The Gangstas [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
A brutally honest shoot interview with both of the Gangstas. Both New Jack and Mustafa are basically retired, so they are a little more reflective and not so hung up on current events as can happen with active wrestlers. As with any New Jack project, this was entertaining in its own way. Jack talked his usual sh*t and acted the way he usually does. I know there are people out there who love that and I can say those people will probably enjoy this. Mustafa however, who I'd never heard before, made a good showing. He came across as a straight-up guy with integrity as well as a loyalty to New Jack as the team's mouthpiece. I thought he tempered New Jack's rambling well and it was a different kind of New Jack shoot.

The Bad
I don't really care for New Jack shoot interviews. He is repetitive, rambling and ridiculous. This lacked depth because not many questions were posed. New Jack talked and did his schtick, Mustafa put in his two cents when he could. This meant the answers to those few questions were actually vague and lacking insight despite the length of the "answer." Typical New Jack stuff. If you like that, you might actual think Mustafa's serious presence takes away from the New Jack show. About what I expected, but disappointing considering New Jack has been heard before and Mustafa did not get a great deal of talking time.

The Rating: ***

Tom Brandi [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Tom Brandi was a long-time independent wrestler in the Northeast who had shots in both the WCW and WWF that were not particularly memorable. In this shoot interview he goes over his roller-coaster career from a hard-working athletic type working the Indies to generic babyface Johnny Gunn in WCW then from his run as WWF gimmicked jobber Sal Sincere and back to the independents. Usually I think interviews with indy guys (or primarily indy guys) are dull and uninformative. Brandi though loves to bury people, in fact, he revels in it. So, if you like burials, you'll like this. He says things that are anti-Semitic, things that anti-gay and things that are just plain mean. I know some people love that negativity and you'll get it in droves here. Brandi has a really different viewpoint that is rarely shared in popular shoot interviews, so that much of this was fresh in several ways.

The Bad
Regardless of your views on homosexuality, Tom Brandi's flippant remarks about how Pat Patterson sexually harassed all the boys, how Tom Zenk had relationships with Rick Martel, Brian Pillman and Marcus Alexander Bagwell and so on, simply irritated me. While those accusations are not unheard of, Brandi just seemed so nasty about it. Like his buddy, the Honky Tonk Man, he loves to rip on people, their work, their personality or their dirty laundry. HTM is extremely entertaining doing this and to his credit, he was a draw and meant something to the WWF when they were in one of their hot periods…Tom Brandi was a glorified jobber in the WWF at its lowest period. Although he had some interesting stories and thoughts on a number of topics, he just struck me as being bitter despite claiming not to be.

The Rating: ***1/2

Ahmed Johnson ["Highspots" Shoot Interview]



The Good
If you take nothing else away from this interview, realize that for all his personal problems, Ahmed Johnson could've been a major player. While his work had its flaws, Ahmed had an unbelievable intensity that very few have. He certainly puts over that strength of his here and rightly so. While that factor did intrigue me during his WWF run, I felt people like Randy Savage, Goldberg, Sid Vicious and especially Chris Benoit were able to kick their careers to a higher level and became bonafide top guys as a result. Ahmed really could have been a top guy and this shoot interview gives perspective on why that did not happen. He does feel he was cooled off, miscast as a heel briefly and undermined by some people (he particularly targets Steve Austin as a racist), although ultimately he left due to his sister's health problems and never recovered from that life-changing situation. The interview does get into some of the dirt about him and he seems to respond with sensible answers to everything - his work being too stiff, him stealing the LOD's shoulder pads, his steroid abuse, his unreliability.

The Bad
Ahmed Johnson's legacy is certainly tarnished and he will probably be remembered favorably by a small number of people. Few of his peers say highly positive things about him, he was a rising star in the WWF when it was at its lowest point and he left before the boom. This shoot interview gives him the opportunity to clarify his place. He put himself over very strongly and leaves the impression that he is not highly regretful of leaving when he did. If he had stayed and kept his head on straight, Ahmed Johnson could have very well been a key component in the Attitude Era. The interview does not really take that corner though. There are also the tales of him dealing drugs, pimping underage girls and his membership in the Bloods (he has repeatedly confirmed the last issue) that go unexplored, but certainly are part of his story. This shoot interview is one that has been put over as great and it simply was not.

