Bruno Sammartino [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Eric Gargiulo's RF Video shoot interviews are so hit-or-miss. While I tend to think he is significantly better than Rob Feinstein, he is not as good as a number of other interviewers. This shoot interview goes nearly three hours and the advantage that Gargiulo has here is that he has interviewed Bruno Sammartino more times on his Pro Wrestling Radio show than anyone, so he has a good rapport with Bruno and knows which stories to get him to tell, which issues will make him bristle and probably which questions to avoid. That being said, Bruno is one of those people whose interviews I will always listen to because he is well-spoken, he is honest and he has a legacy that is second-to-none. Gargiulo is pretty familiar with Bruno's history, so he is able to direct things coherently and chronologically. The story of his journey from a sickly child hiding from the SS in the Italian mountains to a weightlifting standout and eventually one of the biggest drawing cards of all-time is remarkable. He goes into being blackballed early in his career, building a legacy in Toronto that led to his New York City return and all the amazing feuds and people he rubbed shoulders with over the years. Bruno has a million stories and he shares some of the best ones here.

The Bad
Interestingly, I would say if you can only listen to one Bruno Sammartino interview, I'd listen to this one. Although I personally prefer his shoot with Jim Cornette, this was a little more comprehensive. However, if you've heard a lot of interviews with Bruno (and he has definitely done a lot), you might find a lot of this redundant. It seems like Gargiulo's intent was to get that career overview interview while making sure Bruno tells some of his best stories along the way. This is the standard RF Video shoot in many ways.


The Rating:  ****1/2

Listen You Pencil Neck Geeks: "Classy" Freddie Blassie

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Freddie Blassie, Keith Elliot Greenberg
Publisher: First Pocket Books
Released: 5/03

The Good
The WWE books have been very hit-and-miss, this is a hit. It's tough to really do justice to a long, full life and a legendary and colorful career, but Keith Elliot Greenberg does an excellent job at both. Blassie's antecdotes are hilarious and Greenberg put them into a nice order and makes this story flow smoothly. Before he was "Classy" Freddie Blassie he was "Sailor" Fred Blassie and it shows in some colorful language. His stories are excellent and well-placed. The family and childhood is good enough for even the most impatient people, the love story is amongst the best parts of the book. Blassie doesn't short-change any part of his career and other parts aren't overblown, which is huge flaw in many recent books. He also seems to accurately portray himself and others, which is often a problem in wrestling books. A great book about a great career, period.

The Bad
I really can't knock this book all that much. It really exceeded my expectations in almost every way. I think some people might not be interested in a lot of it because they'd see his material as outdated and wouldn't know the many people he talks about from earlier times. This definitely reads like a WWE book because Greenberg has to get over the superiority of the product, which Blassie probably believed (but I doubt he closely followed pro-wrestling on a worldwide scale). This is a book for someone interested in wrestling's history, how it changed and one of it's legends. The stories are funny for non-fans or current fans, but I question if they could enjoyably read this whole book.

The Rating: ****1/4

Mad Dog Vachon [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon is one of the mythical characters in pro-wrestling history and he is able to reveal much of how he got there in this interview.  His English is not perfect, he gets confused about a few things and this is, in fact, an RF Video shoot interview, but despite all those drawback this is excellent.  Vachon is a great storyteller whether he's talking about his father, recounting his early days in Texas or his telling of his experiences as a top star in the AWA.  That quality really makes this one of those shoot interviews that you just cannot stop listening to (until it gets really bad at the end).

The Bad
RF Video never fails at angering me in their inability to do their research, follow-up on questions, build rapport with the interviewee or try to hide the interviewee's weaknesses.  When Mad Dog gets tired and struggles to recall the names being dropped, the interview keeps rolling along and makes the last part of this worthless.    What is even worse than that is the lack of exploration into Vachon's Grand Prix promotion and pro-wrestling in Quebec in general.  This started so strong and was overall very good, but some of the same old issues prevented it from being great.

The Rating: ****

Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Lou Thesz, Kit Bauman
Publisher: Wrestling Channel Press
Released: 2/01

The Good
This is, according to many, the definitive source of pro-wrestling from its rough and tumble days through the territorial NWA years up to the national expansion of the WWF. Thesz has dozens of great stories and provides the history that any wrestling fan should desire. This reads easy and even non-fans can get into some of the less wrestling history intensive stuff (as I caught my mother flipping through it once and enjoying it). This stands up well and is typically considered amongst the best books on pro-wrestling and with good reason.

The Bad
Thesz has a very skewed view of things. He likes people and dislikes people and though he does not keep that a secret throughout some fans might be interested in his selective memory and interesting prespectives. His opinions on the modern product are what you'd expect and there is a fair degree of bitterness there. This is not as venomous as Pure Dynamite, but it has more hidden agendas or whatnot. Read this with a skeptical eye and probably read Chokehold afterwards.

