You Shoot: With The Sandman

You Shoot DVD

www.KayfabeCommentaries.com

$20.00

Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

Strike while the iron is hot is a good phrase for marketing, and well, infamously or not, The Sandman certainly has had his name in the papers recently, and what better time to review an awesome DVD featuring the one and only.

I came across You Shoot a few weeks back, and was happily supplied with some review materials, perhaps fatefully having “With the Sandman” as one of the DVDs to review.

You can't ask for better timing!

Among the craziest things of a two hour and twenty minute interview (of sorts) is the realization that Sandman is either the most awesome worker of all time, or that the accumulation of beer drinking, recreational drugs and physical abuse has relegated him to a stream-of-conscience level that defies psychological analysis.

To wit, when we speak of the craziest of the crazies, we can point fingers, laugh and be entertained by their sheer disconnect from reality.

But not with Sandman.

He’s a self-described idiot savant, and claims to have a good head for numbers, and doesn’t use his cell phone to store phone numbers, has a great aptitude for remembering dates, and an uncanny recollection of room numbers, social security numbers (of his kids) and the like.

But don’t ask him to keep a clear head when answering questions. It’s an amusing ride, this Kayfabe Commentaries production, which intermingles interplay from the host, emailed questions and Video inquiries to create an atmosphere of sheer off-the-wall spontaneity.

And it’s vastly entertaining, even though it is solely intended for adults, due to language, content and crassness, let alone descriptions of sex and drug abuse.

But between the lines is the commentary and insight of one of hardcore wrestling most impressive icons. Jim Fullington wasn’t just one of the most popular ECW wrestlers, nor someone who WCW smiled kindly upon for a few, nor someone that the WWE inexplicably brought on the roster, but was also the guy who made Paul Heyman’s construction projects work, and got involved in some of the biggest (and most controversial) angles, and has been a vortex of craziness (before his current events) and industry politics and great managers and, well, I seem to be infected with the off-the-cuff thought process of the man himself.

Whew!

If you want all that in The Sandman’s own words, as he guzzles beers and gets lost in one story after another (gently nudged back on track by Sean, or is that Tony?) and despite his lack of direction, decidedly is coherent and insightful, then don’t miss this DVD!

“I wasn’t the best wrestler, but I was a hell of an entertainer.” -- Sandman

What’s crazy is that The Sandman was at the center of ECW, and was involved and in the know of what happened with Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman. He was a confidante to the late Nancy Toffoloni, and had an “in” with Kevin Sullivan*. He knows of TNA and of WWE and of internal politics and seems more than capable of playing the game in his commentary and his words.

(*Sullivan has his own YouShoot DVD out there, and gave Sandman three points of advice for the business, which are interesting in their own right.)

As a point, when playing the 1-10 and “Ho Bag” game, he knows who to please, and who to trash.

Not that I’d segue to Missy Hyatt after that word, but he does have a lot to say about one of his more notable managers, and her exploits.

The best stories are about the inner workings of ECW, especially the infamous “crucifixion” angle, which often gets attributed to Raven, but let’s be corrected by Sandman when he explains that he built the contraption (as well as the scaffolding for Brian Lee/Tommy Dreamer!) and he put himself in the position.

All the complaints and concerns seem to have slipped by him, and as he explains, people didn’t …. mess … with him, knowing that he was all but untouchable in ECW due to his popularity and his input.

The sex stuff gets overplayed, as Fullington claims to have avoided the rats (divorce in progress, and enough fun with managers!) but the stories are more of his retelling the exploits of several interesting names, but Sandman tells tales that certainly come from eyeball experience.

The “Tod is God” line is explained to some satisfaction, although he claims that D-Von and Bubba have their own take on the origins of the words that emanated from 2 Cold Scorpio’s mouth, while … well, I like to keep it family … just like the WWE!

Many of the questions are base and many of the taped questions serve to put over the questioner, but I just love the format. The interviewer is awesomely out-of-place dressed up in a suit and tie, but what Sandman interview is complete without a growing stack of Bud empties on the table?

There was a particular place where Sandman demonstrates a position (don’t ask!) and is offered a hand up. It jump-cuts to him sitting back in the chair, as if nothing of the sort happened.

That was funny!

Also humorous was the prodding when he strayed from a great story, or the point where he wasn’t sure whether he told a tale, only to be reminded that he said it during dinner -- before the interview began.

But to get back to an earlier point, the most insane thing about Sandman is his ability to work his incredible mind and pull out facts and figures, and be dead on in commentary, despite the inebriation and obvious years of devastating his brain with chemicals.

Once again, fact or fiction, this guy can work the audience, and he’s a natural born entertainer. Check out the YouShoot series, and this DVD in particular.

Joe Babinsack can be reached at [email protected]. I can’t wait to see Jamie Dundee’s YouShoot DVD. But I’ve got plenty more on the plate, from the finest of indy promotions and the best of books available.