The Rating: ***1/4

Billy Jack Hayes [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
One of the most infamous shoot interviews of all-time with one of the most bizarre people in the pro-wrestling world. Billy Jack Haynes is in tears within the first twenty minutes of this three-hour marathon and that tells you what kind of rollercoaster this was. Haynes was sexually abused as a child and that set in motion a sequence of events that drove him into mental instability, which is evident here. This has to be one of the most revealing and disturbing interviews that RF Video has ever done. Haynes talks about drug-running and suicide attempts in such graphic detail that you have to believe there is some truth to them. While it might detract from its believability and historical accuracy, the craziness displayed in this shoot certainly makes it memorable and worth catching once.

The Bad
There is a reason why RF Video followed this up with a shoot called "Conspiracy Theories." Billy probably makes more over-the-top allegations, never-before-heard accusations and hearsay-fueled assertions than any other person who has sat in front of that RF Video banner. While there are elements of truth in many of his comments, there are enough factually untrue statements throughout that any reasonable person would call into question the validity of many things he says. Without dwelling on them too much here are a few of the most salacious morsels: Eddie Graham wanted to literally kill Dusty Rhodes after he left Florida for Crockett; Buddy Rose swindled Billy Jack out of $10,000; Vince McMahon is the "Hitler of Pro-Wrestling"; and Brian Adams "ribbed" him by inviting him to travel from Portland to Texas for a fake WWF tryout. Hopefully that gives you an idea of the kind of statements that Billy Jack Haynes is making here. While the intimacy in this is legitimate to the point of being uncomfortable at times, this has riddled with enough holes that I would recommend this for its entertainment value than its historical value.

The Rating: ****

Straight Shootin' with Ken Patera

The Good
Over-the-top shoot interviews can be fun and they certainly gain the most notoriety. While not as wild as the Iron Sheik, Jamie Dundee or Billy Jack Haynes, Ken Patera certainly has some unique perspectives, candid comments and colorful language to say the least. He could be billed as angry, bitter and crazy based on this (and his drunken RF Video shoot), but he unquestionably had a stellar career and worked on or near the top in a variety of promotions for over a decade. However, he had some rough times in life and never quite reached the upper echelon. He was a top-notch Olympic lifter who is often seen as someone who blew it at the Olympics (he did get a bronze with a bad knee, so his "failure" was not quite like Mark Henry's). He was a great working heel with legit credentials, but is not mentioned in the same breath as many other "legends" he worked alongside. He is often remembered best for his low points - his pathetic babyface run in 87-88, his two years in prison, his wacky Shiek gimmick in the AWA. He is a man who really gave everything he had to a business that left him with numerous personal problems. I think he has some validity in his bitterness, but he goes about it in a much more entertaining way than many of his peers. In spite of some of the insanity here, Patera is able to really get into his greatness and if you can move past the bullshitting, mudslinging and name-calling, you can know that he is not obscenely overstating his legacy. All of that aside, he is a hilarious storyteller. He rambles, he stumbles over words, he swears incessantly and has incredible stories involving Ric Flair, Wahoo McDaniel, Curt Hennig and many others known for their decadence. While he does have a filter, he is more wide open than a great many legends. He talks frankly about his own personal, professional, physical and martial problems. Even with all this, I am still not sure if I would call him "bitter."

The Bad
I really think this was tremendous shoot interview and rate as the best of interviews of the bitter, angry and possibly crazy crowd. Ken Patera is probably the biggest star of all those guys (Ole Anderson could probably stake a serious claim to that as well), yet he has plenty of nasty things to say about half the people he worked with and some unflattering stuff about many of the other half. While I don't think he is really delusional or a bold-faced liar, he certainly has some screwy stories that I simply cannot buy. Some seem to have no merit past his convincing telling of them - Jesse Ventura was a heroine addict, Bruno Sammartino cussed out Vince McMahon back in the day for coming in the lockerroom and he was the person largely responsible for getting Ric Flair in and keeping him in the business early on. He is quite a character and curses and spits through many great anecdotes, but I'd question some of the details in this one.

