Wrestling DVD Review – Vampiro : Angel, Devil, Hero

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

When watching a documentary on the life of a professional wrestler, more often than not you are in store for a story that has its share of triumph and tragedy. Some stories are heavier on the tragedy, but one of the most screwed up stories that I have come across is that of Ian Hodgkinson, better known to wrestling fans as WCW, WSX, and Mexican wrestling superstar Vampiro.

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, Vampiro, like many young Canadians played hockey as a child and was well on his way to making it to the pro’s as a star goaltender, but his punk rock personality would eventually cause him to quit hockey, move to Montreal and begin training to become a professional wrestler. Like many others coming into the business he had no money, and no place to stay. So alongside his new friend Robert he turned to a life of crime, attacking and robbing pimps and drug dealers on the streets of Montreal. From there he worked security for Milli Vailli, stole money and merchandise, and watched as Vanilli’s career went down in flames. Eventually he would go on to become an international wrestling superstar, and now his life has come full circle as he leads his own chapter of the Guardian Angels in Mexico, which is a volunteer organization of unarmed citizen crime patrollers. Now fans can learn about Vampiro’s  story in Anchor Bay Entertainment’s latest DVD release, Vampiro : Angel, Devil, Hero.

For the documentary Ottawa area director Lee Demarbre followed Vampiro on a indy wrestling tour in Europe in early 2006. At the time Vampiro was contemplating his retirement from the world of pro wrestling, but decided that in August 2006 he would form his own promotion in Mexico called Revolution X, DeMarbre also paid visit to Vampiro during this time and documents the hectic 36 hours leading up to the promotion’s debut.

Running 90 minutes in length, the documentary offers a look in on both sides of the wrestling business. On the independent european tour you get to see just how much of an impact the fans have had on Vampiro’s career and how much of an impact he has had on the swarms of loyal fans around the world. Dealing with burnout, insane travel, shady promoters, and wrestlers hoping to climb the same ladder Vampiro once climbed you get a feel for what its like for a guy who was a top star coming back down and dealing with the locals, this part can be called the real version of “the wrestler” as Vampiro is no actor.

On the other side of things, you get a look in on just how hectic running your own promotion can be. 36 hours before the debut show, Vampiro is in need of 18,000 dollars before showtime, his sponsorship of 500,000$ will only be paying in a week, so deals with money launderers, drug dealers, and other promoters need to be worked out, not to mention that the entire show needs to be booked, and the venue needs to be prepared.

Meanwhile there is the crazy life that Vampiro has led. From the story of his father leaving he and his mother when he was 5 years old, to being molested at the age of 7, to growing up in Thunder Bay, moving to Montreal and being homeless, committing crimes to get by, moving to LA to tour with Milli Vanilli, becoming a pro wrestler, meeting the woman of his dreams, losing the woman of his dreams, moving on and doing what he needs to do to support his daughter Dascha. This part of the story is told by Vampiro himself,  his mother, his ex wife, his pro wrestling trainer in Montreal  Louis Laurence, his partner in crime Robert Martin, and the one and only Norman Smiley.

Using the footage shot during those periods of time, as well as the interviews with the family and friends of Vampiro, the film takes a unique approach to a documentary presentation by telling all three stories at the same time. One might think that the format sounds like a guaranteed way to confusion but having won awards for its excellent editing, the film turns out to be one of the better wrestling documentaries I have seen to date.

Bonus materials include 34 minutes of deleted + extended scenes, as well as an alternate ending to the documentary, trailers, teasers and a photo gallery.

Vampiro : Angel, Devil, Hero will available on DVD May 5th from Anchor Bay Entertainment. Also being released in conjunction with the documentary is the film “The Dead Sleep Easy” which starred Vampiro as The Champ, a broken-down, drugged-out former wrestling champion barred for life from wrestling because he killed a man in the ring, who is now earning his drugs as a mob enforcer. I had the chance to interview the director Lee De Marbre about both films last year, a recap can be read via www.maineventradio.com/leedemarbre.html  and a review of The Dead Sleep Easy by my colleague Michael Ryan can be read via http://the-w.com/thread.php/id=35167

For more information on the Vampiro : Angel, Devil Hero, or The Dead Sleep Easy check out www.vampiromovie.com and www.thedeadsleepeasy.com,And to read my previous DVD reviews check out the archives here on www.wrestlingdvdreview.com !

DVD Review : Andy Kaufman’s My Breakfast with Blassie / Im From Hollywood Special Commemorative Edition

 

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

It has been 25 years since the passing of comedy legend Andy Kaufman, but to this day some question whether or not he faked his own death. While some have refused to accept this unfortunate fact, it was at the far too early age of 35 that Kaufman passed away following a battle with lung cancer. One of his dying wishes was for friend and film director Lynne Margulies to complete and release the I’m From Hollywood documentary that chronicled his time in the wrestling world feuding with women from across the world as well as WWE hall of famer Jerry Legend. Kaufman was proud of his time in the wrestling world and according to Margulies, he considered it one of his greatest accomplishments in his career. Now more than two decades later both of Kaufman’s wrestling classic films are being released on DVD, completely uncut, and packed with bonus features.

