Cheap Re-Heat Video Review- Southern Discomfort

Speaking of videos a couple of years ago I heard about a video/documetary called 'Southern Discomfort: Life on the indie circuit'. I was intrigued by the concept of a 'beyond the mat' type documentary of indie wrestling so 2 years later I finally landed a copy of it. Here's what I got....... Rather than a full blown "documentary" on indy wrestling it's documenting a "outlaw" show in Anniston, Alabama in 1995. We start out with an old man (the promoter) hanging posters and then cut to the local high school gym where Rick Montana(they act like we should know him?) is setting up a ring. It should be noted right off that this took place in '95, before the death of kayfabe, it was on life support, but not dead. So this tape drifts in and out of kayfabe at different points. Well Rick Montana informs us that he 'rassled' for years but a knee injury forced him out of the ring, and and now he has a less active role. But apparently his legions of fans demand his return everytime he goes anywhere but, "I don't see it happening", (remember that for later) Anyhow we now cut to a rabid crowd(literally in some cases) and for some reason decide to ask some of them why they like "rasslin". Here's a quote, "I come to see tha gud rasslers not dem sorry ones off tha street but tha gud ones like Joe Armstong and tha Iron Sheik and dem." (Joe Armstong?, perhaps he meant Bob who is on the card) Anyway, we now go to the dressing room to meet some of the "stars", a few I recognized like Jack Lord and Bulldog Raines(who I think used a different name then) We then hear from some local guy who has a belt and some skank(credit:Dwight Bradford) with him and he's wearing a Jim Beam hat. He cuts a total kayfabe promo to the camera about only being in the business to "kick ass and defend this belt" they then show some of his awesome heel mic work with grownbreaking stuff like, "you people need some soap, you stink!" and things of that nature. We then meet his opponent a masked man named Shanghai Pierce, while he is clearly dressed like him it is not Mark Canterbury who did the gimmick in WCW. He too while wearing his mask cuts a kayfabed promo about his all important belt which he claims to be the "NWA World Title", ......mmmkay. They show clips from the match which isn't worth mentioning. We then meet Bambi and Peggy Lee Leather, who can work but I fast forwarded through it cause I really don't care and I didn't figure they would tell how they are dikes that actually live together and travel all over working the same match everynight......Next we hear from "Bullet" Bob Armstrong as he tells some of his background in the business, which I'm sure most of you know. We then meet his opponent the Masked Flame, who is not in fact Jody Hamilton(the Original in Alabama) but is actually Jim Barnhill manager of the local Jack's Hamburgers in Anniston. We get to see Jim without his mask sitting at a table at Jack's telling about his weekend antics as a 'rassler'. We then get a tour of the restaraunt where he takes time to shill the lunch specials,"We have a great selection at a great price", He shows us where they bake the biscuits and brags that he bakes the "best biscuit you ever put in your mouth".(Ha! Take that Hulk Hogan, you may be the biggest star in wrestling, but how's your biscuits, brother?) Anyway, they intertwine this with footage of him "wrestling", here's the picture. A balding guy in his late forties, early fifties, short and dumpy comes out wearing some tights three sizes too small, some amatuer wrestling type shoes, and a big sweatshirt and a mask it looks like he bought off the gimmick table when Continental came to town in 1985. Well we are treated to clips of this trainwreck of a "match" and they then cut to the back when "Bullet" Bob gets back in the dressing room, I'm expecting a tirade about how bad the guy sucked but instead I got.....Our good friend The Bullet trying to kayfabe us by trying to say this is the same Flame that tried to burn him in Birmingham in '86!! WTF!?!? So anyways next we get the Iron Sheik doing his tired ass Iranian Club deal at an intermission and then we meet his opponent, some tool dressed up like an f'n Power Ranger. The Power Ranger tells how he wrestles all over the world and what great payoffs he gets working a couple of shows a day every weekend. He never took off the mask but he seemed awful familiar, I'm gonna watch it again cause I'd almost swear it's someone I've met. Well as you can imagine it was a high flying spotfest with the Sheik winning with a Shooting Star Press!!.......no actually it was the steaming turd you imagined with the Sheik winning with the Camel Clutch. Now after a show filled with kayfabe we suddenly cut to the dressing room where a masked man and someone else are practicing the finish to the main event battle royal....which is a check on a pole type thing. They show clips of the battle royal with the man in the blue "Mr Olympia" type mask climbing up and winning the check and the battle royal. He then unmasks to reveal he is actually the world famous Rick Montana who just earlier told us he had bad knees and would never wrestle again....man did they get me!! ..............And that's it.........it ends. That apprently is life on the indie circuit.......I would still recommend seeing it if you get the chance and it will help you understand why some people look down their nose at you when you say your a wrestling fan.