WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday Blu-Ray Review

THE GREAT HOME VIDEO CATCH-UP CONTINUES! 

WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday has been out in the UK since the start of April from all the usual outlets and has the WWE 24 episode, WrestleMania Monday as it's main feature. Having aired on the WWE Network on 27th March, this is the first time that an episode of WWE 24 (which has previously looked at behind the scene details of each WrestleMania since 30, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan's retirement amongst other topics) has been released, so it will be interesting to see how the set does and how this effects future releases. Alongside hour-long special, the Blu-Ray edition has twenty one matches and moments from the RAW after WrestleMania including the likes of John Cena, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Edge and more.

But is it any good? Let's take a look. 

24: WrestleMania Monday Documentary

If you've got the WWE Network, the chances are pretty high that you've watched a WWE 24 since the series debuted in January 2015, so you should know the formula by now, with this episode being no different. The show covers the day leading up to Monday Night RAW at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, immediately following WrestleMania 32, focusing on the journey's of Enzo & Cass, Apollo Crews, AJ Styles, Cesaro, Zack Ryder and Maryse as well covering Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows backstage contract signing. All four of the main stories offer interesting tales, each compelling and engaging on their own levels, delving into what brought those names to that point in their career and their motivations. Each story carries it's screen time well, with perhaps their even being an argument for the Cesaro and Ryder stories deserving more focus, but overall the mix of faces and narratives creates a vibrant and busy documentary. The time spent on the origin of the super hyper RAW after Mania crowds and a handful of moments ties the whole package together well, with the likes of Daniel Bryan, Fandango, Paige, Goldberg and Dolph Ziggler providing a nice insight into their memorable time's on various post-Mania RAW's. 

The hour-long episode on it's own is well worth checking out if your interested into what goes into making a show like the one at American Airlines Center.

The Matches 

We begin in 1995 with a massively physical WWF World Women's Championship match as Alundra Blayze and Bull Nakano (in her last match with WWF), throw big moves at each other, before Bertha Faye [Rhonda Singh] makes her debut. From the same episode, a segment with Sycho Sid turning on Shawn Michaels during a Vince McMahon interview is bizarrely cut off in the middle of the break, meaning that majority of the footage is then shown windowed the following week's RAW, with Diesel making the save. Mankind [Mick Foley]'s WWF debut in 1996 in quick squash with Bob Holly [Hardcore Holly] is an odd watch as the new character hadn't quite settled. Jumping to '98 and we have a red-hot "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, coming straight off taking the WWF World Heavyweight title from Shawn Michaels, interview with Vince McMahon, which inevitably ends with a Stone Cold stunner and the Syracuse crowd losing all of their shits. From the same episode is X-Pac's WWF return, as he's introduced as a new member of D-Generation X by Triple H, leading to a big ol' shoot on Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and WCW. 

Into the new millennium and we have a European title bout between Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero, which is notable for Chyna's turning on Y2J, but isn't on the same level matches in WCW three years earlier. '02 provides a wonderful segment with Hollywood Hulk Hogan and The Rock basking in the glory of their night the match earlier, both controlling a rowdy crowd and giving them exactly what they wanted. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall's reply isn't quite as fun and Hall especially seems a little lost, but once Rocky and the Hulkster starting turning their shooters on their new rivals it's golden. Brock Lesnar's debut, alongside with Paul Heyman, interrupting a Hardcore title match between Maven and Al Snow, that had already been interrupted by Spike Dudley, is a cool moment that makes Brock look like a beast straight off the bat. From the next year we have Steve Austin getting fired by Eric Bischoff, to storyline signal Austin's in-ring retirement, which in comparison to later retirements of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels is, at best, uncomfortable to watch. Kane and Rob Van Dam winning the WWE World Tag Team titles from Lance Storm & Chief Morley [Val Venis] in a Three Way Elimination match with The Dudley Boyz is a decent jaunt, with a cool story and the Seattle crowd being super into Kane & RVD as a team. Completing a trifeca of '03 efforts, Goldberg debuts by spearing the shit out The Rock, as both men are booked perfectly and excel in their roles. 

There's no space for the brilliant 2004 segment with Christian and Trish Stratus, so we're onto '05 where we have ignore that Chris Benoit and Edge had a barn-burner and watch a solid and energetic Intercontinental Championship three-way with Shelton Benjamin defending against Chris Jericho and Christian. It's then a brilliant promo from Shawn Michaels as he interrupts John Cena in 2007, and whilst they tease a potential title rematch, Jonathan Coachman, the bastard that he is, makes them defend their WWE World Tag Team titles in a battle royal instead. Both battle royals from that show are included, with the first seeing Cena & Michaels take on Chris Masters & Kenny Dykstra, Cryme Tyme, Deuce N' Domino, The New Breed's Elijah Burke & Matt Striker, Eugene & Jim Duggan, The King's Court's King Booker & Finlay, ECW Original's Rob Van Dam & Sabu and The Highlanders in a generic brawly battle royal, with a cool finish. The second match includes Brian Kendrick & Paul London, Chavo Guerrero & Gregory Helms, Dave Taylor & William Regal, The Hardy Boyz, Johnny Nitro & The Miz, The New Breed's Kevin Thorn & Marcus Cor Von, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, ECW Originals' The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer and Val Venis & Viscera for another 2007 nostalgia mid and lower card buzz, featuring confusing booking for Michaels and Cena and an awkward finish.  

