1999 saw an amazing spectacle as Barry W. Blaustein unlocked and opened the door to a room that fans around the world wanted to see: the backstage of professional wrestling. Six years later, Michael Moody took fans on an actual tour of that room. Show you what you're missing by not watching this documentary? It better. 101 Reasons Not To Be A Pro Wrestlert is not a sequel to Beyond the Mat, for those wondering, but to be honest, you can't help but draw the thought that it is in an murky way. Beyond the Mat started the in-depth look of wrestling back in 1999, and 101 Reasons continued the saga in a more personal, blunt, candid, and emotional way. 101 Reasons basically did everything that Beyond the Mat didn't do, and did it in a way that will surely give wrestling fans all around the world the answers they always wanted to know about every little obscure incident.
The documentary by promising director, producer, and interviewer Michael Moody started off a little screwy showing some clips to lighten the mood such as New Jack talking about a baby he did not father and Joanie Laurer singing about the color green. No, I was not joking, she really did in fact sing about the color green. It is, apparently, her favorite color. The documentary then goes right into it with introductions of all the wrestlers, and from that point on, the movie does not skip one beat. From introductions, the long list of stars, including Diamond Dallas Page, Joanie Laurer, Konnan, New Jack, Vampiro, Sean O'Haire, and more, began to "shoot" on many different topics. They didn't sit down and explain everything. No wrestler at any point in this movie sits down and says "This is how you blade. This is how we fake punches." New Jack actually parodies kayfabe and the Secrets of Pro Wrestling TV special at one point. Instead, the wrestlers, in a very open way, talk about everything that fans already have some knowledge about, just shining a completely new light on the subjects. WCW, ECW, WWF/E, politics, backstage auras, unions, drugs, Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman, Eric Bishcoff, internet, fans, "shoot" fighting, ribs, and more. All of this was talked about in three hours. All of this was picked apart in three hours. In the history of wrestling, there has not been such an in-depth look at such topics from the point of view of the people who actually witnessed them. Now there has.
This documentary, quite frankly, was amazing, from start to finish. You really got to know more, not just about the wrestlers themselves, but about the business. From the toilet that some things fall into to the elation the fans give, each wrestler gives a personal account of things in a very entertaining way. Rikishi, upbeat and happy throughout the whole movie, actually looks like he is going to lose his composure when he talks about his near-death. Despite being criticized publicly for so long, people like Diamond Dallas Page and Sean O'Haire came off as two of the most positive wrestling figures today. Vampiro sits there and basically talks about the bullshit of the business for the whole movie, but even reminds us at the end that he loves what he does. All of this made for a more personal approach to wrestlers, a more personal approach to the subjects, and an overall better connection that fans will have with the business itself after watching this. Don't get me wrong, the movie has a lot of negative aspects about it like Joanie Laurer talking about Triple H and Tylene Buck talking about the politics that some tried against her; but overall, it is all comes together for a more enlightening, and thus positive, look at the business.
However, amazing as it is, the documentary is not without any flaws. The lighting at times is horrible and we fail to see some of the looks on wrestler's faces. Moody's volume when asking the questions is quieter than a dog whistle. Putting the New Jack-Gypsy Joe in the middle of the movie was a little awkward, and if you don't know the back story, a little confusing. Finally, as you could expect, some topics and opinions are repeated a lot. Yes, this documentary does have things wrong with it, but what doesn't? For the budget Moody had and the time that it looks like he had to shoot the footage, this documentary is evidence that a fan's will to help the business is spectacular. In the end, the bad things about this documentary do exist, but are so miniscule that if they bother you that much, obviously you should seek the help of a licensed therapist.
Moving the bad and good aside, there are, of course, a lot of surprising things in this DVD. Konnan actually shooting on TNA, Rikishi and O'Haire having nothing really negative to say about WWE, DDP not attacking Flair, et cetera. It was just astounding to hear some of the things these people chose to say and what they chose not to say. Even more, there are a ton of instances where we get to see the inner workings of wrestling from forming a match to trying to do a powerbomb.
And then the last thing on people's mind when reading this review: special features. In this day and age, special features are a must on any DVD, and this one definitely is not lacking. Moody has placed the full interviews of some of the stars like New Jack and Joanie Laurer on this DVD as well as some backstage views. Some of the footage included in the special features is a little odd like the random cameo from NoDQ's video show, XMV, which will really confuse probably half of the fans watching, but then watching the instance like New Jack explaining a situation with a booker and lost money just completely covers up for it.
Overall, this documentary was an amazing five hours of my life. Purely amazing. After watching the movie though, the question of the name still boggles me for this movie is not completely negative, nor is it positive. The movie, to be honest, is a perfect explanation of everything that goes on in the business, negative and positive. Sure, they give a lot of reasons not to be a wrestler, but then the stories they tell and the emotion they show will show people that there are plenty of reasons to be one. In the end, do not be fooled by the name of the documentary. This documentary is amazing, and I urge all of you out there to go to HollymoodEntertainment.com, click on order now, and for less than a price of a Pay-Per-View, find out what actually goes on there and buy this documentary. 101 Reasons Not To Be A Pro Wrestlert did not give me what it advertised as far as reasons not to be a pro wrestler. Instead, it gave me 101 insights into the sport that I will always be a fan of. If you want the same insight, buy it now.
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|