Book Review : Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing and reliving the classic Andy Kaufman wrestling themed films My Breakfast with Blassie & Im From Hollywood as Video Service Corp commemorated the 25^th anniversary of Kaufman’s passing. As it turns out they wont be the only ones looking back on Kaufman’s wrestling career as Process Media prepares to release a book entitled “Dear Andy Kaufman, I hate your guts!”

For those not in the know, it all started back in 1979 when Kaufman revealed to close friend and personal producer Bob Zmuda that he was not only a big fan of professional wrestling, but had a particular passion for watching two women wrestle. Weeks later at a birthday party, friends arranged for two women to wrestle in front of Andy. To say the least he loved it, and the idea was turned into a comedy sketch which Kaufman performed on NBC’s Saturday Night Live that year. Women were appalled, and like a true heel, Kaufman used that heat to turn the hatred into a nationwide search for a woman who could defeat him, in return they would receive 1000$, get to shave Kaufman’s head and if they wanted to, even marry him. The gimmick would eventually lead to a huge feud between Kaufman and Memphis, TN/WWE  superstar Jerry The King Lawler, but not before Kaufman received challenges from all across the country from upset women who were determined to take Kaufman out.   

This new book features a collection of the actual letters & photo’s received from women across the US who were ready to take Kaufman on in the middle of a wrestling ring.  Some of the letters are downright hilarious, others accurately portray the anger some of the women had towards Andy Kaufman. Ultimately the collection  is able to show you just how great of a heel Andy Kaufman was. After all he had a wide array of women (and some men) convinced that he was the jerk he was portraying on TV. One letter from a male supporter  named Ron expressed how he thought Kaufman’s message of what a woman’s role in life should be was long overdue. Meanwhile one of many women who took offence was named Sue who wrote “You Sexist Jerk, Im going to rip your lungs out!”…”Im going to re-arrange your face so badly that when you feel the urge to pick your nose, you’ll scratch your ear lobes!”

According to the book, Kaufman would go through the letters with Zmuda and pick out the cutest girls first.  Zmuda would then begin the booking process to set up the match. One cant blame him, some of the girls who answered his challenge are extremely attractive. There is a wide array of color photos throughout the book to prove that, but you also had the complete opposite such as Desperate Doris who wrote “Id love to wrestle Andy Kaufman, It’ll probably be the closest I get to a man all year”

The book contains newly written forewords from the aforementioned Bob Zmuda as well as Kaufman’s girlfriend Lynn Margulies. The result is a work of art that makes for a truly unique collectors item.

Dear Andy Kaufman, I hate your guts!  Will be released by Process Media on December 1^st 2009 with a list price of $19.95, Although you can pre order it on Amazon for 13.57 US.

Film Review : Damage starring Stone Cold Steve Austin

Film / DVD Review : Damage starring Stone Cold Steve Austin

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

This past April, Stone Cold Steve Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, capping off a career that left a huge imprint on the world of professional wrestling. Now with his wrestling career behind him, Austin is attempting to launch a new full time career in the acting world.

Austin’s first foray into the movie business was with the WWE when they produced The Condemned in 2007. The film received a mixed reaction and it did not fare well in the box office,  Personally I think the film should of done a bit better than it did, but then again I’m a self admitted Austin mark, Although I have heard others say that about every WWE Film which was released in theaters,so  perhaps it’s a stigma, people see the name WWE Films and they think to themselves this is going to be  some cheesy film made by a bunch of wrestlers. Whether you think The Condemned was a good movie or not, Steve Austin has never been one to quit that easily, so Austin worked out his departure from WWE Films and has set off on his own path, and the first film to be released on that new path is an action flick entitled Damage which wont open in theaters in North America until January, however it has been released on DVD in the United Kingdom.

The film stars Austin as John Brickner, a prison inmate serving  7 years for manslaughter. Brickner apparently choked a man to death and plead guilty.  No, this isn’t The Condemned all over again as 4 and a half years later Austin is granted parole and a new leash on life where he plans to seek redemption for his past acts, This is where The Condemned comparison’s end.