The Rating: ****1/4

The Wrestling Game

Director: n/a
Distributor: Mountain Films
Released: 1963

The Good
I don't know how much 1960s British pro-wrestling is kicking around, but this is a nice sampling that shows how that style is different than elsewhere. Although it does not feature many legendary British stars, it does feature "Judo" Al Hayes, who became a star in the US. The real draw here is seeing the action. This was a feature, but it was not exactly an expose. I had heard Ron Garvin elude to an expose that killed British wrestling (I'm not sure if this is it), but this more showed and explained the draw of pro-wrestling. Also, I popped for the powerbomb in the opening bout...who expected that?

The Bad
At just over 10 minutes, this hardly gets at anything. It is a neat historical piece, but the lack of commentary and explanation could be a turn off for many modern viewers. It also did not really have the star power that you'd expect. It was more of a random filming that had a couple of familiar names, but mostly people that even I didn't know.

The Rating: **1/2

Skandor Akbar [57Talk Shoot Interview]

The Good
An excellent three-part series conducted by Gary Cubeta that focuses on World Class (in part 1), Tri-State, Mid-South and the UWF (amongst other things in part 2) and everything else (in part 3). I enjoy how Gary narrow focuses his interviews and pumps in questions that are both pertinent and personally interesting throughout the interviews. Despite some technical difficulties, he and Skandor seem to have a good rapport that leads to an honest and insightful interview. They talk extensively about the demise of World Class, the sale of the UWF and fall of Jim Crockett Promotions and even get into some areas I'd not heard Skandor discuss much. Gary is quick to jump on Amarillo (in its last days under Dick Murdoch and Blackjack Mulligan), Australia (under Skandor's cousin Frankie Caine) and his brief runs in Florida and the WWWF. Skandor is just a torrent of memories and Cubeta is able to direct him into some great aspects that RF Video simply could not do.

The Bad
I feel like this is the tip of the iceberg. Skandor Akbar is a fascinating interview and I always enjoy him, but I always feel like there's a stone that's been unturned. Gary Cubeta uncovers some of the parts that RF did not, but some are not really delved into deeply. I think his experiences in Tri-State, which is so unexplored, and post-Barnett Australia would be excellent if given the time. Skandor is never at a loss for words and has a sharp memory, but basically sticks to the interviewer's questions. As great as this was I still want more.

The Rating: ****1/4

Icons of Wrestling: Lou Thesz

Director: Dale & Claude Barnes
Distributor: TWC (The Wrestling Channel)
Released: 1/06
Featured Talent: Pampero Firpo, Hard Boiled Haggerty, Antonio Inoki, Charlie Thesz, Lou Thesz

The Good
If you have never seen any footage of Lou Thesz, this is a neat little featurette about him. It offers a lot of photos, video and comments that gives some insight into why many have considered him the greatest pro-wrestler ever. This gives a very brief overview of a long and full career breaking up the story into two halves. First are the early years with him cutting his teeth and being managed by “Strangler” Lewis. Then after explaining his hand-to-hand combat training during World War II, it covers the post-war period. This second part features the advent of television and focuses on his time in California. There is quiet a bit of footage of him and his family on the beach, hosting a party and playing on his ranch. Then fast-forward to the mid-70s when he is working periodically in Japan as a legend and meeting his third wife Charlie. It is difficult to cover such a career and this is about as good as one would expect to get in less than thirty minutes. Lou Thesz is pretty candid and there is a semblance of order to the story.

The Bad
While this came out a few years ago, since the advent of youtube, something like this seems dull. While there is only a fraction of Lou Thesz’s matches saved on video, most of it is him as a balding forty year old man. He was a great athlete, a great performer and a great champion, but it is difficult to dress up this footage and get that idea across. Things just look so different and he looks so old that some explanation is required to pull out the positive aspects and that is not really done here. Another issue is that everything that Lou Thesz said had a reason behind it, whether it was to put someone over, protect his own legacy or whatever. It is part kayfabe, part fuzzy memories, but it adds up to a not-so-honest version of history. While Hooker is a great book, it has that dimension to it and so does this. Lastly, if you want to memorialize someone, spell their name correctly.

The Rating: ***

Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring


Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Marsha Erb
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 5/02

The Good
Excellent overview of the life and times of a wrestling icon. Hart's childhood was extremely hard, yet he clawed his way up to becoming quite an exceptional person. There is tragedy after tragedy, which provides a very human side to the man. It is quick read with good stories without really delving into the all too colorful world of pro-wrestling all that much.

The Bad
If you have no interest in this book...don't read it. It's not really insightful to wrestling, but it's not designed to be. This lacks the insider stuff that many people might want and a lot of the dirt and it's close to the DiBiase book, however it has much more content and even his story is more uplifting and fascinating.

