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"We create superheroes. We create superheroes and super-villains and we put them in a ring and they clash." - Paul Levesque aka Triple H.
'E:60's presentation of "WWE: Behind the Curtain", which aired this evening on ESPN, is an excellent produced, slick documentary that encapsulates two years of WWE NXT into a 50 minute film. The film succeeds at breaking down not just the story of the three principles involved but also WWE's developmental system as well as the art of creating larger than life characters who can then, in theory, turn around and draw money for WWE, keeping the symbiotic relationship between professional wrestling and it's star performers going.
It goes without saying that the film is excellent, as is the norm with E:60's productions. In many ways, the film helps to legitimize WWE as an entity that is a true alternative for athletes looking to ply their trade when their original goals, such as the NFL, don't pan out. While WWE (and the pro wrestling genre in general) have always been a square peg trying to fit into a circular slot, the documentary helps to smooth out the edges and educate those who aren't in WWE's usual promotional wheelhouse as to exactly what physical and mental traits are required of a WWE performer.
While Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Steve Austin, the holy trinity of big-time money makers for the company are interviewed, they are used sparingly as a way to showcase what the developmental talents are striving to become. It's an interesting choice and one that really works well for the film, allowing more time for those who are putting their hearts into their craft - the ones who's passion is still pure and unaltered by success or dollar signs or politics.
"I don't think there's a day...a moment that passes, where I don't think about my boy." - Ray Leppan aka Adam Rose
The heart of the film is easily Ray Leppan, best known to WWE audiences today as the-Russel Brand-inspired "party time, all the time" Adam Rose. Before Rose was constructed for him, Leppan spent a long time in the WWE system as different evolutions of Leo Kruger, where he ranged from OK to decent to good in the ring, but never really clicked as a larger-than-life character. Shown as the developmental talent who's hourglass is not only running out but with the most to lose (his son was born with a rare abdominal defect that leaves his health in doubt and requires feeding through a tube in his stomach), Leppan's battle to find himself is the highlight of the film as even WWE Coaches are dismissive of his potential to rise out of NXT. He's a long way from being a homeless teenager in South Africa but the loss of his dream could send him reeling, not to mention bring his family down with him. By the end of his first scene in the film, you will never want to dismiss him again, one is so invested in his success.
"I had a tooth broken in half while it was still in my mouth." - Matt Polinsky aka Corey Graves
Of equal importance is the plight of Matt Polinsky, who's gotten away from the Steel City independents all the way to NXT, but not without the physical price one often pays when they mortgage their body to pursue their dreams. With concussion after concussion mounting, the battle to not just overachieve in a system of alpha-males all looking for the same spot but indeed a race against time to actually click into a position where he can make some real money for himself, his wife and his children before his body gives out is well underway. While sobering, this is a great window into the mindset of wrestlers who kill themselves on the independents, only to find their bodies betraying them just as they begin to glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel. This isn't just the story of Polinsky, but also the story of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and as we saw last night on Raw, even Sami Zayn. Sometimes the passion betrays you before it can bring you your fortune and you are reminded of that with Polinsky's tale.
"I want people to call me doctor. That's a big deal." - Austin Watson aka Xavier Woods.
The film isn't all doom and gloom as Austin Watson aka Xavier Woods' tale enlightens one into what it's like making your debut on the main roster. Woods as a personality is so driven yet personable. His nerdish energy is infectious to the point you can't help but to wish this guy was your friend. Watching his most intimate moments as he's about to walk the plank and see whether he can swim with the sharks or left as chum is something unique. Woods brings a lot of levity to the film, as he goofs around backstage and breaks down some of the different personas he's portrayed to find himself. He also comes off as someone who sees the bigger picture in life, pursuing his PhD.
Woods getting the chance to step out on Monday Night War is a wonderful moment to watch. There is an even grander, more electric moment in the climax of the film featuring Leppan that is as real as anything ever captured in a pro wrestling film. Its to ESPN's credit they were able to document these WWE hasn't allowed outside cameras to document their production processes since the late 1990s...and a lot of has changed since the days of "Beyond the Mat" and "Wrestling with Shadows."
