A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: May 5th 2014
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:
A
collection of what WWE deems to be WCW’s greatest pay-per view matches from
1987 – 2001. Hosted by Booker T and featuring such superstars as Ric Flair,
Sting, Lex Luger, Steve Austin, Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and
more this is sure to be a rare (though that doesn’t always mean good) insight
into how WWE perceived its biggest competition.
Strengths:
I have to give credit where it is due. Opening the release, Booker T, who sits
alone in an empty arena whilst the crew are setting up Raw beneath him goes
into some detail (though it’s not really enough) about the creation of WCW’s
first pay-per view event Starrcade 1987 and event mentions closed circuit
television which was the forerunner to pay-per view and the medium which WCW
had aired its events on before taking the step up. However that’s merely
history and not the point of this opening strength. Though he leaves out the
nitty gritty detail under instruction from the office, Booker T is permitted to
mention in passing that Survivor Series 1987 was aired the very same night.
Sadly though, that is as far the truth goes as WWE stops him going further into
the real story of how Vince McMahon purposely created the elimination event just
to ruin Jim Crockett’s chances of succeeding. Everyone knows this story so why
not mention it now?
The
Road Warriors vs Sting and Dusty Rhodes (Starrcade 1988, December 26th 1988) is
by far one of Animal and Hawk’s best matches of the decade. Usually adept at
squash outings which had little value or quality to them, The Road Warriors
sell for Sting and Dusty Rhodes more than they maybe had for anyone during
their careers up to that point. Fast, exciting and well booked to stay on the
right side of entertaining, all four men provide the audience with a rare
treat. There’s still a special feeling when the announcer bellowed ‘This is
Sting’, it’s a testament to his presence that twenty six years later we still
get shivers up our spines when we hear that announcement but Dusty Rhodes
doesn’t fare so well with the audience who are hostile towards him and with
good reason which I won’t go into here. The back and forth action is some of
the best of any match included on this release despite the awful ending.
Ric
Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (Chi-Town Rumble, February 20th 1989) is one of the
greatest wrestling matches of all time and should have been accompanied by the
even better clash the pair endured at WrestleWar in May 1989. However, for some
reason best left in the vaults of WWE they have chosen not to include that even
though it would cemented the release title and we have this masterpiece
instead. Yes, there is some repetitiveness in this bout with chops galore but I
defy anyone who knows what they’re talking about to deny this just excellent.
New wrestling fans who have been fed a diet of John Cena will look at this and
scoff but then what do those morons know? This is one of the finest pieces of
wrestling you will ever see. Ric Flair is excellent, Ricky Steamboat is
flawless and the technical as well as high flying aspect of the match is mind
blowing. If you’re not on your feet when this one comes to a close you have no
respect for what this business was and should be. The ending is especially well
timed.
Lex
Luger vs Brian Pillman (Halloween Havoc 1989, October 28th 1989) is a very fine
bout which begins with a little chuckle as the commentators state their belief
that Lex Luger is one of the most physically gifted wrestlers to grace the
company. He wasn’t, but Luger sure did have some cracking bouts with WCW’s
elite and as this match proves with its smaller talent as well. Brian Pillman
is tenacious and seems desperate to prove a point to WCW that he could go with
the bigger guys whilst Lex Luger looks like a star. Apart from his bout against
Ric Flair at the 1988 Starrcade, I can’t remember seeing Lex Luger any better
but then it has been a long time since this era passed. Timed well and with
only a few mistakes, for a powerhouse Luger struggles to get the lighter
Pillman up for a suplex and he fluffs a Powerbomb attempt, this is a tremendous
effort by both men.
Sting
vs Ric Flair (The Great American Bash 1990, July 7th 1990) is another top notch
bout which tends to dip slightly in the middle but never takes away from the
action on display. Many look at this as the pinnacle of Ric Flair’s effort to
make Sting a star and a very fine job he did. Packed with reversals galore,
near falls, technically flawless performances from both men and backed by a
cement strong storyline, WWE can only wish fans were this enthusiastic about
current main events (WrestleMania XXX excluded). The final few minutes where
the pair wrestles and counters through numerous pin falls is divine. This is a
true passing of the torch moment.
Brian
Pillman vs Jushin Thunder Liger (Superbrawl II, February 29th 1992) is a
spectacular ariel war interspersed with technical rest holds which allow both
men to breath in between moves. Pillman’s reverse hurricanrana is delightful,
Liger’s sunset flip reversal is magnificent as is his rolling senton from the
top rope to the floor, whilst Pillman’s crossbody from the top to the floor is
superb. Breathtaking and tense, this is one match which has planet to marvel at
and will even satisfy the most hardened of critics. WCW should have capitalised
on this going forward and not waited so long to introduce their cruiserweights.
