Step into the Ring

Sunday 28 April 2013

THE SHIELD OF JUSTICE

The Undertaker has been a constant source of discussion in WWE since his return to hype his WrestleMania match with C.M Punk, in which he stumbled out victorious. Undertaker has also been a constant source of discussion in this blog since his return, as by now he has usually departed WWE thanks to his catalogue of injuries that he usually need surgery to repair or a huge amount of downtime to rest. Yet, we’re charging towards the end of April and Undertaker is still with us and what’s more impressive for a man of his age that has as many injuries as he does, Undertaker is still wrestling on a regular basis.

Mark Calloway’s presence in WWE would have been welcomed had he just been there at Kane’s side to aid his plight in battling the Shield. It would have been enough just to see him on screen without seeing him wrestle but on the recent tour of Europe, Undertaker fought on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown which was taped on Tuesday night. Which means Undertaker fought two night in a row. Something he hasn’t done in many years. Does this mean that Undertaker really is sticking around in what has been touted as his final year in the business to leave a mark that has already become indelible? Or is he just here for the WrestleMania hangover period which hasn’t been all that bad. Certainly, your Wrestling God has seen worse after periods in WWE.

The cause of Undertaker’s prolonged stay in WWE could be his want to be around the squared circle as much as he could be in his final year, which hasn’t yet been confirmed, or it could be because WWE no longer have unlimited access to the Rock. The Rock was WWE’s master plan to wrestle at Extreme Rules, however his sickening injury at WrestleMania 29 - tore his abdomen and adductor muscles off the bone – which is so far unclear whether is down to John Cena or not. In fact, the Rock told WWE.Com, you know that trusted source for all things truthful in wrestling, that his doctor had to push his intestines back through the hole in his abdomen. Nasty. This injury which the Rock requires surgery to correct certainly precludes him from making any appearance at Extreme Rules, which he was slated to wrestle.

Exit Rock, enter Undertaker. If you can’t have one then why not have the other? Of course this mere speculation and Undertaker’s prolonged stay in WWE may be down to something different completely. But with the Rock, WWE’s main drawing card at WrestleMania 29 and planned drawing card at Extreme Rules, on the shelf, Undertaker may just be a blessing is disguise for WWE and the future of its main event scene. As touted last time around, should Undertaker compete at Extreme Rules as it seems he will do, then he will either face the Shield in a three on one handicap match or in a six man tag team match teaming with Team Hell No. Either way, the upside is that this match will elevate the Shield to unprecedented heights and possibly go on last.

For the Shield to compete in a main event match on the top of the card, that would be all but thrilling and career making for the trio who are headed for the top of the mountain. For a victory over WWE’s greatest ever phenom, the Shield would never have to win a match ever again. They could always say, they’ve beaten the Undertaker, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Big Show, Team Hell No and Ryback. When you think about it like that, Undertaker is the only name left on their sizable hit list. And to defeat the Deadman so early in their career, one could look upon that as WWE atoning for the sins they have made on every other young star they have failed to elevate in the right way. More than anything else, that gives an air of authenticity to the Shield of Justice.

Onwards and upwards...

Wednesday 24 April 2013

REVIEW CORNER: THE BEST OF WCW MONDAY NITRO VOLUME 2 DVD AND BLU-RAY





    A – Excellent


    B – Good


    C – Mediocre


    D – Avoid









Release Date: 29th April 2013

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:
DVD £ 19.99
Blu-ray £ 22.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD (3 Discs)
(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Discs)

What It’s About:

The second volume and follow up to the hugely successful ‘The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 1’. A selection of complete matches and moments from WCW’s biggest weekly television show which for years, trashed WWE in the ratings and sparked the infamous Monday Night Wars.

Strengths:

Diamond Dallas Page resumes hosting duties from the first volume and is excellent. Page provides some great insight into the WCW programme and his stories never fail to bring a smile to the face. In short, DDP is the perfect host and WWE should seek out more hosts with his flare and panache for connecting to the audience.

Sting vs Ric Flair (4th September 1995) for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, from the first ever Monday Nitro in the middle of ‘The Mall of America’ is more than respectable. Ric Flair always did bring out the best in Sting, the man he helped to make a star. Taking place in the middle of a shopping mall, you can clearly see shoppers still going about their business whilst the show takes place around them. This is a fitting place to start seeing as the first volume left off on the last Monday Nitro with Sting vs Ric Flair. The match ends in a lousy disqualification but that was WCW’s forte.

‘Medusa throwing the WWE Women’s Championship in the trash’ (18th December 1995) was a momentous moment for WCW. Happening live on television, WCW made sure that the angle had full effect and was a huge shot across WWE’s bow. Some can even pin point the beginning of the Monday Night Wars to this moment in wrestling history. Medusa, who had been known in WWE as Alundra Blaze, had been constantly misused by the company even though she was limited in the ring. Interestingly enough and DDP picks up on this point, obviously told to mention it by Vince McMahon, many believe this was the catalyst of Vince’s decision to screw Bret Hart in Montreal at Survivor Series 1997. He didn’t want Hart doing with the WWE Championship what Medusa did with the Women’s Championship. In truth, Hart never would have, he had too much respect for the company and for McMahon.

The Steiner Brothers vs The Road Warriors (11th March 1996) is a rousing and hard hitting tag team confrontation. Out of all the teams to put on one of the best matches of the entire release, you wouldn’t have banked on these two teams considering their standing in the industry. This match though is full of hard hitting moves and superb athletic manoeuvres. WWE never capitalised on the Steiner’s abilities like WCW did here. In WCW’s rival company, the Steiner’s never had the opposition to make them look like stars. Had they done so, there is great chance Rick and Scott would have been a commercial smash in WWE.

Dean Malenko vs Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger (8th May 1996) is top notch all the way. For a cruiserweight clash you get the feeling the pair could have done better but there is no complaints about the full on action except that there are lingering shots of Ric Flair, Miss Elizabeth and Nancy Benoit dining at the top of the aisle which detract from the talent on show. Malenko may have been one of wrestling’s biggest underrated performers and whilst Liger has added a little weight to his frame, the Japanese star can still move.

Rey Mysterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera (16th September 1996) is remarkably slower than the average WCW Cruiserweight match but boasts some great moves from the pair. Once again, the match loses out to an NWO angle which takes precedent in the parking lot and WCW are quick to get their cameras back there instead of focusing on the match. Mysterio and Guerrera had some thrilling scraps during their WCW days though and I seriously suggest you seek them out if you favour Lucha Libre wrestling. The ending to this particular encounter is a breathtaking hurricanrana out of a Powerbomb from the top rope which WCW nearly miss because of the parking lot scene.

‘Bischoff’s biggest regret’ (30th September 1996) proves to be an intense promo piece to camera about what he regrets most handling WCW. This is of course staged and scripted for him but the comment that he regrets bringing Hulk Hogan to World Championship Wrestling is more of a sentiment that would belong in Ted Turner’s head rather than Bischoff’s. Whilst its true Hogan and Bischoff took WCW to unforgettable highs, the pair would also have a hand in destroying the company thanks to their ego’s and unwillingness to push anyone who either wasn’t a former WWE star or wasn’t Hulk Hogan, especially after the Monday Night Wars swung in WWE’s favour. With no new stars fans could buy into, WCW was always walking a slippery slope.

‘Hollywood Hogan makes Sting worship him’ (26th May 1997) attests a great angle which receives a huge reaction when the real Sting drops out of the sky and floors Eric Bischoff and Fake Sting. As the selfish and dastardly ‘Hollywood’, Hulk Hogan made a delicious villain and the angle would continue the Sting vs ‘Hollywood’ Hogan feud which would take a brilliant nine months to expertly build.

Goldberg vs Hugh Morrus (22nd September 1997) is Goldberg’s debut match in WCW and what an impact he makes. Short in length as mostly all early Bill Goldberg matches were, contributing to the fact that he would blow up hideously in long main events, Goldberg was always able to make himself look good in shorter matches. Before the match a sign can be seen in the crowd which says ‘Raw – retired and awful wrestlers’. The irony of this is that WCW had and would acquire more retired and awful wrestlers than WWE ever had.

Booker T vs Jeff Jarrett (6th October 1997) looks polished and is very well received by the audience. A younger and leaner Booker T was one of the best workers WCW ever had on their roster. The potential for a Booker T singles run was evident here and the match sparkles. Jeff Jarrett could be very good in the ring when it suited him and coming off of a dreary WWE run as ‘Double J’, Jarrett had something to prove to the wrestling world who had forgotten what he was capable of. The bumps look sumptuous but Booker T is the real star of the match.

The Steiner Brothers vs Public Enemy (3rd November 1997) in a Street Fight match is a very commendable effort for two teams which were beginning to step into the twilight of their shelf life. Even though Rick and Scott Steiner are beginning to look rough here, Scott Steiner’s eventual herculean physique is commencing its debut and the four really do look like they are stumbling through planned spots, the match is notable in other areas and credit goes to all four for making a match which looked like a stinker on paper, watchable.

