Who's Who in Professional Wrestling
Author, Ghost Writer, Editor: Dave Meltzer
Publisher: n/a
Released: 1986
The Good
I bought a copy of this because I was intrigued by Dave's opinions during this time period right before the territories starting collapsing. Some of his comments are unbelievable as he talks up Chris Benoit in his rookie year, talks about the potential of Randy Savage as the "the hottest act" around and so on. I've always thought highly of Dave's work and opinions and this convinced me he's been a smart guy for a long time. For what it is, this is a worthwhile book that provides the information that I want to bring to the masses as well.
The Bad
Obviously in `86, a serious book about pro-wrestling getting a quality publication deal was unlikely, so we get this shabby version. This is an ugly book, plain and simple. I wish Dave had covered more people, but I guess with limited time and resources in those days, this was about the best he could do. Realistically, he could have written short profiles (as he does in the end) for a good 200 additional wrestlers, but he really shortchanged Mexico and Japan (he didn't even cover women). It is unfortunate he didn't make a greater effort to alert people to good workers unknown to mainstream fans, but Dave had his reasons.
The Rating: ***1/4
Showing posts with label territories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label territories. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lanny Poffo [RF Video Shoot Interview]
The Good
I remember hearing a little about this interview with Lanny Poffo before listening to it. It was described as one of the best RF Shoots and I think I can agree with that. Lanny Poffo is a fantastic talker. He is eloquent, he is sincere and he has that great cadence to his voice. This is unlike any other shoot interview because Lanny is just a unique personality and he makes many of his peers seem strikingly redundant. How can you not be taken aback when a pro-wrestler is quoting Thomas Jefferson, the Gospel of Matthew and Tigger!? Lanny Poffo might not have had the type of career that makes him a "legend," but he is second-generation, brother to one of the biggest stars ever and worked in many companies with many big names. While he pulls no punches when burying people like Ole Anderson, Rick Rude and the Von Erichs, he also can give them their due. In the same token, he puts over Ric Flair, Grizzly Smith and Curt Hennig, but is able to explain their flaws as well. While I do not always agree with his viewpoints, he is certainly one who believes in them and himself and you cannot fault him for that.
The Bad
I suppose some people would find Lanny Poffo's interviewing style off-putting. He is not your typical pro-wrestler in terms of using salty language, coming across as bitter and such. He has a very distinct way of talking and explaining situations, which I'm sure some people would find obnoxious. The only knock I could make is that he gets sidetracked frequently, but luckily nothing seems to be left out. If you don't like it when interviewees go off on rants about anyone and everyone, then you might want to avoid this one. However, Lanny explains the difference between "objective" and "subjective," I realize that my view of this is "subjective" and I deem it to be amongst the best of the best.
The Rating: *****
The Good
I remember hearing a little about this interview with Lanny Poffo before listening to it. It was described as one of the best RF Shoots and I think I can agree with that. Lanny Poffo is a fantastic talker. He is eloquent, he is sincere and he has that great cadence to his voice. This is unlike any other shoot interview because Lanny is just a unique personality and he makes many of his peers seem strikingly redundant. How can you not be taken aback when a pro-wrestler is quoting Thomas Jefferson, the Gospel of Matthew and Tigger!? Lanny Poffo might not have had the type of career that makes him a "legend," but he is second-generation, brother to one of the biggest stars ever and worked in many companies with many big names. While he pulls no punches when burying people like Ole Anderson, Rick Rude and the Von Erichs, he also can give them their due. In the same token, he puts over Ric Flair, Grizzly Smith and Curt Hennig, but is able to explain their flaws as well. While I do not always agree with his viewpoints, he is certainly one who believes in them and himself and you cannot fault him for that.
The Bad
I suppose some people would find Lanny Poffo's interviewing style off-putting. He is not your typical pro-wrestler in terms of using salty language, coming across as bitter and such. He has a very distinct way of talking and explaining situations, which I'm sure some people would find obnoxious. The only knock I could make is that he gets sidetracked frequently, but luckily nothing seems to be left out. If you don't like it when interviewees go off on rants about anyone and everyone, then you might want to avoid this one. However, Lanny explains the difference between "objective" and "subjective," I realize that my view of this is "subjective" and I deem it to be amongst the best of the best.