Sting’s
Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes and Nikita
Koloff) vs The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin, Rick
Rude, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbyszko) (WrestleWar, May 17th 1992) is an
excellent match all around boasting some top class action and legitimate
wrestling moves for a change. The man who would rocket to fame in WWE as Stone
Cold Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes put on some classic exchanges including a
double clothesline from ring to ring and Austin puts his body on the line in
the name of entertainment at various other points in the match to great effect.
Other thrilling moments inside this WarGames include a great double Boston Crab
on Steamboat by Rick Rude and Arn Anderson, a perfectly executed piledriver by
Steamboat on Rude, an excellently delivered electric chair by Rhodes on Austin,
Barry Windham trapping Arn Anderson’s head between the two rings in a novel
manoeuvre and Sting’s backdrop into the cage on Austin. Of the competitors, Arn
Anderson moves like a greyhound between moves, slickly executing every move
with pitch perfect precision. Rick Rude looks buff and strangely blue as the
match goes on, he really was a terrific talent and he and Ricky Steamboat
deserve a standing ovation for their thrilling exchanges throughout the match.
This match is both bloody; the mat is stained with claret before the final bell
tolls.
Vader
vs Cactus Jack (Halloween Havoc 1993, October 24th 1993) turns out to be a
violent, hard hitting brawl fought under Texas Death Match rules. It’s not the
best Texas Death Match ever contested and certainly pails in comparison to
anything Mick Foley and Terry Funk did in Japan, however its violent nature
makes it very enjoyable. Vader pounds Foley with hard fists which open him up
the hard way and how he doesn’t break Foley’s ribs when falling on top of him
on the entrance ramp is beyond me. Even I cringed. Vader is one of the most
agile big men ever to step into a wrestling ring and his moonsault is to die
for. Watching this will make you admire Mick Foley even more. The guy takes a
pasting.
Ricky
Steamboat vs ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin (Bash at the Beach 1994, July 17th 1994) is
very impressive from the word go. It doesn’t seem to matter how tired either
man gets they go and go and go until it’s impossible to go anymore. Austin
plays up to the heel role to perfection whilst Steamboat rallies the crowd
behind him, refusing to quit after everything Austin does. The technical
interaction is as good as Flair vs Steamboat and the near falls are just
sumptuous. Not only does this match reinforce Steamboat’s face character but
Austin looks like a star when all is said and done. The pair had some great
chemistry.
Ric
Flair vs Hulk Hogan (Halloween Havoc 1994, October 23rd 1994) isn’t a classic
by any means but for a Hulk Hogan match it moves at a fair clip which keeps it
watchable right through to its predictable ending. Mr. T as the special guest
referee is unneeded but this was WCW doing everything they could to keep Hogan
sweet which included hiring his friends regardless of whether they fitted in or
not. Ric Flair throws himself around like a man possessed to elicit excitement
and for the most part it works. This won’t be for everyone but most should find
it interesting enough to view.
Scott
Hall and Kevin Nash vs Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage (Bash at the Beach
1996, July 7th 1996) is historically necessary on a release about the greatest
pay-per view matches in WCW history. Though I can foresee the ending to this
match being on the upcoming ‘OMG: 50 Most Shocking Moments in WCW History’
release for which no one is looking forward to, I can personally think of about
five, possibly six so God only knows where the other 44 are coming from but
that detracts from the point. The match isn’t really what’s in question here as
watchable as it is; it’s all about the speculation surrounding Hall and Nash’s
third partner and for those few who haven’t seen it before, Hulk Hogan’s heel
turn is a doozie. As for the bout in question, Lex Luger gets taken out early
which is probably for the best, he was well past his in 1996 whilst Sting,
Savage, Nash and Hall put on an entertaining show. Really though, it’s all
about the ending.
Rey
Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero (Halloween Havoc 1997, October 26th 1997) is a
stunning areal assault, one of the finest matches WCW ever staged in its
cruiserweight division. Though it has been on other releases, it deserves its
place here. Thunderous, fast and thrilling right up until its excellent
conclusion, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero dazzle with a host of moves and jaw
dropping counters including a Handspring Elbow into a Belly-to-Back-Suplex,
Abdominal Stretch into a wicked Gutbuster and Reverse Springboard which are all
just melt in the mouth. If wrestling moves could be described as sexy then
these would be the Karen Gillan of a wrestling match. Travelling towards its
conclusion, both men display some sound ring psychology and timing which is
lacking even from Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat. The Headscissors sequence which
concludes with a diving Somersault Hurricanrana is one of the best things I
have ever seen in a wrestling ring. Eddie Guerrero exudes heel as he levels Rey
Mysterio with the hardest Powerbomb you’ve ever seen but the end sequence of a
Hurricanrana into Backbreaker and final pinfall back and forth is truly
outstanding. If you’ve never seen this then prepared to be amazed, if you have
seen it then you owe it to yourself to watch it again.
