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DVD REVIEW: GUEST BOOKER WITH ROH'S GABE SAPOLSKY ENVISIONING HIS OWN WAY OF WWE REVIVING EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING

By Michael Campbell

Welcome to the very first Cynical View DVD Review, or “The Cynical DVD View”, which is the horrible name I’ve chosen to showcase my spasmodic ramblings. What better way to start, than by breaking convention with the second in the series of Kayfabe Commentaries hugely acclaimed “Guest Booker” series, this one, featuring Ring of Honor’s booker, Gabe Sapolsky.

I really looked forward to this DVD: a great deal. As a huge Ring of Honor fan, and an admirer of much of Gabe Sapolsky’s booking strategies, this one had greatness written all over it. Gabe’s never been one to parade in front of the camera, or insert himself into storylines as other bookers do. In fact, in ROH, even when guys have been leaving his company, he’s paid his respects in a very subtle and not overbearing way. I can only recall one occasion where he actually appeared in front of the camera otherwise (At “In your Face” during mid-2006, he ran from the back to ringside, after Jimmy Jacobs was power bombed off the top rope into the crowd. I assume this was really sneaky inside way of selling the drama of the spot to the smart fans. But he wasn’t mentioned by name and didn’t affect the show for anyone not in the know… a balance Vince Russo never understood). What that means, is that to hear Sapolsky talk openly about his ideas on the business is not just a very attractive, and entertaining notion, but a very valuable one at that.

What completely surprised me when it came to this production was how straightforward everything about it is. It’s really simple. The format is so basic a four-year-old could follow. The menu and graphics are clear, clean and crisp, the show is laid back, though somewhat formal, and it has a real simple structure. They start in the Summer of 06, and build up to December’s December to Dismember PPV, with the objective of creating a satisfying pay per view at the end of it all, something the WWE completely failed to accomplish (The real PPV was so bad, the buy rates were somewhere around the 90,000 mark, whereas usually anything below 220-230,000 is usually considered a disappointment for a single-brand show).

The show is split into basic sections: Roster, then Angles: World Title, Tag Titles, TV Title, and finally, Undercard Feuds. And that’s it. I thought there would be a lot more room to rant and play around with ideas, but there really isn’t. The way the show is hosted, is geared towards making Gabe stick to the format. And it works fine I guess. For me, I would love to hear more about what Gabe thinks went wrong with what the WWE did, and compare it more to what he would have done, maybe going into detail as to why he wouldn’t incorporate guys the WWE used hugely (Big Show, Bobby Lashley). I also would have liked to have seen him discuss some of the real life incidents that affected the booking for Vince and Co., for example, the suspension of RVD and Sabu, and the impending retirement of then-champion, Big Show.

Gabe talks us through his roster, which is pretty interesting, but as is a theme with this presentation, nothing suprising. He allows himself two big stars, one from each of the other shows. Unusually, he picks Randy Orton and Ric Flair. At the start, I though this was actually insane, and couldn’t understand the appeal, especially as he discusses building towards the two facing off for the first time as the main event of December to Dismember, which I couldn’t fathom as a headliner for the show. But as he talks throughout, he really does a good job of selling the idea, which relies heavily on the certain concepts that he sees as being the basis behind his whole vision for ECW. The rest of his picks are largely straightforward (CM Punk, the ECW Originals, London & Spanky, Brent Albright), but entertaining nonetheless, and he explains in clear terms how he would use guys like CM Punk, which is a stark contrast to how we see the guy used. Although in fairness, to the WWE’s credit, he is pretty damn over, but I can see how if used how Gabe discusses (pretty similar to his fantastic ROH run actually) he would be making them huge money.

After discussing the roster, we move into the structure of the brand, splitting it into the title divisions. It’s very interesting to see whom Gabe selects to compete where, and he has some fine ideas. He has a few I completely disagree with, and at times doesn’t go into the detail I expected, which may lead some to misunderstand some of his points. But generally, his approach to the belts sounds very appealing indeed. At first, I was very sceptical: three different straps in ECW? What the hell? But hey, after listening to how he plans to work them, it does make sense. In all honesty, I still think three titles is too much, especially as the Heavyweight title isn’t really viewed as the ECW World title in the old lineage, it’s just another mid-card title. But in the long term, if booked the way Gabe suggests, perhaps it could have worked.

For me, the most interesting aspect of all of this, is Sapolsky’s discussion of how to fill the rest of the card. Again, he doesn’t go into a huge degree of detail, but what he does suggest is backed up with solid explanations, and a real sense of logic. In this respect, we really get an inkling as to how he works, with forward planning derived from working backwards, working back from the end product, before figuring out how to get there. And from this, we almost accidentally pick up little side notes that are often disregarded when discussing the work of bookers. For example, Jamie Noble, someone whom Gabe is extremely high on, is discussed at the beginning of the DVD, and it seems he’ll have a major role. However, at the PPV itself, he’s shoved in a filler match with Nunzio and Elijah Burke. Gabe would really have loved to incorporate him in a bigger role, but explains how it just didn’t fit at that point. That’s not to say he wouldn’t at some point down the line however, and it’s fair to say that not everyone can be the centrepiece at once.

Basically, this is a really interesting DVD. It’s simple, entertaining, and extremely accessible. However, to me, the accessibility of it all is the most disappointing aspect. I expected it to be hugely involving, and thought-provoking. It isn’t. Whether or not this is a result of time constraints, or just wasn’t within the brief of the filmmakers, I can not be sure. It’s also really short, at about half the length of your average shoot interview. So those hard pressed for cash may find this an item that isn’t an essential part of their collection. In the end, I found it mildly disappointing. However, at the same time, it’s hard to be overly critical of something so well-executed and interesting. And Gabe is a helluva convincing subject. He speaks well, and really does command your attention. It’s just such a shame he wasn’t one the screen with someone really attempting to coax some interesting stuff out of him. I would go into great detail about the actual booking he discusses with the interview, but honestly, it would defeat the point of then watching the disc yourself.

This DVD isn’t the superb release I first perceived that it would be. Nonetheless, Guest Booker With Gabe Sapolsky still comes highly recommended to anyone interested in this aspect of Pro-wrestling, and anyone who is a fan of his work will certainly enjoy it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this wacky review/rant/gibberish. If you have any comments, I welcome and encourage all feedback. please get in touch at bazilalfonso@hotmail.com Until bell-time, thanks again.