The Rating: *****
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Chris Adams [RF Video Shoot Interview]
The Good
Chris Adams is personable type who carries himself well in interviews such as these. His negative qualities are easily swept behind the guise of the "gentleman," which almost makes you understand how a cocky, violent drug addict was able to do so well for himself for such a long period of time. He seems quite straightforward with his opinions and while he does not knock too many people, he comes across as being someone whose reflected on his past mistakes and understands the abilities he truly had.
The Bad
Chris Adams has one of the worst reputations in pro-wrestling and that is probably not because people simply hated his accent. He has been called too stiff, too arrogant, too messed up, too everything and there is probably truth to all of it. In this format, he is able to downplay those negatives and you don't come away with a negative picture of him. However, he surely had a dark side. He's unwilling to do much more than hint at or briefly talk about all the bizarre situations (his wife having an affair with Kerry Von Erich, later Brian Christopher and another wife leaving him for Steve Austin), legal problems (arrests for headbutting an airline pilot and wifebeating) and drug problems (his myriad problems with street drugs, most notably GHB, and how they took a toll on him).
The Rating: ****
The Good
Chris Adams is personable type who carries himself well in interviews such as these. His negative qualities are easily swept behind the guise of the "gentleman," which almost makes you understand how a cocky, violent drug addict was able to do so well for himself for such a long period of time. He seems quite straightforward with his opinions and while he does not knock too many people, he comes across as being someone whose reflected on his past mistakes and understands the abilities he truly had.
The Bad
Chris Adams has one of the worst reputations in pro-wrestling and that is probably not because people simply hated his accent. He has been called too stiff, too arrogant, too messed up, too everything and there is probably truth to all of it. In this format, he is able to downplay those negatives and you don't come away with a negative picture of him. However, he surely had a dark side. He's unwilling to do much more than hint at or briefly talk about all the bizarre situations (his wife having an affair with Kerry Von Erich, later Brian Christopher and another wife leaving him for Steve Austin), legal problems (arrests for headbutting an airline pilot and wifebeating) and drug problems (his myriad problems with street drugs, most notably GHB, and how they took a toll on him).
The Rating: ****
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Lipstick & Dynamite:
The First Ladies of Wrestling
Directors: Ruth Leitman
Distributor: Koch Lorber Films
Released: 9/05
Featured Talent
Mary Aquaviva (fan), Rita Cortez-Lee, Penny Banner, Marie Bernardi, Cathy Branch, Karin Dromo,
The Good
This may very well be the greatest documentary ever made about pro-wrestling. It has the shocking moments like Beyond the Mat, it has the scope of Heroes of World Class, it has production value better than all of the WWE's documentaries and it succinctly investigates one dimension of pro-wrestling. The overall feel of this is fantastic with a post-war art deco and rockabilly combination that adds greatly. It should also be noted that much of the music is provided by Memphis-based surf rockers Los Straightjackets who are known for wearing luchador masks. The stories and anecdotes are tremendous and only add to the overall package, although it seems likely that some great ones were left on the cutting room floor. The stories of political maneuvering, sexual promiscuity and bitterness between the stars adds a lot of zest to this effort. Furthermore, the openness of the ladies featured is incredible and the perfume is practically radiating through the camera lens. The overall story is simple. Women's wrestling went from the carnivals to arenas through the manipulation of seedy men like Jack Pfefer and Billy Wolfe, but eventually the Fabulous Moolah seized control and helped transition the control to the McMahon family where it is today. It is interesting to hear linkage from the carnies to Vince McMahon. There are numerous morsels of intrigue to this from the Fabulous Moolah's disturbing relationship with “girl midget wrestler” Diamond Lil to Penny Banner describing her abusive relationship with legendary babyface Johnny Weaver. This documentary is exactly what it aims to be and it ends up being one of, if not the best documentary of its kind.
