Now AEW signee, Colt Caban release his first wrestling documentary, The Wrestling Road Diaries. This was the first of three that Cabana recorded, with this one going back to 2009.
The first documentary, which is now available for free, features a young Daniel Bryan. This was at a point time in which both wrestlers were crossing their paths. Cabana was returning to the indie scene, after being fired by WWE (NXT was not a thing).
Bryan (Danielson) was leaving the independent wrestling scene for WWE. He was doing his last dates with ROH and touring with Cabana to other well-known indy promotions. For Bryan, this was a farewell tour, which Cabana knew well since he had done the same years earlier.
There are some recognizable faces in this particular documentary. In the middle of it, you can see a young Cesario (Claudio) training some of the new wrestlers. Moreover, WWE Agent Adam Pearce is also shown as a key element of Bryan’s and Cabana’s journeys.
Usually, The Wrestling Road Diaries feature the same formula. Cabana is joined by indy friends and they travel across the country to wrestle. Between shows and stops, their intimate self gets to shine. It might look like a bit amateurish the way it is portrayed, but the documentary is a bizarre window to independent wrestling.
The following Wrestling Road Diaries featured a Clif Compton fresh off his firing from WWE alongside Luke Gallows and Cabana. The final instalment features comedy wrestlers, the Scottish star, Grado, and Japanese wrestler, Kikutaro. The title of the latter is “Funny Equals Money”.
For some time now, Cabana has been a window for historians of wrestling or those who have a deep interest in the characters. He tends to focus the unknown names and those who are getting their feet wet in the indy scene. His Art of Wrestling podcast has featured some remarkable interviews that touch the human consciousness while detailing the road of many current stars. Among my favorites has to be the one with Byson Smith, a former ROH and NOAH wrestler, that struggle with his mortality (shortly thereafter, he would die). Another big podcast was the one done with PJ Black, in which he highlights his rough childhood in South Africa and the death of his father.
It is because of this, that The Wrestling Road Diaries is a wonderful documentary that any fans should watch. Here’s the video of the doc:
https://youtu.be/3wFn-Q5fS14
