The following video is the new documentary from David Lagana called “Galloway – End Of Independents” that follows Galloway over the course of the final three days as a free agent wrestler before returning to NXT.
The documentary picks up with Galloway on the way to an EVOLVE Wrestling event on Wrestlemania weekend in Orlando. There’s a nice balance of in-ring action, behind-the-scenes footage and the mundane details that everyone faces, including the nightmare of traffic on I-4 in Florida. Galloway’s matches with Matt Riddle and Lio Rush feature some great hard hitting spots, but don’t give too much away so that you don’t go watch the full match (which you should, because they delivered). It’s nice to see some behind-the-scenes access without getting too involved; the camera picks up some good dialogue between the wrestlers, but stays far enough away as to not hear word for word what is going on.
One of the best things about ‘End Of Independents’ is that there is a lot of content and plenty of emotion in the video where there is no dialogue. We get to see scenes with Drew getting the call to return to NXT, and him talking to his wife and WWN Live’s Gabe Sapolsky afterwards (presumably about the decision to return or not). This works because you can make your own assumptions about what is being said, and there’s enough action, both in-ring and in non-audible conversations that keep you drawn in. This also makes the content with dialogue featuring Drew and some special guests stand out even more, and you get to see a nice blend of humor and sincerity.
One thing that could be better is the title cards and on-screen text; it’s a minor detail but some of the text could have been smaller and felt overbearing. If you are looking for a ‘triumphant hero return’ ending or WWE / NXT footage here, you won’t find it, and that works just fine without it. We know where Drew is going, and we already know the ending, and where he will be this Saturday in Brooklyn. End of Independents is a short watch and a nice peek behind the curtain at the final days of one of wrestling’s biggest stars over the past three years, and worth taking the time out to watch.
