Dueling docos present the jaw-dropping story of American Gladiators in a variety of ways

Review: Part of the game, part of the game, it was a real competition that became one of the biggest programs in the world in the first half of the 1990s.

Protagonists such as Laser, Blaze, Nitro, Ice and Gemini became household names like fighters Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan before them, while viewers of all ages experienced the same challenges that always occur. Atlasphere, Human Cannonball, Breakthrough & Conquer, Hang Tough and The Eliminator.

Without it, it is unlikely that there would be Ninja Warrior or Wipeout.

In New Zealand, American Gladiators became a hit on Friday night, which doesn’t seem likely to cause a stir in a stadium like the WWF (which has the Bushwackers, not the Panda logo), while the Kiwi audience cheers for their favorite “gladiator”. , or plunky competitors like Wesley “Two Scoops” Berry.

Now, as is the Hollywood tradition, there are two new “dueling” documentaries looking at the show’s legacy.

But despite covering much of the same ground, Netflix’s five-episode, 208-minute Muscle & Destruction: The Unforgettable Story of American Gladiators (which premieres Wednesday, June 28) and ESPN’s two-episode, 170-minute American Gladiators Story (which next airs at 10.30 am on the same day) takes a very different approach.

Helmed by former Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre director Jared Hess and Emmy Award-winner Tony Vainuku (2015’s In Football We Trust), Muscle is VH1’s Behind the Music-style soup-to-nuts account of the Gladiators’ rise and fall.

Although it mostly plays chronologically, it tends to poke fun at its jaw-dropping revelations and has some memorable lines: “We learned very quickly that we needed more than resources,” Michael Horton aka. Gemini shows how their production was very careless when it came to safety.

He’s one of the most impressive players the Muscles team has managed to associate, all ready to spill the beans on what happened while the cameras were (and weren’t) rolling. You will learn how only two of the sextet drivers reached the list, see the experimental, but rejected games related to the Velcro wall and the trampoline (as well as the “killed judge” not pregnant, thanks to the temporary ) and remember about the fatal collision that ended the fight against the Malibu that was racquetball player and Olympic cyclist Sunny.

What is apparent is the extent of the initial arrogance. The pilot was shot down on horseback, the “security” was a combination of modified motorcycles and baseballs and no medical personnel were employed.

Ironically, the bankroll was the Samuel Goldwyn Company, better known for producing independent films like Sid and Nancy, Mystic Pizza and Wild at Heart, than for popular game shows.

Disturbing and humiliating were the first, so that many of those who worked for the pilot were sure that they would not take them, especially when their main enemy – Rock and Roller Sports – was combining music and roller derby with life. The alligator has been thrown to a good level.

And even if he managed to get a contract, he was initially ridiculed by the American media, who described him as “a damaged TV” and announced “the end of TV, and civilization”. They also struggled to get crowds to film, especially “stealing” families on the famous Universal Studios ride.

After only 13 episodes, it seemed doomed, until Bob Levy and Eytan Keller were brought in to revive the show. While the latter reformed the game and ensured safety was established, Levy introduced “deep” innovations such as helmet cameras. When Gladiators came back, it was a much smaller affair and viewers just got used to it. But, as Minofu points out, that was by no means the end of the drama.

Fast-paced and packed with a deep bench of iconic characters (and a cast of Gladiators themselves, key members of the production team as well), Muscle makes clever use of cinematic sequences at times when they don’t. historical records to match the interviewees in detail, sometimes funny, often hair-raising, but never boring.

Compare that to ESPN’s Story, which is more about document production. Uncredited in the history of Muscle, legends Ben Berman and Kirk Johnson place Eerie, Pennsylvania gym owner, Elvis impersonator and self-proclaimed American Gladiators creator Johnny Ferraro front and center.

Obviously, a thoughtful and controversial person (when asked about the serious injuries that occurred during this period, he dismisses them with glib, “you can’t taste the glory, without a little pain”), which his presence brings with it the opportunity for the filmmakers to explore where the idea that inspired the show came from.

On the flipside, Ferraro’s focus apparently prevented many gladiators from being a part of the project, with the likes of Nitro and Laser being reduced to being written in their own books, or old records from other sources. This, however, makes certain voices heard.

Contestants like Wesley “Two Scoops” Berry explain how appearing on the show changed their lives, while Sports Illustrated reporter Austin Murphy looks back at the time he went undercover to cover the investigation and one of the “second- tier” reveals. how he was mocked by the live audience when he was brought in for injured front lines (signs like “Viper in diapers” are obviously not good for one’s self-esteem).

The story is no longer short on big revelations. There was a time when a competitor needed 150 indoor and outdoor scales when the Atlasphere was broken, how leaf blowers were used to expand the mat when the show went on a world tour and showed the amazing gladiator Saber (who had a beef against the LAPD). “hit the cop” was well received by audiences around the world.

But Ferraro seems to be constantly pushing the filmmakers (“are you telling the right story?”), and the documentary ends up being more of an investigation into his various claims about how Gladiators came to be. “Two guys from Eerie, Pennsylvania changed the way we watch television,” he announced at one point, but when Berman asked him about Eerie co-host Dan Carr (who ran the Gladiator series since 1982), he was evasive, ultimately refusing to let the team in. of the story to reach him.

I loved and admired such performances (one of Berman’s last works was the mysterious and mysterious tale of the “dead magician” The Amazing Johnathan) – perhaps it is not surprising that the director chose to do this, instead of following the traditional traditions. history-of-the-show.

Although one can’t help but feel that it’s strange that the text on sports can chase runners, in the end it’s all fun, fun watches that also show how the same story can be told in a very different way. way.

Muscle & Chaos: The Unofficial Story of American Gladiators will premiere on Netflix on the evening of Wednesday, June 28, while Sky TV’s ESPN’s The American Gladiators Next Story airs at 10.30am on the same day.