simplistic.

View Original

A Simplistic Review: 'Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro'

Maybe it's just my nostalgia, but there is something that sets wrestling documentaries apart from any other type of documentary.

Perhaps it's the idea that wrestlers are part of modern day mythology; albeit a man-child version of mythology.

I mean, it's males and females dressing up as what would be considered superheroes; larger-than-life characters that perform death-defying, high-flying moves that only a select few people can pull off. The players range from undead big men, voodoo shamans, living dead girls, hell, even repo men!

But as we've learned in other docs like 'Beyond the Mat' and the story of 'GLOW' the fall is just as epic and mythic for many titans of the squared circle.

The story of Canadian wrestler, Ian Hodgkinson, who would later be known as Vampiro from his stints in Canadian wrestling promotions, WCW, and later his turns in Lucha Underground and his behind the scenes work in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, shows what 20+ years of concussions, injuries and everything else in-between will do to you in the ring, but also how its affected his family.

Much like 'Beyond the Mat' and how it profiled the rise and fall of Jake Roberts, 'Nail' shows a wrestler nearing the end of his career and his resurrection, and regrets, as a father who clearly cares about wanting to be a caregiver. However, there is a hesitation to give up a life that has made him the person he is, personal demons aside.

Two notes; I love seeing some backstory between Vampiro and Konnan, who I'll contend is one of the most underrated workers and low-key best wrestlers that WCW ever had. Second, Jeff Jarrett certainly hasn't changed one bit it seems.