It all begins with My Breakfast with Blassie, originally released in 1983. The one hour film see’s Kaufman hop a Hollywood bus en route to a rendez vous with the one and only “King of Men” Freddie Blassie. The two sit down for breakfast in a real life restaurant and discuss life in what is often described as a classic piece of performance art. The footage which was shot over a quarter century ago does show some signs of aging but holds up well enough to be featured on DVD, while the audio is still well intact.

The driving force behind this DVD is the strength of it’s bonus features. For My Breakfast with Blassie, we begin with lost and deleted footage from the film. Director Johnny Legend introduces the 50 plus minutes of footage, which includes alternate takes, outtakes, and raw footage of the shoot. You get to see actual interaction between Kaufman and the crew, and you get a feel  for just how much Kaufman cared about the film.

This is followed up by a feature called “Blassie Graffiti“, It begins with some classic 1960’s black and white footage of Blassie from something called Wrestling Workouts. A interview and short match is shown, which is then followed by director Johnny Legend introducing the footage of Blassie’s match with Ricky Dozan where he lost the world title. Legend then introduces highlights of the Blassie Cage match with Jon Voulis from Los Angeles. The featurette completes with footage of Freddie Blassie shortly before his death, he is at a independent wrestling show, mid ring, singing his infamous pencil neck geek theme song.

A featurette on the director Johnny Legend is next which begins with an appearance on the Art Reiner TV show talking about his relationhip with Andy Kaufman. This is followed by some 1960’s footage of Freddie Blassie hanging out on the beach with some wrestling friends and Johnny Legend. This featurette wraps up with a look in at Legend’s wrestling career as a manager as he lays down a challenge live on the Jon Stewart show, and highlights of the resulting match is then shown.

The plentiful extras continue on with footage from the film’s Hollywood premiere, a photo gallery, and as if that wasn’t enough, it wraps up with a half hour  discussion between co creators Johnny Legend and Linda Lautrec which was filmed shortly before the release of the man on the moon film. The pair discuss the making of the Breakfast with Blassie.

Moving onto Disc 2, Lynne Margulies who is the writer and director of Im From Hollywood provides an introduction to the documentary explaining how the video came about, why Kaufman wanted to make it, and just how much it meant to him.

Celebrities getting involved in wrestling has been seen numerous times over the years but none that I recall got to the level than that of Andy Kaufman.  The feud he had with Jerry Lawler came at a time where kayfabe was still alive and well, people thought it was real. This documentary gives you some prime examples of that as news footage reporting he had been sent to the hospital as a result of a Lawler’s piledriver leads it off and the next hour not only chronicles a legendary feud but also a remarkable career that Kaufman led.  Andy wasn’t politically correct nor did he care to be, his challenges and insults toward women pushed the limits at a time where the idea of being politically correct was only starting to be accepted. Jerry Lawler would eventually poke his nose into Kaufman’s business defending the women Lawler was insulting and assaulting, and this would lead to the feud between the big Hollywood star and the Memphis wrestling legend. It’s wrestling gold from there on, and in my opinion something every wrestling fan should see. Much like breakfast with Blassie the video footage shows its age at times but the audio is still clear.

There is also a plethora of DVD Extras for Im From Hollywood. A feature length commentary from the afformentioned Lynne Margulies kicks it off.  Margulies, who acquired much of Kaufman’s possessions following his passing is also able to offer up some very intriguing pieces for the rest of the extras, including scans of actual letters and photos Kaufman received during his open challenge to women from across the country. Also two full length matchups between Lawler is Kaufman with boxing stipulations are offered both with original audio and alternate commentary.

We then wrap up with a 35 minute Q & A session with Jerry Lawler and Lynne Margulies following a screening of Im from Hollywood at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian theater on November 6^th 2007. It is moderated by See No Evil writer Dan Madigan. Lawler gives a lot of insight into exactly how the feud came about and how and why Vince McMahon turned it down at the time.

For the wealth of extras alone this DVD is well worth the 24.98 suggested price tag. Add to that the chance to put these Kaufman classics into your wrestling DVD collection allowing you to relive them time and time again, to me it makes this DVD an absolute must buy. Thank you very much! (for reading)

Andy Kaufman’s My Breakfast with Blassie / Im From Hollywood Special Commemorative Edition will be available on DVD on May 12^th. For more information check out www.videoservicecorp.com or pre order your copy from Amazon, Highspots or wherever you buy your wrestling DVD’s.

Wrestling DVD Review : Timeline – The History of the WWE – 1987 as told by the Honky Tonk Man

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a WWE historian, Kayfabe Commentaries has opened up its college, and is providing its lesson plans via DVD with the debut of its latest series “Timeline : The history of the WWE”

Each edition of the series plans to focus in on a specific year in the long and storied history of the WWE.  The first entry looks at 1987, it’s  story is told by the Honky Tonk Man,who at the time was climbing the ladder rather quickly after having debuted with the company a year prior.  The WWE was starting its build toward the record setting Wrestlemania 3, and the wrestling business was booming.

The DVD begins by catching up with the Honky Tonk Man and quickly transitions to looking at the feuds and matchups he was involved in as 1987 began. Some of you may recall this time in history as he was being featured in Elvis themed vignettes, and It’s while Honky Tonk explains the filming of these segments that one of the cool features of this DVD debuts as a ticker tape runs across the screen with a Timeline fact eluding to something that needs to be mentioned or is a quirky fact from the time. It appears several times throughout the feature and is an informative and appreciated addition.