The Rating: ****3/4

Gentlemen's Choice





Director: Mickey Grant
Distributor: Mickey Grant Productions
Released: 12/08

Talent Featured
Chris Adams, Jean & Cyril Adams, Jeanie Adams, Julia Adams, Karen Adams, Neil Adams, Shea Adams, Tyler Adams, Balon "Booray" Bradley, Nathan Bickerstaff, Killer Brooks, Billy "L.A. Steele" Cole, Sky "Lacey" Cole, Bill Colville, Rev. Tommy Drumm, Mickey Grant, Gary Hart, Pam Hernandez, Laurie Knight, Tom Lance, Martin Leyko, David Manning, Bill Mercer, Brent Parnell,Dorothy Parnell, Trinka Porrata, J.D. Reed, Dr. Rock, Emily Urban, Kevin Von Erich, Tony "Banger" Walsh, Earnest Wilkinson, John "Raven" Wymer, Roland Zamarano

The Good
I had this documentary for many months before the circumstances were right to watch it. I expected a lot of violence, vulgarity and tales of substance abuse that does not make for a fun evening movie with the family. This certainly had plenty of that and more. Toss in a few doped up and burnt out strippers, pro-wrestlers and buddies, vindictive indy performers and crabby old ladies and you've got the total package. The cast of characters in this was truly amazing and perhaps the greatest strength of this film. Yes, there were some people missing (mostly former peers in pro-wrestling, although many of them are dead or became estranged from Chris Adams), but it included practically every direct family member he had, a variety of friends and associates as well as some of the people who spent time with him for only a passing phase of his high-speed life. The quality of this was acceptable, it seemed almost jokingly low-rent at times because many of Chris's colleagues were kind of lower class people. There was definitely a tragically interesting story here and Mickey Grant did not try to gloss things over. Little pieces in this, such as comparing Chris Adams' to the infamous gunslinger Doc Holliday (who he apparently admired and dressed like during his fourth wedding), having him explain to a camera how his children are his world as his daughter behind him throws sand until it gets in her eyes and revealing that Chris had put a hit out on an indy valet to that very valet on camera, provided this shocking insight into the type of man Chris Adams was. If anyone thinks Mickey Grant wanted to put Chris Adams over (so to speak), they'd be wrong. This is a fair investigation in the life of man who had so much, but seemed hellbent on self-destruction.

The Bad
This documentary is about a pro-wrestler, but it's not about pro-wrestling per say. Chris Adams' fame was derived from pro-wrestling, specifically his time wrestling in World Class in the mid-1980s. He, like many of the young stars of World Class, were given so much, so quickly that they turned into some of the most deplorably immoral folks in the business. Some notable characters died, many of them survived, but none left Dallas untouched by the culture there. Chris Adams, could have gone elsewhere and been successful, but he chose to stay in Dallas and try to sustain his wild lifestyle. He went from a young and promising talent who loved fast cars, blondes and the nightlife to a broken down drug addict who was abusive, cruel and unable (or unwilling) to save himself. This is an extreme case, but one that mirrors the decline of many former pro-wrestlers. If some people disliked "The Wrestler" for its portrayal of pro-wrestlers, then you certainly will not like this.

The Rating: ****1/2



  

Road Warriors [RF Video Shoot Interview]



The Good
I have to feel a little nostalgic about this one because this was the first shoot interview I ever heard and it was one of RF Video's earliest non-ECW shoots. I remember stumbling across RF Video's kiosk at Franklin Mills in PA and leaving with this as well as some All Japan. I was definitely impressed as this is an impressive interview. Hawk is over-the-top in calling Vince McMahon the most evil man ever and comes across as bitter and angry. Even Animal, typically considered the level-headed one, is angry in talking about being misused in their two WWF runs. I thought the WWE's Road Warriors DVD was much more organized and better produced, but this had the raw emotion and lacked the WWE revisionist history, so in many ways in was preferable. Listening to them wax nostalgic about killing everyone in Georgia and how over they were when they came to the WWF is one thing, but hearing them bury the New Age Outlaws, Bill Watts and others for being inept is another. The cutting honesty here is pretty incredible.