‘NWO sings O’Canada’ (10th November 1997) is only just kept watchable by Eric Bischoff who is dynamite on the microphone. Kevin Nash’s promo is repetitive and there is no real point to the segment other than to announce the arrival in WCW of Bret Hart, citing that he’s the newest member of the NWO and to set up a Kevin Nash vs The Giant match. The biggest laugh of the disc though comes here, when talking about the NWO, Eric Bischoff states that he surrounds himself with the biggest and most important names in the business as Buff Bagwell and the man formerly known as Virgil stand next to him.

Booker T vs Randy Savage (15th December 1997) as usual is a good effort by both. It is the longest match to feature a member of the NWO on the release, up to that point, which is a plus. The only gripe is that to cement his status as a serious singles wrestler and a future main event star in the company, Booker T should have gone over Savage here. Nevertheless, the fans at this point have already fallen in love with Booker T as a singles wrestler and his ascension to the top was as good as guaranteed. Randy Savage also proves Vince McMahon wrong who said there would be no call for old times such as Savage to keep wrestling, which is why Savage jumped ship to WCW.

‘Remembering ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage’ is a touching tribute to the star from Diamond Dallas Page. DDP’s impression of the Macho Man is spot on and speaking highly of Savage, it’s obvious how close the pair were as Page gets suitably choked up to the point of tears remembering his friend. As good as this segment is, one couldn’t help but get the feeling this could have done with a specially made tribute video from WWE to make it complete.

Rey Mysterio Jr, Juventud Guerrera and Hector Garza vs Silver King, Psicosis and La Parker (22nd December 1997) is nothing short of excellent. Displaying a whole host of breathtaking and awe-inspiring ariel moves which have to be seen to be believed, the finishing sequence between Silver King and Rey Mysterio Jr is one of the best WCW ever produced. WCW’s Cruiserweight division produced some of the greatest matches of the company’s history on a regular basis and therefore I would like to see WWE produce ‘The Best of WCW’s Cruiserweight Division’ in the near future. The matches merit their own three disc release and WWE would not be short of material.

Diamond Dallas Page vs Chris Jericho (5th January 1998) for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship is horribly short but packs in some great back and forth reversals and catch me if you can wrestling before Page hits a stunning looking ‘Diamond Cutter’ for the victory. Booking like this though is why Jericho never made it big in WCW. Page was very good when he wanted to be, produced some very fine performances in the ring and towards the end of the companies run was an ample caretaker WCW World Heavyweight Champion.

Randy Savage, Sting and The Giant vs Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (9th March 1998) proves to be much better when Nash and the Giant have departed and the action is left most notably to Savage, Hall and Sting. Even though the match never amounts to much it isn’t terrible though there are long periods where the NWO members are working over The Giant’s neck. It does make one wonder whether Eric Bischoff was either blind to the fact that Hogan wasn’t the main event draw he once was in 1998 or truly didn’t know.

Sting vs Diamond Dallas Page (23rd March 1998) for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship ascertains Sting’s main event appeal and Page’s rise up the card. The match is solid in every way and each move and counter is well thought out in advance. Sting really did learn well from Ric Flair who through his efforts with the Stinger in the late 80’s and early 90’s really schooled Sting in how to carry a match. DDP does brilliantly here, holding his own against WCW’s best and proving to be a reliable worker.

Raven vs Goldberg (20th April 1998) in a Raven’s Rules match for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship turns out to be ultra heated with the fans solidly behind Goldberg. Raven is a class act all the way in this match but going nowhere in WCW it’s not a stretch of the imagination to realise why he left WCW and went back home to ECW. WCW were never going to take Raven seriously as ECW did. WCW did however build Goldberg correctly, taking him through the United States and Television Championship divisions first before landing him the big one. This is something WWE should have imitated with Ryback instead of shoving him in at the deep end. It’s also nice to see a United States Championship which really meant something to the company and fans.

Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Jr (21st October 1998) enthrals with great looking submission holds and ariel assaults all the way. The clash isn’t as good as their Halloween Havoc stunner and there’s yet another ref bump and screwy finish. For any current WWE fan who isn’t familiar with Mysterio’s prior work and sees him just as another WWE wrestler who is meaningless in the grand scheme of things, they really need to see his performances here.

Scott Hall vs Bam Bam Bigelow (25th January 1999) in a Ladder Match for a taser, is a fair effort even though the stipulation is a dumb one seeing the pair fight for control of the stun gun hung above the ring. Whilst the match is made pointless by the induction of a second stun gun at the conclusion of the match and it isn’t the most exciting ladder match in history, Hall and Bigelow pull out some virtuous moves off of the ladder and should be credited for giving their best when it’s clear WCW had begun to stop caring. Hall, on his left arm, is wearing his old Razor Ramon purple elbow pad under his NWO one.

The handicap match for the WCW World Tag Team Championships, pitting Diamond Dallas Page and Bam Bam Bigelow vs Perry Saturn (31st May 1999) turns out to be more than adequate for a two on one effort with three very talented wrestlers on display. It is good to see Perry Saturn on a WWE release once again and one hopes he can continue to get his life sorted out and return to wrestling in some capacity. He has the skills to help younger talent get over, backstage that is. Knowing how far wrestling dragged Saturn down, he should never risk stepping back into the ring. The ending of the match sees the late Kanyon come to Saturn rescue as his partner but the merriment is short lived.

Backstage footage and a montage on the Nitro Girls, featuring one of wrestling’s biggest success stories, Stacey Kiebler along with Kimberly DDP’s former wife and Shawn Michaels’ current wife is a welcome distraction from the seemingly never ending host of matches featuring old timers in the main event. Stacey Kiebler has become such an attraction away from the ring at the side of George Clooney that she no longer needs wrestling.

Goldberg and Bret Hart vs Scott Hall and Kevin Nash for the WCW Tag Team Championships (13th December 1999) is sufficient enough to sit through without getting bored. An odd tandem, Hart and Goldberg as Tag Team Champions was designed to further their feud for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Uncomfortably, this match comes just six days before the match between the pair at Starrcade 1999 which would effectively end Bret Hart’s career when the careless Goldberg booted Hart in the head. The kick would give Hart a concussion which many feel lent a hand to his eventual stroke. In his ‘Ten Years later’ Interview on the ‘Wrestling With Shadows’ release which is a must see for all and any wrestling fans, Hart talks about the kick that ended his career and describes Goldberg as reckless in the ring who saw and treated his opponents as mere rag dolls. This is evident in this match when Goldberg tears into Hall.

Sting vs Vampiro (15th May 2000) inside the House of Pain Match, looks stupid with the rule being the only way to win is to handcuff your opponent to the side of the cage, but is tolerable though their feud wasn’t. It’s hard to comment on the matches which would lead to WCW’s downfall because there was another way WCW could have gone with its product which may have seen it survive. Ghastly booking such as this and Sting and Vampiro’s stunt at the Great American Bash 2000, where Vampiro and Sting fought to the top of the titan tron, where Vampiro supposedly lit Sting on fire and Sting fell from the top through the fake entrance ramp (it was obvious it wasn’t the real Sting and just a stunt man) just pushed the company to the edge of self destruction.

Shane Helms vs Shannon Moore (26th February 2001) is an entertaining short match. WCW could have built their company around talent like this as the once great and dominant corporation stumbled towards its conclusion and not past it old timers such as Hulk Hogan. Helms, who would go on to be a smash in WWE as The Hurricane was never going to be taken seriously enough in WCW to make it.

The release end on a sombre note with Scott Steiner vs Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the very last WCW Monday Nitro (26th March 2001). Even though everyone in attendance was aware that this was WCW’s final hurrah and the show featured an opening by Vince McMahon, Booker T and Scott Steiner gave it one last tremendous effort to leave fans with at least one great memory. Steiner, who had phoned his performances in when he put on the bulk of his muscle mass, threw caution to the wind here and honoured the promotion that made him a star with a respectable final performance. Booker T winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship is the icing on the cake and a real uplifting moment.

The DVD extras consist of two matches. The first, Rey Mysterio Jr and Lord Steven Regal vs Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko (3rd November 1997) looks well put together and is all go until the final bell. Everyone involved puts together a credible string of events.

Bret Hart vs Sting for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (5th October 1998) is the second DVD extra and isn’t a match per se. The bell never rings and the whole thing takes part in the backstage area. Undoubtedly though, the whole affair does benefit from this and gives it a different feel after the heavy offering of often samey in ring action.

Weaknesses:

Arn Anderson vs Hulk Hogan (12th February 1996) plods appallingly. Arn Anderson does his very best with a dramatically slimmed down Hogan but it never quite comes off. Hogan, who was always a very limited worker, seems to be sticking to the in ring script that he always based his career on, though does look in one of the best shapes of his life with hardly any muscle on him. Certainly he looks better than he did with all that unnatural muscle patching him up. The match though is a stinker with another screwy finish to protect the Hulkster’s image.

The WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals match between Jeff Jarrett vs Diamond Dallas Page (9th December 1996) is sloppy and ineffective. Playing to almost sheer silence from the audience, this wasn’t one of DDP or Jarrett’s finest efforts. The pair never seem to be able to click or string together a sensible or good looking string of moves to get the fans engaged. The audience only begin to get invested when Page gains some momentum, otherwise this couldn’t be flatter if a steam roller ran over top of it. Interjecting himself into the match, Scott Hall attacks Jarrett. Usually this would be another complaint about yet another of the endless run in but in this match it comes as a welcome addition.

‘Kevin Nash Patches up Potholes’ (21st April 1997) begins with a disjointed tirade by Sean Waltman as Syxx, which was meant to be a character based on the final number you got if you added up the 1, 2, 3 from his 123 Kid gimmick in WWE, who seems to be out of breath before getting to the ring and continues in that vain with Kevin Nash’s speech. Hitting a double standard when talking about the fact that WCW used to be fathers pushing sons, Nash conveniently leaves out the fact that the WCW he wrestled for was friends pushing friends to the detriment of the younger talent. Nash’s promos on this release are dire across the board. In the background, False Sting parades around the ring. It is unbelievable to think that anyone brought into the story this was the real Sting. It’s obvious to anyone with sight that it isn’t.

Ric Flair vs Scott Hall (2nd June 1997) is a choice effort. It is disappointing to witness knowing that both men could and have done so much more together than this. It appears though and the lasting impression you get is that WCW are more concerned about the forthcoming interference which results in yet another disqualification finish, than putting on a decent match. Ric Flair’s anger at WCW and the way they used him in the late 90’s is more than understandable when you see matches like this.

The segment recapping the celebrity participation is another attempt by WWE to show the doubters that wrestling can attract more big names than any other industry apart from acting. It’s needless and certainly adds nothing to the title ‘Best of WCW Monday Night Raw’. Almost always, the celebrity participation was dull, drab and detracted from what was meant to be a wrestling show. Even worse was when the celebrities wrestled and we really didn’t need to be reminded of David Arquette’s WCW World Heavyweight Championship reign which was just abysmal both in the ring and in a booking sense. The only celebrity to make an impact was Dennis Rodman, who has to be credited for his participation and even managed to grind out a decent match on pay-per view.

Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman Call out Lex Luger and The Giant’ (16th June 1997) may get a huge reaction from the crowd but is a meaningless beat down of Luger and the man who would go on to become Big Show in WWE, which would have been made better had WWE given DDP the story to give us before the angle. Without the story, those who don’t know what it was all about will be left dumbfounded and confused. The ring at the end of the segment looks like a rubbish tip as the fans pelt Hogan, Rodman and the NWO with cups full of drink.

Kevin Nash vs Rey Mysterio Jr (30th June 1997) is the first in a succession of matches featuring NWO members that is so short they have no bearing on anything either on the release or in WCW’s grand scheme of things. Rey is pounded mercilessly by Nash who shows no interest in giving Mysterio offence or helping elevate the cruiserweight. The only reason this match exists is to set up Mysterio’s feud with Konan who attacks Mysterio after the match.

La Parker vs Randy Savage (7th July 1997) resembles an early 90’s Wrestler vs Jobber encounter. Short and the only notable occurrence from the match is the finale when La parker rips off the mask to reveal Diamond Dallas Page underneath to a huge pop from the crowd. Had WWE omitted this and the previous two segments from the release they could have included one match which warranted an inclusion instead of two matches which only went to serve the image of the NWO.

Whilst talking about his days in WCW, DDP comically says that WCW were constantly promoting people. He neglected to add to that sentence; as long as Hulk Hogan approved of them otherwise his best buddy Eric Bischoff would cast them to the curb. Page’s comments are made redundant on the release when you see for yourself that no one new was promoted or elevated in any of these matches. Chris Jericho is a perfect example of this.

‘Spring Break’ highlight reel is nothing short of dumb and needless. With nothing to do with wrestling, it basically highlights WCW wrestlers and scantily clad fans messing about. What little wrestling does evolve from this clip comes in the form of WCW stars clothslining each other into a swimming pool. If anyone can tell me how this remotely represents the best of Monday Nitro then I will once again concede my point. However, I wish you good luck in trying to do that once you see this footage.

‘Birth of the Wolfpack’ (4th May 1998) first interrupts a match between Billy Kidman and Scott Putski, showing total disregard for the younger undercard talent thus illustrating my point the company were not bothered about promoting anyone who didn’t come from WWE or stars that were home grown in the early 90’s such as Sting and DDP. To make proceedings worse Kevin Nash takes the microphone again, which should be a warning bell for anyone purchasing this release, and cuts a less than thrilling promo which even Randy Savage looks frustrated at. As a promo man in WCW, Kevin Nash was very poor.

Hollywood Hogan and The Giant vs Kevin Nash and Lex Luger (1st June 1998) possesses the main event feel yet lacks everything else in the ring. The four men are inadequate in the squared circle and another of the incessant disqualification finishes is wheeled out for the umpteenth time much to the ire of the viewer. Notable only for its ending in which Sting descends from the rafters and chooses whether he’s going to join the NWO or NWO Wolfpack. It’s clear that the Wolfpack branch of the NWO were more popular than the original NWO.

‘Jericho Meets the Real Goldberg’ (2nd September 1998) consists of Goldberg destroying Jericho’s personal security of old men. Famously, Jericho was vocal about his frustration with Goldberg in WCW and that Goldberg held him back by refusing to put Jericho over in their feud and not seeing Jericho as a high enough wrestler in calibre to take their feud seriously. Goldberg gave Jericho the same treatment in their feud that John Cena gave the Miz in their 2009 feud and resultant match at the Bash in 2009.

The WCW United States Heavyweight Championship Match between Bret Hart and Roddy Piper (8th February 1999) is the pits. By this point in time, Bret Hart had perceptibly given up any hope of being used properly in WCW and Roddy Piper was turning up just for the payday despite the odd decent effort. WCW paint Bret Hart as a coward in the ring when they book him to try and get out of the match with a fake injury to his groin. That Bret Hart had to pretend to be scared of an aging Piper and try to duck their encounter must have zapped all enthusiasm Bret had for his WCW career in one short night. The ref bump and Will Sasso (from Mad TV!) involvement is bad enough but WCW putting the United States Heavyweight Championship on Piper is despairing to see. The Championship should have been around the waist of a younger talent who Hart could have entered a feud with and elevated them. It’s clear by this point in the release that WCW were beginning to lose their way.

Hollywood Hogan vs Randy Savage (12th July 1999) for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship is a borefest. It is inconceivable that WCW would put its world title on either man at this point, when they needed viewers to keep up with WWE who had younger and more popular talent, let alone book two men who had headlined WrestleMania 5 nine years earlier in the main event of a programme they desperately needed to reinvent. Once again, the WCW booking machine stuck again contributing to WCW’s demise. Despite the fact that Savage could still go in the ring, there’s no reason for either to have been pushed as they were this late on. Hosting a predictable ending complete with screw job, it is pathetic that Hogan would cling so desperately onto the spotlight knowing the damage he was doing to anyone below him on the card.

DVD Special Features:

3rd November 1997
Lord Steven Regal and Rey Mysterio Jr vs Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero

5th October 1998
WCW United States Championship Match
Bret Hart vs Sting

Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:

11th September 1995
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs Lex Luger

18th September 1995
Ric Flair vs Brian Pillman

21st October 1996
J.L vs NWO Sting

16th March 1998
Sting and Lex Luger vs Hollywood Hogan and Randy Savage

15th June 1998
Steel Cage Match
Diamond Dallas Page vs Randy Savage

14th September 1998
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Goldberg vs Sting

1st February 1999
WCW Television Championship Match
Scott Steiner vs Chris Jericho

15th March 1999
Ric Flair and Goldberg vs Hollywood Hogan and Kevin Nash

22nd November 1999
Jeff Jarrett reclaims his WCW World Heavyweight Championship

DDP and Randy Savage’s War of Words

Conclusion:

The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 fails to live up to its predecessor. Volume 1 was much better and a lot fresher with its in ring product. Whilst WCW can of course be held accountable for this, WWE have to be partially to blame for its choice of matches. With an entire video library at its disposal, that WWE chose so many matches which were either too short to matter, had as many screwy and disqualification finishes as appeared or featured an abundance of NWO wrestlers, mostly Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Randy Savage, is an oversight on their part.

If you own volume one then this will be a necessity for your collection, if not then you’ll either want to hunt down the release or you will have to be a WCW fan in order to sit through all the frustrating and somewhat disappointing material included here. However, if you’re not a fan of Hulk Hogan or the NWO then you may want to think about giving this release a wide birth as Hogan is plastered all over it and there is no escape from him presence. If you were to skip all of his matches then you’d be left with only the bare minimum and certainly not enough to warrant value for money.