Once out of prison, Brickner stats to put his life back together. Finding a job at the local construction site, he gets little respect and little money.  Soon enough he falls into a second job as a bouncer at the local bar when he stands up for the lead female character Frankie, who is a smoking hot waitress who gets little respect from the patrons of the bar. Brickner’s imposing physique and obvious skill for fighting catches the eye of Frankie (played by Laura Vandervoort)  Soon enough Frankie and friend Reno (played by Walton Goggins) attempt to recruit Brickner into a underground fighting league with promise of major money making potential. Initally Austin’s character shrugs it off as he is attempting to turn over a new leaf. However when the widow of the man Brickner killed contacts him with a way for him to pay his debt to her and her family he quickly finds himself in a situation where he needs money and fast, so  into the underground Brickner heads and allows Austin to do what he does best… Whup some butt!

The film itself is not a blockbuster but plays into Austin’s strengths of being a serious / strong character who can fight. Throughout the movie however you do get a sprinkle of other shades of Austin, the actor. Some moments are comedic, others dramatic. Austin does not come off as a superstar, but shows some potential considering this is only his second film.

The movie could of gone down the road of just being all about the fights but it does not sell itself out completely to that theme, instead It opens up just enough to have a story around the actual fight scenes and makes for an enjoyable film.

In regards to the fight scenes they are action packed and action film fans get their dose so to speak as the blood does spill in a variety of different fight scenarios as Austin climbs the ladder of the underground fight scene.

Overall I enjoyed this film for what it is, An independent action film that attempts to tell a story while also giving the action marks what they came for. I think it is slightly better then The Condemned movie because of the fact that it provides more depth around the main subject than the condemned did. I am somewhat surprised that the film has been released on DVD in one part of the world months before it is slated to hit theaters in another. In this day and age that can and will hurt box office business whether it be because of downloads or those paying for duty and shipping fees to have it right away. I think the film is worthy of checking out on DVD but might be a pass when it comes to theatrical viewing but im not a movie industry expert so ill leave that up to them.

Austin is scheduled for a role in The Expendables next summer which stars Sylvester Stallone, he also has a role in a action thriller entitled The Stranger in which an FBI agent is on the chase for a important material witness in a ongoing investigation. Both these roles could be huge steps for Austin’s film career, meanwhile Damage is film that should be regarded as a learning step for Austin as he begins to expand his acting abilities

DVD Review : The Rise & Fall of WCW

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

When the Rise And Fall of WCW DVD was announced it quickly became the most anticipated wrestling DVD release of the year for a multitude of reasons. Many hoped it would be as high in quality as the rise and fall of ECW while others looked forward to it to see how WWE would rewrite and criticize WCW’s history. With the final product now available I can say that neither hope or expectation came true, instead we’ve got another fluffed up DVD production that at best glosses over the history of World Championship Wrestling.

As has become the norm with major WWE DVD releases nowadays, this is a 3 Disc set featuring a documentary portion on Disc One, with the 2 other discs packed full of matches.

The documentary runs just over an hour and forty five minutes, with the first half hour looking at the early days of WCW, more specifically how WCW came to be. From Jim Crockett promotions to Georgia Championship Wrestling to Mid Atlantic Wrestling and finally WCW under the guise of Ted Turner, each era is covered with a decent degree of detail. Some historical accuracies are evident in chapters covering topics such as Black Saturday where Vince McMahon made a deal to get WWF programming on TBS while at the same time getting the crockett’s kicked off.

It’s from there on in that the DVD goes into gloss over mode. The biggest problem this DVD faced was the fact that numerous DVD’s had been released in the past that touched on the rise and fall of WCW, most notably the Monday Night Wars DVD. Although that DVD shared the spotlight with the WWF’s actions at the time it still provided for a decent picture of the situation and war between the two companies which in many ways is the meat of WCW’s life story. The WWE can consider itself lucky that they produced that DVD, because had they not, many of the interview footage for this DVD would not of been available.  Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Ted Turner and others sided against participating in this DVD and thus a wide array of canned footage is used.

Unfortunately for the viewers of this DVD, its possibly because of the fact that the prior DVD’s had been released that the final two thirds of this DVD does nothing more than touch on major subjects with little to no details. From the revoving door of WCW presidents to the hiring of Eric Bischoff and the signing of Hulk Hogan to the creation of the N.W.O, to its rise in popularity, goes by in minutes. You get no feel for just how big it got, how much of a problem it became, the major feuds they entered into, or even mention the fact that it eventually split into two groups.

The same thing can be said about other stars mentioned in this DVD, even including Goldberg, who does get a major spotlight put on him but little to no explanation of major milestones his character reached, the feuds he entered in or the impact it had on the company.

