Guest Booker with JJ Dillon - A month of WWF TV [KayfabeCommentaries]

The Good
JJ Dillon is one of my favorites to listen to because he is very articulate and is able to express a deep understanding of the business. I knew this "Guest Booker" would be excellent and it truly delivered. The premise is that JJ will book a month of WWF TV around the 91-93 era that will include a late night special and build up to a pay-per-view. The catch is, it's an inter-promotional deal, so people like Sting, Nikita Koloff and others who never set foot in a WWF ring are thrust into fresh matches with Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart and The Undertaker. While JJ does not touch on angles and such for all the matches, he hits on the big ones and has some very simple, politically aware and effective stories that help build everything up. They spend ample time talking about Vince McMahon's creative style, his micromanagement, the process of writing TV and the use of "A" and "B" shows. While getting into one of the great minds of pro-wrestling is great, it is the sharing of that process that only a few have been privy to that is so amazing.

The Bad
"Guest Booker" is always limited by time and scope, but usually it works out. They spend so much time going into the details of weekends at Vince's that JJ does not have as much time to develop his TVs. He keeps it basic and is working in the old squash match format, so the TV expectations are a bit different nowadays. Instead of numerous angles, intricate details and every match having a backstory, Dillon keeps it simple. Some might find this less interesting in that regard than, say, Kevin Sullivan or Jim Cornette when they were the "Guest Booker," but that is largely up to your perspective. JJ Dillon is certainly an acquired taste as he is not particularly funny, does not cuss out or bury people and has a very measured approach. I guess that is why he was such an effective Head of Talent Relations for over five years.

The Rating: ****1/2

RF Video's "Behind Closed Doors" with JJ Dillon

The Good
JJ Dillon has always been a favorite of mine (in this capacity, not so much as a manager) because he is very insightful, very straightforward and has some good stories to share. As someone who worked all over the place, including with the Funks and Eddie Graham as well as the assistant booker to Dusty Rhodes in the mid-80s and as one of Vince McMahon's right-hand men as the Head of Talent Relations, JJ Dillon certainly has psychology to share. They spend a far amount of time going over his career, but it is the nuts and bolts of booking, working angles and such that makes this good. Talking about getting a break as a different type of heels up in the Maritimes, talking about his approach to interviews, talking about the Florida standard of big events, talking about simply why angles worked makes this excellent. This is quite an extensive shoot at roughly three-hours in length, but the thoroughness in his anecdotes are all parts of the lesson.

The Bad
Since I enjoy listening to JJ Dillon, I feel like I've heard some many of his stories already. While that does not totally kill the enjoyment, it is perhaps not as good as hearing his material fresh. He is certainly an acquired taste as he is not particularly bitter, humorous or crass. JJ Dillon has nice things to say about most everyone and even when he has an issue (such as with Abdullah the Butcher, Mick Foley or Dusty Rhodes), he can put it into perspective. That is probably a healthier attitude, but if you want over-the-top, you won't get it here. While contextualizing is important, I felt too much time was spent on the career of JJ Dillon. What made Jake Roberts' and Bret Hart's "Behind Closed Doors" shoots excellent was they really dug into the psychology, whereas this one, Paul Orndorff's, Stan Hansen's and many others seems like a regular old RF Video shoot under another name.

The Rating:  ****1/2
 

The Legends of Wrestling - Managers

The Panel - JJ Dilon, Jimmy Garvin, Michael Hayes, Jim Ross, Joey Styles

The Good
The WWE series is one of the most noteworthy features of WWE 24/7. It features a handful of people who will seemingly never do extensive shoot interviews elsewhere and people who are great in the shoot interviews and gives them a topic to probe. I've never seen a bad one. They integrate footage from the expansive WWE video library and generally have good discussions. Michael Hayes and JR are regulars and they're always fantastic. I generally enjoy Joey Styles in venues such as these, Jimmy Garvin is always good for a story and a laugh and JJ Dillon is easily one of the best in-depth analysts on the business there is. I've seen the WWE's "Greatest Managers" release and found it enjoyable, although highly limited in its scope. This was excellent because it mentioned people like Bobby Davis, Maw Bass, Gary Hart and some others who never got their due on that release. There were some good stories and overall this was fun one.

The Bad
The panelists on these shows largely draw from their own experiences, which can provide a limited scope. While Gulf Coast wrestling was mentioned, Memphis and its many talented managers (from Saul Weingeroff and J.C. Dykes to Dr. Ken Ramey and Sir Clements) were left out completely! Other legends like Homer O'Dell, Big Bad John, Tarzan Tyler and Lord Alfred Hayes were left out. Although I've grown to expect that, it does mean it's okay. If you can move past the limitations of these discussions, as you typically have to if you want to enjoy WWE's documentaries, then you can certainly enjoy this.

The Rating: ****