Film Review: A Gentleman's Choice: The Chris Adams Story  December 16, 2008 By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com "Anyone I've ever seen go over there (The US) in our business has either come back in a box, a wheel chair, or a drug addict" says former British wrestler Tony Walsh in the opening moments of Gentleman's Choice: The Chris Adams Story . Sobering comments that paint a dark picture of the story about to be told; one of riches to rags and the throws of drug and alcohol addiction and their consequences.  Gentleman's Choice is a recently released documentary by Mickey Grant, who for those of you not privy to Texas Wrestling, may be one of the most influential, if not THE most influential TV producer for any wrestling promotion, ever.  Among the biggest stars in the World Class promotion was a man by the name of Chris Adams. Adams was born in the United Kingdom and alongside Adrian Street, was perhaps on of the first genuinely popular foreigners in US Wrestling.  Adams was a stand out worker on a list of young, snug working, up and coming stars in world class. His feuds with Jimmy Garvin & The Von Erichs in World Class would really serve as a launching pad for his career. Adams would go on to great success outside of World Class as well, feuding with Mid South's Terry Taylor in 1987. His good looks and ability to manipulate the crowd made him an indispensable addition to any roster during the early 80s.  However, Adams' success in the ring is greatly contrasted with his battles outside of it. Adams' struggles have been documented numerous times in the past, but perhaps never this vividly. A Gentleman's Choice Takes a step into the seedy world of addiction, with its own share of colorful characters who help pave a path of destruction for Adams.  Perhaps the most jarring portion of the documentary are those people whom Adams surrounded himself with; Has beens, never was' and other miscellaneous hangers-on. Not only is this just a story of addiction to drugs, but an addiction to fame, and how these 'supporting' characters all contribute in a way to his ultimate destruction.  From the capricious Bill Booray Parnell, whom you never really ever get a sense of 'truthfulness' from, to the vindictive Sky Cole (aka Miss Lacey) who with her husband Billy (LA Steele) seem to be in search of petty vengeance against Adams for his squashing their delusions of grandeur after their photo appeared in the 2001 documentary Beyond the Mat , these people would all seem unbelievable if they weren't in front of your face on camera. There's stripper Laurie Wright, who is as close to the stereotypical lost soul, drug fried adult entertainer as you'll come across. There's even Pam Hernandez, who conveniently throws her children into a story where he was calling her unbecoming names. Just like the women you'd see in an episode of 'COPS'.  Even the benign bystanders by comparison to others, end up being an issue. His fourth wife Karen, seems like she's caught in a fog. As if somehow the monstrous side of Adams never existed. Or John 'Raven' Wymer, who just seemingly wanted to be associated with famous people. Grant presents these characters well, really bringing to light the Grey-induced insanity of Adams' existence. Even when these people are 'right', they're in so many ways 'wrong'. All you can conclude by the end of the film was that all of them, in some way, shape or form, wanted a piece of him. As the title states, Gentleman's Choice is certainly a film about 'choice', whether that be the decisions we make for ourselves personally, or even decisions for others. Adams was a man steeped in a perpetual sense of gray, a genuinely good person swallowed up and plunged into the depths of despair by addiction. --Hunter Golden, WrestlingView.com