January 3^rd 1987 begins the overall story as it would set the stage for much of what was to come that year as WWE’s syndicated programs debuted on Fox, while the largest live wrestling crowd in Northern California in 12 years in drawn in Oakland and during a superstars of wrestling taping in New Jersey, the Andre The Giant/Hulk Hogan feud begins during the filming of Pipers Pit. The build toward Wrestlemania 3 occupies much of the talk for the first hour of the 2 hour feature.

To say the least The wealth of information to be learned is immense, Honky Tonk gives a detailed look at how the business was working at the time including the head to head faceoffs between the WWE and NWA, the insane road schedules which included shows up until the nights before Wrestlemania and just how different working Wrestlemania was at the time compared to nowadays.

Along the way all of the major happenings of the time is also covered, such as Jim Neidhart’s arrest for allegedly attacking a stewardess, The Dynamite Kid’s back injury and how he went against doctors order’s to drop the belts on TV to the Hart Foundation, the debuts of Tom Magee, Jim Duggan and Outback Jack, whether or not Roddy Piper was intending on retiring, and all the major happenings from the tapings of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Superstars of Wrestling.

From there Wrestlemania 3 is looked at, Honky Tonk offers his thoughts/memories of the matchups, celebrity implications and whether or not the 93 thousand in attendance was papered as some have suggested throughout the years and also tells the most hilarious story about Roddy Piper’s electrocution leading into Mania.

The last two thirds of the year is then looked at in a less in depth way but still touches on the major events including the returns of Ken Patera and Superstar Billy Graham, the Iron Sheik/Jim Duggan arrest for possession of drugs, the David Schulz incident and subsequent lawsuit, the debut of Brutus’s Barber gimmick, as well as the mega powers and the first ever Royal Rumble and Survivor Series matchups.

The coverage goes deep enough to give you a detailed overview, yet at the same time, flowing look at the historical events of the year. This is often the challenge to any documentary video maker and time and time again Kayfabe Commentaries successfully finds the right balance. The afformentioned ticker tape as well as timeline story boards help this immensely as important things that are worth mentioning for historical purposes but not worthy of Honky Tonk Man talking about are listed on the storyboards.

This series has the potential to be something huge once it is complete. I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD and look forward to the future releases as it not only gives you a chance to learn about the history but at the same time gives you insider insight so even if you knew of the majority of these events you still get something from the guest host in question.

Timeline – The History of the WWE – 1987 as told by the Honky Tonk Man is available on DVD now from Kayfabe Commentaries. For more information on this you can check out their website at www.kayfabecommentaries.com as well as www.thehistoryofwwe.com who teamed with the KC crew to help relive the period of time. 

DVD Review : The Territory presents … iDOLS DONT EXiST

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

 iDOLS DONT EXiST is the first DVD release from The Territory, which is a weekly California based internet television series that focuses on independent federations in NoCal. In their press materials, The Territory calls itself a “smart show aimed at the smart fan” with the goal of “capturing the impact of being inside the ring by bringing it to the home viewer” via the utilization of the world class apron angle and placement of as many cameras in as many spots as possible. The materials go as far as to say it is comparable to that of Vince McMahon’s presentation minus the 64 man production crew, It then says the product is being presented documentary style, which started to confuse me. Ultimately once I sat down and watched the DVD it would turn out that like many press releases the fluff PR doesn’t always explain exactly what the actual product is. 

The Territory does live up it’s claim of presenting their matches unlike other indy feds in that they offer many more camera angles. The majority of indy fed dvd’s I have seen offer the hard cam and one ringside handheld camera. Does this make The Territory a better presentation than those of the typical indy fed? Well in some ways yes and in some ways no. At times it will offer an excellent angle on something that most others would not of got, while other times it can make you nauseous with the constant movement. Lighting can at times leave something to be desired but to be expected with the Indy scene, however to even try and mention any Indy fed and its filming in the same breath as the WWE and its filming is silly, let’s not go there and instead look at the actual product. 

A 2 Disc set running over 3 hours in length, iDOLS DONT EXiST offers up a slew of violent hardcore blow off matches to various feuds from across the territory. Whether it be a street fight, or something much more insane like a barefoot thumbtack match or Double Hell Cage match, the theme to this DVD is bloodshed and plenty of it. This is a best of release but if you were to watch the show on a regular basis you would get the chance to see the characters in question play heel one week and face another as they tour through various indy feds in the state. 

Disc 1 begins with a interesting intro video giving you the feel that you are entering some sort of war zone, this is probably where the claim of the footage being presented documentary style comes from. The action begins with a 2008 Double Hell Cage Match featuring 7 wrestlers inside 2 rings, 1 surrounded by barbed wire and the other inside a steel cage. It’s safe to say you haven’t seen many matchups like this as it combines a death match with a cage match and ladder match, and in order to win one must get the title down which is hanging in side the caged ring, and then use a ladder in the other ring to hang it up.Vinnie Massaro, Lester The Legend, Timothy Thatcher, Virgil Flynn, Sir Samurai, Double B Double Badd, and Mr Frost compete and To say the least this match sets the tone for the action to come on the DVD. This match is apparently the 2008 match of the year for the territory and is very well done, especially for something that could of ended up as a big mess. 

A Reno city street fight is up next, as bad guy Adam Thornstowe lays down an open challenge which is answered by Mr Prime Time. These two brawl all over the building, nothing overly violent but a decent street fight nonetheless. 

