You’d think a documentary about a young man escaping a life of crime in Canada to become a bodyguard for Milli Vanilli then somehow becomes one of the most iconic figures of lucha libre of the last 30 years alone would make for one hell of a documentary.
And Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro is one hell of a pro wrestling documentary. It chronicles this absolutely improbable journey of a punk rock kid from Canada becoming a god in Mexican wrestling. It pulls the curtain back on the backstage drama of one of the biggest shows in modern lucha libre (Triplemania XXV) that could’ve easily been its own film. (If you know anything about the drama of this show, then these scenes are an absolute must-watch).
Yet, director Michael Paszt made a bold decision with his film — this documentary would be more than a wrestling documentary. He decided to make a film about the struggle within a man’s soul. And what better subject to make such a bold call with than Vampiro, a wrestler known for his storytelling and being an open book about his life.
While the film maybe have the secondary title of The Fall and Rise of Vampiro, the film really is about the fall and rise of Ian Hodgkinson, a 50+ year old former wrestler (aka the eponymous Vampiro), father to a teenage daughter, creative mind behind Mexico’s largest lucha libre promotion and a man struggling with the physical toll his wrestling career has taken on him.
All the stuff about Vampiro’s career and the backstage drama at Triplemania are all very cool, but they serve more as context for the man who has one driving goal — to be the best father he possibly can be to his daughter, Dasha. His daughter is way more important not only to the man himself, but the film (and eventually the audience) than all of the heightened realities of pro wrestling. It’s what makes this documentary special. It’s about a father and daughter more than in-ring exploits and grandeur. That’s something anyone — wrestling fan or not — can truly sink their teeth into. For example, the frustration Hodgkinson experiences being in Mexico earning a living to provide for his daughter who is thousands of miles away from him in Canada is way more impactful, visceral and painful than any of the light tubes, chairs and barbed wire used to drain Vampiro of copious amount of plasma.
There’s a war raging inside the man that any father and any child can relate to. Vampiro literally is breaking himself in half to provide for his daughter and to raise her in the possible way. It’s something anyone can truly admire. Yet, it’s an experience many may have seen with their own father or even themselves (if they’re fathers). This mantra of being the father/provider is so ingrained in the DNA, so ingrained in the soul of so many yet it clashes with the desire to not only be present, but to provide everything for your child. It’s an absolute battle and this battle is externalized by Vampiro through the risky bumps he takes despite his litany of injuries as well as his own explosions at the frustrations of his job.
Wrestling documentaries often have an issue of memorability. Chronicling histories or personality profiles or behind-the-scenes films are all very cool, but they rarely stick to the ribs. Yet, it’s films like Nail in the Coffin, that explore the humanity of a wrestler, that take the film outside of the ring into the heart and home of a wrestler that make it so impactful and memorable.
