By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S DVD REVIEW SERIES
“SAMI CALLIHAN: THEY CAME FOR STIFF”
BY SEAN RADICAN, TORCH COLUMNIST

“Sami Callihan: They Came for Stiff” is a short film from filmmaker Kenny Johnson, who also was the creator of “Pro Wrestler the Documentary.” The film focuses on Callihan’s EVOLVE 9 match with Fit Finlay, which took place in 2011. Johnson followed Callihan around for 24 hours and was along for the journey from Callihan’s home to New York City where EVOLVE 9 was held.

Right off the bat, it’s obvious that Johnson is a talented filmmaker. The way he blends quotes from the other people featured on the documentary with the footage he shot looks really good. Johnson begins at Callihan’s home where Callihan is getting ready to head to NYC with his friend Zack Burns and wrestler Alex Colon.

The segments from Callihan’s home provide a nice backdrop of the other footage Johnson shot which is mostly on the car ride to NYC, at EVOLVE 9, and some gorgeous footage of Callihan walking around NYC at night. It’s obvious that Callihan is a huge wrestling fan and there are multiple shots of his collection of wrestling memorabilia, books, and DVDs.

Johnson also shot a lot of footage of Callihan discussing his life on the independents and what it will take for him to make it to the big time. Johnson constantly goes back to Callihan talking about the wrestling business from his home to provide some nice depth to the events that unfold at the EVOLVE 9 event.

Callihan’s thoughts on independent wrestling and what it will take for him to make it to WWE are really interesting to listen to. Callihan seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he knows that a mix of wrestling ability, promo skills, and overall look will make a star in the wrestling industry.

Fans of the independent scene are really going to enjoy the footage Johnson shot at EVOLVE 9 with his own camera. Johnson gets quotes from Callihan, Johnny Gargano, Rob Naylor, Finlay, and many others about the Callihan-Finlay match. For those not familiar with EVOLVE, the film does a great job of letting viewers know the concept behind the promotion.

It is really interesting to listen to all the wrestlers talk about what a big opportunity it is for Callihan to face to Finlay, who is a former WWE agent. Colon talks about how if Callihan can make a good impression during his match against Finlay, it will help get his name around to the bigger companies like TNA and WWE.

Finlay’s comments about Callihan and the wrestling industry are also enlightening. He talks about how wrestling is a job and has given him and his family a living for three generations. Callihan establishes before their match that fans aren’t going to see the Finlay they know in WWE in EVOLVE, but instead fans are going to see the dangerous version of Finlay from his pre-WWE days.

Callihan also addresses his reputation for being stiff and the story of how this release was named is told as well. I won’t spoil that here, but it’s a funny story. Another thing Callihan discusses is his reputation for being stiff in the ring, which plays into his post-match conference with Finlay. After his meeting with Finlay, Callihan gives his thoughts as to whether or not Finlay actually was stiff during their match.

Overall, I would give this release a high recommendation. The Callihan-Finlay match was excellent at EVOLVE 9 and this makes a fantastic companion piece to that release. The only drawback is that the film only lasts around 25 minutes and it leaves you wanting more, but the positives here are that the viewer gets an inside look at Callihan, who is a rising star on the independent scene. There is tons of great behind the scenes footage from the EVOLVE 9 event, including a hilarious running gag where Lince Dorado’s face is covered up with a graphic of his mask when he doesn’t have it on. The bonus scenes are a lot of fun as well, as you see Callihan going around NYC with Sugar Dunkerton, Pinkie Sanchez, and Alex Colon.

You can purchase this release at prowrestler.kjthundercall.com

Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com

Follow Sean on twitter at twitter.com/SeanRadican

Like the Radican Wrestling Community Fan Page at Facebook.com/SeanRadicanRWC

We suggest these recent related articles...

RADICAN'S Beyond Wrestling "Greatest Rivals Round Robin" review 9/26 - incredible show of the year contender, Busick-Edwards top-flight MOTYC, more!

RADICAN'S "The Pull List" (Vol. 5) "Young Bucks Too Sweet Journey" doc review, The Flash season 1 Blu-Ray, Top Ten MOTYC for 2015

RADICAN'S ROH "All-Star Extravaganza VII" PPV BLOG 9/18: Booking issues dampen excellent in-ring action