I have had the chance to watch an incredible amount of professional wrestling the last month or so. Even better than the quantity has been the quality. Every company, from Ring of Honor to DG USA to even CZW, has produced a memorable match or show. The capper was of course one of the best weekends I’ve ever had at King of Trios 2011. I ended one of the best wrestling months I’ve ever experienced by watching a documentary nearly two years in the making about the real lives of professional wrestlers.
Colt Cabana is the main person behind Wrestling Road Diaries even though he isn’t technically the director. What he has provided wrestling fans is a chance to see what life is really like the road. Unlike so many political and socially inclined documentaries that I see on a regular basis, this one doesn’t have a leaning or a point to beat you over the head with. The point of these two hours and forty minutes is to represent the lives of three young men trying to make a living in the wacky business of professional wrestling. How many documentaries would be willing to show one of the main characters fall on his ass outside an arena or ride a scooter while another one of the subjects refuses to cross the street against the crosswalk. These are the small moments of life that are often ignored by directors, but in this piece, it’s a chance to see how people live in everyday life. It’s also a representation of their characters.
Bryan Danielson, Sal Rinauro, and Colt Cabana embark on a ten day odyssey across the east coast and Midwest for multiple alphabet soup promotions. This is also a film to pack a lunch for due to the length. However, because of the entrertainment value, the humor, and the pacing, this was a breeze to watch. Editor Eric Santamaria deserves a lot of credit for putting this all together. The editing might be the most underrated aspect of filmmaking, and that’s all the more reason I’m mentioning it. I can’t imagine how much footage was actually shot, but the impression I get is that another film could have been easily made considering there are over an hour of deleted scenes on another disk. What the editor does so well is showcase the small moments I mentioned earlier. Bryan Danielson comes across as a careful human being who is somewhat of a perfectionist. These points are so well-represented when we see him not cross the street despite Rinauro and Cabana jaywalking away. It also shows in an interview segment when Danielson expresses his frustration against seminars and training wrestlers. With a lot of guys, it might come off as some bitter diatribe. But because we get a chance to know Danielson as a human being, this a moment where he comes as a decent guy expressing irritation with his own life. Honestly, what person hasn’t done this exact some thing?
There are a lot of funny and cute moments. There’s a watermelon eating contest toward the middle of the film and some consequences that result from Sal Rinauro losing the contest. Cabana can be seen riding a scooter throughout the film. A wide variety of crazy characters and discussions are had. Some very familiar faces can even be seen in supporting roles, favorites wrestling fans would know. With all the comedy and fun this movie has, someone might wonder what makes the film more than just a comedic piece of entertainment.
There is something both admirable and even a little sad about the realities of the wrestling business. These three guys are never shown walking into an airport or staying at a nice hotel. It’s about driving around the country, staying in one hotel room, staying at Steve Weiner’s house, or crashing with Danielson’s sister. It would be easy for guys as talented as these three to be bitter about their situations, but they seem satisfied and happy with the decisions they’ve made. That to me is what makes me like and respect these guys so much. If a wrestling fan gets nothing else put of this documentary, I hope they at least understand that not every wrestler is Randy the Ram. There are wrestling nomads who also love what they’re doing and who want to put on a show and live life without getting involved in extracurricular activities.
It was probably easier for Danielson to handle this odyssey since he was about to “make it.” The ten days this DVD covers also happen to cover Danielson’s farewell tour of the independents before he was to move on to WWE. There is a mini drama throughout the film as Danielson goes over some health problems which may prohibit him from joining the company. Of course we all know how it turned out, but there was still something compelling about seeing someone who seemingly was on his way out of living this sort of lifestyle having to deal with a situation he couldn’t control. It’s not like Danielson drinks, smokes, or even eats meat, yet his personal health history leaves him prone to heart troubles and an unhealthy liver enzyme level.
Sal Rinauro is more of the comedy relief than anything else. I liked how he understood his role in the business and fit in to the trio in a specific way. Colt Cabana was coming off a brief stay in WWE. Danielson was about to leave for WWE, and there’s Sal Rinauro will probably never sniff WWE. The one thing I would have liked to have seen out Wrestling Road Diaries is to have learned more about Rinauro. He mentions having a fiancée, but I would have liked to have seen how that part of his life affects what he does as a wrestler. And what would the fiancée think of Rinauro going on a road trip with couple of his buddies? Given that the documentary had time to play with, Rinauro’s story could have definitely been fleshed out a bit more. Basically, this is a very minor complaint for what I thought was one of the better wrestling documentaries I’ve ever seen.
It’s amazing how so many mainstream movies have portrayed the business in such a dark light. Beyond the Mat had some very powerful moments, but there were also parts that made me feel awkward as a fan seeing Jake Roberts not be able to relate to his daughter or witnessing Mick Foley’s family fleeing from ringside. Ready to Rumble insulted wrestling fans’ intelligence by portraying us as buffoons and not showing the actual wrestling business accurately in any way. Ironic how a WRESTLING company actually produced that particular film. Even The Wrestler, for as good of a film as it was, left me with a cold feeling and made me wonder why in the hell anyone would actually want to do this.
What Wrestling Road Diaries does is put a positive light on the lives of professional wrestlers and the business. That’s not to say reality is ignored, but I certainly walked out of this film with a better taste in my mouth. I didn’t question my fandom, nor did I feel insulted. This film gets my highest recommendation. It’s a must see for all indy wrestling fans. I also think this is the sort of thing you can show a non-wrestling fan and say “This is why I like wrestling.” Sure, they might still judge you or look at you funny, but at least they’ll understand why so many hours and bucks are dedicated to wrasslin.
To buy this DVD, go to Wrestling Road Diaries, THE WEBSITE.
To give Colt Cabana more money and thank him for putting forth this great film, buy a DVD, t-shirt, or button from his website.
To hear Cabana babble on some more about wrestling (and hear some fantastic stories from all kinds of wrestlers), check out Colt’s weekly podcast.
Contact Pro Wrestling Ponderings!
E-mail: mailbag@prowrestlingponderings.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pwponderings
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pwponderings
Youtube: www.youtube.com/pwponderings
Contact ME!
E-mail: jcusson07@gmail.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeromesccusson
It really is a tremendous DVD and one I know I looked forward to from the moment it was announced. I found myself getting a bit restless towards the end because it’s a touch too long, but at the same time I wanted as much content as humanly possible, so it was a catch 22. I think they could have maybe cut about 20 minutes and made the bonus disc even longer, but maybe I’m crazy.
I think my favourite stuff was just seeing the wrestlers being human beings in the back. Seeing Hero being so pleasant, Nigel so light-hearted, all these wild personalities just walking around so casually was a treat. It’s what the Art of Wrestling Podcast does for me, it makes me really like wrestlers I didn’t care much for before.
Oh, and of course the three stars are tremendous throughout.