Independently Made Pro Wrestling Documentaries.

[tigermaskxxxvii]

Basically this thread is about wrestling documentaries that were not commissioned by a wrestling promotion (i.e. no WWE/TNA Home Video Releases). So I'll start.

-I really enjoyed Barbed Wire City to me it looks like the kind of documentary you'd see on IFC or Sundance Channel or on the film festival circuit, except it's about ECW! It almost seems like the pro wrestling equivalent of the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. And the fact that it has the luxury of time is definately a plus instead of interviewing people for one day and being done with it. I mean one question that gets asked of Tod Gordon (in January of 2001) is if ECW will survive. Along with interviewing ECW guys as the company is dying (and even after they file for Chapter 11) who are keeping the faith and talking to those same guys (most notably Balls Mahoney) more than a decade later gives this film a unique perspective (and is the only ECW documentary to have original interviews with both members of The Public Enemy).

-Heroes of World Class was great and any qualms I have with it (a lot of notable guys like The Freebirds not interviewed, only one full length match in the extras) is resolved with WWE's World Class DVD. But I like how this was done. This documentary had the advantage of being made when the Dallas Sportatorium was condemned but not yet demolished. So that gives the filmmaker the chance to tour the arena with Kevin Von Erich which is probably one of the most bitter sweet things you'll ever see.

-I saw the trailer for the Chris Adams documentary Gentlemen's Choice and it seems pretty interesting. Basically a chance to see a more in depth look at one of the World Class casualties.

- Anyone see the Dynamite Kid (A Matter of Pride), Jim Crockett Promotions (The Good Old Days), or NWA (History and Tradition) documentaries? And if so, thoughts?

[Crappler El 0 M]

I have seen the World Class one, Memphis Heat, Barbed Wire City, and one for Jim Crockett Promotions. I would definitely recommend all of these for those interested in the history of wrestling.

[mcmahonfan85]

"Jim Crockett Promotions: The Good Old Days" is probably the best produced documentary outside of WWE made ones

"History and Tradition: The Story of the National Wrestling Alliance", which is more about the NWA World Heavyweight Championship than the actual NWA, is good for what it is i guess. its kind of a cliff notes version of the title's history

"Forever Hardcore" was a good companion piece to "The Rise & Fall of ECW"

i thought "Barbed Wire City" was pretty good, not great. really like how they went more in depth with the fans "rallying behind ECW to get them on pay-per-view" and stuff like that. i both liked and didn't like the use of footage from old shoot interviews, the main "didn't like" being when they'd switch from say an old interview with Axl Rotten to one recorded last year when he'd suffered bell's palsy. just really sad to watch. also didn't care for the amount of time spent on Hardcore Reunion as it just made the wrestlers seem sad and pathetic and that they really need to move on with their lives and careers.

"OMEGA: Uncommon Passion" was a good watch and an interesting story

"The Wrestling Road Diaries" is always a fun watch. wish they'd hurry up with Part 2

"Seven Levels of Hate" was good as a first attempt and producing by Adam Pearce. goes into a lot more than just the Pearce/Cabana feud, with their whole history starting before they got into wrestling and the whole clusterf*** that happened behind the scenes in the NWA last year

bought "Memphis Heat" awhile ago, but haven't gotten around to watching it yet

[Deleted]

If you haven't seen any of these, go out of your way to see them:

Memphis Heat

Heroes of World Class

Barbed Wire City

Those are my top three, in no real order.

I would rank all three ahead of the Dynamite Kid one and the Crockett Promotions one. They would be in my "second tier."

I saw the Chris Adams one was well. It's not as good as the others. It was very low level in terms of production. For instance, instead of learning how to put someone's name in the lower third of the screen when they are speaking, a separate graphic-only screen appears just before that person speaks. They also included interview footage of a highly impaired woman in a strip club, amidst footage from other people who aren't drunk/high, in quiet settings. They should've re-taped or just not used her material at all, and it would've improved the overall quality.

As far as "current material" rather than documentaries looking back at the past, Wrestling Road Diaries and Seven Levels of Hate are both excellently made.

[Todd Pettengill]

I just saw the doc made by Borash on ECW last night. I was really impressed. Some opinions from certain guys could've been cut (Basically opinions on things that happened before they got to ECW ie: Some of the Kid Kash comments). Stinks that WWE wouldn't liscense footage to Borash for the film, but he did a good job using pictures & indy footage.

[nickcave]

Card Subject to Change is a great documentary on the indies and it's currently up on Netflix. It's a great look at past stars still trying to make a living on the indies like Kevin Sullivan and current guys trying to make their way up.