What can I say....simply a great wrestling movie.Taken from a fan's point of view, this film shows the highs and lows of the wrestling world, without feeling you are being made fun off. A "hit the road" type of movie, you are taken from the very top (the WWF) right down to the Indies. With a fluid type of feel you get to see the good, the bad and the down right ugly face of wrestling. With Blaustein's commentary near continual for most of the movie, you get the impression that this guy has a real love of wrestling.
Starting off with the WWF itself, you are immediately thrust into the day-to-day goings on in the McMahon empire, who is interviewed a few times, and sometimes managing to come off as a sleazy second hand car salesman. When you watch, you are privy to such things as backstage commentary on two Indy stars getting a tryout match, Darren Drozdov getting his wrestling name of "Puke", and a personal highlight for me, was Vince McMahon himself doing colour commentary while "Puke", literally puked into a basket on his desk.
The interviews with people such as Foley, Funk, Koko B. Ware and even Jake Roberts, show both the funny and sad faces to wrestling at times, especially the interviews with Funk - you just cant help feel sorry for Terry in his last ever match against Bret Hart (well it was his last, until he returned to the ring 3 months later).
The movie turns into a semi road trip with Blaustein travelling the roads with Jake Roberts, with interviews that are, at times, so dark and heavy that you feel that you are getting sucked in. Showing an ugly side to wrestling, that I never visualised before, Roberts' interview when high on crack and a poignant, and somewhat unsettling re-union with his eldest daughter make for fascinating, if somewhat, frightening viewing.
There is so much that I could easily tell you about this movie, but to do so would take too long and spoil the mystique of being let into a world that many watch, but few actually understand.
And to be honest I think that is why this movie would mean so much to even the most occasional wrestling fan out there.
Rating: 10/10
