I finally saw "The Wrestler" and no movie, documentary or show has even been this authentic in capturing the unreal world of independent wrestling. I'm not sure if that's such a good thing.

In this blog I'll give some thoughts on the movie including two things that I haven't seen discussed much that gave me goose bumps. I'll also give some background on Ring Of Honor's involvement, why this movie won't accomplish what ROH hopes it will and how I totally inadvertently screwed a current ROH star out of his part in the movie

First off, "Gabe's Book Of Secrets" DVD is out now at KayfabeCommentaries.com. I will respond to your reaction, critiques, criticisms and questions about the content of the DVD on this Myspace in future blogs. I look forward to your thoughts on what actually happened in ROH compared to my now fictional booking plans and vision. Let me tell you things in reality are much different than what I had on paper in my now fantasy world. One thing I am happy about is that the guys at Kayfabe Commentaries said that this DVD has so much information on my plans, theories, philosophies and thoughts on booking ROH that the viewer will have to watch it several times to digest everything and to make sure not to miss any important points. Plus, my eyes are soooo sexy on the cover. You can order it here:http://www.kayfabecommentaries.com/DVD_SP_Sapols ky.html

When I think of quality wrestling documentaries/movies only three immediately come to mind. They are "Beyond The Mat" (which I still watch once a year for the glimpse of Paul Heyman's incredible speech to the locker room before the "Barely Legal" PPV), "Wrestling With Shadows" (which I haven't seen in years) and my all-time favorite "I Like To Hurt People" with The Original Sheik. Ok, there is one more. "Body Slam" with Roddy Piper has always been a guilty pleasure. I might be missing something, but that is what comes to mind right now and yes, I have opted not to include "Ready To Rumble" on the list.

I received an email out of the blue one day from Evan Ginzburg asking on the down low if ROH would be interested participating in a new Darren Aronofsky movie. Always in search of exposure the answer was a resounding yes. ROH owner Cary Silkin took over at that point and made the deal happen.

At the time my only knowledge of Aronofsky was that he made "Pi" on what little money he raised himself and it became a critically acclaimed cult hit. I have a great deal of respect for that. I rushed out to Best Buy and bought the Darren Aronofsky Collection of "Pi" and "Requiem For A Dream" to do some research. "Requiem For A Dream" instantly became my favorite movie of all time that I will never watch again.

Ok, I did watch "Requiem For A Dream" twice just to see if I would feel the same way again afterwards. I did. Each time I literally felt sick for several days because of the depressing, disturbing world that Aronofsky brought to reality. I can't think of any other movie, show or anything that has made me feel that way. It was brilliant and powerful. Aronofsky was immediately at the top of my short list of role models and influences. He went outside the lines and created something in his vision without fear. People either "got" and respected it or absolutely hated it because it wasn't their thing. To me that is true art. I always hoped some of that would come out in my booking. If something strongly connects with an audience because it captures them that deeply while a group of people hate it because it is not the norm they expect then you have accomplished something. Aronofsky has done that. So needless to say I was beyond excited to see Aronofsky work in the ROH environment. Little did I figure that my interaction with Aronofsky would cost one of my favorite talents a role in the movie

WARNING: The next paragraph contains spoilers for "The Wrestler":

I'm not going to go into an in depth review because there are plenty of those on the net. Simply, all the accolades the movie has received are very well earned. There are a few items you can nitpick if you want to be a bitch, but the only scene that made me feel like I was watching a fictional movie was the drug purchase scene in the locker room. I can say that I have never seen anything like that in any locker room and I have been in some crazy locker rooms (EDIT: I was just informed that this was in a weight lifters locker room at a gym so my criticism no longer applies). There are two things that jump out to me as absolutely nailing the unique and peculiar world of pro wrestling on the head. The first one is the scene after Rourke cuts his thumb at the deli and retreats to his van saying that he's Randy and not Robin. This is one of the oddest dynamics that only exists in the wrestling world. People's characters and real life identities become somewhat morphed and the line can become blurred. I received a very personal card from a wrestler during a rough time saying how much I have meant to him and his career. He signed it with his work name. Only in wrestling. I went to see a childhood friend of mine, who is an actor, in a play a couple of months ago. It would be absolutely ridiculous for me to greet him by the name of his character after the show. This is not the case in the one-of-a-kind world of wrestling. "The Wrestler" does an amazing job exploring the real name/stage name dynamic of both Rourke's character and Tomei's stripper character. The other eye opening thing to me that actually gave me chills was Randy's response to the promoter about his heart attack. I believe that he told the promoter that he was only overcome by the heat and hid the fact that he had a heart attack. Later, when Tomei confronted him about it right before his final moments, Rourke responded like he was perfectly fine saying that his heart was still "ticking." This completely captures the "don't worry about tomorrow, take it today" attitude of a lot of wrestlers who don't want to admit they are injured. I don't know if I've come across anything like the heart condition that Randy "The Ram" had, but there are plenty of times over the past 14 years that wrestlers have downplayed injuries to me or even tried to ignore that they exist. Things have been better since the findings after the Chris Benoit abomination, but it is still there.