Ric Flair's retirement speech from 2008 is wonderful, even with the slightly tainting factor of the fact he'd go on to face the likes of Frankie Kazarian, James Storm and Matt Morgan for TNA a few short years later. It's difficult to not be touch by how touched Flair is as Triple H brings a procession the likes of John Cena, Chris Jericho, Batista, the future Charlotte Flair and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat out to send Ric's tear ducts into overdrive, although having past adversaries like Sting, Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Randy Savage or Hulk Hogan would've made it even better. A decent '09 Lumberjack match between Carlito & Primo and The Miz & John Morrison over the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship is probably the best bout to set on that point, although the most fun probably comes from working out who some of the Lumberjacks are. John Cena and The Rock are superb opposite each other, as they set-up their WrestleMania XXVIII bout a year early, in front of hotter than hot Atlanta crowd in '11. Whilst both kill it on the mic, throwing barbs back and forth, the conclusion with them fending off an attack from The Corre (Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater & Ezekiel Jackson) is unnecessary here. Flash forward a year and John Cena has just lost to The Rock, enter Brock Lesnar, add the feeling that RAW after Mania is becoming a "thing" and you've got a magic slice of TV. 

'13 offers us two moments, firstly Dolph Ziggler's Money in the Bank cash-in on Alberto Del Rio which has lost some of it's magic four years on, but the pop that Here to Show the World gets is still something special. Then it's onto Fandango v Kofi Kingston, which is all about the crowd kicking off the "Fandagoing" Revolution, rather than the match and Chris Jericho's assault on our hero. Ultimate Warrior's return to RAW in '14 and final public appearance provides a spine-tingling promo, less than 24 hours before Warrior passed it's almost prophetic in nature at points.  The same episode has Paige's main roster debut, as she interrupts an entertaining speech from AJ Lee, however their match isn't as strong as it should have been (with the same probably being true for Paige's entire main roster run, now I come to think of it)

Things really pick up in '15 as Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler have a cracking wrestling match, full of strikes, wrestling and near falls in what is currently Bryan's penultimate TV singles match. It battles for match of the night with a stellar United States title match as John Cena defends against Dean Ambrose at the beginning of the Open Challenge gimmick. It's much more of a WWE-style contest with big money moves and false finishes, but just as fun as the previous bout. From the event featured in the documentary, a pair of well-handled promos lead us into Zack Ryder putting his Intercontinental title up against The Miz in an extremely satisfying match. It didn't make any Match of the Year polls, but it builds well to the conclusions as Zack's Dad gets involved and Maryse returns and set the wheels in motions for the wonderful run that Miz is still on to this day. The regular content concludes with the marvellous Fatal Four-Way #1 Contender's match with "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Cesaro, as the four pool their talents to create some breath-taking action in the squared circle. Paced perfectly with everyone on top of their games, both in terms of character work and grappling, this is the best match across the two discs.

Blu-Ray Exclusives 

Our exclusives begin in '98 with Faarooq being removed from the Nation of Domination after The Rock walks out on a curiously booked tag match against "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock and "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman. The Spirit Squad (Kenny [Dykstra] & Mikey [Mondo]) challenge for The Big Show & Kane's World Tag Team titles in '06 in a short, uninteresting bout. A match billed as a "WrestleMania All-Star" match more than lives up to it's billing in '09 as John Cena, CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat tag up against Chris Jericho, Edge, Kane, The Big Show and Matt Hardy, bringing together a number of storylines from the previous evening. The obvious standout is the unbelievable performance of the 55 year old Steamboat, as he keeps pace with the likes of Jericho and Edge and gives the match a character and watch-ability that might have been lacking almost ten years on without.

Perhaps surprisingly kept as an Exclusive is Shawn Michaels '10 retirement speech, which is, at least, on par with Ric Flair's two years earlier. Kept much more personal with only an appearance from Triple H on the entrance ramp, Michaels addressing the crowd has probably retained more value than the Nature Boy's monologue and still holds the ability to have an impact as HBK puts over the audience for believing in him, even when he didn't. An Intercontinental Championship match with Wade Barrett and The Miz is really only notable for the crowd's desire to boo a than bizarrely babyface Miz, as even with the title switch it's a nothing match. Alexander Rusev's debut over Zack Ryder in '14 is followed up by Enzo & Cass debuting two years later, with Enzo Amore running throwing bombs at The Dudley Boyz on the microphone in front of a crowd that absolutely adores the act.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.73/10 

A strong release here, that intrigues with it's concept and then delivers by adding to the strong documentary with a good mixture of matches and moments. All the major post-WrestleMania happening are here, as well as a few that might have slipped the memory or initially went underrated in the hustle and bustle of Mania weekend. For such a limiting pool to fish from, the returns are much more hit than miss, whilst those misses mostly have some nostalgia or reason for being included. My only qualm is that I feel more could have been done to enhance the Home Video release of the documentary, with perhaps extra interviews or deleted scenes, that would have validated any potential purchase, when the doc is already on the WWE Network. The same could've been said for individual interviews or special commentary for the matches included, but WWE doesn't seem interested in adding value to their Home Video content at the moment. 

