Jim Powers [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Sometimes a whole lot of honesty comes from an unexpected source. For the same reason that Jim Wilson's Chokehold was good, this shoot interview with former WWF and WCW undercarder Jim Powers is good. Both were good athletes with potential, both squandered underneath, both blame politics and even homosexuality and both are quite honest about the dirty world they lived in. Jim Powers, however, was generally liked by his peers and was by no means a rabble-rouser. He is also much more straightforward about his own abilities, dependencies and legacy. While I went into to this expecting nothing special, it ended up being very enjoyable. Powers ran with some rebellious types and was able to shed light on characters like the Ultimate Warrior (whom he calls "Jimbo"), Kerry Von Erich and Paul Roma. He is also as up-front about drug use and abuse as anyone this side of Jake Roberts. His views on steroids - "they work!" He even goes into such detail about his and his buddies' daily pill-popping, needle-poking and line-snorting that he takes a second to acknowledge his daughter might here this and than continues. His views on the matter are very well thought-through and although I don't agree with living that lifestyle, he certainly explains how it was practically essential. This was unlike many others.

The Bad
Who is Jim Powers? I don't mean to bury the guy, but a career of jobbing at the worst and being a middle-of-road guy at best does not exactly make you a great shoot interview candidate. Jim Powers' greatest strengths are whom he ran with, what he saw and remembers and how honest he is about it all. Does he really dish the dirt? Not to the extent that he seems bitter and makes those old buddies look bad, but he definitely does not the WWF any favors in terms of PR. What Jim Powers lacks in star power, main event experience, booking knowledge and psychology sense, he makes up for in being in the right place at the right time and being alive and aware in an era that wants to ask him about it.

The Rating: ****

Italian Stallion [Highspots Shoot Interview]

The Good
A classic underneath talent, whose legitimacy, influence and background made for some surprising and fascinating listening. Stallion's background as a decorated amateur wrestler with Olympic potential was nothing short of shocking. Furthermore, he took that skill set and became a bookie is just as shocking. The story of this tough guy who set a World record in spaghetti-eating transitioning to pro-wrestling is so bizarre it seems unlikely. Stallion did work with a lot of big stars and was able to have a distinct career, so he has the types of stories and perspectives that make for a worthwhile shoot interview. He was a good storyteller for the most part, so I think Michael Bochicchio's assumption that old-school fans of Jim Crockett Promotions are the ones who'll buy this shoot is an accurate one. The one story in here that stood out above all the others, in my opinion, was the one where Ronnie Garvin recruited him to get back money from Angelo Poffo from back in the ICW days. Garvin and Lanny Poffo are the only two talking and neither says much about the ICW, so any tidbit (such as this, true or not) is welcome.

The Bad
An amateur wrestling career that reached almost Olympic proportions? A personal recommendation letter from Vince McMahon Sr. to get into the business? A free ride from the Crocketts while breaking in? I do not have information to contradict this, but it seems almost ludicrous enough that I want to doubt it at face value. Many pro-wrestlers though, especially pre-wrestling school pro-wrestlers, have these kinds of unusual tales of getting into the business. Then comes Stallion's interaction with the Hardy Boyz. While I'm sure both of them did exactly tell the whole truth, his version is a rebuttal to their's so it seems more plausible. The Hardy Boyz were untrained, undersized, underaged backyard wrestler when the Italian Stallion came across them. He claims that their ability to do incredible spots was the catalyst to him bringing the WWF as jobbers. Although it becomes muddled after that. He took them, got them breaks and took all (or almost all their earnings) because, in his view, he took a huge risk by bringing them in. Now, the Hardy Boyz got a break, became huge stars and the WWF repaid Stallion by never using him or his charges? Somehow, I simply cannot believe everything that he says about this story, however it did make me question the Hardy Boyz's version as well.

The Rating: ***1/2