The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

All my friends know I like my rasslin'. I was surprised to finally see on DVD shelves the documentary Wrestling with Shadows, a fantastic doc that even a non-wrestling fan can watch and get into. Wrestling with Shadows is a revealing look at the backstabbing culture of WWE, where even those who have given years of loyalty and dedication can be used, manipulated and thrown on the trash heap once it has been decided they are of no use to the company.

This doc takes place primarily in 1997, when billionaire Ted Turner launches WCW in attempts to take over WWE and become the #1 professional wrestling organization. The WWE has lost some of its talent to big money contracts and is scrambling to rebound from dismal TV ratings and a stale product. It's #1 star, a Canadian named Bret "The Hitman" Hart, is torn between taking the easy, lucrative deal with WCW and remaining loyal to WWE's owner, Vince McMahon. In the background of all this, Hart is witnessing what he feels is the decline of wrestling in general. He finds it offensive and becoming overtly sexual. He won't let his kids watch anymore and he becomes more and more reluctant to participate in these smut storylines.

The climax of the program is the infamous 1997 Montreal "screwjob" at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Vince tells Bret his recently signed 20-year contract is too high a price for WWE and encourages him to sign-on with WCW. Vince leaks this information out and the fans think Bret sold out for a larger payday. Not wanting to lose his world championship in his homeland of Canada as he feels it would be a huge letdown for his Canadian fans, Vince assures him he can go "anyway" he wants and on his own terms. The fix of the match Bret thought would happen doesn't, and Hart is caught in the middle of the biggest controversy of professional wrestling.

Another angle this film takes is the USA vs Canada storyline that, in hindsight, was designed by Vince McMahon to sabotage Hart's career and leave him without a direction to his character. Hart was the #1 face (good guy), then pushed to become the #1 heel (bad guy) defending Canada's conscience and way of thinking in comparison with the way of the United States. Loved by Canadians, but loathed by Americans, 95% of his job is still in front of USA audiences. Without a leg to stand on, Bret feels betrayed by his mentor and employer of 14 years, and the viewer is left scratching their head as to why someone Bret thought was not just a boss, but a friend would betray him in the manner he did.

As mentioned, you don't have to be a WWE fan to watch it. In some ways, it may even confirm your views on the behaviour of those involved with pro wrestling and the fans that watch it. But watching it knowing everything that transpires really did happen, and watching Hart pain through it all, make for compelling viewing.