Goldberg
vs Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Halloween Havoc 1998, October 25th 1998) is a very
good jaunt in which Page looks the champion and Goldberg merely a challenger.
It’s also a credit to DDP as a wrestler that he manages to carry a man who knew
very few moves in the ring to a fine endeavour. Beginning at pace with some
excellent reversals and gripping offence, Goldberg puts in a first rate
performance as champion beginning with a terrific backwards summersault. Unlike
a lot of other Goldberg matches this one is logical in its execution as Page
deploys submission moves when needed to wear Goldberg down and fast paced moves
when called for to tire the big man. I wouldn’t usually mention something as
insignificant as this but you won’t find a whole lot of it across the release.
Goldberg uses his power to throw Page around the ring and at last, after nearly
a whole disc of waiting, Goldberg sells his arm injury to the point we believe
he may not be able to carry on. The ending is one of the best on the release as
Page reverses a Jackhammer into a Diamond Cutter in one of the best moves in a
very long time and on merit alone; Diamond Dallas Paige deserved to be the
first person to defeat Goldberg and not as it would turn out – Kevin Nash.
Booker
T does a great job of explaining the controversy surrounding the Bash at the
Beach 2000 WCW World Heavyweight Championship change even if the match isn’t so
good. Going into detail about Hulk Hogan’s legitimate beef with Vince Russo and
WCW’s booking committee, what happened in the arena that night wasn’t as bad as
Bret Hart’s screwjob at the hands of Vince McMahon but it came very close. As
Booker T explains, Jeff Jarrett was ordered to lay down for Hulk Hogan on the
night as Vince Russo’s message to Hogan that the only way he could beat anyone
is if they laid down for him as all his opponents had throughout his career.
Hulk Hogan then reluctantly pinned Jeff Jarrett with his foot on the chest
before Vince Russo bombarded him with insults on his way from the ring in an
unplanned spot. WCW allowed anyone in power to do anything they liked as the
company came to a close, just to keep them sweet. Hulk Hogan walked out of the
arena and WCW that night, never to return. I may not like Hogan, but that was
no way to treat a legend who gave everything he had to build the industry which
made others like Vince Russo a small fortune.
3
Count vs The Jung Dragons vs Jamie Knoble and Evan Karagias (Starrcade 2000,
December 26th 2000) is the final bout on the release which is worth watching.
Even though it’s extremely messy in places and dangerous as the six men take no
regard for safety of others and several times drop their opponents on their
heads including a ‘Holy Shit’ moment when one man is dropped head first onto a
ladder, it was a careless moment but sadly it’s not an isolated one. However,
the match does prosper and its worth the watch for the ariel stunts on show
even though most of them are a rip off of what The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz and
Edge and Christian did earlier in the year. A few of the standout moments from
this clash are the dives from the ring which are just brilliant and the
unforgettable Shane Helms powerslam to Kaz Hayashi, who had he caught from a
springboard, whilst standing on a propped up ladder. That is a spectacular
moment indeed.
Booker
T is a brilliant host. Funny, charming and warm, you get the feeling that
Booker T is really involved in what he’s saying and having lived through at
least part of what the release is about he was the perfect choice. There are a
few spotty moments, but overall it’s a fine job from the 5 Time World
Heavyweight Champion.
Weaknesses:
Recapping
WCW’s pay-per view moments at the very beginning of the release, Booker T
mentions that WCW was a part of the National Wrestling Alliance but maddeningly
there’s nothing mentioned about Jim Crockett Promotions. This is an oversight.
Crockett was the owner of the territory which came to be known as WCW and
without him taking a gamble of pay-per view, though years after McMahon had
transverse the medium, when WCW came to exist the company would still be
looking to stage its first event. Worse, Starrcade 1987 which is represented
here by Ric Flair vs Ron Garvin was held when the promotion was under Crockett
rule, so why not mention it? Vince McMahon won the war, let those who crumbled
underneath him have their moment in the spotlight.
