TRTSM Shoots!

[King Kamala]

I've been watching/listening to a lot of shoot interviews while doing my mid-terms and I think they deserve their own thread. I'm a sucker for this type of shit so even the bad ones (uh...pretty much any RF shoot) are still entirely listenable. So this is the place to talk about RF Video, Kayfabe Commentaries, and Highspots latest releases. Their favorites, least favorites, etc. It'd also be sweet if somebody could upload MP3 versions like the Shoot thread at TOTSM.


I've been digging the 57 Talk interviews. Why a cash for gold knockoff site has interviews with old school wrestlers is beyond me but the interviews are heads and shoulders above RF Video's stuff and they get a lot of guys that nobody else would think to interview. They have a Reno Riggins interview for pete's sake! I don't why but hearing about the life of a jobber is fascinating to me. It's free too so I don't have to break any laws to listen to 'em.

Kayfabe Commentaries is alright but they've consistently disappointed. They have some decent shoots but the more I watch 'em, the more I think the interviewer is a slicker, dressed up Rob Feinstein. He hasn't found a delusional, outspoken has been that he didn't want to exploit. Is there any point to the YouShoot series except for let's all laugh at an old, drug addicted wrestler and get them all riled up for the camera? RF is the guiltiest of this type of shit with his approximately 812 Iron Sheik shoots and letting Billy Jack Haynes have at least two nervous breakdowns on camera and doing the "I don't know if we should be selling this controversial shoot but the fans must hear the guy who originally had The Undertaker's hats crackpot conspiracy theories!" I don't see how RF got to be the #1 shoot interviewer because not only does he not know a terrible amount about wrestling but he doesn't have a particularly good voice and his production is absolutely shitty, even by the low standards of shoot interviews.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

ROH's Straight Shooting series are normally really good. Especially Heenan/Cornette.

 

[atticus Chaos]

Notable ones

Ken Anderson: It has possibly my favourite moment in any shoot ever: at one point, he swears he had to leap into action after the Benoit tragedy because the evil media claimed were claming you had to be on steroids to get into WWE. Ken clearly feels this is outrageous and felt it was up to him to set the record straight. Fair enough...

Then later in the interview, he's asked about his own steroid use early on in his career, and says he didn't really want to be on them, but he knew he wouldn't get into WWE without them.

Kurt Angle: I swear for the first time in a long time he sounds sane.

Matt Hardy: Notable for him saying how when him and Jeff first got to WWE, JBL basically helped turn them into alchoholics and they wouldn't have gotten accepted if they didn't go drinking all the time. Because that really helped Jeff in the long run, didn't it?

In the same vein, Ric Flair bragging about how when he met John Cena, he didn't drink at all. But Ric helped turn him into a party animal. Ric also laments that he can't get guys like Regal and HBK to party more, despite his constant attempts.

 

[Silence]

Matt Hardy: Notable for him saying how when him and Jeff first got to WWE, JBL basically helped turn them into alchoholics and they wouldn't have gotten accepted if they didn't go drinking all the time. Because that really helped Jeff in the long run, didn't it?

In the same vein, Ric Flair bragging about how when he met John Cena, he didn't drink at all. But Ric helped turn him into a party animal. Ric also laments that he can't get guys like Regal and HBK to party more, despite his constant attempts.

Peer pressure!

 

[dx1997]

Matt Hardy: Notable for him saying how when him and Jeff first got to WWE, JBL basically helped turn them into alchoholics and they wouldn't have gotten accepted if they didn't go drinking all the time. Because that really helped Jeff in the long run, didn't it?

In the same vein, Ric Flair bragging about how when he met John Cena, he didn't drink at all. But Ric helped turn him into a party animal. Ric also laments that he can't get guys like Regal and HBK to party more, despite his constant attempts.

Peer pressure!

I'd love to see how Punk and Flair would party together. Flair offering Punk a drink, would be quite the moment.

 

[King Kamala]

If somebody asked me which living person I'd most like to party with, my answer would probably be The Nature Boy. Either him or Bill Clinton.

 

[Mattdotcom]

Speaking of alcoholism, all of the Hall and Nash shoots I've seen rank near the top of my list. Sure, I'm an Outsiders mark, but they're legitimately funny, laid back friends having a conversation. Sometimes Nash veers into Hogan-esque territories of revisionism. That's the only drawback.