By the time you get to the end of the second volume, it isn’t hard to see why WCW began to decline and lose its audience to WWE. Or, for that matter why fans preferred the younger and more up to date WWE product instead of the old timers hanging on to the spotlight so dearly. The release is heavy in that by the time you get half way through the second disc (first for Blu-ray) the though of sitting through another two and a half hours in the third disc becomes slightly unappealing. WWE could have easily cast the NWO aside for this release, seeing that their matches and influence on the business in the 90’s can be found on other releases people who are going to purchase this most probably already have in their collection, and concentrated it on the cruiserweight talent which would have been preferable to the endless NWO involvement.

Should there be a volume three then WWE severely need to dig deep into that video library and find some rare gems. Whilst I could sit through another DDP hosting session I’m not sure I could stomach another nine hours of material that is so obsessed with pushing the NWO down our throats it sacrifices quality for quantity on many occasions. And that’s the main problem with this release, whilst it’s not awful by any sense of the imagination WWE have copied their usual format on these releases of concentrating on the most popular stars of the era and ignoring the matches and talent that would have made this a must have release.

On this release, the final thought provoking moment comes from Diamond Dallas Page who rightly states “Success is about trying new things and seeing what sticks with the fans!” With all these nuggets of wisdom coming from their releases, I wonder when Vince will start listening to what his employees and writers are trying to tell him.

Rating: B

Onwards and upwards...



Sunday 21 April 2013

THIS WEEK IN WWE - A CHANGE OF ORDER

I have been pondering on this decision all week, as a bastion of the truth. Don’t worry, this blog is staying where it is and we’re going nowhere, but looking at the number of people that read the pay-per view previews and the subsequent pay-per view reviews, then the number which read the latter is noticeably less. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because they’ve just watched the event and they can tell for themselves whether what went on was right or not, or maybe they’re now just waiting for the DVD and Blu-Ray reviews on the pay-per view events as I don’t tend to comment on the matches the day after the events take place.

Whatever the reason, I’ve decided that as the pay-per view previews are much more popular then the reviews twenty four hours after the event have to go. For the time being at least. A lot has contributed to this decision. The above reason for starters. The second is that I feel like I’m going around in circles and repeating myself. I’m sure you’ve noticed it as well. Sometimes I repeat what I’ve said in the previews and it leaves very little else to add to the DVD and Blu-ray reviews. In the hope it will add a fresh dimension to the media releases we look at in Review Corner, this is the next reason. The third and last reason is the time we all have. You see, I have a work load to do and on top of all of that, I am now writing a book on wrestling – the details I cannot divulge at this moment as it has yet to be taken by a publisher. But I have received numerous interest and should I get the green light there’s no way I can continue with the book, the scripts and the pay-per view reviews the day after the event. Some people will see this as a cop out, some will see this as a relief. But those are the facts.

Instead of the two (preview and review) we will just have a preview of the event on the Friday before it takes places. I believe those blogs are much more popular than the reviews which I have to rush to write considering the small amount of time between me having to get it written and get it up. In place of the reviews every month we’re instead going to have a ‘This Week in WWE’ article during the week or towards the end which will encapsulate a brief look at the pay-per view which has just been and everything else which may have slipped the net of truth. This will not affect Review Corner which will still appear at regular intervals or the odd blogs, as I call them. That’s the blogs which appear randomly commenting on little things which have happened during the week. I hope that is all clear.

So lets kick off the first of these new blogs. This week in WWE:

A Champion Falls

And it wasn’t even on pay-per view. For those people who doubted that Vince McMahon and WWE had all but done with the WWE United States Championship, then Kofi Kingston defeating Antonio Cesaro on Monday Night Raw should have confirmed what the rest of us knew for quite some time. After eight months as Champion, Antonio Cesaro suddenly becomes nothing in the WWE shuffle.

Granted, Cesaro’s Championship reign failed to set the world alight as it should have done and get him over as the next big thing in wrestling. That is mainly due to WWE’s lack of interest in the belt and even though they seemed interested in the man himself, it ultimately went nowhere fast. Again. This shouldn’t have come as a shock though as we’ve been conditioned to expect this time and time again. First WWE seems like they’re pushing someone and then suddenly that person drops off of the face of the company, sometimes never to be seen again – unless you watch the dire broadcasts of Superstars, that is.

Even though there are no plans for the United States Championship inside WWE and its been given to Kofi Kingston just to give the poor sod something to do, that doesn’t take away the fact that a Championship reign which lasted that long should have transpired on pay-per view. WWE wouldn’t have though of transferring the WWE Championship from Punk to the Rock on Raw, so why the hell do they insist on doing it with other Championships. What baffles me more is that WWE know the harm they are doing to the United States Championship by having it change hands on Raw, which doesn’t get a third of the audience the pay-per view events do. You need people to see it so they can invest in it. That would be like me creating a television show and then locking it away so no producers or commissioners could get to it. Pointless.

I would like to think that WWE have done this in order to elevate the United States Championship when they turn Kingston heel, which by all accounts is on its way and move Cesaro up a level to the Intercontinental Championship division to see if he can make any difference there. However, considering his treatment and calibre of opponents in the U.S Title division and looking at almost the same crop of superstars on the next level, I fail to see how moving him up will help him move forward. It is a possibility that WWE would be better served if they took the risk of moving Cesaro straight to the main event. This could be done easily and with a few weeks of having him defeat main event talent and then win Money in the Bank in July could all but seal his position in the headline scene.

As for Kingston, what awaits him with a heel turn? As United States Champion, nothing. The Championship is defunct in the eyes of the audience and as long as it’s around his waist Kingston will never make the leap to the top of the card. It really is a shame because Kingston could have been there already had WWE grown a pair and pulled the trigger on his victory over Randy Orton in 2008. Still, that wasn’t to be my minions and now Kingston had trod water so much that he needs a pair of wellington boots to wrestle in.

The odds are, that WWE don’t have any plans for Kingston or Cesaro, which begs the question Vince, why did a Champion fall so readily when you didn’t have a landing pad to catch him?

Fandango Marches On

It has surprised me so far, that WWE are pushing Fandango the way they have been. Victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29 seems to have been a launch pad for a man who previous had no prospects in the company whatsoever. Those who saw Fandango wrestle in WWE’s developmental territories would have cast his aspirations aside the moment he stepped into the ring. The guy showed no acumen for the grappling business and seemed to exist in a ring just to help his reality television show career. Think the Miz in reverse.

Since his major win at Mania, Fandango has been on a roll. Defeating stars on Smackdown seems have made his stock rise and it really does seem like WWE are hundred percent behind their new man, although one has to wonder how long it will last. Will Fandango be WWE Champion? No. He doesn’t have the skills or knowledge of the business right now. In a few years, with a little more training and constantly working with wrestlers who can teach him how to carry himself in the ring, then Fandango may be able to take that step up. After all, when Triple H stepped into the WWE in 1995 no one really looked at him as a serious contender. It was only when he defended the WWE European Championship against Owen Hart at WrestleMania 14 that he was taken seriously.

Right now, WWE have to focus on pushing Fandango as a serious wrestler and not a cartoon character that dances his way around the company and walks out on a match when people can’t pronounce his name, which he has refrained from since WrestleMania, thankfully. If Fandango can get some more major victories under his belt, including another over Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules, then maybe we can move forward with this. Considering WWE’s penance though for pushing a star and then losing interest in then weeks later, we all need to approach this with caution. I’m not going to buy into Fandango just yet and I advise you against do so as well. When WWE can prove to us that they are serious about talent development and are willing to push them until they can’t possibly wring anymore mileage out of them, then we can start believing.

I would like to raise an issue or a question here, depending on how you look at this part of the blog. Fandango is getting a huge push when its clear that he doesn’t have that much talent when the Miz and Wade Barrett are being demoted to the re-show spot on the grandest stage of them all and trading the Intercontinental Championship like its mere pin falls. So, why Fandango and not the Miz?

The Deadman Stayeth

Against everything I thought, the Undertaker has stayed around in WWE after WrestleMania 29. Usually, as has become tradition with Undertaker, he’d leave after Mania to heal his wounds and injuries and then come back at the beginning of 2014 to hype his next match at WrestleMania 30. Refreshingly, Undertaker has stayed with us and looks like going into his second match in as many months at Extreme Rules along with Kane and Daniel Bryan against The Shield. This can be looked upon as nothing but good news for WWE. In the post WrestleMania hangover, WWE needs as many stars as it can get to stick around and promote the company. Those who only tune into WWE once a year for WrestleMania may be looking for a reason to stick with the company and should they have only brought the event for Undertaker, then its mere logic they will stay with the corporation to see Undertaker after the event.