Ric
Flair vs Ron Garvin (Starrcade 1987, November 26th 1987) may have been the best
match of a very disappointing debut pay-per view event for Jim Crockett
Promotions but it still isn’t anywhere near one of the best matches on this
release. Fans couldn’t give a tinkers toss about Ron Garvin as Champion and who
can blame them? Garvin was a bore in the ring as anyone who saw one of his
matches can attest to. Ric Flair was going through the motions here despite his
fine effort to turn the crowd to Garvin’s side which never works. In all
truthfulness, fans and it seems Ric Flair couldn’t wait for this to be over.
Dusty
Rhodes vs Barry Windham (The Great American Bash 1988, July 10th 1988) is
terrible. Dusty Rhodes, booker of this match and Jim Crockett Promotions at the
time, was a selfish man when it came to putting anyone over and even Barry
Windham doesn’t get the job done with an assist. Slow, uninvolved and
lackadaisical this is only held together by Barry Windham who shows Rhodes how
it should be done when it should have been the other way around.
Lex
Luger vs Barry Windham (The Great American Bash 1991, July 14th 1991) is a take
it or leave it effort which really can’t live up to Luger’s bout with Pillman
or any of his other tremendous main event matches which have passed before.
With the fans rampant for Ric Flair at the beginning chanting ‘We Want Flair’
(Flair left for WWF months before) neither man can hope to match expectations
seeing as Lex Luger was just finding his feet as a main event star and Barry
Windham was never WCW World Heavyweight Championship material no matter which
way you look at it. The bout plays out to mostly silence thanks to the slow
pace but the crowd manage to help pick the pace up right at the end. A few
standout moments such as Barry Windham’s lariat from the top rope unfortunately
don’t make a great match.
Randy
Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page (Spring Stampede, April 6th 1997) begins as a
promising hardcore brawl but descends into madness once the pair run out of
steam. Sluggish in the extreme, everything winds to a very slow canter once
Savage decides to play with the audience and fetch weapons one at a time. There
are moments here when DDP’s comebacks elevate the atmosphere but they’re few
and far between. Unusually for Randy Savage, this effort is on the sloppy side
and to make matters worse the ending is wholly nonsensical. There is some
quality to be had here but it’s all question of taste.
Bret
Hart vs Randy Savage (Slamboree, May 17th 1998) is a match which could be shown
to insomniacs and it would cure the whole lot of them. By 1998, Bret Hart had
lost his passion and will to do anything memorable in wrestling and as he has
several times before, just turned up for the pay cheque. Regardless of whether
you believe Hart should have gone to WCW with the drive and passion he exuded
throughout his WWE career to prove that Vince McMahon made a mistake at the
1997 Survivor Series is a different matter. The fact is that he didn’t. WWE
knocked all of the stuffing out of him. In truth, both men were past their best
so what did WCW really expect from them here? A slow and maudlin bout is made
worse by referee Roddy Piper who adds nothing to the match which has another
screwy ending. A common theme in WCW in the twentieth century.
Chris
Jericho vs Juventud Guerrera (Road Wild, October 25th 1998) should have been
another breathtaking cruiserweight clash which stole the show. Instead of
which, we’re forced to sit through a twenty two minute slog which offers little
cruiserweight action and brings to mind an early 1980’s fight with very little
to note from the action. Unspectacular from start to finish except the odd
ariel move Guerrera throws in for good measure, the match plays out to silence
for mass periods which helps it die a death. Then again that’s what you get
when you hold a pay-per view event in front of a biker crowd who got in for
free and know nothing of the storylines. Maddeningly, the commentators touch
upon Dean Malenko as the special referee with the ridiculous statement; “When a
champion conducts himself in a manner unbecoming of the championship he’s
carrying, a committee can choose their own special referee to alleviate the
situation”. Utter, bullshit! What were WCW trying to say? That a committee,
they didn’t even mention which committee, could purposely choose to screw
someone out of a title because they didn’t believe he was Championship
material? Just awful.
Booker
T vs Jeff Jarrett (Bash at the Beach 2000, July 9th 2000) brings to mind a TNA
encounter as that is what WCW looked like at that time. The product had
suffered greatly and it shows. Unfortunately for Booker T, this match was never
going to be main event calibre even with six months of solid build, let alone
thirty minutes of hype as Booker T was chosen because they were lacking a main
event. Jeff Jarrett was another wrestler who was taking the cheques but cared
little about the product and his performance here is for the most part, is
terrible. There are some good near falls but until Booker T pins Jeff Jarrett
for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship the bout is pointless and its
stalling as the pair traipse through the crowd shows that. This is should have
been a momentous moment for Booker T, capturing the gold after a Daniel Bryan
type build up and a hard fought and memorable match. Instead, Booker T is
rushed into the main event picture for seemingly no reason other than to give
the fans a happy ending. The commentators calling Hulk Hogan, ‘Hollywood Scum
Hogan’, upon request of the backstage team is disgusting. Just because he
wanted nothing to do with the company and looking at this, who could blame him?
