RF Roundtable - Iron Shiek, Missy Hyatt & Kanyon

The Good
RF Video coordinates putting together three controversial characters and it is largely a trainwreck and not a particularly entertaining one. They mainly talk about current events (Tiger Woods' divorce, Barack Obama's presidency, Sarah Palin's rise to fame, Michael Vicks' dog-fighting, gay marriage and so fourth) and it does stimulate some interesting comments. Missy Hyatt dominates the conversation here, so if you enjoy hearing Missy be Missy, this is a treat. She expresses her political and moral views, which seem to have some inconsistencies. Sheik, for all his gay-bashing in the past, seems extremely moderate although practically asleep through much of this. Kanyon is largely quiet and makes a good showing during the gay marriage debate.

The Bad
When you have someone putting over Hitler in the first leg of a shoot interview, it's hard to get behind it. Missy Hyatt, who is often funny, comes across as frustrated and stupid on a level I've never seen before. I am sure some people would be disappointed by Sheiky's low-key showing here, but I thought he did his thing and did not make a total ass of himself. I was mostly disappointed by Kanyon, who always comes across a thoughtful person, yet he bowed out of much of the conversation and let Missy take over. Between Missy and the constant attacks on Eric Simms, this was amongst the most annoying and obnoxious roundtables ever.

The Rating: **3/4

Memphis Roundtable with Jerry Jarrett, Lance Russell and Dave Brown

The Good
Three of the most significant figures in Memphis pro-wrestling history are given an opportunity to share their experiences with fans in a discussion directed by former manager Scott Bowden.  Bowden grew up on this stuff, so he knows how to pull out the best of these three.  Jerry Jarrett is a great storyteller and can explain things well, so most anything he does is excellent.  Lance Russell is a tremendous talker and someone who infuses humor well, so those qualities that made him a great straight-man for Memphis wrestling, makes him entertaining in this atmosphere.  Dave Brown has never done a detailed shoot interview (that I know of, probably radio interviews), so it was great to catch his perspective, stories and details on some of Memphis's greatest angles and personalities.

The Bad

This was relatively short and having multiple people always cuts down on time even more, but Scott Bowden kept this flowing and so it did not seem as rambling as it could have.  A couple repeat stories out of Jerry Jarrett and Lance Russell, but you have to expect that to an extent.  Obviously there were dozens of great names and angles that went unmentioned, which could disappoint that person who really wanted to hear about the Dream Machine, Plowboy Frazier or some other character.  You hear about Jackie Fargo, Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Valiant and the other iconic figures of Memphis wrestling, but many are left out.

The Rating: ***3/4