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WWE Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story DVD Review

WWE's Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story is out now on DVD (There's a Blu Ray version too), available from www.wwedvd.co.uk. The three disc set features a 90 minute documentary on Savage's life and career, as well as fifteen matches from between November 1986 and October 1997. The set includes matches featuring the likes of Hart Foundation, Shawn Michaels, Ricky Steamboat, Bruno Sammartino, Ted DiBiase and more. 

The Documentary

Quite simply, the documentary portion of this DVD should be required viewing for any wrestling fan. One of the best pieces WWE Home Video has ever created, it details the entire of Savage's life, with a lot of time spent on detailing Savage's early life and his personal life away from the wrestling ring. This is embellished with interviews with his brother, Lanny, his mother, Judy and a handful of Savage's personal friends and other acquantances. This gives the set a real sense of context and allows Savage's larger than life wrestling persona to be humanised, perhaps in a way it has never been before. 

An old interview with Savage's Dad, Angelo, is included.

Those looking for some meaty wrestling stories to get their teeth into also won't be disapointed as the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, Diamond Dallas Page, Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash are all on hand, alongside Lanny, to provide a number of interesting tales about Savage both in and out of the ring. From these stories, Savage comes across as a die hard perfectionist, with some off camera footage of an interview taping helping to create this picture. Stories of his classic feud with Ricky Steamboat, including Steamboat's teary reaction, and his hot and cold friendship with Hulk Hogan were personal favourites of mine,

His relationship with WWE going sour is also not shyed away from, as Lanny explains Savage's plans to end his career in a lengthy feud with Shawn Michaels, before explaining why Savage never wished to go back to WWE after leaving for WCW. By the end of the documentary it's difficult not to have an emotional involvement, as Savage seems to spiral out of control, with his infamous video on Hulk Hogan included in part, as well as the death of his ex-wife Miss Elizabeth. Just as the story seems to be turning a corner, it's cut short, way way too soon. 

Savage's brother, Lanny, is heard from often.

The Matches

The set get's straight into some big time action as Savage faces Ricky Steamboat on a November 1986 episode of Superstars. The pair show all of the chemistry that would put together their classic WrestleMania III bout, with a number of great sequences and finish off with the classic moment that lead to their bout at Mania. This is followed up by an interesting clash of styles as Savage battles Bruno Sammartino in Lumberjack match at Boston Garden in February 1987. Whilst it's intriguing to see the two styles collide, there isn't much to this match at all. In the same month, Savage returns to his feud with Steamboat with the pair putting on another good bout, with solid wrestling and storyline progression. Savage's selling and the finish of this bout are particular highlight. 

A clash with Harley Race from September in Phildadelphia follow, with Savage now wrestling as a babyface. It's slow brawl, with Race clearly not capable of going at the required pace at this time in his career and whilst there is some decent wrestling, the lack of pace really hurts this one. A steel cage bout seeing Savage team with Strike Force to take on The Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation at Boston Garden in May 1988 may be a paint by numbers affair, but it's still a compelling bout that is a lot of fun to watch. Savage is absolutely adored by fans at this point. The same venue host a match with Ted DiBiase in July, as the pair put on another good contest, including an electric comeback from Savage. It's a shame about the shite disqualification finish.

Oh yeah! 

Onto 1989 and Savage tangles with Bad News Brown in a Harlem Street Fight on Maple Leaf Wrestling in January. This match is certainly behind it's time with the use of chairs and table spot, and for that alone it is an interesting watch. However, it has perhaps the worst finish I have ever seen. After turning back heel, Savage battles Hulk Hogan at Madison Square Garden in April, in a match that screams Sports Entertainment. Bucket loads of storytelling and some awesome spots, this is what WWE is all about. Roddy Piper is the opponent for a dull bout in Miami in January 1990. The crowd couldn't care less and spend most of the match silent, and despite some attempts at comedy this bout falls flat. 

A hidden gem of a bout arises as Savage takes on Shawn Michaels in Munich in April 1992, with Savage returning as a babyface. The psychology in this bout is spot on throughout, with Savage selling throughout, creating a compelling story that drew me straight in. This bout deserved an extra five minutes and HBK and Savage deserved a lengthy rivalry. We stay in Europe for SummerSlam 1992's World Title match as Savage clashes with The Ultimate Warrior. It's another classic slice of sports entertainment, with the two stringing together an interesting match, although it does go a little too long and the interference becomes tiresome. The crowd loves it all however. Ric Flair is the opponent in Hershey in September 1992, in a bout rich in storytelling. Another classic encounter, an absolute pleasure to watch. 