Diamond
Dallas Page vs Scott Steiner (Greed, March 18th 2001) is WCW’s final pay-per
view and final pay-per view main event, that’s not saying much. Eight days later
it would close its doors and sell to Vince McMahon. It was for the best. This
match though is truly terrible and worse, gimmicky. From the beginning to the
end, taking in a planted fan on crutches who has his aid stolen by Steiner only
to stand up perfectly well and throw his spare to Page to use. These are the
kind of inconsistencies that helped WCW down the plug hole. Scott Steiner is
next to useless, Page looks done with the whole thing and even though the crowd
eat it up there’s nothing to boast about. It’s apt that the final event name
was Greed as that is what WCW got in the end. They tried to obtain something
which was truly out of their reach.
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
Halloween Havoc 1989 –
October 28th 1989
Ric
Flair and Sting vs The Great Muta and Terry Funk
Starrcade 1994 –
December 27th 1994
Jean
Paul Levesque vs Alex Wright
Road Wild 1999 – August
14th 1999
Dennis
Rodman vs Randy Savage
Slamboree 2000 – May
7th 2000
Billy
Kidman vs Hulk Hogan
Conclusion:
I
happened across an American review of ‘WCW’s Greatest Pay-Per View Matches
Volume 1’ before I was sent the review discs for the European release. Usually
I don’t read other reviews until after I have written and posted mine here as
it clouds the judgment. However I couldn’t help myself. The review I read said
that this release was a mediocre effort which should have been better and
didn’t live up to the expectations. Fortunately for us, we’ve come to have very
low expectations of WWE box set releases so when one exceeds them it’s a
pleasant surprise.
I’m
not going to sit here and pretend this is excellent, because it isn’t. To begin
with WWE have left off some stunning bouts which would have fulfilled the
criteria better than some included. The most startling omissions include Ric
Flair vs Terry Funk (The Great American Bash 1989), Ric Flair and Sting vs The
Great Muta and Terry Funk (Halloween Havoc 1989) which is included on the
Blu-ray extras but really should have been on the main body of the release, Lex
Luger vs Ric Flair (Starrcade 1988), Sting vs The Great Muta (The Great
American Bash 1989), Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (WrestleWar 1989) widely
regarded as the greatest wrestling match in history and Sting and Lex Luger vs
The Steiner Brothers (Superbrawl 1). Some idiots will read this and think I’m
biased towards Ric Flair, but it’s no coincidence that the greatest matches in
WCW’s long history mostly involved him.
If
you’re compiling a release with ‘Greatest’ in the title there is no reason to
omit matches which do fit the criteria in favour of feeble efforts such as Bret
Hart vs Randy Savage. Give us what the release promises and if there’s not
enough room make it one release not the first of who knows how many and make it
four discs instead of three. The material is there if you’re going to take the
criteria seriously. Most of us would much have preferred a 4 Disc DVD / 3 Disc
Blu-ray with every greatest pay-per view bout WCW had on rather than
instalments which will be filled with more of the same once they run out of
matches because whoever complies these seems to have no idea what makes a good
match.
If
WWE aren’t keen on the above then another option would surely be to keep the
Volumes but release them chronologically so for instance Volume 1 would
comprise 1987 – 1992, Volume 2 would go from 1993 – 1997 and Volume 3 would
stretch from 1998 – 2001. That way you negate any filler material on each
volume just so you can keep back matches from different eras for future
inclusion. It’s something WWE seriously need to think about.
Disc
1 is by far the very best of the three (DVD) with the second disc coming in
close. Disc 3 however is where everything falls apart as there’s just too much
filler material to really warrant the name ‘Greatest’. Had WWE designated this
as just WCW’s pay-per view matches then it would have been fine, no cause to
pick apart the logic. But they didn’t and by including some of the lesser
material here show us what they truly think of WCW’s legacy.
Overall,
it’s a very good release which provides hours of entertainment from some of
WCW’s greatest pay-per view bouts. If you’ve never seen them then you’ll be in
for a treat, if you have and own them on VHS then maybe it’s not such a good
purchase. However this should be considered an essential purchase for anyone
who wants to broaden their wrestling horizon past WWE, I just don’t see how the
company can release any more without truly thinking it through and polling us
about what we believe should be on the release.
Rating: B
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE Elimination Chamber 2014 DVD and
Blu-ray