The Rating: ***

Shooting with the Legends: Don Fargo

The Good
I've waited years to hear this one and it did not let me down.  Don Fargo is one of the most infamous rebels in pro-wrestling who anyone who spent time around can share crazy stories of and often do.  So, how about some tales from the man himself!  Don Fargo, at 70 years of age, basically goes on for two hours straight telling road stories, sharing dirt and laughing at all the messed up experiences he's had.  His era and the territories he worked are so rarely the focus of shoot interviews that this was fantastic to hear.  There are so many legendary characters from Sputnik Monroe and Lou Thesz to Jack Pfefer and Chris Colt that Don Fargo worked with first-hand that it'd be impossible to have a dull interview.

The Bad
I believe I missed the first part of this interview, but that's not really a valid knock, it just makes me sad.  Although I'm not one who hates road stories, this one was largely Fargo sharing his wacky life story with little insight.  It seems likely that Don Fargo has a deeper understanding of pro-wrestling psychology that was not delved into, which is unfortunate.  He talks some about gimmickry and such, but without a great deal of depth.  This could have been blow-away shoot, and I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed.

The Rating: ****1/2




Enjoy some Don Fargo (at nearly 60 years of age!!) in the AWA in the mid-80s.

National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Pro Wrestling

Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Tim Hornbaker
Publisher: ECW Press
Released: 5/07

The Good
Tim Hornbaker’s book on the history of the NWA is perhaps the most comprehensive on pro-wrestling that will be written. He essentially tells the story of pro-wrestling in much of North America and even Japan over the last hundred years. While this could have been narrower in scope, Hornbaker took liberties to be more far-reaching and almost encyclopedic in approach. The main thread is detailing the formation of the Alliance, its developments, its challenges from “outlaw” promoters and even the U.S. government, the decline of the Alliance and the stories of all the players. The immense amounts of information make this superior to Chokehold and Sex, Lies and Headlocks, which had similar goals. Hornbaker has chapters dedicated to “Strangler” Lewis, Toots Mondt, Sam Muchnick, Fred Kohler and Lou Thesz, which all relate to the NWA story through fascinating mini-bios. He also has thorough pieces on numerous key pro-wrestlers who often doubled as bookers and promoters. Perhaps more interestingly, Hornbaker covers nearly everyone who has ever been an Alliance member, which are stories seldom told because they were often not performers or that aspect of their career is not told. This book is a must-have for the pro-wrestling historian. 

The Bad
Tim Hornbaker’s book is as extensive a book on pro-wrestling history as there is on the market. In just over three hundred and fifty pages, he shoehorns an amazing amount of detailed information. Unlike the history in books like Pain and Passion, Death of WCW and some autobiographies by wrestler/promoters, Hornbaker’s writing style is more substance over style. The complaints of a friend who felt the boringness of this book had overshadowed all the great information inside were convincing. This is not a “fun” read, the two lawsuit chapters are, in fact, largely dull, despite their importance. However, just as one would not read an encyclopedia from cover to cover, so is the case here. This book is a phenomenal resource and a lackluster pleasure book. 

The Rating: ****3/4

Wrestling (1964 Documentary)


Directors: Michel Brault, Marcel Carreiere, Claude Fournier, Claude Jutra
Distributor: National Film Board of Canada
Released: 1961 (reaired 2004)


Featured Talent
Wild Red Berry, Eduord Carpentier, Al Costello, Dominic Denucci, Ivan Kalimikoff, Tony Lanza, Yvon Robert 


The Good
The simple fact is there is not much quality pro-wrestling footage out there prior to the 1980s, so when some gems like this are avaliable, it is important to enjoy them. This brief documentary shows some great insight into the "Golden Age" of pro-wrestling. That sport that has a lot of tongue-in-cheek comedy, simple characters and more white hot heat than anything you see on TV today. This documentary focuses on pro-wrestling in Canada, specifically Quebec. It shows legendary trainer Tony Lanza working with some of his students. It has a lengthy highlight reel of sorts from the card being featured. Seeing these nondescript wrestlers go through moves on black and white film and the action being set to Bach is fascinating to see. It is at times whimiscal, at times artsy and it even borders on beautiful a few times. The main event is Eduoard Carpentier and Dominic Denucci against Al Costello and Ivan Kalimikoff. These are four men who were top stars in the 60s, but receive little, if any, fanfare today. To see Carpentier is amazing - a thickly muscled, charismatic babyface who flips around and works the crowd to perfection. Denucci, known now mostly as Mick Foley's mentor, shows why he was a top draw in Australia as he sells a pounding that drives the Italians in the crowd wild. Costello and Kalimikoff, two master tag wrestlers, heel it up and they generate that heat you just don't see these days. Also it should be mentioned Wild Red Berry cuts a promo at the end that along with Kalimikoff shows how simple it is. 

The Bad
I have few complaints about this. Thirty minutes was way too short to satisfy me, although I loved seeing this action. They didn't name the undercard matches or wrestlers, so I didn't know who was who is all the black trunks and black boots. While some may say a lot of this looked fake, this is from near fifty years ago! Sure, parts of this don't compare to today's action, but the heat is just amazing to experience. I wouldn't call this a must-see for everyone, but if you are into pro-wrestling history this captures much of what made the television era so great.


The Rating: ****