JOE BABINSACK REVIEWS FIP’s REDEFINED DVD
- 08/27/2008 (10:21:07 pm)
- Georgiann Makropoulos
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Redefined DVD Full Impact Pro $15.00 Reviewed by Joe Babinsack Sometimes I watch FIP and wonder if today’s mainstream fan could appreciate it: it’s slow paced, full of old-school mentality, and far removed from the modern day senselessness and lack of direction. Somehow, today’s fans seem to think that velocity of angles, lots of quick action and domination by aging names is the formula for what wrestling is. Somewhere, something got lost in the translation. When I watch FIP, I know one thing: I’m watching the future of the sport. In some ways, FIP has shown to be the feeder system for Ring of Honor. In some ways, you can see great wrestling talent learning the ropes -- in terms of psychology, in terms of playing different roles, and most importantly, in gaining valuable experience. All of this is done with a roster of peers, of visiting talent and with what amounts to grizzled indy veterans… as if Austin Aries, Sal Rinauro and Allison Danger can be called as such. But the point is, FIP at the time of the Redefined DVD, was sporting a roster that featured the YRR (Rinauro, Kenny King, Jason Blade and Chasyn Rance) as the top heels. It features Roderick Strong as the vet, and Erick Stevens as the up-and-comer. It features some tough tag team wars, notable in the feud between Black Market and The Heartbreak Express, as well as the best women’s tag team around, The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew of Lacey and Rain. And it features some truly interesting matches and matchups, and through it all, some of the best young talent in the sport. Now, if your version of great young talent is watching Colt Cabana under a goofy name, or some TNA cast-off getting miscast for a few weeks, and using that as the foundation for saying that the WWE is the place to be … Whatever. I love watching talented guys like Tyler Black show his potential. I love watching Erick Stevens show signs of being a bulldozer of a wrestler, and someone who seems to appreciate the old school mentality and determination -- in an era that still shines a bigger spotlight on daredevil stunts and reckless abandon. Redefined is a DVD all about old school, even though it promises to mix up the roster and shake up the face of FIP. I took a quick peek at the current FIP roster and matches, and yes indeed, the shake-ups stuck and the face of FIP is like a masked FIPper -- you just don’t know who’s behind the curtain. Ok, that was inspired by in-joking between Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak at one point of the show. FIP does look a little different on this DVD. The ring is more ROH-like, and the lights are dimmed on the audience, removing some of the very low-rent atmosphere that undoubtedly plagues the reactions of the modern day purists who think that wrestling in front of 3,000-5,000 merchandised laden fans is the proof of excellence. I watch for excellence in the ring, in the matchmaking and in the overall product… sorry. But the flow of the show remains rooted in studio wrestling immediacy, not the dinosaur of arena rock audiences. Of course, overusing any sense of atmosphere can get old fast, but the best part of this show was the immediacy of wrestlers getting in others’ faces, and the importance conveyed when portions of the roster come out to cheer on a match that has real consequences. Some of those matches were very easy to predict. Some seemed to lack some build-up, but I’m confident that the progression of the angles was felt in previous DVDs. So, without further hyping, on to the matches: Strangely enough, the first match is a big one. In one corner, the aforementioned Austin Aries. In the other corner, seconded by Dave Prazak and Mr. Milo Beasley, is DP Associate Davey Richards. Now, if you’ve followed FIP, you know how well Prazak plays the ultimate heel manager, and how Beasley is one of the best gimmicks ever. This match pits Aries’ career against Prazak’s Manager’s License. Kind of an intriguing notion, as Austin Aries is a top notch talent that works well in building up new stars, and of course, is a star in his own right in the ROH family of promotions. Losing Prazak, however, would leave the heel side dominated by the YRR. Hmmmm. What about Prazak’s announcer role? Solid match with Aries and with Richards, which should be no surprise. Who won? Who’s bound for not-so-greener pastures? Hey, I’m not the spoiler here, just the reviewer! Next up is the YRR’s proof of domination of FIP, as Kenny King and Jason Blade are adorned with Tag Team Gold, and Sal Rinauro is fetching with the Florida Heritage Title strapped around his waist. Ok, Chasyn Rance is a talented guy, but dropping lines about challenging for the FIP Heavyweight gold? That’s preposterous! But Rance does beat down on the living stunt dummy, Seth Delay, who always shows that baby face fire. A women’s tag match ensues, as the YRR are old school gangster type heels, always interfering, and thus bringing out do-gooders like Allison Danger to complain. Actually, for all my complaints about Danger, show does anchor a solid team with Trenesha. That is one tall, talented woman! The match is certainly not an afterthought. Lacey is a strong ring general, and Danger is (despite my reservations) on