Moving onto the “Fall of WCW” chapters you are met with what is probably the biggest letdown. If you wanted to know what caused the downfall of WCW and details of how bad the backstage was at the time your more likely to find the information on a series of shoot interviews and independent documentaries, but the WWE can boast that they have the footage. Showing scenes such as Nash ending Goldberg’s streak just to lay down to Hogan soon after, as well as Vince Russo’s shoot on Hulk Hogan at the Bash at the Beach 2000 PPV and David Arquette winning the WCW championship you get to see some of the examples of the downfall of WCW but with little to no explanation.

Participants in the DVD include Jim Ross, Kevin Sullivan (who never acknowledges he was a booker or talks about his opinions of the fall) Chris Jericho, The Big Show and Goldberg. The Crockett / NWA era is covered by the likes of Jim Croclett JR, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair and Mike Graham. Sprinkled throughout the DVD is Vince McMahon, who is never negative or critical of WCW, but keeps his thoughts extremely short acknowledging they were competition but almost sounding sarcastic when he does admit it.

This documentary had the potential of being a smash hit, However due to the lack of willing participants,  the lack of intensive detail, and the lack of some historical accuracies it does not live up to what it could have been.  The DVD is far from unwatchable. Much like the greatest stars of the 90’s DVD, you can sit down and reminisce a bit but your unlikely to learn anything new. In otherwords it is not the definitive word on the rise and fall of WCW despite the fact that it carries the title.

If something makes this DVD worth the money it’s the multitude of matches from the WCW video library. There is 20 matches in all, and while some are more worthy than others, they don’t repeat certain big matches such as Goldberg vs Hogan which were released on previous DVD releases.

The Rise & Fall of WCW is now available on DVD from World Wrestling Entertainment. You can pick it up wherever WWE DVD’s are sold or via any major internet retailer. For more information check out www.wwe.com and to read my previous DVD reviews here on www.wrestlingdvdreview.com

DVD Review : Guest Booker with Jim Cornette – Rebooking The Invasion Angle

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

If there was one angle that will forever be begging for a re-do it would have to be WWE’s Invasion angle in the early 2000’s. Kayfabe Commentaries Guest Booker series was designed for this type of fantasy booking, However rebooking the invasion angle could not be left to any simple talent who has dabbled in a booking committee or been given the book because of who they are related to. Instead only one man could truly tackle this topic and do it the way it should have been done, and that man happens to be one of the most requested guests for the Guest Booker series, none other than Jim Cornette. Now we all get the chance to hear not only Cornette’s uncensored rants against the WWE but we also get to hear how he would of booked the invasion angle in the latest installment of the critically acclaimed series.

The DVD’s back cover informs the fans that “this is the big one” and indeed it is. Spanning 3 hours and 2 discs, this is classic Cornette and a classic angle to re book. There is no arguing that the WWE drop the ball with the Invasion angle and Jim Cornette lets it be known loud and clear.

The DVD begins with a chapter entitled “Background” In this Cornette discusses a wide variety of topics including the differences between Wrestling booking & Wrestling writing , which bookers influenced him in his career as well as what everyday business was like in Jim Crocket Promotions. Cornette also brushes over what is wrong with the business today, As you would expect Cornette gives an impression that he could go on for hours about that subject but instead only partakes in a few specific rants. Including what should happen when “creative has nothing” for a talent.

The most interesting topic discussed in the opening chapters of the DVD is how and why Ohio Valley Wrestling was established as an official developmental territory of the WWE. Cornette talks about the differences between Jim Ross and John Laurinaitis as the head of talent relations and how much of a headache it was to deal with Laurinaitis who treated OVW like a piece of crap.

From there they discuss the Invasion and what went wrong. Host Sean Oliver joking says good night and makes a motion as if he was going to walk off at this point as he knew proposing this question would open a whole new can of worms for Cornette to rant on. The expected arguments are made by Cornette and although he makes a thousand points he does so in a quick fashion which doesn’t affect the flow of the DVD at all.

If you look back to statements made around the time WWE acquired WCW, it was suggested that the WWE and WCW would both continue to exist as separate entities owned by the same company. In real life that would not turn out to be the case as Vince McMahon would never allow another company to be viewed as equal to his, but the separate and equal brands is the basis of Cornette’s booking vision as we embark on the Re-booking chapters of the program.

