During the Monday Night Wars of the late Nineties, World Championship Wrestling had a massive influx of talent from Mexico, whether they were imported first by Extreme Championship Wrestling, or came directly from south of the border from Lucha Libre AAA. As such, the Atlanta-based WCW saw stars such as Konnan and Vampiro, both of whom saw substantial success, even amongst the old guard of veteran wrestlers with creative control written into their contracts. Vamp was one of the few to not go over to the World Wrestling Federation following WCW’s collapse in 2001, instead returning to AAA to work as an on-air talent and producer.
Nail in the Coffin is a rare breed of wrestling documentary, opting not to glamorize the sport of kings, but instead look at the damage that decades of in-ring work and backstage politicking does to a man. Ian Hodgkinson, better known as Vampiro, is a family man, a video game fanatic, and a wrestling icon, and in that order. His schedule is insane, going back and forth between his home in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, down to Mexico to produce AAA shows, then back home for a couple of days to be with daughter Dasha, then back to Mexico for the cycle to begin again. This is hellish enough, but becomes more so when you consider his dozens of concussions, a reported 86% of his body being arthritic, and his stride being a slow limp, even as the man is in his forties.
Not since Wrestling with Shadows has a pro wrestling documentary film been this bleak. Very few moments of the ninety minute runtime focus on the glory, rather discussing the lowest of lows, including Vamp’s various aforementioned injuries, his rough upbringing and sexual assault, and the struggles he’s faced as a working single father. Perhaps the most harrowing incident was a blow-up backstage with Jeff Jarrett, which saw things nearly come to physical blows as several profanities and unpleasantries were exchanged. This all came from years of animosity, as Vampiro often blames Jarrett’s friendship and allyship with former WCW head booker Vince Russo for holding Vamp’s success in the States back during their time in Atlanta.
Heart-wrenching as things in Nail in the Coffin get, the unwavering passion of Vampiro the wrestler, as well as Ian the father, is just as palpable. As several interviewees will attest, his knowledge of the pro wrestling business and his willingness to get his hands dirty is matched by few, especially in his work in Mexican lucha libre. The highs felt are high, the lows are ungodly low, but it is in this emotional polarity that this documentary succeeds. It’s as punk rock as the man behind the facepaint is, rough around the edges, but ultimately keeps the faith and tradition. I can’t call it feel-good, but I can absolutely call it a must-watch for pro wrestling diehards.
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