"You start your career on the independent scene, and you end your career on the independent scene"
Card Subject to Change is a 2010 Documentary about the difficulties of the independent Professional Wrestling scene. It covers both legends still making the rounds as well as up and coming hopefuls, with a message about the huge odds of getting a chance with WWE or TNA. The majority of the action centers around the since-defunct National Wrestling Superstars in New Jersey, with side trips into CZW and IWA Mid-South. It is often, and, understandably, compared to Beyond the Mat.
"Tropes Subject to Change":
- Action Girl: Sherri Martel, Lacey Von Erich.
- Downer Ending: The Sherri Martel interview was the last one she ever did, and the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue acknowledges her death in 2007 and Trent Acid's in 2010.
- Drugs Are Bad: Trent Acid's life and death at the age of 29. The filmmakers lost contact with him during post-production.
- After filming her segment, Sherri's oxycodone habit finally caught up with her.
- Corvis Fear is shown injecting himself with steroids, though the epilogue notes that he no longer uses them.
- "Superstar" Billy Graham talks about how he was the first guy to really make steroid use in wrestling popular because of his hugely muscled image.
- Garbage Wrestler: Necro Butcher, Mad Man Pondo, Sabu...
- Kayfabe: Pretty much demolished. Wrestlers are shown backstage talking over their matches (in the "You do this then I'll do this" way), as well as Kamala and Sabu talking.
- Parts Unknown: Sabu is announced from "Bombay, MI." Necro Butcher, from "Goddamn, WV"
- Real Life Writes the Plot
- Funk, Prichard, Cornette and Apter talk during the closing credits about how wrestling promoters would put "Card Subject to Change" on posters as a precaution in case someone scheduled for a show wasn't able to make it for some reason.
- Also, it's noted that the producers lost contact with Trent Acid at some point in 2008 but were able to reconnect with him in 2009. His death is also noted.
- Ring Oldies: Sullivan, Sherri, Kamala, Percy Pringle, King Kong Bundy, George "The Animal" Steele...
- Stock Footage: Of Sullivan, Sabu, the Sheik, Abdullah, Candido, Crowbar
- Take That, Audience!: A table is broken during the Salvatore Sincere/Balls Mahoney vs. BG James/Brother Runt match, despite there being an issue regarding the expense involved, with Sincere saying, "You wanted a table? There's your table."
- Those Two Guys: The two big fat black face-painted wrestlers who look like Kamala knockoffs are the Nigerian Nightmares, Maifu (Aaron Gainey) and Saifu (Charles Bell Jr.)
- Wrestling Family: Lacey Von Erich talks about how she imagines that her father (Kerry Von Erich, who died on February 18, 1993, when Lacey was only six years old) would likely approve of her career, though her grandfather Fritz (Jack Adkisson, 1929-1997) would not have, as he favored his sons (Kerry, Kevin, David, Mike and Chris) over his daughters.