Cunt Hogan

Onto WCW, historically where the quality of these sets decline. It was a little worrying when Savage's January 1995 Saturday Night clash with Arn Anderson was a dull bout full of rest holds and the two guys lying around. SuperBrawl VI presents Savage against Flair again, this time inside a steel cage. Whilst the bout never reaches the peak of their previous match on the set, it's still a good watch with a nice swerve as the finish. Finally, with Savage back heel and part of the NWO, he takes on Diamond Dallas Page in a Las Vegas Sudden Death match (Known to everyone else as a Last Man Standing Match) at Halloween Havoc 1997. The match attempts psychology, although Page doesn't sell his injured ribs once, however that doesn't stop this from being a fun and silly brawl with some decent spots. Not a bad way to close of the set.

Finally...

Buy this DVD. Watch it. Thank me. No more of conclussion is needed. 

WWE WCW's Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches Volume 1 DVD Review

WWE's WCW's Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches Volume 1 is out now on DVD and Blu Ray, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk, currently priced at £19.99 for DVD and £22.99 for Blu Ray. The three disc set, looks at the greatest matches that happened on WCW Pay-Per-View and is presented by former Five Time WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T. The set looks at the period between November 1987 and March 2001 and features some of the best wrestlers to work for WCW and the NWA during that time, including Chris Jericho, Jushin Thunder Liger, Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat and The Road Warriors.

     WWE's WCW's Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches is a three disc DVD set that chronicles some of the most important bouts to have taken place on WCW's Pay-Per-View broadcasts. Bouts from the likes of Starrcade, The Great American Bash and Halloween Havoc feature heavily throughout as presenter Booker T leads us through the action. 

 

     As a presenter Booker is a solid choice for this set, as he not only offers knowledge on a large period of WCW history, but also brings a strong energy and enthusiam to his segments, which is always a bonus!

     The matches kick off with Ric Flair challenging Ron Garvin for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship inside a Steel Cage. It's a decent bout, but Garvin's lack of connection with the crowd, means they are fully behind Flair throughout, which harms the overall feel. In contrast the crowd clearly adores Dusty Rhodes as he takes on Barry Windham for the United States Heavyweight Championship in a bout from The Great American Bash 1988. Whilst the pace is slow by today's standards, this match still has a lot to offer, telling a good story, whilst also containing some decent spots like Rhodes delivering a diving cross body. It's a shame so much of the bout is built around Windham "Claw" submission hold as the move does nothing for me what so ever. Five months later Dusty Rhodes teams with Sting to take on The Road Warriors at Starrcade 1988, in an average tag bout, that is let down by some messy action at points and a frustrating finish. 

     After a string of average matches, this set really kicks into gear with Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat's classic bout from Chi-Town Rumble in February 1989. I absolutely adore this match and for me it is an instant five stars. Both men work together perfectly throughout, creating a must-watch wrestling match. The only downside is the camera's occasionally deciding to show SOME GUYS who play some sport in the US, instead of the action. The match that had to follow was always going to struggle in comparison, and whilst Lex Luger and Flyin' Brian have surprisingly good chemistry, Luger's atrocious selling kept pulling me out of the action. The final match on the disc see's Sting challenging for Ric Flair's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The bout features solid wrestling throughout, with strong psychological elements thrown in, based around Sting's injured knee. It is let down however by Sting rarely selling the knee, and relying on the commentary team to remind the audience after it is pretty much forgotten by the wrestlers in the last five minutes of the match.

      The second disc kicks off with a dull Steel Cage bout between Lex Luger and Barry Windham. It's made even more boring by an apathetic crowd chanting for Ric Flair, who had recently departed WCW for a run in the WWF, throughout the contest. The finish is also baffling, with the steel cage gimmick barely being used throughout the match.In contrast, Flyin' Brian and Jushin Thunder Liger's bout over the Light Heavyweight Championship from Superbrawl II, starts off with a crowd that couldn't care less about the contest and finishes with them gripped by the action taking place within the ring. It's a well paced, epic, light heavyweight contest. with a  mixture of crisp chain wrestling and high flying spots. Only Brian not selling the leg that Liger worked early on in the match would stop me giving this bout the perfect five stars. As usual Jesse Ventura's commentary has been turned down, although it can still be heard feintly if listening through headphones, which is slightly distracted, as is seeing Ventura talking at ringside and not being able to hear his voice. It's the same for the following match, as Jim Ross goes solo again as Sting's Squadron (Barry Windham, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes, Sting & Nikita Koloff) battle Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance ("Stunning" Steve Austin, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko & "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton) I enjoyed this match a lot more here than on the War Games boxset as it benefits from being the only match using the gimmick here. It's a bloody, violent battle with Austin and Windham both bleeding buckets. There's strong storyline elements thrown in as well, with a lively crowd making this a compelling battle. 


        The set continues with Cactus Jack and Vader's Texas Death match from Halloween Havoc in 1993. The match is a superb example of Hardcore wrestling done right, as the two men beat the shit into each other for twenty minutes, with some great spots involved. The gimmick harms the match however, with rest periods in between the ten counts, and a bizarre finish, if this was a straight last man standing bout it would have been a lot more enjoyable.