the top tier of talent. Rain looks awesome in her new duds, and is by no means the weak link of the MHWC. Prazak and Leonard play up the Japanese tag teaming of Trenesha and Danger. It is suggested by their solid work. Some nice ECW inspired flow here, as the YRR’s gang gets disrupted, and challenged, and yet still retain all their gold. Then they get challenged and disrupted as the Age of the Fall makes its presence felt in the world of FIP. Tyler Black (a face by nature of his opposition to the YRR) calls out Lacey, who drags Rain to answer the call. I love the wardrobe change -- to some degree -- as Lacey and Rain go from sleek, shiny and tight shorts to goth-like attire to show their change of allegiance. Before that, Robert Anthony and Shawn Osbourne get called out by the YRR from the stands. It’s a nice twist and an interesting story to bring them out, and tie them in with Seth Delay. Just being different these days is more than good enough. So we do get to the tag match between the FIP Tag Champs (King/Blade) and the Chicago area indy wrestlers. Nice introduction, and it plays out well. We then sort of segue away from the YRR, as Nigel McGuiness and Necro Butcher put on one heck of a match. For a while, I considered Necro just a garbage wrestler with little else to offer, but over the past year, he’s really shined with his underlying talent. Of course, with his physique and look, he ain’t going to Stamford, but he’s been to Japan with Hustle and he readily deserves a lot of accolades. While it may be ironic to call out his talent in a “Anything Goes Match” he does show a lot more than just the crazy antics -- and his violence isn’t what I would call nonsensical. The match with McGuiness may be a try-out for ROH, but then again, may be just one more excellent and unexpected match in FIP. I loved the psychology and selling of the match. Butcher has that Sabu-like ability to make you wonder if he’s really killing himself, or really selling at a level of a JR Benson, or a combination of them all. Check this match out, it’s well worth it. Next up is Tyler Black’s challenge to the YRR’s domination. It isn’t quite what I expected, but it’s one more stepping stone in the growth of a guy with a world of talent. You can just see it in the simple moves, and see it when Tyler pulls out athleticism and selling and innovative holds. In a few years, Tyler Black -- or whatever he may call himself -- will be one of the must-see wrestlers around. So get on the bandwagon today and brag about it later. Everything about the “Losing Team Can Never Wrestle in FIP Again” match between The Heartbreak Express and Shawn Murphy of Black Market screamed for the obvious finish. If you’re old school enough, you know what I mean. I just loved how they got there. Sean Davis always shows a Dusty Rhodes inspired presence and charisma. He over-relies on bleeding like the stuck pig image that I get of big Dust, but he does it so well that who can complain. If you want to see some awesome twists on the use of a chain, watch this match. I’ve got two bits written down in my notebook of things to do with the gimmick. (Hey, WWE Creative! Buy this DVD and see what I’m talking about. Oh, you don’t research? Figures.) What I also loved was the faces coming out half-way through the match to show just how important this feud is and how the guys (and gals) in the back cared about who wins and who loses. Damn that Allison Danger! The main event is mirrored by the bonus match, pitting Erick Stevens (current FIP Heavyweight Champ) against Roderick Strong. This is a crash course in booking 101. Just watch the match, watch how it plays out, watch how the awesomely talented announce crew (Prazak/Leonard) build it up on multiple levels, and how the talent in the ring looks all the more talented at the finish. Erick Stevens has got to be everyone’s choice for Most Improved Wrestler in the big voting opportunities this year. Watch him here. Watch him in ROH. Just watch him. He reminds me of Bruno Sammartino, and he reminds me that old school champions -- guys with heart, with strength and with determination -- can still get it on today. I’d love to see Stevens grow with the personality of the guy who does not quit, and be also a guy who does not take the cheap way out -- ever. He’s well on his way to proving that he can draw with it. Roddy Strong is just one of the most underrated guys around. He’s excellent in his role as talented heel veteran who can raise the level of his opponent. Like I’m trying to say, Stevens is building on his own pace as well, but you can’t get a better feud together than this one. This is a half-hour match that has all the twists and turns -- of simple wrestling, “accidents,“ power based moves and enough high-spots and outside action to keep it all interesting. Top notch stuff. If you’re into a purer form of professional wrestling, you’ve just got to give FIP a look. The atmosphere is nostalgic, but it’s also just different enough to be vastly interesting. And the talent levels are sky-high if you love watching wrestling, not seeing wrestlers acting in skits. Joe Babinsack can be reached at [email protected]. I’ll be back in the swing of things shortly, with more reviews, more opinion (like me or not) and insight into the lesser seen worlds of professional wrestling. |
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