From WorldWrestlingInsanity.com
Mike Rickard Reviews the first Jim Cornette/Bobby Heenan Shoot DVD
By Mike "Mr. Old School" Rickard
Sep 28, 2009 - 10:17 AM
Hey Now! Mr. Old School here with a blast from the past- my review of the first shoot interview with Jim Cornette and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to check out my new audio just posted on Saturday!
ROH SHOOT VIDEO PRESENTS
A RARE MEETING OF THE MINDS BETWEEN TWO OF THE GREATEST MANAGERS IN WRESTLING HISTORY
Straight Shootin' with Jim Cornette & Bobby Heenan
"Sometimes it is a great joy just to listen to someone we love talking."
- Vincent McNabb
Epic is the moment when legends meet. Whether it’s fictional
giants such as Elric and Conan, Batman and Superman, or real-life
legends such as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant getting together,
there’s a once in a lifetime feeling that you get that is electric.
Such is the scope of the meeting presented on Ring of Honor’s Shoot DVD
featuring Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Jim Cornette. ROH has teamed up
two of the greatest talkers for a three hour conversation that has got
to be seen to be believed.
When compiling any list of the greatest managers of all
time, Jim Cornette and Bobby are sure to be found on anyone’s short
list. Until very recently, managers served an important role in
professional wrestling- doing the talking during promos for wrestlers
who weren’t much behind the microphone and instigating the fans to the
point where they would buy tickets to see the manager and his wrestler
get their comeuppance. While there have been scores of managers in the
history of professional wrestling, very few have come close to Heenan
and Cornette when it comes to managerial adeptness. Furthermore, Heenan
and Cornette have achieved success outside their roles as managers,
Heenan in his role as a broadcast journalist and Cornette as a booker
and trainer in Smokey Mountain Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Bobby
Heenan learned the ropes as a wrestler first before achieving fame as a
manager. Heenan managed in many areas and distinguished himself
wherever he appeared. Heenan achieved his first major success during
his long run in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) where he
became well known as “the Weasel”, the manager that fans loved to hate.
Heenan managed AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel and AWA Tag Team
Champions the Blackjacks, amongst others, annoying fans with his
interference in matches and constant insults directed at fans (or
humanoids as he liked to call them). Heenan was a top star in the AWA
when he jumped ship to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the
early 1980’s and his career reached even greater heights, receiving
national exposure as Vince McMahon turned the WWF from a regional into
a national promotion. In the WWF, Heenan managed such superstars as Big
John Studd, the Mighty Hercules, King Kong Bundy, “Ravishing” Rick
Rude, Ken Patera, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Andre the Giant, and
many others. After Jesse Ventura’s success as a heel color commentator,
Heenan was put behind the microphone and he formed a legendary
announcing tag team with Gorilla Monsoon. Eventually Heenan retired
from managing and focused all of his energies on announcing. After a
pay dispute with Vince McMahon, Heenan left for rival World
Championship Wrestling where he announced for several years. Heenan
recently successfully battled throat cancer and he was inducted into
the WWE Hall of Fame last year.
Jim
Cornette started working in wrestling when he was a teenager. His first
brush with fame was in the Memphis area where he managed alongside
Jimmy “Mouth of the South “ Hart. Cornette would go on to fame as the
manager of the Midnight Express, during the Golden Age of tag team
wrestling in the 1980’s. As heel color commentators became vogue in the
1980’s (thanks to the efforts of Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan in the
WWF), Cornette began working as a color commentator in World
Championship Wrestling while continuing to manage the Midnights. He
eventually started his own wrestling promotion Smokey Mountain
Wrestling but despite his best efforts, he was unable to make it a
financial success. After the demise of Smokey Mountain Wrestling
Cornette managed several WWF superstars during the mind 1990’s such as
Yokozuna and Owen Hart. Later on, Cornette went on to work behind the
scenes in the World Wrestling Federation as a talent scout. He
currently runs the WWE’s farm league Ohio Valley Wrestling. Throughout
his career, Cornette has achieved notoriety as someone who is never
afraid to speak his mind and whose razor sharp wit has destroyed many
an opponent during a verbal battle.
For those unfamiliar with shoot videos, the premise is fairly
simple. You get a wrestler and they basically sit down and begin
talking about their career. They are usually very candid affairs giving
wrestlers a chance to step outside of their character and give very
insightful looks into their careers. Shoot videos have become very
popular and several websites offer their own shoot videos. As long as a
performer isn’t an active WWF wrestler, there’s a good chance they have
done a shoot video.
When you consider that both Heenan and Cornette are
fantastic talkers, a shoot video with the two of them seems like a
surefire hit whether you’re a student of wrestling or someone who likes
to hear funny, interesting stories. However, wrestling history is full
of surefire pairings that have fizzled such as Hulk Hogan vs. Ric
Flair, WWF vs. WCW, and Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg. Fortunately,
Ring of Honor’s
Straight Shootin’ with Jim Cornette and Bobby Heenan
DVD succeeds where the above pairings failed. This DVD features both
men sharing memories, observations, and opinions on the always
fascinating world of professional wrestling.