We can also look at this turn of events two ways. That the Undertaker is sticking around to help business and that his injuries aren’t as bad as we though they were, in which case he may here for the rest of the year – not that that’s likely, or this is Undertaker’s final year in the business and he wants to spend as much time in it as humanly possible. Either is feasible. Considering Undertaker’s age and physical condition though, the latter is more probable and in that case we could see Undertaker make regular appearances in WWE as he comes towards his swansong.

SummerSlam and Survivor Series should see Undertaker matches as should Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. If and it’s a big if, Undertaker has signed on to appear regularly as he reaches the end then its possible that he will be WWE or World Heavyweight Champion again before he bows out. Right now though, his final year in the wrestling business should be taken with a pinch of salt, as in wrestling, nothing is ever final until it’s happened.

Undertaker’s appearance at Extreme Rules though could be huge for the Shield. At some point in time the trio have to lose a match, that’s a given. But if they could defeat Undertaker, Kane and Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules whilst getting the pinfall on Undertaker that would be their biggest victory ever and would almost certainly push them into the main event scene. A victory over WWE’s biggest legend will have that effect on ones career. Should this be Undertaker’s final year in the business, then he could no better than giving back to the company which he took so much from than putting over and making three new stars in one foul swoop. What a note that would be to go out on.

Onwards and upwards...

Wednesday 17 April 2013

REVIEW CORNER: FOR ALL MANKIND - THE LIFE AND CAREER OF MICK FOLEY DVD AND BLU-RAY


 


      A – Excellent



      B – Good



      C – Mediocre



      D – Avoid




Release Date: 22nd April 2012

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:
DVD £ 19.99
Blu-ray £ 22.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD (3 Discs)
(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Disc)

What It’s About:

The long awaited career retrospective of WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. Without a doubt one of wrestling’s true legends who was unfortunately tagged and anchored with the moniker ‘The Hardcore Legend’ which would later hamper his career as people looked upon him as a mere stunt performer. This career retrospective complete with matches from his illustrious vocation has been what fans of Mick Foley have been waiting for.

Strengths:

The beginning of the two hour and fourteen minute documentary on Mick Foley’s career begins with a neat little segment in which the man of many faces narrates in a short story, the blurb of the release whilst looking through a scrap book of his finest moments in between the ropes. It’s a refreshing beginning and one which deviates from the usual format of WWE releases. From this point onwards you can begin to believe that this release is something special in comparison to the usual DVD / Blu-ray biography.

Foley’s background in sports and amateur wrestling are covered, though briefly. The segment, even though it could have been prolonged to add an even greater depth to Foley’s pre wrestling career, is instructive and seeing that to many WWE and wrestling fans this part of Foley’s life is rarely known it does go a long way to shedding new light on a man that has unfortunately been tagged with the ‘Hardcore Legend’ moniker. It is also pleasant to see a Mick Foley that doesn’t look like he’s been sponsored by Dunkin’ Doughnuts or dressed by Oxfam.

The segment in which Foley describes his early days before wrestling in which in his mind he underachieved in everything, can be looked upon as invigorating as too often in these releases wrestlers don’t touch upon their failings in their pre WWE lives. Foley’s misgivings in almost everything that he did would lead to him becoming a very talented writer. The segment is almost a triumph over adversity moment.

An admission by the man in question that he would go on to create his own wrestling style after hitchhiking to Madison Square Garden to witness Jimmy Snuka dive from the top of the steel cage in what has become an infamous moment in the man known as Mankind’s career, can come across as slightly touching when the reason becomes that Foley wanted to do something that people would remember forever. At only nineteen years old at the time, it becomes clear that Foley had his life in the ring mapped out before he even laced up a pair of boots. Mick never wrestled like anyone else I ever saw and will be remembered as one of wrestling’s elite performers. Even though his in ring style would raise the ire of other wrestlers around him including Ric Flair, his creation has be one of the most successful in ring styles there ever was.

Home videos of a young Foley as Dude Love, the character that he created which WWE would go on to own the copyright to – what a fair world wrestlers live in – illustrates that Mick was always had the gift of the gab even before he could wrestle. With this gift already in his arsenal, half of the job was already done for Foley. Some of Foley’s home video promos are better than those of WWE performers today.

Delving into the beginning of his professional wrestling career, Foley offers up the fact that his first lesson consisted of a twenty two hour lesson in taking apart and putting together the ring for twenty five dollars. Humbling enough is the fact that he had to travel halfway across the country to train on a weekly basis. After seeing this portion of the documentary, anyone who doubts Foley’s commitment to wrestling will have their beliefs altered.

The wealth of unseen footage from Foley’s training and early wrestling career is nothing but of high quality. Including highlights from his first WWE match, teaming with Les Thornton against the British Bulldogs – included in full in the match listing – on a WWE television taping and numerous clips from his days on the independent circuit, WWE have gone above and beyond to source all the necessary footage although there are some vital clips missing which you can read in the next segment.

WWE have resisted throwing anyone and everyone from their current roster onto the release, as is usual with these releases and instead concentrated the majority of the talking heads to those who have had an impact on Mick’s standing and input in the industry. These include his trainer Dominic DeNucci, Shane Douglas – who should be given a lot of credit for appearing here seeing his pure hatred for WWE and everything it stands for, Terry Funk, Arn Anderson, Vader, Jim Ross, William Regal, Paul Heyman, a significantly plumper Joey Styles, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Happily, even though John Cena is included as a talking head, is input is fleeting and unlike his contributions to other releases he does add something to proceedings when talking about Mick Foley as a common man and his connection with the audience; “Hey man you did it. Thanks for doing it for all of us!” Cena and WWE should be applauded for keeping the input to a minimum and something that adds instead of detracts to the overall release.

The talking heads contribute their own thoughts on Foley, most of which are just and paint Foley in both a shining light and show how much they cared and feared for him because of his erratic ring style. Terry Funk comments that Foley was, “So unusual and so different to anyone else in the profession.” The latter point is exemplified by Michael Hayes, who adds several good comments to this release, the one in question though points out, “I didn’t think Mick Foley would be walking past the age of thirty.” Compiled with clips of Foley diving from apron to concrete floor and landing with a thud on numerous occasions from his WCCW, WCW and AWA days, Hayes’ point is impartially gotten across and somewhat painful to watch knowing the damage they would eventually do to Foley’s health and body.

Held in high regard by Jim Ross and WCW, it is flattering for Foley that he was chosen to oppose to uber over Sting upon his entry into World Championship Wrestling. Sting, who has to be looked upon as WCW’s greatest ever face and beloved by fans all over the world needed someone of Foley’s standing and irregular ring style to take him away from the clean cut style he had been trading with Lex Luger and Ric Flair. Jim Ross calls Sting the “It Guy” which is a fair summation of the man born Steve Borden. The pair’s matches yielded some of WCW’s and Sting’s greatest ever encounters and the nod to Ross by Foley for the helping hand in his career, is lovely.

After, for so many years, being fed the fact that Mick Foley loves the pain that he puts himself through to find out via this documentary that he actually doesn’t enjoy the pain makes his stuns, such as being thrown from the top of the Hell in a Cell at the 1998 King of the Ring and No Way 2000 plus everything else he ever did extra special because it comes across that he did them for our entertainment. This segment should give fans, even those who don’t particularly like Foley, a new appreciation for the man.

The footage and stories of Vader vs Cactus Jack from WCW bring back some wonderful and more than welcome memories. Some of the videos chosen to represent the thoroughly excellent feud is hard hitting, such as Vader falling backwards on the aisle with Foley on his back and would result in some truly special matches between the pair. Vader acknowledges correctly that Foley did more than anyone to get him over. Included here is the recording of Mick Foley losing half his ear in Munich, Germany. A little unsettling as you can clearly see Foley’s ear fly off and the pictures of the aftermath are bloody, WWE highlight it several times. This has to be one of WWE’s most courageous decisions all year, especially in the PG rated world they live in. Sadly, WCW failed to allow Vader and Foley to capitalise on the ear loss which could have been huge.

Willingly, when talking about why Cactus Jack was such a hit in WCW, Foley as good as berates WWE’s dumb characters and gimmicks from the early nineties. Not a lot of people would or have done this with as much glee as Foley takes in doing so. However, this should have been something which was done in the awful ‘Attitude Era’ documentary portion of the release. Despondently, this declaration is done a few releases too late.

Cactus Jack’s ECW promos are pure dynamite and made even more impressive when the fact comes to light it was Foley who penned them. Each exudes passion and anger. One is left with the impression that every promo should be this good instead of the sugar coated trash we get fed on a weekly basis. If WWE were clever, they would hire Foley to spend a few months down in WWE developmental teaching these kinds of promo skills to the up and coming WWE talent. Nevertheless, those who were there for Foley’s ECW reign and promos will know it was a very special time indeed.