Establishing separate brands which not only run their own feuds on a weekly basis, but also creates an on going war between the two with certain crossover storylines that slowly but surely gets more and more heated while lasting for an extended run, culminating at Wrestlemania the next year with a 16 match interpromotional war between WCW and WWE where the company who wins the most matches get to keep their job Host Sean Oliver like many of you who will watch this DVD sits back in awe of Cornette’s work of art as he brushes it stroke by stroke.

I wont divulge the card as the “fantasy” spoiler would be pointless, but just to say that Im sure some of us could come up with some dream matches that Cornette does not come up in this DVD, But his work of art compared to the piece of crap that the WWE put out will leave you scratching your head as to why the WWE didn’t put the booking power into Cornette’s hands at the time.

This is hands down the best installment of the Guest Booker series to date, and is up there as one of the best releases put out by Kayfabe Commentaries to date. As you would expect Cornette holds nothing back when criticizing what he believes was wrong and is still wrong with the WWE, and shows a enthusiasm for the scene he’s setting that has never before been seen in this DVD series. Host Sean Oliver even admits at the end of the episode that any future Guest Bookers have a lot to live up to. This is an absolute must watch. I cant say much more than that.

Guest Booker with Jim Cornette – Rebooking The Invasion Angle is available on DVD from Kayfabe Commentaries, For more information or to order your own copy head on over to www.kayfabecommentaries.com and to check out my previous DVD reviews head on over to www.wrestlingdvdreview.com

DVD Review : AMY VS JOY

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

The WWE Diva search served a conduit for many models and actresses to get a spot on the WWE roster. Two of those who profited from this were Joy Giovanni and Amy Weber. Although they did not win the competition they did end up with prominent roles on WWE TV. Weber would score a prominent role in JBL’s cabinet on Smackdown, while Joy debuted as a “massage therapist” and would align herself with the Big Show who happened to be feuding with JBL at the time. Thus the two girls found themselves on opposite camps, and Throughout their respective runs in the WWE they feuded both on air and reportedly off air, and thus to settle the score once and for all, Big Vision put together one of their latest DVD projects entitled Amy vs Joy.

Running just over 49 minutes in length, the DVD offers up a decent balance of profile interviews & promo buildup, sexy photo shoots, training footage, and actual confrontation footage. The program is hosted by Nikki Padilla. Fellow WWE alum Daniel Puder also appears as he helps Giovanni train for the matchup.

DVD Extras include some trailers and bonus matches from other female wrestling DVDs put out under the Big Vision banner such as Wrestling Vixxens : The New Era, as well as the old school GLOW footage.

The question is are you such a fan of the WWE Divas that at one time or another you found yourself saying “I wish they could get more television time allowing them to build up a feud with a bit more depth than “I want your title” Well if you ever said that or ever wished for a feature compiling an entire feud between two divas  then Big Vision Entertainment has put out the perfect DVD for you. If you don’t fall into that category then this can be hit or miss, and if your that curious, the website offers a Video On Demand service so you could save a few bucks in comparison to the DVD and still enjoy the beautiful sight of Weber and Giovanni  in bikini’s.

AMY VS JOY is now available on DVD and Video On Demand from Big Vision Entertainment. For more information or to order your own copy/viewing head on over  to www.amyvsjoy.com and to read my previous reviews check out www.wrestlingdvdreview.com

DVD Review : Wrestling Memoirs with Doug Basham

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

Last year Strong Style Productions entered into the wrestling dvd market with a 3 DVD series focusing on the life and career of world renown female wrestling star Allison Danger. This year they return with a new project in collaboration with Wrestling Entertainment DVD entitled Wrestling Memoirs with Doug Basham.

As one half of the Basham Brothers tag team, Doug climbed to the pinnacle of the business capturing the WWE tag team titles on two occasions, and while that is probably what he will most be remembered for and is most recognized for, Doug Basham actually has quite the story to tell.

Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Doug trained at his uncle’s now infamous training center which was the WWE’s official developmental system, Ohio Valley Wrestling. From there he would head onto the indy scene, earn a developmental deal, work his way into the WWE, get paired with a kayfabed twin partner and  work side by side with John Bradshaw Layfield as part of the cabinet in 2004. Eventually, like almost every tag team in the WWE nowadays the team would split, single competition would not go so well for either man, they were repackaged as personal security for Paul Heyman on the new ECW and would eventually find themselves future endeavored, and like many who end up on that pile, they would try a short run in TNA that didn’t work out in 2007.