The Bad
I remember when I first watched through this over a decade ago, being blown away by it all. It had the stories right from the wrestlers themselves. It was full of anger and honesty. It was even supplemented with matches I'd never seen before. But when it was all over, I kind of felt like "I paid X amount of money for this?" because once you've listened to a shoot interview, it has drastically reduced playback value, so you feel a tad ripped off. I would say the exception lies in shoots that are just above-and-beyond entertaining or exceptionally insightful to the business. This was neither. The Road Warriors totally believe their own hype and while they were huge stars for the better part of a decade, they simply could not offer the same goods in `99, despite what they say here. I would give this high marks for its uniqueness and historical relevance, it also has the advantages of including someone who has since passed away, but this is not the best shoot interview.

The Rating: ****1/2

"Sunny" Tammy Sytch [RF Video Shoot 2006]



The Good
Never one to mince words or hold back on her opinions, Tammy Sytch delivers a stunning performance here as she reflects on the passing of her longtime partner in and out of the ring, Chris Candido, her relationship with Shawn Michaels and her adventures of the Independent circuit. Rob Feinstein clearly has a good relationship with Tammy and, as with others he has a friendship with, he is able to ask questions more directly and has some actual knowledge to share. They spend quite a bit of time talking about Puerto Rico (where RF has gone) and the pro-wrestling scene down there as well as the human depravity that both witnessed. Her deal with wrestlingvixxxens is addressed, which led to her friendship with Missy Hyatt ending (that and apparently Missy smoked crack, which Sytch despised). Her weight issues and health issues are addressed. Her issues with table bumps in XPW, fights over chairs with Low-Ki and all the other indy wackiness are peppered throughout. She goes into some interesting anecdotes about Triple H, Sable… that seem to allude to the fact that those people are not (or were not) very nice people. The real meat here though is two parts. One is the death of Chris Candido. They talk about his run in TNA, his leg breaking, his sudden and shocking death as well as how it and its aftermath effected Tammy. Although you'd expect it to be moving (and it is at times), her anger about his parents' dealings with her, TNA's failure to pay her (and instead sending her a ham!?) and how all of this might have been prevented if his caretakers had filed his discharge papers properly really takes the emotional sting out of this. The other notable part of this is the juicy tidbit of her actual 9-month romance with Shawn Michaels, which has never been put out their before. Her run as the "Kliq Chiq" (if that's the correct spelling) included a honeymoon-like vacation to Jamaica, an invitation to move into Michaels' new multi-million-dollar San Antonio home and the apparent blessing of Vince McMahon. She talks over it quickly and it is shocking because it take the rumors and pushes them to a new level. Her cheating on Chris with the WWF Champion is sudden transformed into her failing in love with and almost becoming the wife of Shawn Michaels! But alas, she worked things out with Chris and they came back together.

The Bad
I remember Tammy Sytch doing an interview on Live Audio Wrestling and seeming kind of nonchalant about Chris Candido's death and I would not go that far here, but one could certainly make a case that she was more angry than mournful. That could be up to your perception of the situation and her reaction, but this certainly is not the response that I expected. Since I've heard her interviews before and many comments about her from peers, I can understand why she could be perceived so negatively. The big question I have however is to the truth of the Shawn Michaels love story. While it seems hard to believe that she would have cooked up this story otherwise, it just seems odd that Kevin Nash, Scott Hall or even Shawn Michaels himself have never corroborated on this story. I suppose in Shawn's case, he was married and a father shortly after, so a fling like this, even though it was with another big star in the industry, just wouldn't be great marriage-building material for a book or a documentary or whatever. He doesn't put the story over, so his buddies don't either. They just reduce Tammy to a sh*t-sandwich-eating
floozy who slept around because, perhaps, she broke their buddy's heart.

The Rating: ****1/4

Vampiro [Highspots Shoot Interview]

The Good
Billy Jack Haynes, Jamie Dundee, Iron Sheik - what do all these people have in common? Despite the fact they had pretty successful careers despite screwing things up several times over, they have become known as some of the most entertaining shoot interviews because they may, in fact, be insane. Vampiro could easily fit in with that group. I've heard him do some interviews where he seemed a little goofy, but this one with Highspots is over-the-top. He is a walking contradiction. He both rambles and hits the points he wanted to make, he comes across as both bitter and satisfied with his career, he is both self-deprecating and self-promoting, he both buries and puts people over again and again, he states his goal is to both "just have fun" and be deadly serious about his craft and then he hates on workers and fans who take it too seriously. This interview is so impossibly strange that it must be seen or heard to be believed. There is some good stuff about his days in Mexico that if you can decipher them are worth catching.