WWE display some early drawings of their vision of the Mankind character, clad in a metal mask. The drawings aren’t a million miles away from the finished article but are barely recognizable from what Foley would end up portraying on television, on and off, for the next four years. This should be a regular segment in wrestler biographies. How WWE came up with and created new characters, including the pitches, drawings, list of possible names for finishing manoeuvres, pictures of rarely seen dress rehearsals and the original idea plus how much it deviated from the idea to the execution would be an uplifting change to the usual format of WWE releases. Getting into the origin of the character it’s surprising to learn that WWE had so little ideas for the character, highlighting the ineptitude of WWE creative, Foley ended up almost creating Mankind single handedly and like most things in WWE which didn’t come from the brain of Vince McMahon, the boss opposed Foley on every change he pitched and made. Such honesty from all is one of the focal points of this release.

Mick Foley rightly credits the Undertaker with helping to make Mankind a star in WWE. Had it not been for the willingness of Undertaker, to sell and put over Foley in such an effective way then it’s feasible that Mankind and Mick Foley would have fallen to the cutting room floor and been put down as one of WWE’s failed experiments. Foley really does owe a lot to Undertaker. The dishing out of credit doesn’t end there however as WWE quickly moves the timeline along to the exceptional Mankind vs Shawn Michaels match at ‘In Your House: Mind Games’. The whole match added a previously missing authenticity to the Mankind character, Mick Foley’s story and this release. It was one of the highlights of the In Your House pay per view events.

The realisation of the Dude Love character, a personality Foley first created when he was nineteen never fails to bring a smile to the face. Wrestlers usually turn up and do as their told by bookers until they’ve either had enough or are in a position to pitch their own ideas which are then usually shot down. For Mick Foley to be able to realise a dream wrestling as Dude Love is nothing short of a triumphant moment in a wonderful career. This may be a more uplifting moment than when Foley lifted the WWE Championship for the first time.

In 1997 it was beginning to become clear to the WWE Universe that Mick Foley was being overshadowed by the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. This is brought up by Mick Foley in a very honest piece of interviewing when Foley shares his pure anger feelings of dejection when fans began chanting Austin’s name after he and Terry Funk had been dismantled by D-Generation X on an edition of Raw. That the fans weren’t bothered that the angle hadn’t ended when they began the chant proves that Austin was more over than anyone in wrestling during WWE’s attitude era. Foley had a right to be angry though. For everything he’d done for the fans and for them not to care was a sign of disrespect. I believe this admission shows the weaker side of a professional wrestler and moves Foley closer to the audience.

Speaking on the subject of swapping between characters, Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack so readily and often that it soured the public reaction to him, Mick Foley hits the button right on the nose so to speak. The constant switch between the trio that would come to be known as ‘The Three Faces of Foley’ became overly distracting and stopped the viewer from buying into Foley as a wrestler. You never knew which character Foley would come out as one week after the next which prohibited people from being able to buy into a feud.

That Mick Foley loves all three of his personas so dearly then surprises the audience when he enters into a character assassination of the then humourless Mankind. The segment may be short in time but is fascinating whilst it lasts. Taking a character that was so successful to pieces tells me, as a writer, that Mick Foley really did invest into Mankind and could see the flaws when they began to appear. This is the first step for any actor or any kind being able to put right what’s wrong. For those that cannot see where a character isn’t working out are doomed to repeat history. Ahem...John Cena.

The footage of Mick winning the WWE Championship may have been repeated numerous times over the years and most recently on the ‘Top 100 Raw Moments’ and ‘The Attitude Era’ releases but it never fails to inspire when you know the journey Foley had to take to get to the top of the mountain. As stated in the WrestleMania 29 preview which you will have read by now, the title change marked the turn in the Monday Night Wars.

The Rock ‘n Sock connection moments are more than happy memories. The Rock and Mick Foley were wonderfully comic during their time together as a tag team. The team provided some much needed comic relief in a time which was being bogged down by the Monday Night Wars and WWE’s infatuation with putting WCW out of business. Mick Foley played the part of the partner who wanted to please to perfection and the Rock deserves more credit than he ever got for the role of the grumpy and magnificently deadpan headliner who knew he was so much better than a comedy act. Commenting on his time with the Rock, Foley correctly states that the Rock ‘n Sock Connection’s moments, such as the ‘This is your life’ segment, were much more entertaining than their matches. This isn’t to say that their matches were bad, because they weren’t. But as a partnership, Foley and the Rock were solid gold in their comedy angles.

Taking a welcome break from wrestling, the documentary swerves away from the ring and to the creating of Foley’s first autobiography. Foley’s natural talent for writing came in use when he told the book company he wanted to write his own life story and not do so through a ghost writer. Their petty reaction that they didn’t think someone who had never written before could write is dumb and something your Wrestling God has encountered many times before. For the record, those who believe that people who haven’t had anything published or commissioned for film or television in the past can’t write are dead wrong and are small minded. The journey, the story of the books success and the video footage of people queuing outside book stores in America just to get a copy add to an amazing and touching story about a very rare accomplishment. At least for a wrestler.

Taking another welcome and unusual turn, the documentary touches upon Foley’s inability to retire and stay away from the squared circle. This had been common knowledge for years that no matter how many times Foley said he was leaving for good, he would always inevitably return to the ring seeking out one last moment of glory. The lure of the spotlight proved just too much and its coverage here should be applauded. It’s not that often that you hear a wrestler admit that he can’t stay away from the ring. That Foley tells of how he was continually persuaded to come back by Vince does cast a question over how much McMahon cares about his talent. Remember, the times that Vince persuaded Foley to return were the times when Foley’s body began to fail him and Vince knew this. Even more eye opening, and Foley should be applauded for admitting this where the world can see, is his confession that the comebacks were purely for the money.

Footage of Foley’s 2004 visit to WWE which lasted longer it should have done, is shown here via his WrestleMania 20 handicap match in which he and the Rock lost to Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista – a match which Foley readily admits disappointed him due to his own lacklustre performance and followed by the stunning match with Randy Orton at Backlash 2004 one month later. Interjected with comments by Randy Orton who gives Foley a whole heap of praise for making him relevant – at last someone does, this is a very good moment on a very good release. Interestingly enough, Foley says that this match with Orton tops his Mind Games match with Shawn Michaels. He may be right.

Also covered in the main feature is his little known charitable work. By the looks of it, Foley does more work for charity than John Cena and that’s saying something. The segment may not be a huge revelation but it does add yet another side to Mick that we never knew existed.

Speaking on Mick Foley’s influence on the business, C.M Punk credits the artist formerly known as Mankind with helping to bring him into the WWE. Usually, WWE take credit for finding and inducting a star into the WWE ranks but on this occasion they graciously step aside to allow the truth to come out. Another rare occurrence on a WWE release is the name checking of another companies star. TNA’s Samoa Joe is the man that gets a mention this time around.

There is no blurring of the WWF logo or bleeping out of the WWF name in promos. The consequence of this is that the old angles and matches aren’t ruined as they have been in the past. WWE have even kept the old WWF logo on matches from In Your House.

Just another observation about Foley’s comment that his comebacks began to be all about the money. Cutting to Triple H, who has been around more people who never retired when they said they were going to, the future boss of WWE simply says. “You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t!” Triple H knows the pitfalls of stepping away from the spotlight and the lure that a big payday can bring. If anyone had to comment on this Triple H was the right person and he does so it so effortlessly.

It’s a treat to see Mick Foley’s daughter, Noelle, as a talking head towards the end of the release. The last time the wrestling world saw her was at the 1999 Royal Rumble, though you had to look hard in the front row or if you watched the thoroughly exceptional documentary ‘Beyond the Mat’, when she was just a child. Now though, she’s all grown up and she’s hot. Offering up the information that her father is her hero is a nice touch by WWE and adds the cherry on top of the cake.

The sentiments from all the talking heads are heartfelt and never insincere. By the time you reach the conclusion of the documentary, you realise that Mick Foley was and is loved by everyone in wrestling. It’s not something you can say about everyone who has ever laced up a pair of boots but the comments from his peers make Foley’s career more worthwhile than anything he’s ever done in the ring could.

The main feature comes to an end on a high note as Mick Foley reflects on his career and notes that’s he alright now and he’s happy. After all he’s given us he deserves to be. And that’s the most endearing this about this recollection of one wrestling’s most dangerous and celebrated stars. After all of his ills, the stunts, the injuries, the sacrifices, to know that after all of that, Mick Foley is alright and happy. What a success story it has been.

As for the matches chosen for the release, unfortunately some of them could have been excluded to make way for others. The best ones though consists of:

Cactus Jack and Gary Young vs Scott Steiner and Billy Travis (AWA All Star Wrestling, October 1988) is nothing exceptional and will fail to set your world on fire, but it is pure wrestling and boasts a buff and young Scott Steiner before he ruined his body beyond repair. Foley, as Cactus Jack, gives a great account of himself. The trouble with the earlier matches in anyone’s career is that they usually took place in the early or late 80’s, or before, which means they had to conform to a certain format. A format which usually tired after half way through a card and often sees many matches from that era presented as identical or just plain dull.

