It’s not often pro wrestling is seen on the National Geographic channel, but Wednesday night, that changed with the Slammed: Inside Indie Wrestling documentary.
Just an hour in duration, the world of the indies can’t be done justice in that short a time span. The documentary focuses primarily on the East Coast U.S.-based National Wrestling Superstars and Ring Of Honor.
The program also keys in on indy stars Danny Inferno (an one-time WWE developmental wrestler), Shiima Xion (now known as Zema Ion in TNA) and JD Smoothie and the obstacles all have gone through to get to where each is right now. NWS promoters Johnny Falco (he of Card Subject To Change fame) and Gino Moore also take the view pre-show and backstage to see what chaos they deal with when it comes to booking and writing a show.
Inferno and Shiima have an ROH tryout and the way the show portrays them both as being ready gets the viewer pumped. Shiima is a bit younger than Danny, but both stand out during the tryout promos and in-ring auditions.
Good to see Jim Cornette, Delirious, Truth Martini and Cary Silkin at the ROH tryout to give feedback to each of the wrestlers on their work. Just Cornette and Silkin are recognized by name, though.
After one show in Flemington, N.J., Falco notes that the paid attendance was 82 and he lost several hundred dollars. If attendance would have been north of 100, he would have broken even.
But not on this night. At a future show, things get better and we get a glimpse of Tommy Dreamer in the locker room. Maybe he had something to do with the increased attendance?
If there is a negative to this short documentary, it’s that it ends abruptly. The ROH tryout ends and Shiima and Inferno are talking about the comments they got from Cornette and then the credits roll and that’s that.
All in all, the documentary served its purpose. Perhaps a second or third part could have been done and it may have been better served as a mini-series. Or maybe that’s just me yearning for more.