 

[King Kamala]

I'm not even much of a Nash mark but his interviews are consistently fascinating. They could release a zillion shoot interviews with Big Daddy Cool and I'd listen to all of them.

Another guy in that category is Honky Tonk Man. I probably like the guy a bit more than the average smark but I wouldn't consider myself a fan and 99% of his interviews is exaggerated bullshit and opinions I don't agree with but he's always entertaining. Maybe it's because he really isn't all that different than his in-ring character. I hope his next RF shoot ends with him snapping and yelling about how he's tired of shaking greasy hands and kissing ugly babies when he tours the indy circuit.

 

[Ed Wood Caulfield]

I would really love to hear some shoots, particulary The Outsiders and Honky Tonk Man ones.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Al Snow Shoot Interview

Fun interview with Al Snow. Worth hearing just for the analogy alone and the "7 Deadly Steps"

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

I used to have a folder a few GB big of Shoot interviews I had downloaded from torrents over the years, usually just listened to them while at the gym. Have to echo that the Kevin Nash ones were generally the best, though I enjoyed the Scott Norton one too, but I think that's because I'm a Norton mark.

 

[spman]

The last two I saw were Bob Holly and Val Venis. Bob Holly's wasn't so good, because he doesn't really give straigh answers to a lot of questions, and also didnt seem to remember too much about his wrestling past. I will say that after listening to it however, I probably have some more respect for Holly than I did prior.

Val Venis' was really good, he's wrestled everywhere and had tons of stories to tell. My biggest complaint is with the RF interviewers who sometimes ask lame questikn, get facts wrong, or dont ask follow up questions.

I really wish Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman would do complete shoot interviews. I dont think we'll ever get one from Bischoff, as I get the impression that he's said everything he has to say about the last 20 years, and doesn't care to re-hash it all again. I have no doubt though that we will one day see an epic Paul Heyman shoot, but not until he's finally ready to burn down every bridge he's ever built, which at this point means giving up any hope he may still have of one day returning to WWE is some capacity.

It'll never happen in this lifetime, but how awesome would a 10 hour uncensored Vince McMahon shoot be? Have Hogan or Savage ever recorded full interviews with anyone? They might be interesting to hear, but I think they may be too stuck in their own delusions to give honesst and comprehensible answers. The Ultimate Warrior shoot interview from a few years back is a good example of this. He only really remembers history the way he wants it to be, and starts getting indignant with the interviewer for constantly asking question about the past, as if that's not the point of the interview or anything.

 

[MillenniumMan831]

Memmmmmorrrriiiieeessssssss

 

[King Kamala]

http://57gold.com/interviews.asp

Bunch of free audio shoot interviews. Mostly old school, territory guys talking about the old school territories. Some really good stuff.

 

[Jingus]

I can't believe we got this far without mentioning Jim Cornette a lot more. He does the best shoots, bar none. And hey, he's got a free weekly podcast. Actually there are several interesting guys on that site: Lodi, Mike Modest, Cena's dad, and various other random people have their own shows. Bill Behrens especially has a lot of good stuff in his podcasts, telling stories and laying out the business philosophy for running a wrestling show.

I don't see how RF got to be the #1 shoot interviewer because not only does he not know a terrible amount about wrestling but he doesn't have a particularly good voice and his production is absolutely shitty, even by the low standards of shoot interviews.

He got to be #1 because he basically had a monopoly for years. He wasn't the first guy to ever do video shoot interviews, as far as I know the first was Bob Barnett with his shoot interview with Eddie Gilbert shortly before his death. But RF was in an unique position, since they were basically the official ECW tape crew. They sold all the ECW home videos and taped all the house shows, which got them unprecedented access to the stars of the most smark-friendly promotion on the planet. They did shoots with Sandman and New Jack first, sold about a zillion copies of each, and took off from there. (Also, he was totally willing to bootleg and sell anyone else's shoot interviews, too. Rob Feinstein is a fucking homosexual.) For years, there was no real competition; it wasn't until after the millenium turned and Highspots ascended that anyone else was shooting many of these interviews.

