AEW
and WWE. Wrestling fans are spoilt for choice
at the moment, be it television, documentaries streaming and live shows
by
Greg Tingle
Make
no mistake, the world is currently enjoying a resurgence in pro wrestling aka
sports entertainment. Ok, my opinion, but that of many, I've been a fan of wrestling
since about 5 years of age and I'm now in my forties, and having worked on dozens
upon dozens of wrestling related and professional sports and entertainment projects
over the past 20 years plus, I'm pretty qualified to comment on this.
Fans,
new and old, and even those on the fence - how about the plethora of pro wrestling
documentaries available at present. A couple of years back we wrote about how
wrestling fans were screaming out for quality pro wrestling related documentaries
and it was great to see that both the WWE powers that be as well as independent
film makers were reading and listening. They have delivered in spades. The thirst
for nostalgia and something different has also acted as a catalyst for other developments
in the pro wrestling industry.
It's
impossible to miss the uprising of AEW (All Elite Wrestling), backed by the Khan
family, and with an ever growing team of management and talent including Cody
and Brandi Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Young Bucks, Chris Jericho and Hangman Page.
By the time you read this article the talent roster could be up to 30 or 40 performers,
and don't forget that 'Double Or Nothing' is coming up in Las Vegas, at the MGM
Grand no less. Chris Jericho is also doing another Rock
'N' Wrestling Rager cruise, and who knows what else the wrestling marketing,
media and promotional mastermind is working on. Jericho is signed up to AWE for
3 years - that much we know. I attended one of Jericho's Sydney talks from the
road sessions a few years ago, flanked by Ian Scott (Anthrax),
and there is a certain charisma and genius that is Jericho (real name: Christopher
Keith Irvine).
Now
to the documentaries... there's at least 3 of them, not including anything WWE
Network has recently released, but we have reason to suspect that they are working
on a Hulk Hogan and 'Rowdy'
Roddy Piper documentary, with or without the assist of ESPN or HBO...something
is in the wings, but we haven't seen the contract, so we're just teasing with
the WWE documentary news! The buzz is that Dwayne
'The Rock' Johnson(Seven Bucks Productions)
is maintaining a good line of communication with the WWE, and you can bet at some
point a WWE Hall of Fame nomination will come, and there will also be a documentary
at some stage on 'The Rock's life and career. That can't wait forever either,
and Mr Johnson could be in line for a shot at becoming Mr. President of the United
States Of America within a decade or so. Hey, stranger things have happened..
think back to colourful wrestler and commentator Jesse
'The Body' Ventura, who made it to the office of Mayor of Minnesota. Mrs.
Linda McMahon is also worthy of a documentary, as is Mr. VKM. McMahon's biopic
is bound to cause pandemonium.. yes, that's a play on words. That biopic is going
ahead, and the update is that Hulk Hogan is finally getting his life / wrestling
story in a film also, and Mr. Bollea will be portrayed by none other than Australian's
Chris Hemsworth. Hemsworth-Mania is running wild, and Chris is quite the superpower
for Australia tourism also, with his adverts and social media posts bringing in
10s of millions of dollars of tourism dollars into the Australian government coffers.
Go Aussie Go!
It's
a great time to be a fan and a wrestler, so let's lap it up. Enjoy the docos,
the matches, the storylines.
As
always, full respect to the promoters and the wrestlers aka sports entertainers,
who risk it all for us - the fans. That's all there is, there isn't anymore (channeling
the late, great, WCW (Australia) announcer Jack Little. They've gone berserk!
Omega
Man: A Wrestling Love Story
350
Days: Legends. Champions. Survivors.
BRET
HART, SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM and more talk about their fans in the NEW WRESTLING
DOC. 350 DAYS.Video
Congratulations
Evan and team. As a long time wrestling fan and sports agent, I can tell that
this is going to be massive. Talk about an expose which is going to get the industry
and pop culture scene buzzing. We won't want to miss a second of this compelling
production which is going to slam and suplex the hell out of the industry. Hell
Yeah, that can be a public testimonial! Whatcha going to do when 'Dark Side Of
The Industry' is running wild on you brother.
“C2E2”
- Being The Elite Ep. 144
Being
The Elite is not a wrestling documentary, but a weekly streamed series featuring
the Young Bucks, and now an every growing roster of AEW talent. The show has caught
the imagination of fans, and made new fans, around the world. That's great for
the industry.
