Percy Pringle / Paul Bearer [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Great stories by a great storyteller, Percy Pringle (aka Paul Bearer) has had such a full career that it was easy for him to just go on and on with road stories, rib stories and funny memories. Who else could tell you what always makes the Undertaker vomit, how creative a teenage Michael Hayes was or what made Rick Rude such a likable guy? Percy Pringle's gift of gab just boils over here and he lets his guard down more and more as time passes. While he could and other interviews have proven this, go more into the psychological aspects and behind the scenes workings of companies, Percy delivers the endless tales that RF Video is always trying to pull out of an interviewee. It makes for a light-hearted and enjoyable interview. Percy is also so passionate about pro-wrestling that he seems almost mournful that kayfabe is dead and that young people cannot experience it or breaking into it the way he did. In a few instances he gets into that sentiment, but even that and the issue of drug abuse, deaths and political nonsense do not seem to hamper his excitement and he largely glazes over those negative aspects.

The Bad
If you've never heard Percy Pringle do a shoot interview, I cannot image how you would not love this. If you have, then you might see how this has is not a great as some others he has done. His series with Jim Cornette are second-to-none and are like ramped up versions of these as he gets into some of the same stories and issues. Although it is briefly mentioned, I think focusing more on his recollections of Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling would be so fascinating. Obviously he was just a mark fan then, but it is an area that is simply unexplored and forgotten. The road stories are great and plentiful here, but it seems like this is someone who could get more into the psychology of the business. Finally, Percy Pringle is pretty reserved in naming names. I think one of the great strengths of the Jim Cornette interview is that Corny will blast almost anyone, so it was easier for Percy to do it. These all seem knit-picky, but it prevented this from being a five-star interview in my view.

The Rating: ****1/2

This is My Yard
Director: Kevin Dunn
Distributor: WWF Home Video
Released: 9/01

Featured Talent
Kurt Angle, Brooklyn Brawler, Edge, Howard Finkel, Matt Hardy, Paul Heyman, Hardcore Holly, Chris Jericho, Kane, Lita, Diamond Dallas Page, Pat Patterson, Jim Ross, The Undertaker, X-Pac

The Good
The Undertaker is probably the best character the WWF ever created. While Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock were arguably bigger stars and stronger draws, they were not the type of "character" that Mark Calloway has created and portrayed. This is a decent bio before the WWF/WWE really began putting a lot of effort into their documentaries. The Undertaker was just wrapping up a decade in the WWF and this look back was nostalgic, but foward looking. He talks about his time in WCW, his entrance into the WWF, his learning under Jake Roberts and the original dimensions of his character. Then it delves into how The Undertaker character had tranformed over the years, focusing largely on the original and the Ministry version. Since he was the "American Bad Ass" character when this was released, it mainly focuses on that, which is close to his true self. His tattoos and bikes are covered, which is very "WWF Confidential," but fine documentary filler as they always have. The comments by his peers about how he is a lockeroom leader and how hard he works is one of the strengths of this documentary. That is the aspect of The Undertaker that is not exactly displayed on TV (although it is widely known), so having it explained is appropriate. 

The Bad
By jumping right to "Mean" Mark, this documentary leaves out his time in Texas, the Spoiler and his development in Memphis, which are all more pivotal and important than his short stint in the New Skyscrapers. The WWF did not own the rights to World Class or the USWA at that point, so those omissions are understandable. The story jumps around a bit and certainly focuses too much on the character he had when this was produced. His forgettable feuds in 2000-2001 with Kurt Angle, Triple H and Steve Austin are overplayed and make this look weird a few years after the fact. His rivalries with Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and various freaks and giants should have gotten more time. The presense of a masked Kane, semi-kayfabing, is really lame. The over-the-top nature of their feud and the fact they are kayfabe brothers really made this weird in spots. As strange as that was, featuring Sara (his now ex-wife), really dates this documentary. Perhaps the most disappointing was the lack of star power being interviewed on this. The WWE will definitely do a documentary in the future and hopefully they can use pieces from this to generate a more deserving product. 

The Rating: ***1/2