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Review : Guest Booker with Gary Hart ? Booking the Dallas Territory

Posted: Jun 18th 2008 By: mikeiles

Every once in a while, a wrestling company has the honor of hosting a once in a lifetime event. Often this is the case when it comes to a wrestling legend?s final match, as nowadays, once their mainstream days are done, the legends of yesteryear are relegated to touring the country with the independent promotions across the US and Canada. This allows some fans to relive the experience of those they once cheered and booed for, and also allows a new generation of fans to meet those who helped build the business. Recently, Kayfabe Commentaries had the chance to play host to one of these special events, as on March 7th they sat down with longtime Dallas area manager and booker, Gary Hart, to film the latest edition of their Guest Booker series, little did anyone expect that 2 days later, Hart would pass away at the age of 66. The footage they shot that day would be the company?s chance to document the Dallas legend?s skills for both those of you who knew of him, and especially for those who didn?t.

In this edition of the Guest Booker series we see host Sean Oliver and famed booker Gary Hart go back to the days of the territorial wrestling days, specifically the year 1986, in Dallas, Texas, where Fritz Von Erich?s World Class Championship Wrestling was enjoying their glory days, but then from May 1986 to November 1986 a talent raid, a tragic motorcycle accident, the departure of their head booker and the end of multiple business relationships sent the Dallas territory free falling into the pits of wrestling hell, however this edition of Guest Booker goes back to the month of may, gives the reigns of power back to Gary Hart and embarks on a 6 month booking adventure to see if Hart could save Dallas.

Admittingly, Before his passing, and the release of this DVD, I was not too aware of Gary Hart?s contributions to the world of pro wrestling. Shortly after his passing, I read much about the legacy he had left behind, and the praise those who knew and worked with him had for him and from what I can tell, this DVD truly captures the brilliant wrestling mind that Gary Hart had.

It?s absolutely remarkable how Hart is able to go through 6 months of booking plans in under 2 hours, and come off like it wasn?t a challenge at all, His explanations are detailed enough to give you the picture and at the same time not too detailed to where you?d lose interest or become confused, which is a reason why I say that it seemingly captures his legacy brilliantly.

In addition to the booking challenge at hand, this DVD also provides you with a wrestling history lesson on just how the Dallas wrestling territory worked in the mid 80?s, including how and why someone would be accepted or rejected entry into wrestling anywhere in Texas, how being a member of the NWA helped at the time, and just how much you had to pay the NWA champion at the time to appear at your event.

A very nice touch is the ?Guest Booker : Behind The Scenes? segments as it gives you a chance to hear some of the funny experiences Hart had in the wrestling world, and his opinions on the wrestling world today, including why the original ECW was somewhat of a bad thing for the wrestling world.

In conclusion, if you knew of Gary Hart and his contributions to the wrestling world, then this DVD will provide you with your momento to ensure you never forget his legacy, If you didn?t know of Gary Hart, then this is your chance to learn about a guy who had such a amazing mind for the wrestling business, whatever side you find yourself on, this DVD is a much watch.

Guest Booker with Gary Hart ? Booking the Dallas Territory is now available on DVD from Kayfabe Commentaries. For more information or to order your own copy check out Kayfabecommentaries.com, Also to read my previous wrestling DVD reviews check out maineventradio.com/reviews.htm

Tags: Gary Hart, Fritz Von Erich, WCCW, NWA, ECW