Now there are other factors at work when it comes to injuries. In fact, there are many, many factors. I will touch on them in my next blog, give an example of a time a wrestler wanted to work, but subtly told me to pull him from a show and I might finally write what I have wanted to about what I call "The Chris Benoit Factor" in my next blog. This is all very explosive and complex. You can definitely lose sleep over it.

Back to the actual filming of "The Wrestler" at ROH's "Double Feature" weekend last March. We knew it would be an unusual and potentially trying live environment since we had to accommodate the filming schedule. After all, the movie people were so impressed with what they saw at our Manhattan Center show a couple of months earlier that they gave ROH the grand finale, wrote ROH into the script and promised a lengthy scene. I had a lot of worries about the live show after I heard numerous complaints from fans after the movie filmed a scene at the CZW show. Some people even reported to me that the movie looked like a disaster with fake blood and a corny scene with Rourke and Necro Butcher (and this scene turned out to be anything but corny). However, I knew in the end it would be worth it. The philosophy going into Dover, NJ was that we would give the fans a couple of fun shows that didn't really go overboard. They would also be part of the movie taping. So, we figured they would get their money's worth. We would then take both shows and put it on one DVD so the fans got some value there and a chance to see their favorites wrestle twice. When the filming began at the building a few days before the actual shows I began to get complaints from the wrestlers that the movie looked bad and the taping sucked. I told everyone that we had to grin, bear it, accept it and weather the storm because in the end the payoff would be great. After all, Aronofsky is a true artist and he wasn't about to produce any crap. This movie was going to be something the wrestling world has never seen before since it would be Aronofsky's vision. So now that I've watched it was the payoff there?

As an outsider to ROH now it wasn't easy to watch that final scene, so maybe I'm biased. When it comes to exposure ROH could not ask for more of it. The logo and website address are prominent, every wrestling fan will eventually see this movie and who knows where else clips of Rourke in a ROH ring will surface. However, is all exposure good exposure? Pro wrestling is never portrayed as cool or hip in the movie. It is presented as a sad, old subculture filled with human wastes and misfits that only share camaraderie with each other. Hey, maybe that is exactly what indy wrestling is, but I still love it. Well, most of it. Meanwhile, ROH isn't promoted as innovators with the next generation of stars that display an athletic, cutting edge style. Instead, it is the home of the washed up heart attack victim and fast-talking used car salesmen. It is not exactly the type of thing mainstream fans or sponsors will flock to. So what is my verdict? Basically, the movie will do just about nothing positive or negative for the wrestling business. Maybe a few film buffs and art school students that worship Aronofsky will catch a local indy show so they can live the experience Aronofsky portrayed, but the fans that are already wrestling fans will remain while the ones that see the movie for other reasons won't suddenly jump on the bandwagon. Maybe some diehard WWE fans will discover ROH or CZW, but I believe the impact on business will end up being minimal. Anyway, that's not a fact, just my assessment and I could be right or wrong. I do believe that Necro Butcher should be able to capitalize on his exposure as he makes the biggest impression of any wrestler or promotion

Now let's go back to March. The day of filming saw Larry Sweeney show up looking sharp with a blazing white suit and a slick, new, super carny hairdo. Everyone was told beforehand that shooting could occur at anytime and that anyone could end up in the movie if they happen to be in the background at the right time. I complimented Sweeney thinking that he was just trying to standout in case he got in a scene. As it turns out, Aronofsky had selected Sweeney to have Bobby Cruise's role as ring announcer for the movie.

Aronofsky and I were discussing the shooting schedule and some other minor details a few minutes before belltime on the first night when Sweeney was called over to us. Aronofsky began to say something about Sweeney being at ringside for the entire show when I butted in on instinct without thinking and said, "Sweeney will get heat out there, he's a manager."

Aronofsky, with enthusiasm fueled by creative adrenaline that can only come from the pressure of making your vision into a reality combined with the intense atmosphere of a live event, blurted out with the confidence of a 20 year wrestling veteran: "HEAT! HEAT! We can't have him getting heat!"

Aronofsky's eyes widened as his excitement grew. I knew how he felt. There are few things as rewarding, challenging and thrilling as solving a new problem on the fly with the clock ticking. A split-second later I turned to Sweeney and his face told an opposite story. He looked like I just killed his new, beloved puppy. I pointed Aronofsky to Bobby Cruise so Bobby owes me one and I will continue to apologize to Sweeney (should I call him by his real name here?) for as long as I know him.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please leave your thoughts on "The Wrestler" in the comments section and I am looking forward to your criticisms, critiques and feelings about everything I disclose on my new DVD from the fine folks of Kayfabe Commentaries.