The Bad
Vampiro is insane and it's hard to overly enjoy listening to a crazy person. This is train-wreck like material as his endless contradictions seems to totally undermine his credibility and sanity. I know there is always the issue with shoot interviews being done when talent is tired and sometimes under the influence, but this is beyond that. Vampiro is all over the place and part of him seems to understand that fact as he repeatedly questions the quality of this shoot interview. People might have a variety of interests when listening to this, but I can assure you that none of your questions or curiosities will be answered.

The Rating: ***1/4

Youshoot with the Honky Tonk Man [Kayfabe Commentaries]



The Good
The Honky Tonk Man was the ideal person to debut the Youshoot series. Although the wacky and even spiteful submissions were not as plentiful in this one, it certainly sold you on the greatness of this series. HTM really comes across as honest and even bitter to an extent, but unlike people like Paul Orndorff, Ole Anderson and Billy Jack Haynes, you do not end up really disliking him. He is, at least in my opinion, hilarious with all his voices and facial expressions that make him a great storyteller. Mud-slinging can get tedious, but Honky just spews it in such a way that you cannot help but love it. And no one seems to be immune to his wrath. Billy Gunn was worthless, Blackjack Lanza was two-faced, Ric Flair was "woooo" a repetitive "woooo" cartoon character, Dynamite Kid is a lying bully, Hulk Hogan was a huge druggie, Jim Ross was a sabotager and on and on. Honky Tonk is very open about his own drug use, promiscuity and limitations as a worker, which allows him so credibility when he rips on others. I still question whether or not he is not working everyone (like the Iron Sheik is).

The Bad
I never liked Honky Tonk Man as a worker, I still don't care for him, yet he was gifted in so many ways. Talking, his strong suit, allows him to get himself over regardless of his physical abilities. He is undoubtedly getting himself over here. He is very careful in what he says and while he may not be entirely accurate or even fair, he says things with a conviction that gets him over. Part of me feels like I get swept up in that charismatic delivery and sometimes I fail to see the gaping holes in his statements. That being said, this is wildly entertaining.

The Rating: *****

Wrestling and Masculinity: Nurturing a Culture of Bullies in the United States


Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Patrice Opplinger
Publisher: n/a
Released: 1/04

The Good
This is a really short book that offers some fair criticisms of parts of pro-wrestling that really should be looked at it such a manner. As a pacifist and feminist myself, I often wonder why I am so fascinated by a form of entertainment like pro-wrestling. I think anyone should. Most of what she knocks is the sleaze, which I think most fans reading this does not care for. Most of her stuff concerning this was dead on and it really makes you ashamed to support the WWE in anyway at points because it reminds you of all the pointless filth. The attacks on ultra-violence and backyard wrestling are not as thorough, but they don't need to be because they aren't as directly tied to WWE. Her conclusions are good and I liked the book overall, though it is far from the best case possible. Worth reading because it should raise some issues and I'd rather talk about this book with other fans than about any other.

The Bad
I think Opplinger really dropped the ball on some of her sources. I didn't see use of the Observer or Torch in this book and and to me those are the top-notch analytic sources right there. Instead she read and trusted slanted reports against pro-wrestling and observed a small slice herself. These limitations hurt her creditibility to an extent, but I don't think they bury the case she is trying to make. She really only watched WWF/WWE and some WCW for major companies and a little XPW and other indies. This obviously hurts her case against pro-wrestling overall, but "overall" really isn't her intent. A few of the things she used were pretty wacky: the Marianne-Chaz faked abuse angle was mentioned twice despite being very minor and thrown out and that was only one of many aborted angles with controversial edges to them.