In regards to his major league experience, Basham speaks candidly on working with John Bradshaw Layfield, his run in the WWE and why he got released, as well as his run in TNA and why he believes he got released.

This DVD not only touches on all that but much more as well. Presented in a shoot interview / documentary mix, the host not only sits down with Basham for a shoot style interview but also goes on the road with  him as he tours the independent scene leading up to what was to be his retirement. A lot was made about this fact when the DVD was being advertised but Basham would later change his mind and return to the ring.

Amongst the interesting on the road footage is seeing Basham visit the birthplace of US President Barack Obama’s forefathers, as well as meeting descendants of the president. The best part has to be seeing his interaction with the fellow independent wrestlers, how he prepares to work with them, the execution of that, and his interaction with the fans, as well as thoughts on how independents are run.

All together Wrestling Memoirs with Doug Basham runs nearly 4 hours over 2 discs. Including over an hour of outtakes and extra matches and promos from the indy tour they follow him on.

This is a independent DVD release, but nowadays indy companies productions values are beginning to improve leaps and bounds. The video and audio presentations is of high quality with only a few of the on location shoot’s suffering from some audio loss. Basham is no slouch when it comes to his wrestling knowledge and can get his point across clearly and unlike some shoot interviews keep you from becoming extremely bored with the one line answers. To be quite honest, when I heard Doug Basham was being featured on a DVD I was far from excited, nothing against the guy, but he didn’t appeal to me as someone I would need to see a DVD feature on, but surprisingly this was actually quite entertaining and might be worth a look if your looking to add something slightly different to your wrestling dvd collection.

Wrestling Memoirs with Doug Basham is now available on DVD from Strong Style Productions and Wrestling Entertainment DVD. For more information or to order your own copy head on over to http://www.strongstyleproductions.com and to read my previous DVD reviews check out www.wrestlingdvdreview.com

DVD Review : Timeline – The history of the WWE : 2000

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

The year 2000 was quite the busy one for the WWE. It would turn out to be the final full year of the Monday Night Wars, and the company was in the midst of an expansion that would see the opening of its own restaurant, the launch of its very own radio show, and even an announcement of plans for what would turn out to be a short lived football league.

Meanwhile on the wrestling side of things, Triple H, The Rock, Steve Austin and The McMahon’s were ruling the top spots, but one midcarder who was on the rise and would see himself involved with some of those big names by year’s end was none other than Rikishi.  So who better to host the latest installment of the Timeline DVD series from Kayfabe Commentaries than the big samoan himself as he and Sean Oliver take you on a ride of the history of the WWE in the year 2000.

Rikishi is quite the laid back character who is openly honest with his opinions throughout the DVD while not coming off as someone who is bitter because they find themselves on the outside looking in. When tackling subjects such as his run as the IC champion that year, or his questionable heel turn, the ever changing hardcore championship, or Triple H’s spot in the company, Kishi comes off as genuine as opposed to kayfabey or crybaby. This is always a welcome breath of fresh air on DVD shoot interviews.

The big samoan also touches on Too Cool, the origin of the stinkface, what he thinks of Johnny Ace, jokes about Pat Patterson, and shares his thoughts and memories on the death of fellow samoan family member Yokozuna. He also shares a very interesting story on how he helped former WWE Diva Victoria get her start in the business.

Topics that don’t directly involve Rikishi that are discussed include : The Radicals jumping ship to WWE, Taz winning the ECW title while under WWE contract,  the XFL, and even Goldberg / Gillberg!

It’s hard to believe that nearly a decade has passed since the events discussed in this DVD. The Timeline series is a welcome walk down memory lane and Rikishi turned out to be a great host. If you haven’t picked up the first installment with the Honky Tonk Man covering 1987, Id recommend getting both as this series will eventually be a very cool collection to have.

Timeline – The history of the WWE : 2000 is available now from Kayfabe Commentaries. For more information or to order your own copy head on over to www.kayfabecommentaries.com

DVD Review : Women’s Extreme Wrestling – Good Girls Need Not Apply

Reviewed by Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

If there was ever a time where women’s wrestling was at a all time high it would have to be now. Numerous all women’s federations have been popping up around North America. One of those that has been around for a few years now is the W.E.W. (Women’s Extreme Wrestling) and on August 25^th, the extremely sexy wrestling women of the WEW will hit national DVD shelves with “Good Girls need not apply”

Featuring 3 one hour episodes, this DVD is able to offer something that will appeal to every type of female wrestling fan. If you like the stereotypical evening gown matches,over the top lockeroom drama or stripping wrestling divas you get it. If you like actual female wrestling action you get it. And if you like to seem some well known names from the world of professional wrestling interacting with these hardcore girls you ge that too.

