Straight Shootin' with Ron Killings

The Good
I tend not to like shoot interviews with active wrestlers because they can be a little too politically cautious, too angry about a recent release, too positive about their current situation and simply not have not been able to step back and reflect on a full career. They can be very interesting, especially to listen to subsequent interviews. Al Snow's first RF Video was angry and perhaps bitter, his second RF Video shoot was amazingly thoughtful considering the short span of time between them. As of 2010, Ron Killings is working in the WWE near the top as R-Truth, during this interview he was a few years into his TNA run after a failing WWF run. Some of the things he mentions (his name changes, for example) were very interesting because of how his career changed after this shoot. He seems honest, without burying WWF personnel. I think this should stand out as an example why going nuts and blasting Triple H, the McMahons and John Laurenitis is not necessary to come across as being honest and straight. In the same breath, letting some steam off about how you were wronged (because few people are let go for justifiable reasons) is fine. I found this interesting, but more in a historical relic sense, rather than a genuine shoot interview sense.

The Bad
Shoots with younger guys can be really good if they're funny and/or have good stories, but usually they're nothing special. Ron Killings, at this point, was fresh off his second NWA title run in TNA, who had just started up on FOX Sports Net. Obviously, things have changed dramatically since that time. The basic story was him breaking in, working the indies, catching a break with the WWF, having stints in developmental and at the big show, then hooking up with NWA-TNA and reinventing himself and being very successful. He was very positive and seemed quite honest, which makes for a dull interview in this case. Not that he should have been burying everybody, but for someone who is a great promo, he was mediocre shoot interview candidate. Gabe Sapolsky is a solid interviewer and even he could not bring this into the interesting category for me.

The Rating: ***

 Straight Shootin' with Jim Cornette - Konnan

The Good
Talk about the odd couple of odd couples.  Here is Jim Cornette, 40-something, Southern-style rasslin' performer and historian paired with lucha libre legend and former WCW and TNA undercarder Konnan.  How do these two communicate?  Very well actually.  Cornette, while not a lucha expert, shows that he's done his homework and directs Konnan through an interview respectfully and with his unique appeal.  Konnan, in sharp contrast to his on-screen persona, is well-spoken, thoughtful and insightful, so that he is able to work well with Corny.  I don't think this worked as good as Konnan and Bryan Alvarez or even Dave Meltzer, but there was something unique here that is undeniable.  Cornette pulls in his own experiences of Nick Gulas using Mexicans on the cheap, Vince McMahon working with Antonio Pena and WCW not knowing how to introduce and properly book distinct stars to get thoughts out of Konnan that you've never heard before.  He shared for the first time, according to him, the fact that he had to go back to "hustling on the streets" in between his WCW and NWA-TNA runs, which was a big shock.  Overall, I went in expecting a train-wreck of sorts, but got a gem of sorts instead.

The Bad
Like I said and as you'd expect, Jim Cornette is no lucha libre historian or even regular connoisseur, so his perspectives are limited in a way.  He and Konnan have a good rapport, but this is lacking in comparison to Corny with Bill Watts, Percy Pringle, Bobby Heenan, etc.  I actually think Konnan works better with Meltzer because he knows that Dave knows his stuff, even though Dave lacks Cornette's interviewing savvy.  Konnan seems to hold back some as a result and while it makes for a different type of Konnan interview, it is not necessarily better.  In some ways it is worse because he does not go into as much detail, Cornette is inconsistent in follow-up questions and something just seems amiss.

The Rating: ****