[Movie Review] Wrestling with Shadows

If you are a long-time professional wrestling fan, you have likely heard the name of the wrestler Bret Hart. He is from Canada. In the 1990s, he was a top wrestler in the American
WWF (now WWE) known by the nickname "The Hitman". Incidentally, during his younger years, he participated in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and faced off against wrestlers like Tatsumi Fujinami (now Tatsumi) and the first Tiger Mask. His father was the former pro-wrestler and promoter of the wrestling organization

Stampede Wrestling, Stu Hart. He was the sixth of 12 children, and all the male siblings were pro-wrestlers. His youngest brother, Owen Hart, was also a regular in New Japan Pro-Wrestling for a time, engaging in heated battles with Hiroshi Hase and Jushin Thunder Liger. This film is a documentary that focuses primarily on interviews with Bret, highlighting his life, his family, and his intense conflict with the WWF, particularly its owner, Vince McMahon

. You can watch it now on services like Amazon Prime.

The reality hidden within dangerous entertainment

As many people likely know now, professional wrestling is not a completely real fight, unlike other combat sports. Rivalries between wrestlers follow a storyline called an angle, and in most cases, the flow of the match and the outcome are predetermined, which is called a book. In the case of pro-wrestling, matches are held between wrestlers belonging to the promotion or affiliated organizations, so if a wrestler gets injured, the show might not be able to go on at all. This is especially true for the WWF, as they did not have any partnerships with other companies. As Bret explains, when they punch or kick their opponents, they take care to ensure they do not cause lasting damage.

I'm not sure if this is the right way to put it, but pro-wrestling could be called the most painful and dangerous live entertainment. However, Bret also says this: "Pro-wrestling is more real than everyone thinks."

When a hero becomes a heel

Bret played the hero in the ring for many years, but when the up-and-coming Steve Austin gained popularity and eventually began to rival Bret, Vince noticed this and ordered him to turn heel. His fighting style became more aggressive, he repeatedly performed mic work mocking America and Americans, and as Vince intended, he began to draw all the heat (anger) from the audience. The rivalry angle with Austin lasted about a year.

The Hitman wavers at an offer from a rival organization

At the time, an offer came in from WCW, an organization that was splitting popularity with the WWF. The terms were a 3-year contract for $9 million. It was a much better offer than the WWF. Bret's heart wavered between taking the money or sticking with the organization and its fans that had taken care of him for so many years. After much deliberation, he chose the 20-year contract offered by Vince and stayed with the WWF. However...

A nightmare broken book! The Montreal Screwjob

WCW had a massive hit with the heel unit nWo, centered around former WWF wrestlers like Hulk Hogan. They were crushing the WWF in box office results and TV ratings. For the WWF, which was struggling financially due to many star wrestlers being poached by WCW, the highly-paid Bret gradually became a burden. Finally, Vince decided to terminate his contract with Bret and ordered him to move to WCW. However, Bret was the champion. Since he couldn't leave while holding the belt, Vince proposed an angle where he would hand over the title to Shawn Michaels at the big match "Survivor Series" held in Montreal, Canada, before his transfer. However, Bret strongly opposed losing a title match in his home country, especially against Michaels, with whom he did not get along. After discussions, they agreed on a book where the match would end in a no-contest due to interference.

And then the match bell rings. However...

As soon as Michaels applied Bret's finishing move, the Sharpshooter, back onto Bret, the bell was rung on Vince's orders, and Bret lost the title without understanding what was happening. This incident, which became the worst
broken book by an organization's owner, is called the Montreal Screwjob, and Bret left the WWF in anger and despair.

Vince says, "Bret forgot that pro-wrestling is entertainment. It was his own fault."

Bret and the WWF afterwards

After moving to WCW, Bret was unable to make much of an impact and retired in 2000. During that time, the WWF cultivated charismatic superstars like Austin, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), and Triple H, and achieved a massive breakthrough with a direction centered on Vince, who displayed his tyrannical nature as an evil owner, overwhelming WCW in ratings and box office results. In 2001, the year after Bret retired, they merged with and absorbed WCW. In 2002, they changed the organization's name to WWE.

In 1999, Owen, who had remained with the WWF, died in an accident during his entrance. Bret fiercely criticized Vince, but the two reconciled in 2005, and the following year, Bret was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He also reconciled with Michaels in 2010. Since then, he has appeared in the WWE ring several times. This film, "Wrestling with Shadows," was the first video work to bring the dark side behind pro-wrestling to light, and I believe the shock that pro-wrestling fans felt when it was released in 1998 was immeasurable.

While there seems to be some criticism that the content is too biased toward Bret and unilaterally criticizes Vince, it is a film highly regarded within the industry as a masterpiece that realistically depicts the struggles of a man who was a top wrestler.