BRM Reviews Kayfabe Commentaries' Guest Booker w/JJ Dillon

[Big Red Machine]

In the past I have often expressed my disappointment with many of the DVDs in the Guest Booker series for a lack of quality control. Usually they just plain do not deliver what they advertise on, whether it is someone booking something else entirely (Al Snow), only booking half of a storyline (Russo), doing a completely half-assed job (Dutch Mantell), using the DVD as a platform to rant, rather than to actually book anything that isn't obvious and basic (Al Snow, Dutch), the booking feeling incomplete and uninteresting (Al, Dutch, Terry Taylor), just plain not doing any booking at all (the Gabe & Sullivan together DVD). Some of them are actually good and do deliver what they advertise in an interesting, well-booked, and complete manner (Cornette, Gabe by himself, Sullivan by himself, Gary Hart), but for the most part, the series has been disappointing in its execution.

The DVD was advertised as JJ being given a fictional PPV card from the early 90's and then booking the four weeks of TV leading up to it, and it certainly delivers on that. Seeing JJ's genius in action was truly a privilege. I fancy myself as a good booker, so I looked at the card and tried to come up with some angles for it on my own. One of the matches on this fictional supercard was Bret Hart vs. Sting- WWF Title vs. WCW Title. I immediately filed that away in my mind as something that could just be built on its own around the belts. JJ, on the other hand, saw it and immediately said "Sharpshooter vs. Scorpion Death Lock," and used that to build the feud on a level of professional pride that really gave the angle its own little bit of character. JJ made it feel like more than just WWF guy who happens to have their world title vs. WCW guy who happens to have their world title. This DVD taught me a hell of a lot about booking, including simple things that are so little that you sometimes don't even notice.

We had an established booker booking a solid, concrete concept, and the result was a fun, informative, and interesting DVD (with none of the usual Kayfabe Commentaries production snafus rearing their ugly heads, either). A great product from Kayfabe Commentaries (and it's not particularly often that I say that). Definitely worth picking up for anyone who enjoy booking or was a wrestling fan in the early 90's.