       Ricky Steamboat and Steve Austin battle over the US Heavyweight Championship in a sound Veteran vs. Up and Comer contest, with Steamboat allowing Austin to look like a star. The finishing sequence is exhilirating, how WCW and Eric Bischoff didn't recognise they had not only a breakout star in Steve Austin but the future biggest star the industry has ever produced is anyones guess. In the final match of Disc 2, Hulk Hogan's soap opera style theatrics combine with Ric Flair's technical to create a compelling World title bout at Halloween Havoc in 1994. Throw in Mr. T as Special Guest Referee and surround the ring with a Steel Cage and it seems like WCW is onto a winner here. That is until an overbooked ending including Jimmy Hart removing Sensuous Sherri's skirt, a run in from Sting and masked man with a lead pipe, make the final few moments a little tedious to watch. 

Disc three kicks off with one of the biggest moments in wrestling history as The Outsiders and their mystery partner take on Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage. This match has been present on a number of different DVD sets, and whilst the action isn't particularly great during the actual match, this one is all about the finish. The crowd reaction is always good to see. 

 
           Diamond Dallas Page and Randy Savage's No Disqualification tangle from Spring Stampede is a fun bout. Whilst the action isn't always as crisp as it should be, there's enough to keep the attention of the viewer throughout. I coud've done without the strange goings on after the bout though. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Eddy Guerrero from Halloween Havoc 1997 is a quality Lucha Libre style bout, with all the flips and tricks that you'd expect. There's a lot of really pretty wrestling here, and stuff that still makes me say "Wow" in 2014, so I can only imagine what watching in 1997 would have been like. The finish is truly spectacular. 

            Bret Hart and Randy Savage's bout from Slamboree 1998 is as dull as dishwater as the two go through the motions for 15 minutes, before a convulted ending reveals this bout as a set up for another Hogan vs Savage feud. WWE obviously wanted to include a Bret Hart match on the set, and with Hart finest PPV matches for WCW coming against Ric Flair, who we'd already seen four times and Chris Benoit, it's almost as if they picked a match at random. From the bizarre Road Wild PPV (held at motor bike festival, because why wouldn't you hold a wrestling PPV there) we get Chris Jericho defending the Cruiserweight title against Juventud Guerrera in a decent cruiserweight bout. Jericho does his best to gain some heat from an audience that isn't made up of wrestling fans. There's some good wrestling, but this bout lacks the fire needed to take it too the next level, with a crowd that couldn't care less not helping at all. Goldberg's World Heavyweight title defense against Diamond Dallas Page is one of the best bouts of Golberg's career. The psychology is strong, with Goldberg's selling also very good throughout, making the finish mean something! The face vs. face type matches doesn't always pay off but it works very well here.

       


     After the mess that was Hulk Hogan exiting WCW at Bash at the Beach 2000, Booker T and Jeff Jarrett attempt to rescue the situation in the main event of that PPV. Unfortunately the pair are let down, by an over booked mess of a finish and a random brawl around the arena in poor rip off of what ECW had been doing for sometime. When the two are allowed the wrestle the action is good, but they don't get very long to show us what they can do. A six man ladder match for the Cruiserweight title has some really good spots in it, with Shane Helms and Jamie Knoble both standing out. However, once again some bizarre booking, with the match presented as a tag team match that only one man can win, and eventually having it won by two men, and a dodgy first five minutes, harm what could have beena rival to WWF's TLC matches at the time. The final match on the set, is the final match WCW ever presented on PPV as Scott Steiner and Diamond Dallas Page collide in a Falls Count Anywhere bout over the World Heavyweight Championship. For what it's worth, this is a sound contest, with some good brawling presented by both men. Both Steiner and Page play their roles very well, it's just a shame we get another over booked mess of a finish, but hey that was WCW for you!

     Overall, this was fine three disc set that showcased a good cross section of WCW's PPV offerings, whilst they may not all be classic matches like Flair vs. Steamboat, the DVD does flow very nicely from one match to the other without an over whelming "burn out" feel. It's clear that WWE wanted to make sure everyone of WCW's big name stars were on this DVD, rather than simpy the Best matches from WCW PPV's otherwise we would have had a whole lot more of Ric Flair! I would have liked to have seen a few more added features like interviews with the wrestlers involved in the matches and maybe some new commentary from those involved (Steve Austin and Ricky Steamboat commentating on their match would have been a nice touch) to make this set stand out from the content already available on the WWE Network (for a cheaper price a month, for a lot more content) as Booker T's introduction aren't quite enough to shed the extra cash. If you're a completist buy the set, if you're not check out the higher reccomended matches on the WWE Network.

Content Listing

Vignette 1: Then, Now, Forever.