It’s with the next match that violence level gets turned way up as The Honour Society take on Kassy Summers and Timothy Thatcher in a Barefoot Tumbtack match. A pile of thumbtacks begin in the middle of the ring, while plates of hot sauce and rubbing alcohol await on the outside. More thumbtacks are added throughout the match as is lego which leads to a great heel spot where a broom is used to sweep most of this crap out of the ring at one point, but the faces bring out more tacks and quite frankly I can’t imagine enduring the pain that these guys and girl put themselves through, and here I thought only Necro Butcher was that screwed up to do matches like this barefoot. 

A Table match between Rik Luxury and Adam Thornstowe is next, which was part of a best of 7 series between the pair. Fairly straightforward table match in a venue that had some very poor lighting. One of the highlights of disc 1 is a tapei death match between Timothy Thatcher and the Big Ugly. Beyond the glass taped to their fists, lightubes come into play in this match and is a hard fought bloodfest. Disc 1 then wraps up with a 6 man tag match between The Reno Scum and the Cartel which is another match that ends up as a big street fight. 

Disc 2 shows you more of Luxury/Thornstowe’s best of 7 series starting with a Falls count anywhere matchup, and followed up by a steel cage match. The second dvd is headlined by the 7^th match between the pair in a 1 hour hardcore iron man match to determine who is the best man in California. It is joined a few minutes in progress but you don’t miss much and is an great send off to what seems to have been a very violent feud, It was voted 2007 match of the year and for the matchups from the series alone this DVD justifies the 14.95 price tag if your into hardcore. 

Extras are limited to a couple of big spot featurettes including a crowd toss and a double foot stomp onto a ref from the top rope. Also included is a complete match between Rik Luxury and Mr Prime Time. 

Looking beyond the initial PR and taking into consideration that your watching an indy wrestling DVD, the bottom line is this is a strong hardcore wrestling dvd release. If you’re a fan of the style then you’ll enjoy this DVD immensely as the action is intense and extremely satisfying for any death match mark out there including myself. If you consider hardcore “garbage wrestling” then steer clear cause you wont be able to handle the brutality of the territory’s most violent matchups.

 iDOLS DON’T EXiST is now available on DVD from The Territory’s official website at www.territorytv.com 

TNA DVD Review : Jeff Jarrett King Of The Mountain

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

It’s been literally years in the making, having been postponed many times before, but now TNA is ready to unleash a massive 4 disc DVD set focusing on the  career of it’s founder,the King of the Mountain Jeff Jarrett. Running over 11 hours featuring 25+ matches and segments from the TNA video library as well as an in depth documentary and old school 1980’s Memphis wrestling footage, fans now have a source to learn about the life and career of Jeff Jarrett.

Following what has become TNA’s standard DVD presentation, the main feature is presented with a mix of documentary chapters and full matchups. Looking at the documentary portion, It begins with Jeff Jarrett’s days as a basketball star who had a passion for the sport of professional wrestling. Being a son and grandson of wrestling promoters, Jeff recounts growing up with wrestling legends in his life who would pass through the Memphis territory including stories of the early day Sting, Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage. Jarrett explains the  Memphis wrestling scene at the time and what would lead to his first match. The early part of his career is covered fairly well including footage of the time that TNA acquired for the DVD. Interviews with the likes of Dutch Mantell, Sting, Scott Steiner, Jim Cornette and others offer insight of the time.

Moving away from the Memphis territory, Jarrett talks about Vince McMahon’s revolution of the wrestling industry with the move from territory to national, which leads to chapters on his career in WCW and the WWF. For the most part his time in these companies is only  touched on via the major events, ie his debut as a fake singer, his departure from the WWF and taking part in the WCW/NWo angle, his return to the WWF, the problems he had there and his eventual hold up of the company before his match with Chyna for the IC title. The documentary then moves onto the end of WCW and the effect it had on the stars and staff at the time, including touching on the incident from Bash at the Beach 2000 where Russo cut a shoot promo on Hulk Hogan who’s creative control card was causing too many problems in the company. Closing out his time in these companies is the death of Owen Hart. Jarrett tells the story of that night and reflects on his true friend’s passing. Mick Foley and Jim Cornette also share thoughts in what is truly a touching chapter of the DVD.

As was touched on in the History of TNA Year 1 DVD, The summer of no worries is discussed, which was the time after WCW closed and everyone who didn’t take or wasn’t offered the WWE’s buyout at the time sat at home collecting paychecks, which eventually led to the idea and creation of TNA. The ups and downs of the business  of that first year is discussed, including what Jeff viewed as an insult when people said that they were nothing but a independent wrestling company. Meanwhile stars who were in the WWE at the time such as Angle, Booker and Foley share their thoughts on the opinions of those who were in the WWE at the time as to whether or not they thought the company could get off the ground.

Another highly emotional chapter looks at the final months of the life of Jill Jarrett. Jeff shows unbelievable strength discussing the time period, as does those who lived alongside Jarrett throughout it. You get a feel for just how much of a fighter Jill was, and how much of an impact it had on the company at the time.

The documentary portion rounds up with reflections on how big TNA has become, and thoughts on the future of the company as well as the future of Jarrett’s career.

The only odd thing in the documentary portion continues to be the on occasion random placement of a topic, For example the chapter about Owen Harts passing comes after the end of WCW chapter, Also on a couple of occasions a chapter about TNA’s growth or potential is thrown in out of place. This is the last step TNA needs to correct to finally complete a move to a solid documentary presentation on their DVD’s.