From the moment the DVD starts, it’s clear that both men have
a lot of respect for each other but they don’t let this professional
respect turn the video into a three hour mutual admiration society
meeting. Instead, they share and compare road stories, drawing on the
vast wealth of experience they each have built up. It makes for
compelling viewing because not only do you have two of the greatest
minds in the business but you get their perspectives from different
phases in their careers as well as the different eras and territories
they worked through.
Listening to both men speak it’s fascinating to note some of
the parallels in how they broke into the business. Both were running
errands for wrestlers, basically acting as gophers before they were got
their respective breaks into the business. Neither man got rich at
first but you can see their love for the business. As Heenan points out
during the video, what other job are you told that you will get beat
up, have to fend off crazy fans, drive hundreds of miles in your own
car from town to town, pay for your own food and lodging, have no
health insurance, and get paid peanuts only to ask “where do I sign?”
The DVD doesn’t follow any structured format other than to
let both men speak their minds. Both Heenan and Cornette discuss a
variety of subjects from their experiences around the world. At times
one man will focus on telling a story while the other listens or asks
questions of them. At other times, they both go back and forth
exchanging their viewpoints on a particular subject. However for two
guys known for their big mouths, they rarely talk over each other.
This brings up a sensitive subject. Not too long ago, Bobby
Heenan was diagnosed with throat cancer. While he was successful in
battling the cancer, his fight took a tremendous toll on his body,
particularly his voice. What’s the point of watching a shoot DVD if you
can’t understand what someone is saying? I’m happy to say that there
are very few instances where Heenan is difficult to understand and that
while Heenan’s speech may be slightly impaired; his wit is as razor
sharp as ever.
A topic frequently discussed is how angry fans would try to
attack wrestlers. With all of the security at ringside now, it’s hard
to picture what things were like twenty and thirty years ago. Heenan
and Cornette describe how things were considerably different twenty and
thirty years ago. Wrestlers were lucky to have any police protection
and when they did, it was often of little use since the police believed
wrestling was real and they frequently let the heels fend for
themselves. Angry fans were not above taking things to extreme levels
such as shooting at wrestlers or stabbing them (Heenan points out how
some fans would go so far as to soak a knife in animal parts to make
sure that any wound inflicted would become infected).
Watching the tape, you’ll learn how Cornette first started
using his signature tennis racket and why he switched from wooden to
metal rackets after several unfortunate incidents with angry fans (the
wooden rackets were far too flimsy to hit someone with). He talks about
his early days as a manager in the Memphis wrestling territory working
with Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart and what things were like trying
to break into wrestling. You’ll also see how Heenan left the AWA after
years working for Verne Gagne and the advantages and disadvantages he
found in managing compared to wrestling. He provides insight into what
makes an effective manager and how the art of managing can increase the
fans enjoyment of a match. Both men are very vocal in pointing out how
the WWE is missing out on a great opportunity by diminishing the role
of the manager in professional wrestling.
Part of the appeal of a shoot video is that it gives the
wrestler a chance to express their true opinion without protecting
kayfabe. Heenan and Cornette are not shy about sharing opinions on some
of the greats and not-so great wrestlers that they worked with and what
they thought made someone a success in the business. You may be
surprised to hear what both men thought of some of the wrestlers they
managed. They are equally candid in expressing their views on what can
be done to improve wrestling today and in what worked yesterday and
whether or not it would work today. Neither man is afraid to defy
conventional wisdom and I think fans will be shocked to hear their
opinions on Broadways and blading.
Overall, the DVD comes highly recommended. The video and
audio are of good quality (something that ROH needs to improve in their
wrestling event videos) and the only technical drawback is that there
are no chapters or title menu for the DVD. The only other drawback to
the DVD is that there is no structure or organization to the materials
discussed. This isn’t an interview, this is a 3 hour filming of two
greats shooting the breeze The producer makes little effort to guide
the direction of the conversation and but with one or two exceptions,
asks no specific questions of either man. For example while Heenan
briefly talks about the death of WCW, he doesn’t really go into any
specific details about what he felt led to the company’s ultimate
failure. Watching the shoot video, you start to wonder what kind of
details a good interviewer could have elicited from Heenan and
Cornette.
Despite the lack of structure, the shoot video is still a lot
of fun and it is a must see for any fan of wrestling, especially fans
of Heenan and Cornette. However, even if you’re not familiar with
Heenan and Cornette’s work, you’ll find yourself entertained by their
stories. Both men know how to spin a tale and this DVD shows why both
men were so successful behind the microphone whether they were managers
or commentators. Most fans should have a lot of fun watching this
meeting of the minds. One of Heenan and Cornette’s strongest beliefs is
that you can’t understand the business unless you’ve been in it but
after watching these two legends, I have a feeling you’ll come away
with a greater appreciation of what it’s like to be a performer in the
world of professional wrestling even if you’ve never stepped into the
squared circle
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