A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: December 1st 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:
WWE’s
latest release and final one of 2014 sees them profile the so called greatest
giants of professional wrestling history. The main release comprises an
in-depth biography on each giant whilst the rest of the release features
matches involving those included on this release.
Strengths:
‘Big
Show’ is how the release begins, which thankfully exceeds expectations. As
you’re not sure what to expect, naturally you believe that thanks to the wealth
of giants on display and the short run time which is just one hour and fifty
minutes then WWE will revert to type and rush through the majority of the
release. However this couldn’t be further from the truth and it begins with Big
Show, chronicling his life in immense detail from his problem with gigantism to
his childhood and begin told that he had a tumour on his brain. Its heavy stuff
to kick off a release with but it all adds to the weight as WWE try to get
through not just that these men are giants of the industry but also the
struggle they go through on a day to day business. It’s great to see WWE
concentrate on something other than a kayfabe career and Big Show is a
highlight, coming across as really disappointed that he isn’t the same size as everyone
else. He’ll touch you here. As the release moves onto his time in WCW, we’re
shown a rarely seen piece of footage which takes in the WCW Power Plant commercial
though his time in the development centre and WCW is cut so short it may as
well not be here. Instead of focusing on Big Show’s triumphs in WWE, such as
his major championship victories, the piece instead turns its attention to his
WrestleMania XXIV bout with Floyd Mayweather which isn’t a truly memorable way
to end the segment, but it’s not bad either.
‘Gorilla
Monsoon’ is a surprise inclusion, especially for those who never saw the agile
Monsoon wrestler in his heyday. Wrestling fans of the present may be asking why
he has an inclusion here but your questions will be answered once the footage
begins rolling. Presenting the angle is Pat Patterson who talks fondly of his
friend but in all honesty doesn’t say much of note whilst his stories border on
mediocre. Where this segment thrives is on its footage of Monsoon as a wrestler
and it’s breathtaking to see how agile he was for such a huge man. Pulling off
stunts which wouldn’t look out of place on a cruiserweight, Monsoon really was
something special in his time. The footage of Monsoon and Mohamed Ali battling
is really something special and when the release turns to his touching
relationship with Bobby Heenan you see just what good friends both men were. It
was perhaps fitting then that in the storyline, it was Gorilla Monsoon who
ended Bobby Heenan’s WWE career by booting his friend out of the company on a
Monday Night Raw. Heenan wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The segment
ends with a look at the Gorilla position, named after Monsoon. It’s a lovely
piece of work.
‘Haystacks
Calhoun’ just about scrapes into this section because, like Gorilla Monsoon,
his footage is very interesting, more so than anything Bill Apter has to say
about him in his talking head piece. Just the sheer size of Haystacks is an
immense thing to see though to give Apter credit, he does mention how big the
man was in his childhood which makes you think he was a gluttonous pig who
didn’t know when to stop eating. Regardless of this, Haystacks does deserve his
place on this release though Bill Apter is a source of frustration when he
maddeningly says that Haystacks was an excellent wrestler despite his size.
This can be disputed by the footage and anyone who ever saw one of his matches
and for a critic who is usually so honest about everything it’s ridiculous to
see how he can get this so wrong. Still, credit for including Haystacks, when
WWE could have replaced him with someone less deserving.
‘Giant
Gonzalez’ will raise few sighs amongst the wrestling die hard of you but take
it from me, as one of the tallest men ever he deserves his place on this
release even though he was a deplorable wrestler. Seeing as Gonzalez passed
away a few years ago, the talking head duties go to Harvey Wippleman who has a
ball talking about a man he describes as his best friend. The story begins with
Gonzalez begin drafted by the Atlanta Hawks NBA team and travelling from
Argentina to America just to play the game. It’s an amusing moment when we’re
told that Gonzalez couldn’t actually play the game and was drafted for his
size. His entry in to wrestling is a coincidental one when we’re informed that
Ted Turner owned the team and brought him into WCW as El Gigante who was a much
loved babyface before he came to the WWE as Giant Gonzalez. You can’t help but
laugh along with Wippleman as looks as Gonzalez’s truly terrible skin suit but
at the heart of this segment is a truly gentle giant who everyone seemed to
love away from the ring. It’s heartfelt and Wippleman tugs at the heart strings
as someone who misses his friend.
‘Sid
Vicious’ is maybe one of the most underrated giants in wrestling history
because even though he was a man of limited ability and his mic skills weren’t
all that hot in the early stages of his career, he could talk the legs of a
hind donkey in the late nineties when he reached WWE. WWE have to be given a
great load of credit for allowing Sid to do a brand new sit down interview
which looked like it would never happen a few years ago and though he doesn’t
look like he’s aged one single day it’s still great to see him looking so well
in 2014. Following the same pattern as the rest of the inclusions on this
release, Sid takes us through his early WCW career and being a part of The Four
Horsemen which he correct comments that it was too short and too quick. We get
an explanation of where his ‘Ruler of the World’ phrase came from but when it
moves on to his WWE career we see a Sid that we’re not used to. He’s not manic
and crazed as one would think he would be, but instead humbled and grateful for
being able to have the career he’s had. We get an unknown story from 1996,
where Sid replaced Vader in the WWE Championship picture after management
decided that Sid was more popular. It’s an interesting insight to an overlooked
career and its great to see WWE have included his horrific leg break footage
which has never been released to the general public before. You don’t see it
snap because the footage picks up before and after but for anyone who saw it
live, it was sickening.
