantasy booking, as Sean Oliver is always trying to get at the nuts and bolts of booking. Jerry Jarrett definitely explains the core of his booking approach and offers up some examples where that was successful and why that psychology works. He also waxes philosophical and it makes you wonder, why am I listening to this and not spending time with my family? Luckily, I was on my evening commute home and they eventually got back to the rasslin'. This is pretty good, but I honestly expected more.
The Bad
The Guest Booker series seems so hit-or-miss. I think someone could easily come away from this thinking Jerry Jarrett is out-of-touch, too old-fashioned and too Southern in his approach. Would I have wanted to see the cards he builds here? Not especially, but his logic is sound and you begin to believe that he could have really picked WCW's activity up in 2000. I doubt it would have been any worse than what we got!
The Rating: ***3/4
The Good
Jerry Jarrett is widely considered one of the great minds in pro-wrestling and here he has the chance to demonstrate. This episode, like many of the others, does not consist entirely of fantasy booking, as Sean Oliver is always trying to get at the nuts and bolts of booking. Jerry Jarrett definitely explains the core of his booking approach and offers up some examples where that was successful and why that psychology works. He also waxes philosophical and it makes you wonder, why am I listening to this and not spending time with my family? Luckily, I was on my evening commute home and they eventually got back to the rasslin'. This is pretty good, but I honestly expected more.
The Bad
The Guest Booker series seems so hit-or-miss. I think someone could easily come away from this thinking Jerry Jarrett is out-of-touch, too old-fashioned and too Southern in his approach. Would I have wanted to see the cards he builds here? Not especially, but his logic is sound and you begin to believe that he could have really picked WCW's activity up in 2000. I doubt it would have been any worse than what we got!
The Rating: ***3/4
Friday, February 19, 2010
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: *****
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: *****
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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
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
Monday, February 8, 2010
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
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
Friday, January 8, 2010
The History of TNA: Year One
Producers: Bill Banks, Bryan Edwards
Distributor: TNA Home Video
Released: 11/07
Featured Talent
Jeremy Borash, Dixie Carter, Rudy Charles, Christopher Daniels, Chris Harris, B.G. James, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Bob Ryder, Elix Skipper, James Storm, AJ Styles, Mike Tenay, Andrew Thomas, Don West
The Good
The story of the company now known as TNA is fascinating. There have been numerous attempts by groups of individuals with moneymarks behind them who tried to get a pro-wrestling company going. The failures of the XWF, WWA, MLW and other groups are the typical; TNA was the exception. This documentary tries to tell the story of TNA made it past that first hurdle that those companies could not. This is fascinating to see because it shows how much luck it took along with all the effort. When they lost their moneymark, HealthSouth (one of the largest healthcare services providers in the country), they were blessed by getting picked up by Panda Energy. After surviving that first year, NWA-TNA apparently was primed to greatness. That romanticism aside, this documentary had some funny anecdotes and a frankness from the interviewees that made it unique. The second disc features five matches and they are all in the good to great range.
The Bad
While this is an interesting story, it seemed lost or at least distorted in this format. There is a reason why Vince McMahon has never done a documentary about how his early time could have made him or broke him. However, the massive entity that the WWE is today is far from what TNA is current, yet they played it as if that was not the case. This had a fair amount of WWE bashing (without naming them), but played up the innovative cruiserweight division from WCW, the ravenous fans of ECW and the longstanding legacy of the NWA. In doing so, they undermined much of their uniqueness. That sort of poor production made this seem so low-rent compared to WWE’s documentaries. The negativity, the ramling, the excess kayfabe, the poor interview spaces (one room has an echo and people walking by and another has the TNA logo butchered for some reason) - those things which should have been left on the cutting room floor are in this. Another qualm was all the face time people received. Do I need to see Christopher Daniels in his makeup, yet out of character talking about things they are not showing clips or stills of? This is the first TNA Home Video production I have seen and I was so underwhelmed I fell asleep twice trying to sit through it.
The Rating: ***1/4
Released: 11/07
Featured Talent
Jeremy Borash, Dixie Carter, Rudy Charles, Christopher Daniels, Chris Harris, B.G. James, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Bob Ryder, Elix Skipper, James Storm, AJ Styles, Mike Tenay, Andrew Thomas, Don West
The Good
The story of the company now known as TNA is fascinating. There have been numerous attempts by groups of individuals with moneymarks behind them who tried to get a pro-wrestling company going. The failures of the XWF, WWA, MLW and other groups are the typical; TNA was the exception. This documentary tries to tell the story of TNA made it past that first hurdle that those companies could not. This is fascinating to see because it shows how much luck it took along with all the effort. When they lost their moneymark, HealthSouth (one of the largest healthcare services providers in the country), they were blessed by getting picked up by Panda Energy. After surviving that first year, NWA-TNA apparently was primed to greatness. That romanticism aside, this documentary had some funny anecdotes and a frankness from the interviewees that made it unique. The second disc features five matches and they are all in the good to great range.
The Bad
While this is an interesting story, it seemed lost or at least distorted in this format. There is a reason why Vince McMahon has never done a documentary about how his early time could have made him or broke him. However, the massive entity that the WWE is today is far from what TNA is current, yet they played it as if that was not the case. This had a fair amount of WWE bashing (without naming them), but played up the innovative cruiserweight division from WCW, the ravenous fans of ECW and the longstanding legacy of the NWA. In doing so, they undermined much of their uniqueness. That sort of poor production made this seem so low-rent compared to WWE’s documentaries. The negativity, the ramling, the excess kayfabe, the poor interview spaces (one room has an echo and people walking by and another has the TNA logo butchered for some reason) - those things which should have been left on the cutting room floor are in this. Another qualm was all the face time people received. Do I need to see Christopher Daniels in his makeup, yet out of character talking about things they are not showing clips or stills of? This is the first TNA Home Video production I have seen and I was so underwhelmed I fell asleep twice trying to sit through it.
The Rating: ***1/4
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