Cactus Jack vs Keith Hart (Power Hour, March 1990) is a tremendous match and paced so well that it never relents until the final bell. The elbow executed by Cactus, from the apron which clears the guard rail and lands squarely on the chest of Keith Hart who is positioned in the crowd has to be seen and looks sublime. Reckless but sublime.

Cactus Jack vs Sting (Power Hour, November 1991) in a Submit or Surrender Match may be a glorified Last Man Standing effort but is of great quality. As the valiant hero who will fight for his fans, Sting is flawless and Cactus Jack’s dastardly heel character who wanted to destroy Sting in front of his fans which consisted mostly of children was the perfect folly for Sting. This match features an amazing back bump from the apron to the concrete from Foley which you just feel must have hurt. Watching this back you realise that before the Rock came on the scene, Sting was the original peoples champion and deservedly so. If I’m not mistaken then Sting was even more popular than John Cena is today.

Cactus Jack vs Van Hammer (WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII, January 21st 1992) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match, is a classic example of how well Mick Foley could carry an inferior opponent. Van Hammer was never that great a wrestler, yet here, on this night, Mick Foley made him look like a star. Fans jeer when the match spills backstage and into a rodeo arena where it ends with a Cactus Jack victory and a post match brawl between Cactus Jack and Abdullah the Butcher. Even though Van Hammer was a very limited worker to say the least, the match does bring back some great memories and it has been at least eighteen, maybe more years since I have seen Van Hammer wrestle.

Cactus Jack vs Sandman (ECW: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 1995) contested under Barbed Wire Match rules is brilliantly brutal even though the match should have and had the potential to be better. Foley’s left arm gets torn horribly by the barbed wire and Sandman’s athleticism, which would disappear late in his career as the alcohol and nicotine abuse took it toll, which sees him leap and clear the top rope to strike Cactus with a Singapore cane shot is mightily impressive. It’s nice to see Nancy Benoit as ‘Woman’ at ringside.

Mankind vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley (In Your House: Canadian Stampede, July 6th 1997) is respectable even if the two had better matches together in their career. The match ends in a lousy double count out. WWE could have excluded this either for their SummerSlam 1997 Steel Cage match or their Raw 1997 street fight which were both superior.

The alternate commentary by Mick Foley and Joey Styles on the selected matches is well worth the listen to. It adds a different perspective on the matches WWE have included it on to hear another point of view on the matches in question from the man competing in them.

Dude Love vs Rocky Mavia (Raw, November 17th 1997) comes off better than their match at In Your House: Cold Day in Hell, which is included on the release. Thanks to both men’s improved standing in the company at the time, Foley as Dude Love and the Rock try their very best but are still hampered by their mid card rivalry and the match is ruined by yet another screwy disqualification finish as Austin yet against outshines Foley in his run in.

Mankind vs The Undertaker (King of the Ring 1998: June 28th, 1998) is their now infamous Hell in a Cell match. Still a spectacle to witness to this very day, both men worked wonders and Foley’s flight off of the top of the Cell and landing through the announcers table combined with his chokeslam through the top of the steel structure stand as two of the very best stunts in a wrestling match, ever. They truly are the stuff of legend. To get up after such falls, Mick displays grit and determination that could bring a tear to the eye. Even Undertaker looks perplexed at Mick Foley’s resilience. Still, this match has been included on numerous releases and the question of whether we need to see it again is one I will let you answer in your own time. I know this is meant to be Foley’s best matches but WWE could have replaced this with another they left off and there are many.

Kane and Mankind vs The New Age Outlaws (Raw: July 13th 1998) for the WWE Tag Team Championships is decent. The restricted Billy Gunn is kept to a minimum and Undertaker is present for no apparent reason other than to let the fans see him. The match itself is held together well and is just one of the more favourable Attitude Era tag team matches included over the last few releases which include the time.

Mankind vs The Rock (In Your House: Rock Bottom, December 13th 1998) is better than both of their other matches included on this release but still not as good as matches the pair would have in 1999. Fighting for the WWE Championship, Rock and Mankind trade some great near falls towards the end of the match but for the Rock’s first WWE Championship defence WWE should have booked him to go over strong instead of losing the match by referee stoppage and then have Vince McMahon make a bad excuse as to why Rock was still WWE Champion. It weakened the Rock at the time but Rock would thankfully undo all of that in his terrific matches with Foley at the beginning of 1999. Vince’s reaction to having Socko applied is priceless.

The Rock ‘n Sock Connection vs Triple H and Shane McMahon (Smackdown: September 2nd 1999) fought over the WWE Tag Team Championships is solid stuff. Once again ending after interference, this match is yet another in which Mick Foley doesn’t get the deciding pinfall. Instead it’s the Rock was held in higher esteem than Foley at the time, who covers Triple H for the victory.

Cactus Jack vs Triple H (No Way Out 2000: February 27th 2000) like its predecessor is the classic Hell in a Cell offering which was billed as Mick Foley’s retirement match. It wouldn’t be. On the whole, the WWE Championship Match is a fine brawl which helped establish Triple H as the headline star we know now. The ending which sees Foley backdropped through the roof of the Cell is perfectly executed as is his refusal to quit even after he’s gone through the canvas of the ring. That it takes another pedigree to finish Foley off only adds to the image that Triple H was a badass Champion who would fight to the bitter end to retain his Championship. ‘The Game’ leaves this match looking a million dollars.

Weaknesses:

In the main documentary, Mick Foley’s background before wrestling, in sport and writing may be mentioned to the credit of WWE but is horribly fleeting and rushed to get the story to a point where Mick Foley was ready for in ring combat. WWE needed to extend this part of the main feature to add further depth to the Foley character. That it didn’t imply that Vince McMahon doesn’t believe we deserve or need to know a wrestlers life before he stepped into the doors of Titan Towers. Misguided and wrong.

Yet again, the moment in which Mick Foley hitchhiked to Madison Square Garden to see Jimmy Snuka leap from the top of the cage, is covered. WWE have played on this moment so much that it didn’t need to go into the detail it does with it. A fleeting mention of this and more of Foley’s pre-wrestling life would have served the documentary much better. I believe WWE have fed us this story so often that we no longer need to hear about it or see the moment in which Snuka performs said splash.

Mick Foley’s career in wrestling promotions that WWE doesn’t own the copyright or video library to is either ephemeral or ignored all together. With their expansive fortune, would it really have killed WWE to acquire the rights for a modest fee from said promotions? Oddly enough then, there is the odd match from said companies but no explanation about Foley’s time with them. You can’t help but get the feel that WWE either didn’t want to spend out any more money on the release than they had done or don’t want us to think there are and were other promotions out there except WWE.

A lot of the footage from Foley’s time in WCW and ECW is just of hardcore matches. This wouldn’t be so bad had Foley not been labelled with the ‘Hardcore Legend’ name. For those people who believe he’s just a glorified stuntman, this footage will add fuel to the argument of their fire. WWE should have sourced out more video of Foley competing in normal matches with Sting and others in WCW and done their best with the ECW footage of Foley. It does exist if they look hard enough and WWE own the video library which it lies in. There’s no logical reason as to why WWE couldn’t have done this.

The Cactus Jack vs Terry Funk grisly feud from IWA Japan is only told in words and a handful of still pictures. Like his career in other companies which WWE don’t own the rights to, there is no video footage of the sheer brutal death matches the pair competed in. Once again, WWE could have paid the company a one off fee to include one of these matches in its entirety on the release. The excuse that the matches were too violent for a WWE release are counteracted by the footage of the loss of Foley’s ear and the bloody pictures from said matches in UWA Japan. This is laziness and stinginess by WWE. The stories of Mick Foley being able to see bone through the wounds in his fingers and doing the same move that cost him his ear but in barbed wire are all very good but would have been complimented in video form.

The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge are all conspicuous in their absence as talking heads. There isn’t one interview with the trio who helped define Foley’s career. This is a let down. Undertaker should have broken character for once and spoken out on Mick Foley and his feud with him. WWE could have easily procured fresh interviews from Stone Cold and Edge, the only explanation I can possibly think as to why neither of the three appear on the release is that Mick Foley didn’t want to them be seen. This however is a dumb theory as Foley has good relationships with all three men. On the same note, the transitory interview with the Rock is taken from another WWE release. The company couldn’t be bothered to pay Rock to appear in a fresh interview even though they had him in the run up to the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, plus on Royal Rumble and Chamber night. Anyone who tells me they couldn’t have found thirty minutes to sit him down and question him is talking rubbish.

Detracting authenticity from the release, Jim Ross and Michael Hayes claim they had no idea what was going to happen at King of the Ring 1998 – Hayes strikes again with these claims when talking about the No Way Out 2000 Hell in a Cell Match. By now, anyone who knows even the smallest workings of wrestling will be able to pick this apart in seconds. The truth is that every writer, announcer and backstage member of staff knows what is going to happen before the match takes places in order for them to sell it as real as they can. Their claims are made even more unrealistic moments later when Terry Funk, discussing the Hell in a Cell stunt tells us that he and Foley discussed the planned stunts. So what are WWE trying to say? That its wrestlers know more than its backstage staff? What is this WCW?