The Bad
While any documentary on pro-wrestling has its flaws, this one has very few. Clearly, it only takes a small portion of pro-wrestling (women's wrestling) and is mostly limited to a certain time period (1940s-1980s), although it talks about the time before and after. There is a level of kayfabe from some of the ladies that you expect from old-schoolers. Yes, they had tough matches and yes, sometime people took liberties or went into business on their own, but there is a feeling that there was a level of shooting going on that seems implausible. The other facet that bothers me is burying the “divas” of today, specifically those in the WWE. One is led to believe that the women's wrestlers of today are purely sex objects with no athletic ability, but that is simply untrue. While sex is perhaps the strongest part of the package, it is only a part and demeaning the athleticism (as opposed to the working ability) of current female pro-wrestlers is unnecessary. The cult of Japanese women's wrestling is never acknowledged, although it was more successful and arguably better than the generation of wrestling featured here, but you can always check out Gaea Girls for that. Another strong knock I've heard about this is that Moolah & Mae Young snatched up filmmaker Ruth Leitman and led her to believe that they were the pioneers of women's wrestling, so people outside the clique like Penny Banner and others did not get accurately depicted. Thankfully Penny has a book out and I'm sure it is much better and more credible than Moolah's. Overall this documentary is excellent and an example for any that follow it.
The Rating: *****
The First Ladies of Wrestling
Directors: Ruth Leitman
Distributor: Koch Lorber Films
Released: 9/05
Featured Talent
Mary Aquaviva (fan), Rita Cortez-Lee, Penny Banner, Marie Bernardi, Cathy Branch, Karin Dromo,
The Fabulous Moolah, Gladys “Killem” Gillem, Judy Grable, Joyce Grable, Sylvia Hackney, Joe Hamilton [The Assassin], Karl Lauer (promoter), Marie Laverne, Sara Lee, Ida May Martinez, Jim Melby (referee/magazine publisher), Sputnik Monroe, Sandy Parker, Anthony Piazza (fan & collector),
Stu Schwartz (referee), Millie Stafford, Ella Waldek, Johnny Wall Jr. (Gladys Gillem's son), Bonnie Watson, “The Great” Mae Young
The Good
This may very well be the greatest documentary ever made about pro-wrestling. It has the shocking moments like Beyond the Mat, it has the scope of Heroes of World Class, it has production value better than all of the WWE's documentaries and it succinctly investigates one dimension of pro-wrestling. The overall feel of this is fantastic with a post-war art deco and rockabilly combination that adds greatly. It should also be noted that much of the music is provided by Memphis-based surf rockers Los Straightjackets who are known for wearing luchador masks. The stories and anecdotes are tremendous and only add to the overall package, although it seems likely that some great ones were left on the cutting room floor. The stories of political maneuvering, sexual promiscuity and bitterness between the stars adds a lot of zest to this effort. Furthermore, the openness of the ladies featured is incredible and the perfume is practically radiating through the camera lens. The overall story is simple. Women's wrestling went from the carnivals to arenas through the manipulation of seedy men like Jack Pfefer and Billy Wolfe, but eventually the Fabulous Moolah seized control and helped transition the control to the McMahon family where it is today. It is interesting to hear linkage from the carnies to Vince McMahon. There are numerous morsels of intrigue to this from the Fabulous Moolah's disturbing relationship with “girl midget wrestler” Diamond Lil to Penny Banner describing her abusive relationship with legendary babyface Johnny Weaver. This documentary is exactly what it aims to be and it ends up being one of, if not the best documentary of its kind.
The Bad
While any documentary on pro-wrestling has its flaws, this one has very few. Clearly, it only takes a small portion of pro-wrestling (women's wrestling) and is mostly limited to a certain time period (1940s-1980s), although it talks about the time before and after. There is a level of kayfabe from some of the ladies that you expect from old-schoolers. Yes, they had tough matches and yes, sometime people took liberties or went into business on their own, but there is a feeling that there was a level of shooting going on that seems implausible. The other facet that bothers me is burying the “divas” of today, specifically those in the WWE. One is led to believe that the women's wrestlers of today are purely sex objects with no athletic ability, but that is simply untrue. While sex is perhaps the strongest part of the package, it is only a part and demeaning the athleticism (as opposed to the working ability) of current female pro-wrestlers is unnecessary. The cult of Japanese women's wrestling is never acknowledged, although it was more successful and arguably better than the generation of wrestling featured here, but you can always check out Gaea Girls for that. Another strong knock I've heard about this is that Moolah & Mae Young snatched up filmmaker Ruth Leitman and led her to believe that they were the pioneers of women's wrestling, so people outside the clique like Penny Banner and others did not get accurately depicted. Thankfully Penny has a book out and I'm sure it is much better and more credible than Moolah's. Overall this documentary is excellent and an example for any that follow it.
The Rating: *****
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