One aspect that has not changed is that wrestlers know when to work the cameras. While a look into a production meeting as Triple H reviews different NXT talents who are being pretty much graded for their progress comes off so professional and corporate, one would think we're sitting inside a meeting at an Apple store. In a world where some of the most passionate and verbose personalities of all time, including Dusty Rhodes and Michael Hayes are either extolling or burying the chances of these would-be Wrestlemania main eventers, one has to assume the cameras led to a lot of tongues being bitten for the sake of the company looking good. If you expected "Twelve Angry Men" as they argue who deserves the attention of management, you will be sorely mistaken. One suspects that if the cameras weren't present, the language, tone and overall nature of the discussions would be far more abrasive, especially towards talents who aren't hitting their marks.
Far more believable on camera, of all people, is now-exiled WWE NXT Coach Bill Demott, who in the film is equal parts supportive yet brutally honest, assisting Leppan in the ring but admitting that he himself believed Leppan is pretty much a dead man walking. The end of the film notes that DeMott has resigned from the company due to claims from former developmental talents that he was abusive, a reminder that as far as WWE has come as a corporate monster, it's never farther than a few steps from it's carny roots and the acts of one man can drag it back into the stone ages.
In many ways, the most honest of all are the wives of Leppan and Polinsky, who have been pulled into this crazy genre for no reason other than who they fell in love with. Leppan's wife's love of the passion for pro wrestling that he's pursued across the globe while Polinsky's wife, worried for his long-term future, has returned to work as a teacher in order to bring additional stability to her family. A scene where Polinsky's wife, crying, admits she told her son not to give his father a drawing of him wrestling because of how hard it would break his heart, is extremely powerful and sobering as she takes the brunt of the pain so her husband doesn't have to. As is the almost always the case, the strength of the women behind the scenes proves to be far greater than even the strongest on-screen hero.
Bookending all this are the Grand Poobah and his heir apparent, Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque. As always when he's in front of a camera, we see that Vince the performer and the person really isn't all that removed from one or the other. Vince admits there's no scientific way to create a character but that you have to try and learn what the audience wants and pay attention to human nature and psychology. That may not explain some of the crazier moments in WWE history but Vince's antics as the show ends showcases Vince in the most "Vince" way possible. While Vince the showman is as always on full display, Triple H the performer is nowhere to be seen. We only see Levesque, the corporate kingpin overseeing his new kingdom, and he brings a true air of credibility in that role in the film.
"Behind the Curtain" comes along at an interesting point as Levesque is in the process of taking over the company from his father-in-law, Vince McMahon, although when that trigger is pulled, only Vince himself can say. As this film was being produced, the WWE developmental system matured into WWE NXT. The Performance Center was built and created. Lots of new talents came through that system. NXT itself became an underground sensation, the rage against the very machine that it's designed to supply....but as always in professional wrestling, there is no end to the story in sight and what direction and permutation NXT takes is going to be a major story to follow.
WWE could serve to learn quite a few things from the documentary. In many cases today, WWE undercard talents, lack drive and goals on the TV shows - what exactly IS Adam Rose trying to accomplish these days? - and are simply there existing and floating around. They get trapped in the "friend zone" that way and the vast majority of the audience never falls in love with them the way that stardom requires. Not everyone is going to be The Rock 2015, but the way Polinsky, Leppan and Watson are all portrayed here, as driven individuals trying to make their way in a strange, unique world they are dying to be successful within, might be a way for these talents to become more relatable to the audience as find their way on the main roster.
Whether NXT does indeed rise to become the modern day equivalent of what WCW used to be for WWE, as Levesque himself has claimed is the goal or it eventually plateaus before imploding, similar to the WWE's version of ECW, "Behind the Curtain" will prove to be an important time capsule. We'll be able to go back and look at for signs of the eventual results of NXT's future.
As we saw with Polinsky, Leppan and Watson, the future is never written in stone, especially in a world like WWE where the goals and the landscape can change by the minute for no discernible reason. E:60 did an admirable job of capturing the dreams, desires and pitfalls of such a place.....and at shining a light onto a world that is often scoffed at, outside outlets such as PWInsider.com.
Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com and can be followed @MikePWInsider.
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