Stevie Ray [Highspots Shoot Interview]

The Good
Stevie Ray is probably best known as the bigger and not-as-talent brother of Booker T. The two partnered for a long time as Harlem Heat and were a very good tag team before splitting and going in very different career directions. While I was never a big fan of his work, Stevie Ray undoubtedly had a certain charisma that was never fully tapped. Sid Vicious, who brought them into WCW from Global, thought Stevie Ray was the real talent in the pair. Stevie certainly had the love for pro-wrestling that propelled himself and his younger brother into the business in the first place. What was amazing about this interview is that Stevie Ray really seems like a guy who should've gone so much further, but was never in that perfect spot. He was a massive guy, a decent promo and a competent worker, but he clearly has an insight into the sport that never came out. WCW tried him out as a commentator and interview, but did not nurture him properly. One can hear in this interview that Stevie Ray is a well-spoken and well-read individual and that matched with his unique catchphrases could've led him to being a quality color man like Tazz or even his brother nowadays. In this interview, Stevie Ray got himself over and someone with a distinct viewpoint on the profession and one that needs to be expounded upon. One particular facet of his career that was interesting was his belief that when the Harlem Heat hooked up with Sherri Martel, they were all able to push their careers to another level and that they did something special that was lost when she was fired.

The Bad
As much as I found this shoot interview interesting, Highspots shoots conducted by people other than Michael Bochicchio are never as good. Clearly they wanted to limit the questions or discussion of Booker T (which is good to a point, but seemed odd here), there was little discussion of "Big T" Ahmed Johnson (who described Stevie Ray as one of his closest friends in the business) and there just something missing about this otherwise shockingly good interview. Stevie Ray has a keen mind on the business and it seems like this could've focused more on his perspectives on things because many times he had something interesting to say. I particularly found his concepts of pushing blacks in pro-wrestling, the lack of "superstars" in the current product and even the WWE's inadequate pushing of Booker were all fascinating and should've been explored deeper.

The Rating: ***3/4

The Outsiders [RF Video Shoot Interview]
The Good
Scott Hall's shoot a month prior to this is one of RF's best and Kevin Nash's wasn't too shabby either. When you combine the two, you get a very different, but very enjoyable product. Hall, who was really reserved and respectful in his, is pulled into a Nash-influenced that is a stark contrast. They bury people, they bury companies, they bury poor booking, they take the blame for nothing, all while admitting that they're too of the biggest pricks around. I wonder Hall's different candor here is more or less authentic to his true persona as these two admit to having almost split personalities. They have a million road stories from their "gay rib" first meeting to their chronic drunken escapades during WCW TV tapings. They explain how the Kliq changed the WWF, how the nWo developed, how it fell and they get into all the characters from WCW's glory days. You will get what you expect with these two.
The Bad
Based on the nWo's presence in my "Pro-Wrestling in Georgia & The Carolinas" video being thoroughly despised by numerous posters, I know that many people don't like the nWo, they don't like Hall & Nash, they blame their influence on ruining WCW and their feelings are very much in line with Jim Cornette's infamous rants against them on Raw. Those people might want to avoid this one. These are two disrespectful, self-important and seem to not have much regard for the health of pro-wrestling itself. Certainly their role in WCW was key in the company's surge and the boom known as the "Monday Night Wars," but many people cannot stand them and believe the bad outweighs the good in this situation. They make no apologies here.
The Rating: ****1/2

Demolition [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Tandem shoots can be really good if the two have good chemistry, one does not do all the talking and they do not get off on the individual's careers. RF Video had previous interviewed both of these guys who had significant careers before partnering up, so they kept those pre-Demolition question to a minimum. These two clearly have great respect for one another and believed in their gimmick and how over it was. I felt like Rob dealt with the Road Warrior clones issue well and these two made a great case for their legacy. Bill Eadie came in first with Randy Colley and he explains why Randy didn't work, why he did and why he thought the gimmick would get over. They talk about the various teams they worked, their runs as heels and babyfaces and how they avoided getting caught up in the WWF's drug and party culture. The most interesting part of this was talking about their potential feud with the Legion of Doom, which never really happened. Ax's health woes, Crush's presence and the LOD's super-push saw the thing shortchanged and they seem a little upset by it all.

The Bad
The major bone of contention here is whether or not Demolition was WWF's second-rate answer to Road Warriors or if they were something unique. Sure, there are similarities - the makeup, the likeness to the Lord Humongous character (from the Road Warrior sequel), the balls-to-the-wall brawling style and monster heel approach. Demolition though was comprised of a highly polished heel and one coming into his prime, they worked longer matches, were known for their cardio and were revered by their peers. Demolition seem highly dismissive of the comments, which is a bit much, but then they get into how WWF fans saw the LOD as Demolition clones…which I can't buy at all. There are differences and there are similarities, but let's not get ridiculous. I liked the narrow focus on just their run together as Demolition, but since I have not yet heard their individual shoots, I was left wanting to hear more about the amazing run of the Masked Superstar in the years prior.

