GOING OVER is the story of the wrestling world as it was backstage during the 90s. It is an 8-episode, half-hour, drama. One clear story. One path to the top. We have a pilot script and a short film script ready to go. We’re somehow going to create a show out of nothing and get as close to the top of the ladder as we can get with it. This is a scattershot journal of making that all happen. Make sure you are subscribed so you can follow along.
First note, as you can see, we’ve swapped titles and found a new way of telling the world who we are. The original title always felt a little cumbersome. I try and think about what it would be like to tell your friend about this project. GOING OVER felt more right. That’s what this project is ultimately about. The wrestlers in this drama just want to get over. Hell, we’re trying to get this newsletter over.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURTAIN was inspired by this quote from the book I’m about to talk about:
“Any curtain in the entertainment business is, by definition, a portal between two worlds. When you’re on the public side of it, nothing exists except the story you’re telling your audience. On the other side is real life.
In my business, that other side is where larger-than-life...become everyday people with everyday problems. They hobble in pain, dance with joy, break down in tears, or celebrate--depending on how their night went.”
- JIM ROSS, Under the Black Hat
This was my second read-through of UNDER THE BLACK HAT, a more targeted one. The last time I read for pleasure but this time I wanted to soak up some details that could layer our project in a deeper way. I sure got that with J.R. talking about his relationships with Austin, Jericho, and Brock. But, one of the characters who really stood out to me this time was of the big man, Vince McMahon.
As I read I started to think that maybe this is the thing that all of these other wrestling shows have missed. Vince is an extremely larger-than-life character. Sneezing is a weakness. Sleep is an obstacle to overcome. He is wrestling in many ways, and his exclusion from wrestling in other media is potent. We get wrestlers, that is sure, but we don’t get the kind of character that motivates or destroys them. Sometimes those ideas go one after the other or in the reverse.
We have a Vince analog in GOING OVER, simply named THE BOSS. He’s really no different than the man he’s based on, only that he was once a former wrestler. I don’t think taking shitty stunners from Austin for 25 years counts for Vince. We have a man who is more a conjunction visually of Jesse Ventura or Triple H, but the mentality, that’s all Vince.
What I hope for, when I write characters, is that I try to present them as real people. The funny thing about people is how odd they really are. Decisions they make, and actions they take, don’t exactly follow a linear formula. People can be hypocritical and still maintain their core values. An odd lot all of us are.
But, sometimes, the best way to understand a person is to see them through the eyes of many different people.
J.R.’s version is one.
To J.R. Vince was surely an odd man. Throughout the book you can see that Vince respected J.R. but also the strange way he would always have to put him through hell. It’s easy to paint Vince as a villain. His behavior throughout history does not make him look like a good man. But, still, he meant something to J.R. That’s why it hurt him so much every time Vince would treat him like shit under his boot.
What I do know reading this book a second time is that J.R. loves wrestling. He loves every serious part of it and is a key reason why the era we all loved was so good. He found the talent that made the ring so exciting. He nurtured that talent and ensured they were on the right path to maximize their potential. A wrestler under J.R.’s arm knew that he could call him up at any time if he had a problem. Business or personal, J.R. would be there for them.
The J.R. type is another important character for GOING OVER. He’s the guy watching over all the talent and making sure they have what they need so that they can perform to the best of their abilities. Our J.R. type is mixed with Arn Anderson, the bull as a man being sent to manage the top guys and tell them what they need to do.
Reading this book again emphasized how important the people at the top are to the everyday wrestler. Being a gleam in their eye can make you a star. Being in trouble can keep you where you are, or worse, lead you straight to the unemployment line.
J.R.’s book is a really enjoyable read. It is filled with heart and insight that only a man in his position, at that time in history, could provide. I recommend it. If you haven’t read it, you’ll enjoy it.