Match lineup consists of three 2002 matchups which are the battle royal to crown the first NWA TNA champion, vs Scott Hall from July, and vs Ron Killings in November. 2003 Matchups see Jarrett team with the Road Warriors to take on Triple X and Vince Russo in January, as well as teaming with Sting vs AJ Styles and Sean Waltman from February, and vs Raven in April of that year. 2004 matchups include the king of the mountain from June, The ladder match with Jeff Hardy from July, and the Monty Brown matchup from December. 2005 Matchups are against Kevin Nash in February, and April’s Lethal Lockdown. 2006 has June’s King of the mountain, September’s Fan Revenge matchup against Samoa Joe, and October’s world title match against Sting from Bound For Glory. 2007 matchups are VS Robert Roode at Sacrifice and the Lethal Lockdown. While 2008 is represented by Jarrett’s matchup against Kurt Angle at Bound For Glory. Also featured on the DVD are segments such as the attack of the tennesse titans from the early days of TNA, the attack on Hulk Hogan and the Jill Jarrett tribute.

Extras consist of classic 1980’s Memphis wrestling footage including Jarrett’s first on camera appearance as a referee, as well as his television debut against Tony Faulk, and 1987/88 bouts against Hector Guerrero, Jerry Lawler and in tag action with Bill Dundee against Cactus Jack and Gary Young. These are complete matchups uncut from original footage.

As eluded to, this DVD has been a long time coming. In this day and age very few big name stars from the 80’s and 90’s don’t have at least 1 dvd dedicated to them or their career, and if they don’t then one is on the horizon very soon. TNA had a lot to live up to with this DVD and they generally deliver. The classic Memphis footage is a very nice touch as its not only peppered throughout the DVD but is also featured uncut as extras. Meanwhile there could be a debate as to whether or not more could have been put into the chapters focusing in on Jarrett’s time in the WWF and WCW. In one way I could understand that TNA would not want to spend time on their DVD talking in depth about what Jarrett did in other companies, but at the same time I would be interested to hear more about his thoughts on the feuds he had, the road stories from the time and relationships with those he worked with. Ultimately this is a minor complaint as the massive amount of footage and documentary spread out over 4 discs is easily worth the 29.99$ price tag (which is also up for pre order for 21$ via amazon)

Jeff Jarrett : King Of The Mountain will be available on DVD on April 14^th. For more information or to order your own copy check out www.jeffjarrettdvd.com  

Film Review : 12 Rounds starring John Cena

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

Leading up to the release of 12 Rounds starring John Cena the WWE refused to screen the film for film critics. Similar treatments were given to their previous film’s however See No Evil premiered at film festivals before it was wide released and thus fans got a chance to know what to expect. For 12 rounds we instead faced a barrage of promo’s and commercials on WWE television trying to convince their dwindling number of marks to show up in droves in hopes of this not being another one of their films “Condemned” to major financial loss. A review in the Herald Sun in Australia called the film “a big dumb lug of an action movie fronted by a big dumb lug named John Cena” and went on to say acting was no friend of the professional wrestler. Despite this I decided to head out and watch the film and although its far from being a smash hit, its not as bad as those at the Herald has made it out to be. For those wondering there are no major spoilers in my review, there is some details on how the story forms but nothing that would ruin the movie for you so please feel free to read on.    

I arrived at the theater while the previews were rolling and took a quick look around couting about 15 to 20 heads in the large Montreal theater I was watching the film in. With the way the cinema industry is nowadays I was not too surprised but I thought more Cena marks would of shown up that 15. Irregardless the film begins as the FBI is in the middle of an attempted capture of crafty criminal named Miles Jackson, who has eluded the FBI’s reach for years. It does not take long for the action to get going, the opening 15 minutes of the film is pretty much a non stop blitz of chasing action. Cena, who is a local police officer in the lower 9 of New Orleans eventually plays a major role in the capture of the criminal, but not without the casualty of the Jackson’s accomplice. It’s because of this that Jackson (played by Aidan Gillen) swears that he will get revenge. Flash forward a year later and Cena’s character is now a detective of the New Orleans Police department, and his life quickly spirals into hell when he gets the call from Jackson informing him that he has escaped from prison, and has just kidnapped Cena’s girlfriend, and if he wants to have any chance of seeing her again he has to enter a game of 12 deadly rounds through the city of New Orleans.

Running an hour and 48 minutes the film is definitely action packed. Most action films will have its spurts of action followed by a slow down but 12 Rounds almost never takes a breather. It’s evident that the WWE wanted to keep the viewers on the edge of their seat and if you’re an action mark then the action itself will not let you down. Of course there is those moments where you say to yourself what you just saw is impossible, but much like watching wrestling you need to suspend your beliefs every once in a while and let it slide.

The acting on the other hand is a whole other barrel of monkeys. Much like The Marine this film is made by the strong performance of the villain. Aidan Gillen’s character is sophisticated and twisted. Your likely to remember his performance more than anything. Meanwhile John Cena’s performance, while not horrible, is nothing special either. I feel as though they went to great stretches to make sure that Cena’s character stay typical to avoid any sort of major criticism, but in the end it caused him to be outshined by Gillen.