Episode 1 is entitled Nude Booty Kick and begins with famous ECW manager/referee Bill “Fonzie” Alfonzo utilizing his commishioner powers to extract revenge on the “queen of extreme” Francine by setting up  3 way bridesmaid match where the loser will be stripped naked. Francine is to serve as the special guest referee and the participants are the 3 maids of honour from Francine’s recent wedding (Lucy Furr, Prime Tyme Amy Lee and Bobcat) The source of Fonzie’s anger you may wonder? Well apparently Fonzie wasn’t invited to Francine’s wedding. (Which makes one wonder would you really want Fonzie blowing his whistle and going nuts at your wedding?)

From there you get former TNA knockout Jamie D who looks much like a man, and uses the name Klondyke who hails from the canadian rockies in the WEW, apparently those in the WEW are not fully convinced that Klondyke is a woman, so they asked her to submit to a physical, she refuses and this leads to the beginning of a feud between the US and Canada. Despite being beat down in a earlier segment Nurse T then entertains us with a pole dance, which is followed up by a match between Simply Lucious and Christie Ricci which is reffed by a Stevie Wonder lookalike, you could probably guess how he gets involved. Next up is a tag bout between Hells Belle’s and The Madisons. This features some decent wrestling action as well as a superb wardrobe malfunction from Annie Social. Action from episode 1 wraps up with what is by far the best actual wrestling match and is a number 1 contender match between Mercedes Martinez and Blonde Mafya.

Commentary is done by former WCW announcer Scott Hudson and all entrance music is replaced in post with whatever rock songs they could get the rights to.

Episode 2 and 3 (Nude Ring Heat & Bad Girl Ring Lust) features much more of the same, and while I could explain the contents of it Im sure you get the jist of what to expect from this DVD.

As I mentioned the WEW is able to deliver an all around product, The 9.98$ suggested retail price makes this well worth the price and all things considered I don’t think there is a way in hell you would regret the purchase at that price. Women’s wrestling has come a long way in the past decade and I for one am certainly enjoying what is being offered.

Women’s Extreme Wrestling – Good Girls Need Not Apply will be available on DVD nationwide August 25^th 2009. For more information you can check out the Infinity Entertainment Website’s product page via http://infinity-entertainmentgroup.com/prodDetail.cfm?item=IEG002146 

DVD Review : Guest Booker with Sheepherder Luke

Reviewed by : Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

When you think of hardcore wrestling, one of the last names most people will think of his Bushwacker Luke. Also low on that list would be the likes of Goldust, The Godwinns, and Ron “Farooq” Simmons. However many mainstream wrestling fans who watched the Bushwackers in the WWF may not realize that Luke and Butch were once known as The Sheepherders, a hardcore tag team that ran wild in Puerto Rico, and for the latest installment of the Guest Booker series from Kayfabe Commentaries, they recruited Sheepherder Luke to apply his booking skills in their imaginary booking situation of allowing Luke to rebook the WWF in the year 1993, but with a twist, that being he had to take it to the extreme, surprisingly this is where the names Goldust and the Godwinns come into play.

Luke Williams was actually a head booker in Peurto Rico during the time that he and his cousin were spilling blood all over Puerto Rico. Off the top of the feature Williams takes time to reflect on his beginnings and his experiences as he moved from territory to territory. Once you watch see this part you come to realize that he is more than qualified to sit down and tackle the challenge put in front of him. Even as he moves along and sets forth his program, the ideas are ever flowing and so he often offers up multiple possibilities on how the feuds he creates would move along.

You may have noticed off the top of this review the names mentioned such as Goldust and the Godwinns were certainly not big names in the WWE in the mid 90’s. The reason they don’t use the big names like Bret Hart is because Williams is working under the instruction that there was no way in hell that Vince would allow his top guys to be doing hardcore while the mid card was doing the same.

Getting to the actual feuds, an obvious choice for Williams is to have the Bushwackers turn heel and revert back to their hardcore Sheepherders gimmick. Their opponents would be the smoking gunn’s, and a USA vs New Zealand type of feud would be set up. The feud is to last numerous months and involve a series of hardcore matchups, Williams has a million ideas for the feud’s playout and quite frankly not only is this the best idea he comes up with but is probably also the one I would of wanted to see most in real life.

