An Extraordinary Gentleman is a documentary that delves into the career of the aforementioned Gentleman, Jack Gallagher of Cruiserweight Classic & 205 Live fame. Produced and directed by Adam Gill, this was filmed toward the end of Gallagher’s run on the independent scene. The film focuses on Jack’s career, which started in 2006, and the changes he’s made along the way to becoming who and what he is today.
As I watched the documentary, it was made very clear that Jack was never afraid to try new things. A point he always made was to try and stand out from the pack in the lean British wrestling scene in the 2000’s. He went from “The Punk Rocket” Jack Toxic, a 70’s punk rocker with the name of a Disney Channel TV show, to “The Grappler” Jack Gallagher, a World of Sport-esque wrestler. He found a style that worked for him, earning a tour with Japanese promotion Zero-One and post-match praise from then-ROH World Champion Davey Richards.
When being “The Grappler” ran its course, Jack found his next inspiration from a magic show. Magician Mat Ricardo was setting up his next trick, and he was telling this story about how someone had died doing the trick in the past. Jack found it interesting that despite knowing Ricardo was lying through his teeth, he was still enthralled with the story. That experience would inspire the “Extraordinary” Jack Gallagher, a character that would have these impossible tall tales told about him that his fans would go along with. This was the character that caught everyone’s attention in Progress. After his eye-catching performance in the Cruiserweight Classic, one final tweak would create “The Gentleman” Jack Gallagher.
An Extraordinary Gentleman is a very fun look at a very interesting man. Clocking in at about 45 minutes, it’s a breeze to watch. People such as Zack Gibson, Marty Jones, Chris Brooker, and (the breadphobic) Matt Richards help to paint the picture of how far Jack’s come, and how far he can go. There are also interesting anecdotes about Jack learning catch wrestling in the infamous Snake Pit, and him trying his hand at mixed martial arts years later. If you have an interest in learning how Jack Gallagher came to be, An Extraordinary Gentleman comes with the highest of recommendations.
You can view An Extraordinary Gentleman here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/anextraordinarygentleman