Ultimately I would call this a “wait for the DVD” movie. The film is unlikely to rake it in from the box office numbers but is likely to move a decent amount of DVD’s and while some may question why the WWE would even bother to continue putting out theatrical releases instead of straight to DVD, as long as it breaks even with DVD sales it really doesn’t matter what the critics say.

12 Rounds starring John Cena is in theaters now. For more information check out www.12rounds-movie.com

DVD Review : Ringside With Vader

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

Before Kayfabe Commentaries blew up in 2007 with its innovative line of DVD’s, it was initially known for its audio commentary tracks which featured wrestling legends recording their thoughts and memories from some of their career’s milestone matchups. These commentaries were meant to be listened to while watching the matchups in question. The only problem with that is Vince McMahon wont give up the rights to any footage for independent DVD’s and thus you’d need to find the match in question yourself and then play the tracks over it to get the full effect. Always trying to figure out a way to deliver a innovative new product, the KC crew now offer up the new “Ringside” series which enables you to go into the ring with the wrestling legends. The first participant in the series is the man they call Vader.

As mentioned off the top, Vince McMahon enjoys the monopoly he has on the wrestling footage of the world and thus this DVD is not a best of Vader DVD with alternate commentary, instead we have a specialized shoot interview where Vader sits down with host Sean Oliver and discuss the build, execution and backstage happenings surrounding some of Vader’s biggest matchups. The footage of these matches do play in the background serving as a memory aid for Vader to recall and discuss certain aspects of the matchups.  This fact may draw some criticism from those who are drawn to the title with the idea of acquiring the classic footage, instead your acquiring a solid shoot interview.

The matchups in question spans a decade of Vader’s career touching on his time in Japan, the AWA, WCW, and the WWF. We begin in 1986 in the AWA where Vader was known as Baby Bull and was taking on Bruiser Brody. Vader discusses how he got into the business and his time workingin the AWA and how this time there played a major influence on his career. He also gives an insight on what the AWA-WWE competition was like at the time.

 Big Van Vader debuts in Japan next and takes on Japanese legend Antonio Inoki in 1987. He discusses the origins of the Vader gimmick and the reactions of the Japanese fans.

Third match on the card is Big Van Vader against Hashimoto from 1989 in Tokyo, Japan where he would capture the IWGP title in  a tournament final. Vader discusses about the heat between he and Hashimoto at the time, and the stiff Japanese wrestling style he had to endure to win the tournament.

Fourth match pits Vader against Stan Hansen at the 1990 AJPW/NJPW Super Fight in the Tokyo Dome. Vader discusses how this match cost him more money they he made because of surgeries as a result of it including the one to put his eyeball back in his socket!, He also reveals how and why he got out of the WWF at the time to head back over to Japan for this match.

Fifth match is the clash between Vader and Sting from WCW’s Great American Bash in 1992. Vader discusses how he got into WCW , how well he worked with Sting, what it meant to win the WCW title and also compares the US crowds to the Japanese crowds.

The sixth bout is a handicap affair as Vader takes on Joe Thurman and TA Macoy on a episode of WCW worldwide in 1992. This is the match where Vader broke Thurman’s back while working way to stiff on the kid. Vader discusses the incident in depth, expresses sorrow and is informed by Oliver that not only is Thurman ok now but is also a police office in Georgia.

Seventh match on the card is one of the most infamous matches of Vader’s career, that being the battle between he and Cactus Jack from Munich, Germany in 1994. This match is known for being the match where Mick Foley lost his ear. Vader discusses this incident and also discusses the long drawn European tours and the effect it had on the boys, including how it let to the fight between Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson where Anderson ended up stabbed with a pair of scissors.

Eight match is probably amongst the most widely seen matches of Vader’s career, that being his Summerslam 1996 matchup with Shawn Michaels. Vader discusses the creative differences and incidents that caused him to leave WCW and how it led to him being brought into the WWF. He also offers insight onto Shawn Michaels frame of mind at the time, as it is widely known that Michaels was quite full of himself at the time. Vader also discusses whether or not he was supposed to win the title that night and what would eventually lead to his departure from the WWF.

The match lineup rounds out with a 1994 shoot style fight between Vader and Nobuhiko Takada from Budokan Hall in Japan. Vader discusses how this match came about as he was under contract to WCW at the time, he also gives insight into how much of this fight was a shoot and how much was a work, and much like many wrestlers nowadays Vader discusses whether he could have been a successful MMA fighter.

Sean Oliver’s strength as a host has always been his visible interest in the questions he asks, and the research that was put into them, but the obvious question that I need to address is beyond the shoot interview is the fact that they are watching and at times referencing a match that you can’t see overly distracting? The overall answer is no. The more specific answer would be that at times for 5 to 10 seconds when something specific is referenced that you cant see you may be left saying to yourself man I wish I could see the footage, a prime example of this is when Vader performs a drop kick against Hashimoto, but luckily the flow of the interview is maintained well enough that every time you start to think that, you also begin to forget it because your listening to a new story from Vader. Therefore I’d recommend giving the title a spin and seeing for yourself if it’s your cup of tea, chances are you’ll enjoy it as almost everything put out by Kayfabe Commentaries nowadays is praised by wrestling fans across the board.

Ringside with Vader is now available on DVD from Kayfabe Commentaries. For more information or to order your own copy check out www.kayfabecommentaries.com

DVD Review : HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN CAUGHT ON TAPE!

