Did anyone else watch the Dean Ambrose “Chronicle” documentary that came on the Network after TakeOver? Any thoughts? I thought it was really good
It was a awkward half shoot half kayfabe. Didn’t really know what to make of it. Dean in real life is more of a wrestling character than on TV so I never know where kayfabe ends with him.
They do a fabulous job with documentaries like this, the 365 and 24 series and even the one with Becky about finding out she was off Survivor Series.
My favorite original content WWE produces
We are going to review this Tuesday on the Double Shot.
Curious what people think of it.
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I watched it live and I thought it was amazing the way it was executed half-shoot and half-kayfabe. A great example of where those lines blurred. It was also interesting to see Dean’s frame of mind during that return back. I’m also looking forward to WWE 365: AJ Styles after Survivor Series.
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I hope the 365 ends with an updated edit for him losing the title.
Looking forward to hearing these reviews on the Double Shot!
Of the three (?) documentary series that WWE does for the Network (24, 365, and Chronicle), Chronicle has been my favorite. Yes, there’s that mix of work and shoot, but the production comes off stronger to me. Minimal use of music and graphics, no annoying overpaid narrator. These feel the closest to UFC Embedded.
I thought this was really great. I can see why some people might find the whole “is it a work or s shoot?” setting a little weird – but I thought this was a really compelling piece. Coming out of this, I genuinely care about the character’s arc and I think he does an amazing job of channeling his real-life frustrations into the character’s narrative.
The first time around, I always saw it as a given that he was ‘the leader’ and standout of The Shield (e.g. when he was the US Champ, while Roman and Seth held the tag titles) and I think this is what the “lunatic” character was truly meant to be following that first breakup, not “Uncle Dino”. Obviously, time will tell – but isn’t it great to see a heel turn go the way it’s intended for a change recently?
The mix of kayfabe and shoot may come off as jarring, but I think in this era of wrestling it’s the most effective way of getting stories or characters over. Great stuff
Dean is perfect person for the shoot/kayfabe mix docs. He doesn’t seem that different in real life. He never comes off as being totally normal. I love that he doesn’t do social media and remains an enigma to the fans. He totally feels like a throwback wrestler and I wish more wrestlers were like him. He keeps the magic alive for the fans (inadvertently or not).
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I definitely agree with the concensus that I enjoyed the mix of kayfabe but it was a total surprise to me that took a little while to sink in. I was expecting a typical documentary of Ambrose return just like Seth’s, Finn’s or Angles Network specials. And it started off like one with a montage.
But as it went on it got better and better as Dean either acted or perfectly timed getting more unhinged and angrier about the state of his health, his schedule and his career. The scene of him after leaving the arena in the cold and the sweat steaming off him as he tried to come to terms with himself was fantastic. I was already happy with how this feud is going and now I’m all in on the story.
Lastly, Roman Reigns also came of great in this. I loved seeing him do “Batman Voice” promos backstage. His return documentary is going to be a heartbreaking triumph.
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