Shown for the millionth time is the Vince McMahon in hospital scene. We never need to see this ever again, seeing that it has been on ever major release covering, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Mick Foley and the Attitude Era for years. Even though this was the genesis of Mr. Socko it’s unappealing to sit through again.

Mick Foley gives Triple H credit for helping get Cactus Jack over in WWE, not that he needed it. As a character, Cactus Jack’s reputation proceeded him. The ovation he got in his first appearance with Hunter Hearst Helmsley in their cracking street fight on Raw 1997 adds weight that this. Yet at no point on the release does Triple H ever give Mick Foley credit for making him a headline star. This is selfish, bigoted and opinionated. Without Foley, Triple H would never have been the star he was. The Rock and Steve Austin were so unwilling to put Triple H over in their main event feuds towards the end of 1999 that it looked like Triple H would never make it. No one else would have considered doing the job Foley did for Triple H and not to credit him with that says that Triple H believes that he would have made it regardless. Maybe he would have but not at the level he did. This is a great disservice and a huge sign of disrespect.

Strangely, Mick Foley says that he made the most difference in the role as commissioner of the WWE and should have stayed on. I disagree. In the role, Foley was successful there’s no disputing that but the role was a mere comedy one to keep him out of the ring. If it had been portrayed for any longer than it had been there was danger it would have worn thin and Foley would have been blamed for it. As for him making the most difference in the role, that’s hugely wrong. Foley made the most difference to the industry in the ring, where he gave some inspirational performances.

When talking about wanting to leave the wrestling industry to concentrate on his writing, Foley paints Vince McMahon as jealous and petty in his story. The way Foley tells it, Vince didn’t want Foley to leave to concentrate and be successful in another industry and by telling Mick that if he leaves now there’s a chance the pair could do business later on, implying that if he was to stay in WWE and write separate from the company Vince would have cut him off all together. Whilst I have no reason to dispute this story knowing how small minded McMahon can be. WWE should have cut this for the sake of Vince’s image. It does not paint him in a good light.

Recent footage of Mick Foley shows just how much weight he had put on. This should have either been cut or kept to a minimum. It’s sad to see how much he let himself go and the mass he added to his frame. At some points during this footage Mick Foley is hardly recognizable.

As for the matches: Jack Foley and Les Thornton vs The British Bulldogs (WWE Superstars: September 1986) is standard and hasn’t aged well in the ring. Foley and Thornton are used as cannon fodder for the then WWE Tag Team Champions. Like so many squash matches of the time, there’s nothing to excite anyone here unless you’re a fan of jobbers getting demolished.

Cactus Jack Manson vs Brickhouse Brown (Wild West Wrestling: April 1989) is mindlessly slow, thoroughly sloppy and filled with banal rest holds, which were popular in the 80’s, zapping all and every ounce of enthusiasm from the encounter. To make it worse the commentators seem to find everything and anything else to talk about except the match in the ring. They spend an age hyping the Jerry Lawler vs Kerry Von Erich Match which would headline the show. The match ends in a dreadful time limit draw and is one of the worst outings on the entire release.

Cactus Jack vs Shane Douglas (ECW CyberSlam, February 1996) may be respectable and kept watchable via several different stunts but turns out to be a very subdued version of what ECW were capable of and what they should have accomplished in a match such as this. Douglas diving from the top rope and landing in the audience looks wonderful but the rest of the match takes dedication to sit through and borders on disappointing. The words ‘Forgive Me Uncle Eric’ on Foley’s shirt is a nice in joke for those who are in on it but ultimately the match could have done without being here and replaced with another Foley ECW scrap of which there were many to choose from. Never seeming to end it boasts the spot that Rock and Mankind made famous at 1999 Royal Rumble, where Foley is handcuffed and Rock smashes him repeatedly with the chair and the whole thing ends with a dangerous chair shot which looks like it breaks Foley’s neck. A lot of people will like this but for me it was filled with moves which didn’t link or make sense.

Mankind vs Rocky Mavia (In Your House: Cold Day in Hell, May 11th 1997) meanders through a selection of phoned in moves and is one of the rare Rock and Mick Foley efforts where nothing of note happens at all. An early version of the Rock Bottom on the aisle looks good but unfortunately that’s about all to note from this match. If you’re a fan of old In Your House matches and like the nostalgic feel they give you, like I do, then you may find this match watchable even if it won’t blow you away. Listen out for Jerry Lawler’s less than favourable commentary. Everyone else will more than likely want to use the skip button on their DVD or Blu-ray remote.

Mankind vs Al Snow (Smackdown: December 16th 1999) doesn’t need to be here. It’s inconsequential to everything else and takes the places of better matches which could have been included. To make it worse, at the time, WWE booked this match off of the fact that Foley didn’t talk about Snow in glowing terms during the length of his book.

There are no matches with Vader across the expanse of this release and WWE have shoddily left out several other matches which should have been included instead of most. If this was meant to be a selection of Mick Foley’s greatest matches then WWE should have incorporated; Mankind vs Shawn Michaels (In Your House: Mind Games) even though it is included on the forthcoming ‘Best of In Your House’ release, Mick Foley vs Randy Orton (Backlash 2004), The Rock vs Mankind (Royal Rumble 1999), The Rock vs Mankind (Halftime Heat: Empty Arena Brawl 1999), The Rock vs Mankind (Raw 1999: Foley’s first ever WWE Championship victory), Mankind vs the Undertaker (SummerSlam 1996), Cactus Jack vs Triple H (Royal Rumble 2000), Cactus Jack vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Raw Street Fight 1997), Mick Foley vs Edge (WrestleMania 22), Mick Foley and Edge vs Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer (ECW One Night Stand 2006), Mankind vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley (SummerSlam 1997) plus more matches from WCW and ECW.

Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:

Promos

WCW World Championship Wrestling – 5th October 1991
Sting’s Birthday Cake

WCW Saturday Night – 10th September 1994
No Ear Surgery

Raw – 5th April 2004
Barbie

Smackdown – 1st August 2008
Cutting Edge

Raw – 24th September 2012
Relevancy with C.M Punk

Stories
Frank Foley
Snowed In
DeNucci Training School
Arrested in Italy?
Cactus Jack – The Name
Africa
Birth of ‘Bang-Bang’
Losing Teeth
On the Spot
Wanted T-shirt
Smoking Flight?
Anti-Hardcore ECW
Farewell in ECW
Vicious Suplex
Kevin Sullivan – Mentor
Rock ‘n Sock Jacket
Disneyland
Loogie Heard ‘Round the World
Commentator
Mr. Socko vs The Cobra
Comedy Show
Favourite Mick Foley Persona
Sheamus Meets Mick
Christmas Cheer
Wardrobe
Thrifty Mick
Great Dad

Conclusion:

After much hype and crossed fingers, ‘For All Mankind: the life and career of Mick Foley’ is finally a wrestling biography that we can be proud of. More than it, along with C.M Punk’s release WWE put out in 2012, this is the wrestling biography that we have been waiting for. Following in the footsteps of ‘Mick Foley’s Greatest Hits and Misses’ which was very good in itself but was essentially a collection of matches from Foley’s career, we’re at last given an inspirational story that we can all relate to. There is something here for anyone and the main feature which spans two hours and fourteen minutes is next to the best that WWE have ever produced. In effect, this is the documentary that WWE should have provided with the ‘Attitude Era’ release a few months back.

What we’re essentially watching is a boyhood dream that came true. There is a wealth of top class footage and fantastic stories from across the board and despite the flaws of the release and the matches included rarely being amongst Foley’s best ever, this release that fills you with unbridled joy and is worth the price tag that comes with it. There is an argument that states you can’t compile an accurate career description in such a short amount of time, if that is true then WWE have come so close with this release, touching the fringes of that statement. Showing Foley as more than a Hardcore Legend had to be one of the main priorities of this release and WWE have just about accomplished that with the footage of family life, his sacrifices to get into the business and his charity work.

Unusually for a WWE release, everything from the archive video footage of Foley’s early days, to home video footage to the talking heads are pitch perfect. There are even some really good quotes that will give people food for thought as they devour this career retrospective. Michael Hayes gives it straight and should inspire future WWE stars who are currently in developmental when he rightly states, “Go for broke once you got here!” After all, it is the only way to guarantee success in WWE these days.

Which ever way you look at it, Mick Foley comes across as an inspiration and an all around nice guy who deserves the success and life he has now. I tried to sum up this review with some clever quote but I decided that I could do no better than Foley’s own daughter, Noelle. When talking about her father and neatly summing up this release and Mick’s entire career she simply states; “He had a dream and he lived it! I think that’s inspirational!” Amen to that.

Rating: A

Onwards and upwards...