 

DVD Review : HAVIN A BEER WITH MIKE PRESENTS… HACKSAW CAUGHT ON TAPE!

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

 Coming out of left field this week is Havin’ a beer with Mike’s Hacksaw Jim Duggan : Caught On Tape! The Orlando based syndicated TV series has over the years filmed numerous segments with good old Hacksaw and these segments have now been compiled onto this new DVD release.

 

When I stumbled upon this DVD, I was quite intrigued and confused all at the same time. I had never heard of the Having a beer with Mike series and if I were to make the mistake of judging the DVD by its cover I’d possibly believe that the series caught Duggan in some rather controversial moments as it boasts of its footage of Duggan intoxicated and on a legitimate rampage. As it turns out its quite the opposite.

 

Having a Beer with Mike is a comedy series that attempts to blur the line of reality and documentary, the easiest way to explain it would be a blend of Candid Camera and Jackass. As a result some of the stuff can be hilarious, while other parts are overly cheesy. The show itself airs in Orlando and through various other syndicated stations in the US and UK. Best of DVD volumes have also been released over the years and are available in big ticket stores like Best Buy and Circuit City. This release centering around the wrestling legend contains footage that was mainly shot in the early to mid 2000’s, much of which was before WCW closed as he is referenced to as a WCW superstar.

 

The DVD is separated into 4 separate features. The first is a “best of” episode of the series running just over 20 minutes in length, It begins with Hacksaw sitting down in a “Tuesday Night Titans” like environment to be interviewed by host Michael Mc Donald, Hacksaw promises to keep his composure as long as no one mentions Stone Cold Steve Austin. He answers the typical career in wrestling questions and eventually leads to him randomly blowing up and tearing apart the stage. Next up is a staged attack as Hacksaw is approached by a masked man while meeting with some of his fans in a parking lot, The masked man calls Hacksaw a jerk, and Duggan demands the individual get off his back and proceeds to pound him and throw the guy onto a car trunk. That would not be the end of it as Hacksaw is hanging out and signing autographs  at a local bar with a hot ring rat, this time Hacksaw puts the guy through a table to the shock of the local patrons. Getting closer to reality, Duggan accepts a dare and we get to see him performing somewhere you probably never thought you’d see Duggan perform and that’s a comedy club. Hacksaw holds his own for an amateur telling a funny airport security joke and a story about fighting Andre The Giant. This is followed by another sit down interview with stories about being sick in the middle of the ring, experiencing an earthquake while on the road, and Jake Roberts forgetting his snake in the car one night in Detroit and finding it frozen to death the next morning. The episode is topped off with  promos where Duggan confronts someone who looks like a terrorist in a bar and chokes him out, and where Duggan is confronted by a Richard Simmons impersonator.

                                                                   

Part 2 of the DVD is a 30 minute “lost pilot” of Bikers Court. Hacksaw is featured as the judge in this red neck biker parody of the peoples court. Alongside him is the sexy bailiff Bunny Gunns. The case before him features three individuals suing the tobacco industry for ruining their lives. The plaintiffs includes a midget who claims his growth was stunted by smoking, a fat individual who says his health sucks because of smoking, and a nude houseclean (played by Duggans real life wife) who complains about the cigarette ash burns on her breasts. There is a jury who renders a verdict but Hacksaw then lays the law down himself. This is actually kinda funny and considering Brian Knobs once had a pilot for Trailer Park Justice then something this crazy isn’t unheard of. The post show includes a real life interview with the actress who played Bunny Gunns and some deleted scenes from the episode.

 

Part 3 is another confrontation as the boys from having a beer with Mike convince a guy who looks nothing like hacksaw to put on the hacksaw trunks and a carlito type wig and run into a bar where Hacksaw is hanging out  and confront him as his impersonator, the stunt gets the crew kicked out promptly so they head to another bar and stage it successfully.

 

The DVD then closes out with a one on one interview with Duggan’s wife Debra who talks about life with Hacksaw. DVD Bonus features are trailers for the previous released best of DVD’s.

One of the cool things about this release is that it comes with an actual chip off one of Hacksaw’s recently used 2 x 4’s. A certificate of authenticity signed by Hacksaw, his wife and creator Michael McDonald accompanies it. If you’re a long time fan of Duggan’s then this alone could entice you to order a copy. One thing’s for certain, you’ve never seen a wrestling star in a DVD quite like this so if your looking for something unique to add to your collection then this could be worth a look, and even more so if you’re a fan of this type of comedy. 

Havin’ a beer with Mike presents : Hacksaw Caught on Tape! Is now available on DVD for 15.95$ US. For more info or to order your own copy head on over to www.beerwithmike.com and to read my previous dvd reviews check out www.wrestlingdvdreviews.vze.com

Book Review : WWE Encyclopedia : The Definitive Guide to World Wrestling Entertainment

Reviewed by : Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

The title of the book is a claim that is sure to leave many skeptical. In order to be the definitive guide to a company with 45+ years of history you need to work endlessly to make sure you don’t leave anything out. Vince McMahon’s forward to the book proclaims it to be the “first ever official documented history of the WWE”, Throughout the years we’ve all heard about superstars and events going down in the history books and now we have an officially recognized WWE history book, and quite frankly it’s an extremely impressive one.

