This interview was shot in late 2019 when AEW started airing on TV. It was more of a give-and-take conversation or back-and-forth talk show than it is a question and answer-style shoot interview, which is fine with me. The talk ratio is close to even, although it varies throughout, as at several points, Meltzer turns the tables and interviews Janela, even though Meltzer is supposed to be the guest on this program. They more or less naturally go back and forth for almost an hour and a half, with Janela busting Meltzer’s balls for some of the time. I only listed the topics that they have something substantial to say about; there are plenty of other topics that are touched on.
As I always say, you learn new things in these shoot interviews; I was surprised that the first time Janela got flown overseas by a promoter was around 2015 or 2016. If that’s the case, I amazingly would have him beat in that category (LMAO), as mine was China for WWN in 2014. I mean, I guess now that I think about it, the 2015 or 2016 timeframe makes sense, as Janela started exploding in CZW around that time, so I assume there was a sudden barrage of promoters’ flights coming his way around that time, but it’s just surprising that a guy with Janela’s level of success only started getting flown a few years before this interview.
I was hoping this topic would lead to the influence of Trent Acid (one of my favorite wrestlers) on him being brought up, as Acid talk is always welcomed by me and more shoots should acknowledge the influence he had on the indie circuit. If you don’t know the backstory, Acid (according to another Janela interview) told Janela not to fly himself anywhere so that it meant more when promoters started flying him places, and Janela abided by that advice. Even though like in Highspots’ outright shoot with Janela, Acid doesn’t get brought up in this interview, he and Meltzer do talk about other indie darlings of the past (Devon Storm/Crowbar) and present (Alex Zayne).
At one point, Janela reads through part of the infamous wrestling urban legends list and he and Meltzer talk about some of the alleged stories, much like Honky Tonk Man and Raven did in their RF Video Face Off shoot. This part could have been longer, but as Janela implies, most of the stories can’t be read on camera for legal reasons, so it is what it is and this part was fun while it lasted. They don’t stay on any one topic for too long, although AEW gets a decent amount of attention. There aren’t any exceptionally engrossing highlights to really write home about, but there also aren’t any real lulls, and while this clocked in at less than an hour and a half, overall the average fan should be fairly entertained for the duration of this show.
PURCHASE: physical DVD – highspots.com/p/joey-janela-show-dave-meltzer.html; digital – highspotswrestlingnetwork.com/media/the-joey-janela-show%3A-dave-meltzer/92252/feature
GRADE: B-
INDEX OF TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Meltzer’s sources
- locker room heat
- star ratings
- Jim Cornette
- upcoming indie wrestlers
- alcohol & cigarettes vices among wrestlers
- David Starr’s wrestling unionization campaign
- AEW
- GCW
- Meltzer’s favorite styles and wrestlers
- MJF
- ’80s & ’90s WWE
- “Superstar” Billy Graham
- wrestling urban legends
- generational trends among wrestling fans’ preferences
- Chris Jericho
- PWG
- wrestlers who have gotten mad at Meltzer through the years
- The Young Bucks
RUN TIME: 1 hr. 20 min.
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