The second best idea Williams comes up with is to have The Godwinn’s feud with The Headshrinkers and would begin as a result of the headshrinkers stealing, killing and eating the Godwinns beloved pet pig and embark on a series of hardcore battles.

The other major feuds he sets up is Goldust vs Ron Simmons in what would play off of Goldust’s feminine like character, embarrassing his opponents by defeating them and putting them in evening gowns, Simmons would then step up to defend his friends and the pair would embark on a feud that is to culminate with a evening gown gimmick match, which in passing isn’t necessarily “hardcore” but certainly goes over the line of “family friendly” wrestling.

Overall another interesting entry to the Guest Booker series from KC. Not necessarily the best as the execution of the idea is not the greatest but Luke Williams is a entertaining individual and thus this still makes for a good watch.

Guest Booker with Sheepherder Luke is now available on DVD from Kayfabe Commentaries for the modest price of 20$ plus S/H, For more information or to order your own copy head on over to www.kayfabecommentaries.com

Book Review : Headlocks and Dropkicks

Reviewed by : Steven Wilson of MainEventRadio.com

Whether you be an avid wrestling fan or the casual channel changer there has probably been at least one time where you found yourself saying “I could do that”. The number of those who have said it far outweigh those who have actually gone out and tried it. Enter author Ted A Kluck, a sports writer with a sense of adventure. In the past he trained and played in a Arena Football League, not just for the fun of it, but with the intention of writing a book about his adventure. At the time many of his friends and family rolled their eyes or showed concern for his well being, As you would expect they were just as amused yet concerned when Kluck decided that for his latest book he would live a childhood dream of training and becoming a professional wrestler. Kluck’s shares his experience in “Headlocks and Dropkicks : A Butt-Kicking ride through the world of professional wrestling” now available from Praeger books.

In preparing for the writing of this book Kluck knew he was facing a daunting task. Not only would he have to actually train and pull off becoming a professional wrestler, but he would also have to write a book that as he puts it “will probably satisfy almost nobody”. Kluck explains himself by pointing out that many wrestling books nowadays are either kayfabed to the point that only certain marks will enjoy, or they appeal to the cynical smarks who would possibly laugh at his venture and thus dismiss it as fluff, so instead of worrying, he decided he would not target either specifically and attempt to put a documentary film in words on paper and share the ups and downs of his adventure into the world of pro wrestling, including interviews with those he met along the way.

Kluck shares his experience training in both Michigan and Chicago and credits indy star Josh Abercrombie as his principal trainer. Along the way he shares the realities of wrestling training schools nowadays and those who run the indy feds that these schools are often rely on for new talent. You get to follow Kluck along the entire course of his adventure which culminates in him organizing and executing his very own event in his basement  under the name of the “L.W.A” (The Literary Wrestling Alliance”. In between sharing his experience, Kluck takes time out to includes interviews with the likes of  Tammy Lynn Sytch, Leaping Lanny Poffo, Baron Von Rasche,Nikita Koloff, As well as stories on interactions with the likes of Christian Cage, Sabu and Steve Blackman.

Coming in at just over 150 pages, the book is at times a interesting read. Specifically some of the interviews and experiences at Indy shows are highly intriguing. The explanation of the training is similar to a story that any smart wrestling fan has heard a million times before, But as mentioned earlier in this review, Kluck had quite a challenge of trying to make this book readable to all crowds. This is achieved by providing a large amount of footnotes explaining certain terms for those who know nothing about wrestling, and with the interviews for the hardcores. That being said if you fall fully into either category you might find that the stuff directed at the opposite group annoying like I did with the constant footnotes.

The list price of nearly 40$ does not get an approving nod from this reviewer, however if you can catch this on sale and are looking for a simple yet interesting wrestling read then you might want to roll the dice.

 Ultimately this book is likely to be enjoyed most by a sports fan who always wanted to know a bit more about the crazy world of professional wrestling.

“Headlocks and Dropkicks : A Butt-Kicking ride through the world of professional wrestling” is now available in hardcover format from Praeger Books. It has a list price of 39.95 on Amazon via http://www.amazon.com/Headlocks-Dropkicks-Butt-Kicking-Professional-Wrestling/dp/0313354812 .