Authored by former WWE employees Brian Sheilds and Kevin Sullivan (no not the taskmaster) and coming in at over 350 full colored pages, profiling nearly a 1000 superstars and utilizing over 1500 images from the WWE and PWI archives, the WWE encyclopedia is packed with more than enough information for you to become an expert on the who’s who and the what’s what of the WWE.

As with any encyclopedia, the book runs from A to Z. The majority of entries are the profiles of the superstars of the WWE. This includes the obvious big names such as Stone Cold, John Cena, Taker and Michaels, but also includes the names you possibly never heard of or tried to forget such as the Battle Kat, Mystery Man and Friar Furgeson, It even includes those you probably didn’t even expect to be in the book. I speak of course of the names WWE chooses to forget sometimes, the most obvious being Chris Benoit who is recognized with a half page bio with no mention of the 2007 tragedy. Those who have crossed Vince McMahon, those who have sued him and those that are currently working against him in TNA are all recognized as well, which to me was a sign that for once the WWE was not going to censor a product because of a grudge they have with someone, which scores it bonus points in heading towards the goal of being the definitive guide.

A title history for every single WWE title is featured in the book. From little known titles such as the Woman’s Tag Team Championship or the World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship to the most obvious WWE Championship, every single champion is recognized. The one odd thing is that the WWE officially recognized the entire US title history while in WCW but did not recognize the World Heavyweight championships history prior to their adopting of it in 2002

Pay Per Views and Television is also recognized. A complete history of Wrestlemania caps off the book, while other PPV’s include a recap of the main events of said shows. 30 years of WWE television is also documented with a short explanation of each show. Spotlghts on WWE merchandise, Video Games, Fan signs and superstars in themovies are also included.

The book has a suggested retail price of 45$ American but is available via Amazon for 30$, The book is hardcovered and sports large 12 by 9 pages. I was legitimately impressed with the presentation of the book and its wealth of information, For those wondering for the most part the book is kayfabed. No real names, identities of masked superstars or post WWE career information is included, but nonetheless this book is a must for any true WWE fan and can be a reference tool for those who write or speak about the company as you can certainly learn a lot about the company’s history. Is it the definitive guide to the history of the WWE? It’s pretty darn close, I would definitely consider this the definitive guide to the kayfabe side of the WWE, while the definitive guide to the business side of the company and how it evolved through the years could easily fill another book, and or has been covered in an array of other books over the years.

The WWE Encyclopedia is available now, You can order it via amazon via http://www.amazon.com/WWE-Encyclopedia-DK-Publishing/dp/075664190X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237312553&sr=8-1 or check out the publishers official website via http://us.dk.com/ . To read my previous book and dvd reviews head on over to wrestlingdvdreviews.vze.com or add the myspace via myspace.com/wrestlingdvdreviews

DVD Review : You Shoot with Kevin Sullivan

DVD Review : You Shoot with Kevin Sullivan

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

The You Shoot DVD series has become so wildly popular that not only has it become apparent that the producers have trouble getting in all the submissions in the allotted time, but even wrestling stars are stepping in to submit questions. This time around the bookerman Kevin Sullivan is in the hot seat facing the barrage of questions, many out of this world, others more obvious, and of course the Benoit tragedy.

This is the third DVD produced by KC featuring Sullivan, the previous 2 covering the end of WCW and fantasy booking the WWF in 1984. This is also the 5th entry in the You Shoot series which has seen a lot of wackiness, and coming off of insane editions with the likes of Sandman and Jamie Dundee, Sullivan is a welcome toning down.

As with previous editions of You Shoot the submissions come from a wide array of characters. The problem here being that as the series continues to grow in popularity, so does some of the poor submissions. Numerous times in this DVD there are questions that are unintelligible and thus have to be skipped over wasting a minute of time as Sullivan either doesn’t know what the hell the individual is talking about or just cant understand a word they are saying. A tip for those out there submitting videos, speak up and at least try to make some sense! Making a joke is one thing, throwing a character into it is another, but saying things that make absolutely no sense is counterproductive. That being said, this edition of You Shoot still contains some entertaining topics and answers. It’s the first that features submissions from other wrestlers, as Missy Hyatt, Nikolai Volkoff, and the Iron Sheik all submit questions.

It was quite obvious that when Sullivan was announced as the featured participant in this edition of You Shoot that a million questions about the Benoit tragedy were going to be submitted. Host Sean Oliver smartly rolls all the questions up into one big ugly ball and allows Sullivan to speak his piece, and for the most part he like many others have, criticizes how the situation was handled by the media and shares some insight on how it affected the rest of the families. Other topics covered include the dungeon of doom and everything WCW, including of course the infamous “feud” between Sullivan and Brian Pillman who coined the phrase bookerman while working the boys in the back leading up to the memorable “shoot” on PPV between the pair.

Also You Shoot’s trademark games return as Sullivan ranks the best bookers of all time, play’s what in the bag and assumes the role of rumour killer as he distinguishes between what infamous wrestling rumours he believes and thinks is total BS. Overall another strong entry from Kayfabe Commentaries who are promising to continue to revolutionize the wrestling dvd market this year with new series featuring big name wrestling stars heading back to ringside to watch and relive some of their biggest matches of their careers, as well as starting a lengthy year by year review of the history of the WWE hosted by a big name star of the time.

You Shoot with Kevin Sullivan is now available on DVD. For more information or to order your own copy check out kayfabecommentaries.com