Countdown to Lockdown has been one of the most insightful books I've read in my recent push of professional wrestling material. I think it also shows an industry view of what I'm seeing in fans who gave up coming into the new millenium.
About Wrestling
CtL tells two wrestling stories: How Mick Foley left the WWE, and how he would make a title run against Sting at TNA's 2009 pay-per-view event, Lockdown. The two not only contrast the lows of dealing with the WWE vs. the highs of TNA, but also the struggle for relevancy and TNA's ability to foster this.
About Real Life
Aside from being a great dad and extremely charitable (and obsessed with Tori Amos), Foley uses the non-wrestling stories to establish just how sane he really is. The heart is always there, always a little heavy to have to carry, but also always open. You can't really take all of the discussions about charity events and contributions as self-aggrandizing; I'm pretty sure anyone who reads it can see that charity is what he does with his life outside of wrestling, and cause promotion trumps self promotion every time.
About the End of Fun
I posit that the death of Owen Hart was the end of the road for many fans, but Mick Foley might argue that the death of Chris Benoit was the end for a lot of wrestlers. It certainly coincided with a low point for him, and if you read the chapter, too unbelievable to reveal to non-readers, it was clear that the line of parody between real life issues and kayfabe issues were so far beyond blurred, that the difference of 24 hours would have forever ruined an industry.
Mick's ability to take a balanced look at things may have saved him. A McMahon decision almost let a fictional tragedy outweigh a real tragedy, and the media's obsession with all of the faults of professional wrestling (steroids, concussions, etc.) seemed poised to crack the industry wide open. Foley, a pretty liberal guy, is able to analyze all contributing factors in a well reasoned manner that more people could learn something from. I think he might be the most bipartisan human alive, in the true sense of give and take when it comes to social issues.
It's very important to note, however, that TNA's really breathed new life into Mick during what, he seems to admit, is the tail of his career. He's a complete legend, and pro-wrestling would be better off having him as the face of the industry.
Rating/Value: 8.5/Mandatory for research
No comments:
Post a Comment