Vignette 2: Classic WCW PPV Moments

Segue 1: The Evolution of Pay-Per-View

Match 1: Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. "The Man With The Hands of Stone" Ron Garvin (C) - NWA Starrcade "Chi-Town Heat", 26th November 1987

Match 2: Singles Match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes vs. Barry Windham (C) with "The Executive Director of the Four Horseman" James J. Dillon - NWA The Great American Bash "The Price Of Freedom", 10th July 1988

Match 3: Tag Team Match for the NWA World Tag Team Championships: Sting & "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes vs. "The Legion of Doom" The Road Warriors with "Precious" Paul Ellering (C) - NWA Starrcade "True Gritt" - 26th December 1988

Segue 2: A Hall of Fame Rivalry

Match 4: Singles Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (C) with Hiro Matsuda - NWA Chi-Town Rumble, 20th February 1989

Match 5: Singles Match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship: Flyin' Brian vs. Lex Luger (C) - NWA Halloween Havoc, 28th October 1989

Match 6: Singles Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Sting with Junkyard Dog, Paul Orndorff, Scot Steiner & Rick Steiner vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (C) NWA The Great American Bash "New Revolution", 7th July 1990

Disc 2

Segue 3: Everything to Gain

Match 7: Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: United States Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger vs. Barry Windham. WCW The Great American Bash, 14th July 1991

Match 8: Singles Match for the WCW World Light Heavyweight Championship: Flyin' Brian vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (C). WCW Superbrawl II, 29th February 1992 

Match 9: War Games Match: The Dangerous Alliance ("Stunning" Steve Austin, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko & "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton) with Paul E. Dangerously & Madusa  vs. Sting's Squadron (Barry Windham, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes, Sting & Nikita Koloff). WCW WrestleWar "War Games", 17th May 1992.

Segue 4: Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal

Match 10: Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal Texas Death Match: WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader with Harley Race vs Cactus Jack. WCW Halloween Havoc, 24th October 1993.

Match 11: Singles Match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. "Stunning" Steve Austin (C), WCW Bash At The Beach, 17th July 1994

Match 12: Steel Cage Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair with Sensuous Sherri vs. Hulk Hogan with Jimmy Hart. WCW Halloween Havoc, 23rd October 1994

Disc 3

Segue 5: The Hostile Takeover

Match 13: Six Man Tag Team Match: The Outsiders & Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger, Sting & Randy Savage. WCW Bash at the Beach. 7th July 1996

Match 14: No Disqualification Match: Diamond Dallas Page with Kimberly vs. Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth. WCW Spring Stampede. 6th April, 1997. 

Match 15: Mask vs. WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rey Mysterio, Jr vs. Eddy Guerrero (C). WCW Halloween Havoc, 26th October 1997

Match 16: Singles Match: Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth. WCW Slamboree, 17th May 1998

Match 17: WCW World Cruiserweight Championship Match: Juventud Guerrera vs. "Lionheart" Chris Jericho (C). WCW Road Wild, 8th August 1998.

Match 18: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Goldberg (C) 

Segue 6: Oppurtunity Knocks

Match 19: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Booker T vs. Jeff Jarrett. WCW Bash at the Beach, 9th July 2000

Segue 7: A Legendary Era

WWE All Star Search #8 - 27th April 1985 - Adam Ross

Hello Turnbucklers! It's edition #8 and we are less than a month removed from Wrestlemania 1! Wrestlemania 1 was all about the main event and its historical context but let's face it, the show overall was a bit of a stinker. The card for this show looks good so hopefully it'll play out in ring as well. We have one big debut on this edition and we have a big tag team battle royal as main event. This show is mainly tag team matches but hey, doesn't mean it won't be a good show! So shall we see how it plays out? Let's go!

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The Card:

The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs

David Sammartino/Tito Santana vs Brutus Beefcake/Greg 'the Hammer' Valentine (IC Champ)

Roddy Piper/Bob Orton vs SD Jones/George Wells

The US Express vs Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff (Tag Team Champs)

Ricky Steamboat/Jimmy Snuka vs Charlie Fulton/Moondog Spot

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Paul Orndorff [WWE Title match]

$50,000 Tag Team Battle Royal

The Show:

Our commentary team tonight is Dick Graham and Gorilla Monsoon who run down whats to come before we go straight into our first match.