The Rating: ***

Pure Dynamite: The Price You Pay for Wrestling Stardom
Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Tom Billington, Alison Coleman
Publisher: Stewart House
Released: 8/01 

The Good
There's not a lot more one can want from an autobiography: funny road stories, pretty good insight, dirt on all the stars and a strong finale. While you might only demand one of those, so few wrestler's autobiographies deliver 3 of the 4 that it's sad. Billington's been in Europe, Canada, Japan and the States and he gives all the details. He lightens things up with funny stories and considering his apparent meanstreak it's necessary to have those parts. Puroresu fans should enjoy this more than just about anyone's books. Most compliment this book for its unbridaled honesty and he doesn't seem to pull punches and that's more a positive in wrestling than a negative...I think.


The Bad
Bitterness can be very off-putting. Billington's hatred of Davey Boy Smith and dislike of a number of people is kind of hard to overlook as he blasts so many people. He tends to give a negative along with a slight positive (like "he was an asshole, but he was good with ribs") and his "rating" system of tough guys is questionable. Many of them seem to be his drinking buddies. If you realize those few things, you should be able to get through this just fine without too many hang-ups. 

The Rating: ****1/4


  

Brickhouse Brown Shoot Interview


The Good
Drugs, rats and mud-slinging - what more could you want?  Brickhouse Brown holds very little back (he eludes to a pending autobiography) and seemingly no one is immune.  Some could surely celebrate his honesty and it makes for a shoot interview that you don't want to turn off.  From Texas to Tennessee and Mid-South to Mid-Atlantic, Brickhouse Brown worked throughout the Southern territories and he has many experiences to share.  This is unique shoot and one worth at least a single listen-through even for all its obvious issues.

The Bad
I saw this originally being compared to the Iron Shiek, Jamie Dundee and Billy Jack Haynes crowd of shoot interviews, which intrigued me. Brickhouse Brown is every bit as vulgur, arrogant and, at times, as wretchedly beat down by the business as those three.  Obviously, there are holes in his reflections and lofty claims about his own ability and importance.  While one could pick those apart, it seems that the over-the-top nature of this shoot interview is its selling point and without that (fabrications and all) it would be forgettable.

The Rating: ****

Missy Hyatt: First Lady of Wrestling

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Missy Hyatt, Charles Salzberg, Mark Goldblatt
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 10/01 

The Good
I got this book for free, thanks to photocopying fans. If you've ever heard a shoot interview with Missy, this is basically the same thing with more details and emotion. There was more dirt, but on print it really loses her vocal charm. She seems honest, brutally so at times, and you really understand Missy's journey through wrestling. Good stories that are funny and will stick with you and you'll probably pass along (though some of the visuals are a bit eerie). Good for what is, better than what I'd expect out of valet's autobiography.


The Bad
Like I said, I got this book for free, thank goodness. It's just under 200 pages and while it's straight to the point, I can't help but feel I would've never spent much money on this book. This is kind of the polar opposite of Ted DiBiase's dirt-free book, but it often makes Missy come across as petty. I got a shoot interview of her's tacked on to another one (so it was also free) and it was probably more interesting because listening to her jokes and complaints is better than reading them. Also, I'd heard many of these things when she's been on WOL and other shows. This was like all that stuff in a book with poor editing and lacking the Missy Hyatt presentation. 

The Rating: **

Honky Tonk Man Shoot Interview (RF Video 2004)

The Good
The Honky Tonk Man is one of the most out-spoken pro-wrestling legends there is and he absolutely shines in shoot interviews.  He is probably classified by some as bitter, self-righteous or nuts and there might be a little truth to all of those.  Regardless of the negatives, Honky is wildly entertaining with his over-the-top opinions, hilarious comments, silly impressions all done with his signature Southern twang.  Whether he's taunting washed up wrestlers, bashing money-grabbing Bible-thumpers or explaining why various people need an ass-whippin', HTM can't not put a smile on your face.

The Bad
Honky was stuck in a shoot interview with the Iron Sheik and New Jack for several reasons: he's loud-mouthed, he's controversial, he's hilarious and he's gold behind a microphone.  While people could definitely knock him for his approach and question his opinions, which I do at times, you believe he's genuine.  Is he?  The Honky Tonk Man is a worker and if he's working Rob Feinstein, the fans that bought this or anyone who hears him, I'd not be surprised.

The Rating: ****1/4