RF Roundtable - Iron Shiek, Missy Hyatt & Kanyon

The Good
RF Video coordinates putting together three controversial characters and it is largely a trainwreck and not a particularly entertaining one. They mainly talk about current events (Tiger Woods' divorce, Barack Obama's presidency, Sarah Palin's rise to fame, Michael Vicks' dog-fighting, gay marriage and so fourth) and it does stimulate some interesting comments. Missy Hyatt dominates the conversation here, so if you enjoy hearing Missy be Missy, this is a treat. She expresses her political and moral views, which seem to have some inconsistencies. Sheik, for all his gay-bashing in the past, seems extremely moderate although practically asleep through much of this. Kanyon is largely quiet and makes a good showing during the gay marriage debate.

The Bad
When you have someone putting over Hitler in the first leg of a shoot interview, it's hard to get behind it. Missy Hyatt, who is often funny, comes across as frustrated and stupid on a level I've never seen before. I am sure some people would be disappointed by Sheiky's low-key showing here, but I thought he did his thing and did not make a total ass of himself. I was mostly disappointed by Kanyon, who always comes across a thoughtful person, yet he bowed out of much of the conversation and let Missy take over. Between Missy and the constant attacks on Eric Simms, this was amongst the most annoying and obnoxious roundtables ever.

The Rating: **3/4

Face Off 8 - Midnight Madness - Raven & Jim Mitchell



The Good

Another RF Video Face-Off starring Raven. This time he is joined by Jim Mitchell and the two of them have just returned from the late Chris Kanyon's wake. Obviously, they spend plenty of time recollecting their memories of Kanyon, his coming out, his battles with depression and his generosity. It is a nice little tribute in that way. Then, they get off onto promos, psychology and the current product. It is hit-or-miss in those parts. I think if you generally like listening to Raven, were an ECW fan or whatever, you can enjoy this for sure. These two have distinct personalities and in all their tales of debauchery and such, there is a friendship here that comes out. A fun little FaceOff, although maybe not the best.

The Bad
Raven, who I love listening to, seems to be off a bit and while he and "Vandy" have some chemistry, this does not work like previous Raven FaceOffs. Mitchell, while a great promo and an interesting fellow, is totally all over the page here. This seems like two guys chatting and it is such disorganized stream of consciousness discussion that it can hardly be considered a shoot interview. I guess Rob can just throw in a few questions, offer up some chocolate wine and pizza along with how much ever money and we'll get an interesting shoot. For what I expected, this was grossly disappointing.

The Rating: ***1/2

Chris Kanyon Shoot (RF Video)

The Good
I don't recall ever hearing an extensive interview with Chris Kanyon (he had to have been on WOL or LAW back in the day though, right?). Not knowing what was in store made this shocking because it was so very good. Kanyon is incredibly honest about everything from his personal struggles with mental health problems and his homosexuality as well as his professional struggles in WCW and the WWF. He is as opinionated as he is vulgar in talking about his career (I never remember anyone using the C-word! in a shoot and Kanyon's verbiage sounds like a script from HBO's Deadwood series in its persistent cussin'). He seems to have reflected a lot on his career and has a vivid memory of every facet of it, which is unique and gives him a lot of credibility. While some might have liked him to sling a little more mud, he seems to share his opinions without coming across as overly bitter.

The Bad
It seems as though RF could have delved into the homosexuality issue more, although that might have been misconstrued by viewers or Kanyon himself. Obviously, Kanyon is one of the few openly gay talents in the business (who is actually going to do a shoot like this - Pat Patterson won't and any others of notoriety like Jim Barnett, Terry Garvin and Chris Colt have passed) and there is a story there. If you liked Kanyon, than this would be enjoyable, but I could see some people not caring much for this.

The Rating: ****









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