Story Lines 11.12.06: The Series…OF DOOM, Part One – Tonight…In This Very Ring

Prologue

Last week I promised that I would begin a series of reviews, and then said no more. If I’m honest, I’d wanted to wait, because I don’t actually have the first book in the series. A problem, you may think, but less so when I enlighten you on the situation.

Because by all accounts, The Buzz on Professional Wrestling is not the quintessential work of Scott Keith. Wow, almost as I type the words I could feel the sharp intake of breath from a number of people reading those who have polarised opinions on the man. To be honest, I’ve always considered that a massive compliment to the man. For all that think his word is law, there are those that can’t stand his self-confessed egotism and the know-all front he presents.

Quite frankly, a debate on the pros and cons of Scott Keith is a column in itself. I mean, he’s been around on the IWC forever, long before it was the IWC, and has seen more writers, wrestlers and Russo’s come and go along the way. And it stands to reason that he still has a place on the internet via his personal blog, which has an outstanding readership considering that the site is just that – a blog.

While not being a misguided serial killer or anything like that, Keith is most definitely one of the writers who still inspires a morbid curiosity, positively and negatively stanced.

But getting back to his first release, The Buzz was criticised by many, apparently due to its factual discrepancies, amongst other things, but that’s not something I can, or intend to comment on here. For me, the written word of Scott Keith began on RSPW, and experienced its biggest boost when thousands of trees were murdered relentlessly to produce this.

Tonight…In This Very Ring

Subject: Despite what the cover and the blurb might say, it’s a short version of the fall, and a long version of the rise, of the WWF.
Release Date: July 2003

As I might have hinted at above, I’ve read Scott Keith for a good few years now, and as many who have will tell you, from around 96 through to 2001, the body of work he produced was extensive. For those who can now view his apathy for wrestling in all it’s glory, it might seem unbelievable, but there was a time when so so much was covered under the Keith umbrella. When they were introduced, the TV rants were phenomenal. Nitro, Thunder, Smackdown, and primarily Raw were given the SK treatment with outstanding reliability and effort, and if you missed the show, his rants were THE thing to read.

So when Tonight… was first released, it was definitely going to hit sales targets, thanks to a loyal and dedicated readership built up from years of profit-less toil on the internet. But the considering the time period the book promised to focus the heaviest on (that being 1997-2001), it raised eyebrows as to how much original material was left to be uncovered following the massive coverage he already achieved writing for free.

Annoyingly, the result was very little. Herein lies the staple criticism for the book. There appears really, to be no specific target audience. I don’t know if it was Keith himself, or some researchers or whatever, but it’s hard to work out just who the book was written for, other than Keith himself. While that is absolutely fine if you fancy a big old ego trip, it would appear that that is not the only motivation of the Canadian scribe, so the subject does need tackling.

For one, there is the inclusion of many of his match rants, which are not original, made-for-this-book reviews. This is fine of course, as it offers a selection of his reviews for the reader’s delectation, which for any fan of his work, is a good thing. The catch here though, is how there has seemingly been no sub-editing, getting rid of some of the in-jokes that aren’t explained in his terms glossary at the started, or running gags from other segments in the show the match is from. Another problem is that the pieces are match write-ups, which are inserted in to be the finale to whatever kind of written lead-in Keith has given, and when such finales are buried in jokes and distracted, disjointed streams of consciousness, which do no justice to the build up he has provided. The book is littered with cases like this, and each time it, much like a disappointing main event, leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.

Like many great books, the sheer overall quality is what exposes the flaws. Make no mistake, what lies within the cover of Tonight… is not all brand new, hidden from the world stuff. No no, much of it can be found by simply trawling through the dark reaches of the internet with a fine tooth comb looking for anything remotely old (and by that I mean, 2000, don’t even try looking for the 1996 stuff), and checking out the growth of the writer Scott Keith. What Tonight… does bring though, is an exhaustive, stuck-together look at one of the most exciting times in wrestling, as told with a slanted opinion which, while not always being agreeable, adds punch and spark to the subject.

This is where many start and end on Keith, as it’s his wildly biased and opinionated nature that for some, makes him an impossible read. I’ve always tried to see through the opinions (which sometimes he presents as facts), and used what he says to either battle against, or corroborate with, my own view, and that’s how I’ve always got the best of his work. Like many (such as myself, and you reading right now), he is a dedicated fan with a rich, storied interest in the product of Pro Wrestling, but as I think I often prove with some of the dross I come out with, knowledge is not just an invitation to pen 1000s of words. He’s been known to keep contacts in the business, to the point where a lot of what he says can be taken as true. But that’s a little bit more mystery to the man. Just how much do you really want to believe about how much of a shitbag Shawn Michaels was, or how much do YOU love Canadian wrestlers and know just how much they’ve been held down? It doesn’t matter to Scott Keith, but it should certainly keep you keen if you can attach yourself to his writing style.

Love him or loathe him, Scott Keith HAS made an impact on writing about wrestling, and it makes a hell of a splash to get even one book printed. The point is, Tonight… In This Very Ring managed to make money and readers from stuff that was already available, but just needed thrusting into the face of others. This put Keith on the map as an author, and one who by all accounts knew a hell of a lot about Wrestling, and therefore totally deserves your time. For many, it will be an interesting look at the time period where Wrestling really got into your blood, the heady days of the Attitude era. For some, it will be a nerve-grinding roller coaster through one man’s cynical outbursts at a sport he clearly loved before the arse really fell out in 2002, and for those, Scott will play the perfect heel.

Simultaneously encompassing Flair vs. Steamboat and Trish/Bradshaw vs. Jackie/Nowinski, this is required for every wrestling fan regardless of how much the end result stinks or rules. Some things just deserve to be seen, even if they don’t change your perspective, just add to it. The work of Scott Keith is always on that list.

Part 2 in the Series…OF DOOM will be next week, with the normal quick summary review coming at the end of the series. I’m keen on printing feedback on both my reviews, Scott Keith, and his books in next week’s and the week afters’ column, so shoot me some great emails this week and they’ll be up for discussion.