411 Video Review: Nick Mondo: Unscarred

NICK MONDO: UNSCARRED

Anybody who has ever watched a CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling) event has undoubtedly seen Nick Mondo, a man who put his body on the line every time he wrestled in order to please the fans and give them their money’s worth.

Nick Mondo was one of the main reasons I became a mark for CZW, and while in my mind he has had both great matches and not so great matches, I always admired his effort and knew that he was never half-assing it.

So, when Nick Mondo retired after only a few years in the business, it came both as a shock and something expected. That makes little sense, but I’ll try to explain myself. As a fan, I always knew the risks he was taking were going to hurt his body down the line. However, at the same time he seemed invincible and able to take the pain, and rarely did he get injured. When he announced his retirement on his website it was a sad day for fans of CZW and the other promotions he worked for, as it ended a career that helped put Combat Zone Wrestling and in general the hardcore, ‘ultraviolence’ style of wrestling on the map in the US.

Following his retirement (the reasons behind which I will explain later), a trailer surfaced on his website, www.nickmondo.com. It advertised a documentary about Nick’s career as a wrestler, why he did what he did, and what led to him wanting to step out of it.

So, I have my hands on a copy now, and I’m reviewing it for you. Aren’t I nice?

THE FILM

I don’t want to do a “recap” of this film as its better if you watch it yourself, but I’ll give you a little taste of some of the things in it.

The film begins in 1995 when Nick was still in High School, and charts his growing obsession with wrestling after he first heard about a company called “Extreme Championship Wrestling”. The infamous battles in Viking Hall led Nick, real name Matt Burns, to want to get into “the business”. Interviews with both his parents and his friends reveal that his decision may not have been accepted by everyone.

We then travel through the years, leading to the time when he moved away from his parents to be trained professionally. From there we are shown footage of some of his early matches, including his debut for CZW in 2000, against a very different-looking Trent Acid. Nick narrates this section, as he does all of the film, revealing his feelings about several key matches he had for CZW, including the famous ladder series with Ric Blade and the Backseat Boyz.

Into 2001, which is where we really start getting into Nick’s psyche. 2001 was when he began wrestling a much more hardcore style, using glass and barbedwire, rather than just tables and chairs. What’s interesting is Nick’s comments about how this turn in his style was a result of his depression with how his life was going at that point. Wrestling had stalled for him and he was losing some of the reaction he used to get, so this was his attempt to get it back. Also, having moved away from his family he was very lonely and he channeled this depression into his matches.

2002 picked up for him as he had met his girlfriend Bonnie, aka Rain, who wrestles around the areas Nick lives. On top of that, his popularity was through the roof, and he had many great bouts against the Messiah and particularly Justice Pain.

We then lead into 2003 and the reasons for his retirement. I was very interested to hear him list three things as being “wake up calls” for him to get out of the business. A nagging spinal injury which had been around for years but was worsened after a car crash. A brutal match with Nate Hatred and Zandig where he took several bad powerbombs. And finally, while watching back the HUGE bump he and Zandig took at Tournament Of Death 2 (review available on 411), he realised just how dangerous it was and how he was lucky he was not killed.

Anyway, like I said, I don’t want to do a recap, and there’s much more to the film than this. Along the way we get to look at Nick’s other passions in life, the passions he wishes to pursue more than wrestling: art and film. His artwork is quite inspired and I’m glad to see he picked it up in College after giving it up in High School. It’s a terrific documentary, Mondo is well spoken and the footage and interviews (featuring a lot of footage I’ve never seen) is great.

THE DVD:

For an independent film, the documentary is well produced, meshing interview footage with footage of Nick wrestling and home video from his high school days and tours of Japan. The footage of CZW is not only from their tapes but also from fancams and I presume Nick’s own home video footage, and some of it is VERY crisp, which is refreshing for stuff shot on a handycam in 99/2000. The sound on some interviews seems a little distant, but overall the sound is fine, with good use of music.

The DVD has animated menus and features the two great trailers that were released on his website to promote the film, along with a video made by Lars Butcher (www.brutalbutchershoppe.com), which is a tribute to Mondo’s career and is probably the best wrestling music video I’ve ever seen. (Worth the price alone).

Alongside that we get a stills gallery.

I would’ve loved for Mondo to put some of the matches he mentions in the Documentary on here, such as one of the ladder matches with the Backseats, his CZW debut against Acid, and his cage match with Horace the Psychopath. With the great quality footage he’s got it would have been a nice extra for fans.

The Verdict: This is an easy recommendation for Mondo fans, and CZW fans in general. The documentary provides good insight to the person behind the character, and what drove him to do some of the things he does. Some of the footage is rare and the interviews great. If you’re not a fan of Mondo or have never heard of him, then this probably isn’t for you, though the documentary is well made and worth checking out if you can.

You can purchase the film on DVD here: www.nickmondo.com

I welcome feedback, just click my name below. Look out for my review of CZW Respect, coming in a few days.