Glamour, Glitz & Divas

Outside the Ropes Presents…

A Big Vision DVD

bvdvd.com

$14.99

Reviewed by Joe Babinsack

The final leg on my recent tour of women’s wrestling DVD’s takes me to Glamour, Glitz & Divas, distributed by Big Vision, produced by Outside the Ropes, and basically cut from footage from various RF Video products.

While this does not have the complete depth of a true documentary, it does feature more than a few names from more than a few eras, and a variety of stories that really flesh out the realities of women’s wrestling. The stories build up some heel and personality clashes: Sable gets a lot of heat from a lot of people, Sunny doesn’t care for Jackie Gayda, and the late, lamented Fabulous Moolah really takes exception to how Judy Gabel avoided her a few times – and failed to properly credit her training.

The old school reminisces of Moolah (Lillian Ellison) and (Johnnie) Mae Young are awesome, and these ladies neither pull punches nor duck the details. While there can be skepticism about Moolah, she definitely knows the business and sitting beside Mae Young, well, I’m sure something would be said if it were not correct!

On the other side of the scale are the Playboy related wrestlers, April Hunter and the woman now called Chyna Doll. I’ve spent a lot of time being critical of the WWE’s epitome of a woman wrestler being one that poses in Playboy, and I’ll continue to be so critical, because posing to me isn’t an enhancement of a wrestler’s career. But I will say that, despite some misgivings about the career of the woman once known as Joanie Laurer, I can’t say that her wrestling was so horrible. She wasn’t someone with an attitude, and was someone who did train at the sport and did train with Kowalski and was involved with HHH.

April Hunter has had an interesting career. While she’s never been long in the big show, she’s toiled in the indies for years, and seems to have the name recognition of someone who deserved more of a chance. Ironically, she’s the rare exception of someone who posed first, then got into the wrestling biz after that fame.

One of the biggest names on the DVD is Sunny, her better known name, to those who followed SMW, however, I’m sure the name Tammy Sytch is better suited. She tells many tales, and provides an in-depth story about her relationship with Shawn Michaels at a time she was having relationship problems with Chris Candido. For those interested in a unique view of the personality of Michaels, her commentary is priceless.

The real star of the DVD to me was Luna Vachon.

Luna can never be confused with the type of woman wrestler that often appears in the WWE these days. Her passion is unquestionable, her devotion to the sport that of an old-school master, and her approach to training other wrestlers wholly based in respect.

The insight of these ladies, from Vachon to Doll to Moolah to Sunny and an array of modern, previous generation and older generations of wrestlers is detailed, poignant and fascinating. It’s very interesting in terms of personalities, especially to see the ones who pay homage to those before them, and those who seemingly have little respect for the business.

Sure, the she said- she said aspect does get a little vindicative, but it certainly gets entertaining.

One aspect that was touching was the dedication to Sherri Martell, and the inclusion of a match where she was the referee. Martell’s snippets are equally insightful and painful, as you realized that she passed away after this was wrapped up, and her awareness of the demons that haunted others – and herself – should come as a warning to anyone in the industry.

There really are too many bits to explore in detail, and any DVD with Missy Hyatt is one to watch. Missy’s in there, as is Ryan Shamrock and Gorgeous George and Jackie Gayda and even April Hunter talking much trash on Allison Danger and stories about touring in Japan. Sure, there’s also Francine for you ECW fanatics, and even Jasmine St. Claire to provide a perspective from a much bluer industry.

We find out about childhood dreams about wrestling, the reality of being a wrestler, and of course a perspective about a typically male dominated sport by a bevy of women who made their marks in the industry on various levels, mostly admirable and astonishing because they never gave up on those childhood dreams and adult determinations.

Bonus features include six matches, featuring the best of current indy wrestlers, and including some special appearances, like Sherri Martell refereeing a match between Kylie Pierce and Angela, and a wonderful brawl between Luna Vachon and Alicia. Well, wonderful being a term used affectionately for the work of Luna, and well, it was a lot more stiff than what you’d see on TV these days.

While the Pierce/Angela match seemed a little forced, who can complain about seeing Martell in action?

Sara Del Ray taking on Nikki Roxx was a great match, featuring the technical skills of Del Ray and the athleticism of Roxx.

I’ve seen better matches featuring Cheerleader Melissa and Mercedes Martinez, but this one captured the essence of their hard-hitting style. I was horribly disappointed, however, by the camera action and the over-focus on a crotch-shot, and the despicable commentary to boot.

Seriously, I’m not sure what the point here was. Here’s a DVD respectfully featuring women wrestling stars, and it contains a match with two of the best in the business and we get that?

April Hunter takes on Talia Madison (aka Velvet Sky) in a solid match that provides much more action and time than mainstream fans could imagine two gals working.

Another match well worth watching is Sumie Sakai against Daizee Haze. While there’s a sports entertainment section of it, very few wrestlers put it on the line like the Haze, and seeing her in action with what amounts to a Japanese version of herself is doubly entertaining.

Joe Babinsack can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  I haven’t had enough of women’s wrestling, but it’s time to move back to indy reviews, the oft-promised Davey Richards bio, and much much more about pro wrestling… and maybe some MMA as well.