 

[geniusMoment]

The last two I saw were Bob Holly and Val Venis. Bob Holly's wasn't so good, because he doesn't really give straigh answers to a lot of questions, and also didnt seem to remember too much about his wrestling past. I will say that after listening to it however, I probably have some more respect for Holly than I did prior.

Val Venis' was really good, he's wrestled everywhere and had tons of stories to tell. My biggest complaint is with the RF interviewers who sometimes ask lame questikn, get facts wrong, or dont ask follow up questions.

I really wish Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman would do complete shoot interviews. I dont think we'll ever get one from Bischoff, as I get the impression that he's said everything he has to say about the last 20 years, and doesn't care to re-hash it all again. I have no doubt though that we will one day see an epic Paul Heyman shoot, but not until he's finally ready to burn down every bridge he's ever built, which at this point means giving up any hope he may still have of one day returning to WWE is some capacity.

It'll never happen in this lifetime, but how awesome would a 10 hour uncensored Vince McMahon shoot be? Have Hogan or Savage ever recorded full interviews with anyone? They might be interesting to hear, but I think they may be too stuck in their own delusions to give honesst and comprehensible answers. The Ultimate Warrior shoot interview from a few years back is a good example of this. He only really remembers history the way he wants it to be, and starts getting indignant with the interviewer for constantly asking question about the past, as if that's not the point of the interview or anything.

Wade Keller just conducted a 6 hour interview with Bischoff, talking about the rise and fall of WCW. He's posting it in installments on his site.

 

[Frosty]

Raven and the Sandman are easily the best shoots I have ever seen. They have a series of them that they did together and they are hilarious.

 

[King Kamala]

Uh oh---the guy from Kayfabe Commentaries called me out on Wrestling Classics for saying that a Timeline of WWE is too generic of an idea for WWE to truly ripoff for that Untold History of WWE special issue they did. Finishing his callout with "I can PM you the name of the WWE Media Librarian!" Uh, Venk, you want me to get that for you?

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

The most disappointing shoot I can remember watching was the Liger shoot with Simon Inoki translating. I probably shouldn't have expected too much but he stuck to kayfabe for a lot of stuff.

The Sinister Minister Straight Shooting interview was very funny as were the shoots with Punk/Cabana and Punk/Joe.

 

[MillenniumMan831]

Lanny Poffo had a very underrated RF shoot some years back. Definitely worth tracking down an mp3 of.

 

[King Kamala]

Poffo is a great shoot interview. Besides the awesome 4 hour or so RF shoot .There's a 2 or 3 part interview on 57 Talk that isn't quite as good but is well worth a listen. He's a rare case of a guy who comes across as more likable after you watch his shoot.

 

[Reign]

Since I'm lazy, do we have any (video) shoot interviews on the site anywhere? The first time I ever visted TSM was to read the shoot interview transcripts..back when the main TSM page had weekly wrestling recaps and movie reviews...

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I had one with Kid Kash before he was in WWE. He bashed Billy Gunn wanting to know how he made it to WWE and then burns a Billy Gunn shirt at the end of the interview.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Black bart has the best "bad" shoot interview ever as he just lies about everything and thinks he's a mega star....

 

[JHawk]

Anything with Cornette is awesome. Bill Watts' RF shoot was outstanding as well.

 

[mellow]

Raven and the Sandman are easily the best shoots I have ever seen. They have a series of them that they did together and they are hilarious.

I made the mistake of getting really, really high and watching both shoots that they did together. It was probably the hardest I've laughed at anything in my life. I almost died. Everybody should do it.

 

[DorianB]

the worst shoot that I've personally ever seen was the Hebner's shoot. It had absolutely zero information in it and it seemed to last for hours.

The best thing about it was the way both Hebners kept looking around with a look of extreme paranoia. They looked like they expected Vince to snipe them from a roof or bust in with a machete at any second lol.

And the funniest thing of all is I bought it from the Pro Shirt Shop, which was the reason why the Hebners were gone from WWE in the first place.

 

[luke-o]

I really liked Raven and Honkey Tonk's face off. Well part 1 of it anyway. I never heard/saw the 2nd part.

 

[King Kamala]

Raven and Honky's face off was indeed hilarious, especially when they read off the list of sleazy wrestling rumors from DVDVR and tried to determine whether they were true or false.

 

[luke-o]

It was disturbing how many of them were actually true.