The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs

Well ain't this a doozey! This is the first meeting between the two teams and all have history in Stampede Wrestling. This is our first introduction to Bret(t) Hart, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. The Bulldogs are my hometown boys so it's good to see them arrive. The Hart Foundation are in all black in this one, so no pink as of yet. Dynamite and Bret start us off and Dynamite does some cool flips to escape an armbar. Davey Boy in and he escapes a hammerlock by sending Bret Hart to the outside using nothing but momentum. Back in and some nice chain wrestling by Bret and Davey. In comes Neidhart and him and Davey test each others strength which Davey gets the better of. Dynamite back in and so is Bret...who eats an amazing enziguiri followed by a perfect snap suplex for 2. Bret regains control, tags out and Anvil locks on a chinlock to slow things down. Bret back in with some heely antics a foot but Dynamite sneaks in a backslide for 2. Dynamite can't tag out as the heels still work him over. He finally makes the tag but the ref didn't see it and sends Davey back out to mild boo's. Bret nails Dynamite on the concrete on the outside and that looked nasty. Crowd are suprisingly quiet so far. More quick tags and heely antics by the Hart Foundation as Dynamite looks dead on his feet. Dynamite finally makes the hit tag to a somewhat quiet buzz and Davey briefly clears house of the heels but its not for long. Bret hits a lovely backbreaker and Davey now has to play face in peril. A couple of restholds later and Bret drops his soon-to-be normal elbow drops. The pace has slowed down quite a bit here and the crowd are silent apart from one or two blokes yelling randomly. Davey takes a hard bump to the outside but he reverses Bret Hart into the guardrail although Neidhart still poses in the ring. Back in the ring and Davey tries to get a sunset flip on Neidhart but it fails. Bret back in for another amazing backbreaker and he heads up top. Of course he gets cut off and thrown to the mat as Davey goes up instead and nails a perfect missile dropkick. Dynamite back in and he takes control of the heels including another awesome snap suplex and a headbutt. Dynamite nails a lovely tombstone piledriver for 2...Davey in and he hits a Powerslam on Bret who is really taking some punishment. Clothesline on Bret and the time expires soon after. The first half of the match was superb and had a great pace. After half way it slowed down a lot and they lost the crowd. Bret looked amazing here, really taking punishment and really hitting some crisp moves on the Bulldogs. Thats not to take away from the others involved either as everyone did great here. Shame about the ending but its understandable. Match Rating: ***1/4

David Sammartino/Tito Santana vs Brutus Beefcake/Greg 'the Hammer' Valentine (IC Champ)

The future tag champs are out first with Johnny Valiant as Dick Graham says this should be a great one. David Sammartino though? Hmmm. This further baffles me as to why Santana was in the opener of Mania instead of JYD. Brutus and Sammartino start and Sammartino takes early control. Beefcake tries to run away but finds Tito's fist on the apron and the heels regroup on the outside. Fruitcake chants breaks out at Brutus as Hammer comes in and chases Sammartino around the ring with elbows but misses every one. Tito comes in as Hammer bails. He comes back in, stalls for an age, then tags out to Brutus! Sammartino back in and Tito did fuck all then! Sammartino takes control with armbars and slams but its all basic as basic is. Tito in and he works on the arm until Hammer gets involved but Tito fights off the heels. He locks in an armbar...tags out...and Sammartino locks in an arm bar. Crowd are dead in this one too...Heels take over on Sammartino and Hammer works over the back, even applying a chin lock. Beefcake back in and he...just works over Sammartino in general. Tito eventually gets the hot tag and faces off with Valentine. Heel miscommunication allows Santana to roll up Hammer for the win! The David Sammartino run is pretty much a big failure after this point. The crowd were definitely finding it hard to get behind him. Beefcake is showing some improvements after his initial months. Tito was...Tito and Hammer was...Hammer. Looking forward to seeing Beefcake and Hammer team up more so down the line. Match Rating: *3/4

Roddy Piper/Bob Orton vs SD Jones/George Wells

I can't really understand this match as it couldn't be more of a write off for the heels. Shockingly I'm not wrong, as within a few minutes, Piper and Orton have already won with a cheapshot with Orton's cast off the top rope that KO's SD Jones for the win. Normally squash matches are there to make wrestler's look strong and unbeatable...this one didn't do that.Match Rating: DUD

Into the back with Dick Graham who is with the tag champs, Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. The way they're holding their belts actually gives them a somewhat physical prestige. They say that they shall win tonight but in a less crazy manner they normally get that point across.

The US Express vs Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff (Tag Team Champs)

This is a non-title rematch from Wrestlemania 1 and I can't work out why it's not for the belts. The champs are Blassie-less for this one and the challengers come out on fire and pearl harbour the champs. The crowd are hot for this one. Its a good match with Sheik outdoing Volkoff on the heels side and Windham shining for the faces. Windham is crisp throughout but that's not to take anything away from Rotundo. The action is well balanced with everyone getting in some offence. The heels and their miscommunication spots are funny. Sheik does take a nasty bump to the outside at one point. The finish comes after Volkoff misses a knee in the corner and gets rolled up for the 3 count. The faces and the crowd celebrate, although things quieten down once the crowd realise its not a title change.Match Rating: **1/4

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Ricky Steamboat/Jimmy Snuka vs Charlie Fulton/Moondog Spot

Our last tag team match of the card and on paper it's another complete squash match. In the previous All Star Search, I looked at the similarities between Snuka and Steamboat and how in my opinion, the WWE only really needed one of them. However they've shut me up and put them as a tag team to face Jobber UTD. This is Moondog Spots blog debut and I'm expecting big things. The match goes longer than I expected with the heels actually getting in some decent offense. Charlie Fulton got in a lot more offense than I expecting in particular even though the majority was basic. Moondog Spot was slow and uninteresting but hey, who's suprised. This match gave me the ideal opportunity to compare Steamboat and Snuka and it's obvious that Steamboat is the one with the future and Snuka is falling behind. Again we see a lot of chops, arm drags and leapfrogs. The faces were trying a lot more double team manuevers so it seems that WWE were testing the waters to see if they'd make a good tag team. To be fair they do but Steamboat doesn't need to be there, he needs to be moving up the card but that won't happen until further down the line. I have to point out the sprinkling of boring chants during the restholds which I would never expect during a Steamboat match. Finish comes when all four men get involved at once and Steamboat catches Fulton with a crossbody for 3! Match Rating: *1/2

Into the back with Dick Graham and Hulk Hogan. They shill the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone featuring Hogan before moving onto hyping the upcoming match with Paul Orndorff. Hogan puts over Orndorff something fierce.

