g5000
Diamond Member
- Nov 26, 2011
- 129,510
- 73,818
- 2,605
I've never been a wrestling fan, but I found this documentary series to be outstanding.
I have come away from this show with the impression that Vince McMahon, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, is a genius and an amazing businessman.
And like the Mafia, it is never personal with McMahon. It's business.
A lot of arguing is made over whether or not professional wrestling is "fake".
It isn't fake. It's theater. No one calls a dramatic movie "fake". It's a show. It's entertainment. There's a good guy, a bad guy, and a script. With really, really bad, over-the-top, actors.
Once you see pro wrestling that way, everything makes perfect sense.
As a kid, I saw professional wrestling when it was not big time. It was just a couple of beefy guys throwing each other around. They were not steroid freaks, just guys who were actually kind of fat.
Back then, all television was local. When McMahon took over his father's business, he had the foresight to see the future of TV was going to be national, and he began a plan to go national, too, and wipe the floor with all the other regional wrestling organizations.
This is a fascinating documentary to hear things from McMahon's perspective, and the perspective of some of the wrestlers (including Hulk Hogan, of course), along with reporters who covered the whole deal.
It dives into all the scandals, too. The steroids; the painkillers; the 7 days a week, 365 days a year grueling work schedule; the sexual scandals; the betrayals.
Even if you aren't a pro wrestling fan, like me, this is a documentary well worth watching.
I have come away from this show with the impression that Vince McMahon, the founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, is a genius and an amazing businessman.
And like the Mafia, it is never personal with McMahon. It's business.
A lot of arguing is made over whether or not professional wrestling is "fake".
It isn't fake. It's theater. No one calls a dramatic movie "fake". It's a show. It's entertainment. There's a good guy, a bad guy, and a script. With really, really bad, over-the-top, actors.
Once you see pro wrestling that way, everything makes perfect sense.
As a kid, I saw professional wrestling when it was not big time. It was just a couple of beefy guys throwing each other around. They were not steroid freaks, just guys who were actually kind of fat.
Back then, all television was local. When McMahon took over his father's business, he had the foresight to see the future of TV was going to be national, and he began a plan to go national, too, and wipe the floor with all the other regional wrestling organizations.
This is a fascinating documentary to hear things from McMahon's perspective, and the perspective of some of the wrestlers (including Hulk Hogan, of course), along with reporters who covered the whole deal.
It dives into all the scandals, too. The steroids; the painkillers; the 7 days a week, 365 days a year grueling work schedule; the sexual scandals; the betrayals.
Even if you aren't a pro wrestling fan, like me, this is a documentary well worth watching.
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