By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
The first thing that stood out about the “An Extraordinary Gentleman” documentary on Jack Gallagher is the length of the film. The 45-minute listing immediately left me wondering just how good the documentary could be given the small window of time. That initial fear subsided quickly. And while the film will leave you wanting more, you get a good look at Gallagher’s rise in the pro wrestling industry.
Gallagher is an interesting and very driven individual. While a longer documentary would likely spend time on his upbringing and life before pro wrestling, the Adam Gill film dives right into his life as a professional wrestler. There is some great footage of Gallagher working a punk rock gimmick early in his career. The punk gimmick led to him taking on “The Grappler” persona that was more true to who he is, and ultimately he made some tweaks and became the wrestler that WWE fans know today.
If you’re a UK wrestling scene novice like I am, then you will come away with a better feel for the landscape and just how much the scene has grown. There’s also a cool look at the legendary Snake Pit training facility that provided Gallagher with his catch-as-catch-can wrestling training, which led to his more serious in-ring approach.
The film includes footage of his first MMA fight. Based on his online records, Gallagher (Jack Claffey) is 2-0 as a fighter, and one of his peers who was interviewed expressed his belief that Gallagher would have been successful had he committed himself to being a full-time fighter. A lot of pro wrestlers are convinced they could have been great MMA fighters had they chosen that path. Some would have fared better than others. In the case of Gallagher, it would be tough to bet against him given his work ethic and his catch skills.
Gallagher speaks throughout the film and is open about his character transformation and other aspects of his career. However, you actually learn more about him through the interviews with his likable friends and peers. Collectively, you come away with a picture of Gallagher as a talented and extremely motivated person who put in the hard work and made some calculated decisions on his path to success in the pro wrestling industry.
The film leads up to Gallagher getting a spot in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. No WWE footage is included, but WWE should want to have this documentary on their network. “An Extraordinary Gentlemen” is entertaining, inspirational, and even educational depending on your knowledge of the UK wrestling scene. Go out of your way to see it.
For more information on the “An Extraordinary Gentlemen” documentary, visit FigureFourFilms.com.
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