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Paul Orndorff [WWE Title match]

So at Wrestlemania, Orndorff was on the losing end of the pinfall and thus was left behind by his heely cohorts. One month later he's challenging Hogan for the title and his crowd reaction is slightly more mixed. Hogan is still coming out to Eye of the Tige, still all in whiter and his reception is still double the volume of anyone else on the roster. The crowd is hot for this one! We have the scrappiest start I've seen in a long time before some more stalling. Orndorff takes control early with kicks and clubs before taunting the crowd. Hogan blocks and rams Orndorff into the turnbuckle and follows up with an elbow. Orndorff wants some timeout and bails out to crowd heat. Lots of stalling before Hogan takes control with a headlock and a shoulderblock sends Orndorff reeling in the ropes for more stalling. Back suplex by Hogan, headbutts and a clothesline in the corner send Orndorff to the mat for a 2 count before locking on a chinlock. Big 'Paula' chant for Orndorff which reminds me of the 'Princess Evans' chant at Futureshock. More restholds and this is becoming a really slow paced match and the crowd is fighting to stay hot. Finally Orndorff retakes control with a kitchen sink and elbow drops. Nice suplex by Orndorff followed by a big knee drop for 2. Hogan starts no selling, nails Orndorff with right hands, whips him into the corner, avoids a charge by Orndorff, nails the Leg Drop and that gets the win. Afterwards Orndorff offers his hand in friendship and Hogan eventually accepts to a huge pop! Orndorff is now almost certainly a face! Really disappointed with that match. Baring in mind the heat between the two is huge and baring in mind the aftermath, this was a glorified Hogan squash match if you take away all the stalling. Orndorff got very little offense in on Hogan which isn't good if they want to push him strong as a face in future. Match Rating: *

Before we get to the next match, the flambouyantly dressed Spectrum ring announcer runs down the next 'supercard' in Philly...and boy does it sound DULL. All I'm going to to say is...Charlie Fulton vs Swede Hanson was a highlight. I think I'll let someone else find that show and review it.

$50,000 Tag Team Battle Royal

So this is our main event! A tag team battle royal featuring many of the superstars and teams we've seen already tonight. The winner gets $50,000 to share and all the pride they can handle. There's no point me telling you exactly what happened throughout the battle royal so I'll give you the jist. It only takes one member of a team to be thrown out for the whole team to be eliminated. To be fair, looking at the teams, anyone could've won this one....not David Sammartino though. It all kicks off before the announcer finishes his introductions. The tag champs and the US Express are the first teams to go suprisingly. Piper and Orton try to eliminate Steamboat who skins the cat! The crowd love it as these are the final two teams. Moondog Spot is still ringside and attacks Steamboat for some reason. He escapes and comes off the top rope to take out everyone in the ring. Piper is eliminated by Snuka giving the 'South Pacific Connection' the win! However, Piper steals the money and buggers off with it. Entertaining match although battle royals are hard to rate. Steamboat was the only person in this who truly stood out so he'll get extra points for that! Nice to see Snuka and Piper interacting after their program last year.  Match Rating: *3/4



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Wrestler Scores:

• Jim Neidhart +6 (10)
• Bret Hart +7 (7)
• Davey Boy Smith +6 (6)
• Dynamite Kid +6 (6)
• David Sammartino +2 (6)
• Tito Santana +5 (39)
• Brutus Beefcake +5 (9)
• Greg Valentine +5 (36)
• Roddy Piper +3 (30)
• Bob Orton +3 (10)
• Iron Sheik +4 (19)
• Nikolai Volkoff +4 (11)
• Barry Windham +5 (10)
• Mike Rotundo +4 (10)
• SD Jones +1 (6)
• George Wells +1 (1)
• Jimmy Snuka +5 (19)
• Ricky Steamboat +7 (12)
• Charlie Fulton +4 (8)
• Moondog Spot +3 (3)
• Hulk Hogan +5 (36)
• Paul Orndorff +5 (19)

So all in all, although not spectacular, this show is one of the better ones I've reviewed so far. Bret Hart had a great first appearance looking extra crisp in everything he did. Hogan and Orndorff was a let down but wow, the first match on the card was really good. It will be interesting to see where Orndorff's character development leads too.

Finally, a good mate of mine is back from a short break and doing his ever popular reviews. He's one of YouTube's oldest reviewers and he's definitely the most interesting. Of course I'm talking about Mr. Marc Pearson and here is his latest video HERE.

These blogs will also be appearing on Across the Pond so if you've never checked out the site, please give it a view!

As always, follow me on Twitter @TheWrestlinDork and please click on the affiliates to keep me fed! Much love Turnbucklers and see you next time!