The Rating:  ****

Road Warriors [RF Video Shoot Interview]



The Good
I have to feel a little nostalgic about this one because this was the first shoot interview I ever heard and it was one of RF Video's earliest non-ECW shoots. I remember stumbling across RF Video's kiosk at Franklin Mills in PA and leaving with this as well as some All Japan. I was definitely impressed as this is an impressive interview. Hawk is over-the-top in calling Vince McMahon the most evil man ever and comes across as bitter and angry. Even Animal, typically considered the level-headed one, is angry in talking about being misused in their two WWF runs. I thought the WWE's Road Warriors DVD was much more organized and better produced, but this had the raw emotion and lacked the WWE revisionist history, so in many ways in was preferable. Listening to them wax nostalgic about killing everyone in Georgia and how over they were when they came to the WWF is one thing, but hearing them bury the New Age Outlaws, Bill Watts and others for being inept is another. The cutting honesty here is pretty incredible.

The Bad
I remember when I first watched through this over a decade ago, being blown away by it all. It had the stories right from the wrestlers themselves. It was full of anger and honesty. It was even supplemented with matches I'd never seen before. But when it was all over, I kind of felt like "I paid X amount of money for this?" because once you've listened to a shoot interview, it has drastically reduced playback value, so you feel a tad ripped off. I would say the exception lies in shoots that are just above-and-beyond entertaining or exceptionally insightful to the business. This was neither. The Road Warriors totally believe their own hype and while they were huge stars for the better part of a decade, they simply could not offer the same goods in `99, despite what they say here. I would give this high marks for its uniqueness and historical relevance, it also has the advantages of including someone who has since passed away, but this is not the best shoot interview.

The Rating: ****1/2

Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team in Wrestling History

Directors: Kevin Dunn
Distributor: WWE Home Video
Released: 6/05

Featured Talent
Arn Anderson, Animal, Eric Bischoff, Booker T., Jerry Brisco, Jim Cornette, Barry Darsow (Smash), Darren "Droz" Drozdov, Edge, Paul Ellering, Ric Flair, Michael Hayes, Steve Keirn, Johnny "Ace" Laurenitis, Jerry Lawler, Steve Lombardi, Jim Ross

The Good
The WWE had not really put a lot into their documentaries, but this was one of the first that was really a step up. This did an excellent job at detailing the career, qualities and successes of the legendary Road Warriors. Animal, proved to be a good storyteller and that really helped this considerably. The barbells and bouncing past of the Roadies was detailed and it built up how they were a jacked up and aggressive pair that when transformed, they just clicked. They were groundbreaking and influential and that aspect was explained here. From their distinct look to their one-of-a-kind promos (which are included on the DVD extras), the Road Warrior package made them a top draw when tag teams were not usually big draws. It covers the many teams they worked, rightly focusing on the Midnight Express and the legendary scaffold match. Not surprisingly, Cornette is excellent in this. Perhaps the most interesting aspect was the role of Paul Ellering, who truly was their manager, helping them learn the ropes, make their shots and manage their money. However, the Road Warrior story wouldn't be complete without the nagging substance abuse and personality of Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand and that component is a focal point through out and essentially their inability to return to prominence again after their `92 break-up is explained. Since the LOD was not known for their workrate, including their best matches was not hard to do. Instead, the focus is on variety and that works well. Seeing them in the AWA, Georgia, Jim Crockett Promotions, the WWF, WCW and even in Japan is what this largely needed.

The Bad
One of the real flaws of WWE documentaries is, like VH1's Behind the Music, they tend to be formulaic in their rise-fall-retribution approach. This has that perhaps more than any documentary since. Instead of digging deeper, Hawk's substance abuse problems are put totally on him and not at all credited to the hellacious schedule, grueling physical demands and personal strain that, one might argue, leads many down this self-destructive path. The WWF's desire to take the edgy and unique Road Warriors and try to WWF-ify them in the early 90s is not touched upon. They changed their name to the Legion of Doom, made their outfits more professional-looking, did not bring in Paul Ellering until later on and even gave them Rocco (remember that dummy?). Although the Roadies were way over in the WWF, the company certainly did not always do the best things for them. They do touch upon the WWF's repacking attempts in the late 90s with LOD 2000, Road Warrior Puke and the Hawk the abuser storyline, but none are really addressed as poor creative decisions. Lastly, there is the issue of Japan. The Road Warriors were huge in Japan in the 1980s and it would have been nice to see Jumbo Tsuruta on a WWF DVD. Secondly, Animal seems to bury Kensuke Sasaki. The fact is by the time he was teaming with Hawk, Sasaki was already well-established as Riki Choshu's protégé. Aside from those small details and broader issues, this documentary and DVD set are among the better ones the WWE has put out.

The Rating: ****1/2

Rock-N-Roll Express [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Ricky Morton didn't just carry the team, he carries this interview.  Opinionated, honest, funny and insightful, Morton has to be one of the best shoot interviews out there.  Robert Gibson "works the apron" by adding in little comments and jokes when needed and one brings to truly understand the dynamics of the Rock-N-Roll Express.  Although I usually feel RF's questioning is poor, it is acceptable here and he really digs into some of the early years in Tennessee and Alabama more than I would have expected.  It is really Ricky Morton's powerful personality that make this fantastic and you'll see him in a whole new light when you catch this.

The Bad
Without dwelling on the faults of RF Video Shoot Interviews, one would find this really enjoyable.  I always want to here more about the Alabama region because it has been downplayed so much.  Ricky and Robert seem to have more nostalgia and excitement in talking about Memphis than any other place and that could probably be an interview all by itself.  My faults with this are pretty minimal.

The Rating: ****1/2