‘Vader’
is the best segment on the entire release, as the man in question takes us on a
very detailed journey of the greatest parts of his career and not just from
those companies WWE own the rights to. Beginning with his childhood in Compton,
California which Vader describes as the murder capital of the world, we’re
treated to a story of someone breaking into his house when he was a child
before we’re given insight into how hard his childhood was when his father made
him fight his bullies regardless of whether he wanted to or not. Skipping
through his complicated football career which you can watch for yourself, we finally
arrive at his wrestling life which begins in Japan and we’re given footage of
his time which WWE should do more often with wrestler who had career’s in other
promotions they don’t own the rights to. I thank WWE for keeping in the story
about Vader defeating Antonio Inoki in three minutes after the Japanese star
going years without losing but inevitably it moves on to WCW and WWE with the
latter beginning with Vader’s agent negotiating a deal which saw him return to
the ring before he was ready after an injury. This may explain why Vader’s WWE
run was lukewarm when it could have been legendary. Coming to the end of his
WWE career, there’s some nice footage of an emotional Vader tearful in the ring
and though nothing is said about his post-WWE career we’re given a look at his
one night only return in 2012 which Vader calls the greatest moment of his
career. Summing up, Vader says that he wants to be remembered as one of the
greatest big men the industry ever saw, I think he’ll get his wish.
‘Yokozuna’
is a wrestler whom people believe was an overweight blob who couldn’t wrestle.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. For a man of his size Yokozuna could
move better than some of the wrestlers who were 200 pounds slimmer than he was.
The talking heads here are Jimmy and Jey Uso who are a highlight when talking
about their uncle and regaling us with stories of his life which include family
barbeques, birthdays and Yokozuna dressing up as Father Christmas of which
there is some lovely family footage which the general public will never have
been privy to. The footage of his in ring career brings back some wonderful
memories of days long since gone but The Usos keep this entertaining. It’s sad
to see Yoko towards the end of his career when he was looking tired, heavier
than ever and just about done with the whole thing and when The Usos tell us
that Yoko couldn’t sleep laying down and had to sit up all night, it hammers
home how much pressure he was under from Vince McMahon to look the part. It’s
well known that Vince urged him to keep putting on weight. It’s a very fitting
tribute in many ways.
‘Andre
the Giant’ is the final inclusion and if there was ever a predictable inclusion
before this was released it would be Ander. We’re talked through Andre’s life
by former referee and Andre’s best friend Tim ‘I’ve Put on Twenty Stone’ White who
doesn’t take the usual route one would expect him to. Instead of chronicling
Andre’s career which has been gone over and over during the years, we get a
look at the man behind the legend and see that he was a loving, loyal and
wonderful man. The segment is given a slightly sad tone knowing how his story
ends, but his life was full of fun and frolics and some one the rare footage is
the gem of this release. White is genuinely upset when looking back at the end
of Andre’s career and life, and you get a sense of how terrible it was for
Andre having to be pushed around in wheel chairs and walk on crutches whilst
being in so much pain. White tells us that Andre knew he’d never make it to
sixty years old but had a hell of a life whilst he was here. Those who shed
tears easily will need their handkerchief ready for this one.
The
introduction video to the release isn’t special in its audio moments as the
voice over guy gives us the same spiel that you’d find on any other release of
this nature, however, where it thrives is in its visual element. Documenting
every wrestler to appear on the release with a terrific graffiti picture
tattooed onto a brick wall. They really are something special and definitely
worth a look.
Ernie
Ladd vs Kerry Von Erich (WCCW Star Wars, June 1981) is the best match on the
release up to its point of inclusion. It start’s slow but it’s sixteen minute
time frame leaves plenty of time for the bout to build and it does so very
well. This is heated if a little on the slow side but holds together well
thanks to Von Erich and his skill. You don’t really understand how big Ernie
Ladd is until you see him against someone of usual height.
Big
John Studd vs Hulk Hogan (Madison Square Garden, September 1984) is watchable
thanks to the efforts that Hulk Hogan put in. Big John Studd is just about
respectable but this wouldn’t be half as good if Hulk Hogan wasn’t a part of it
and you don’t hear me saying that often. The bout starts at a pace and with the
crowd reaction it lives off of that glory throughout the entire time frame. Its
Hulk Hogan’s usual big man routine and Studd is tiresome when in charge but
thankfully the good outweighs the bad and this will keep you entertained.
The
British Bulldogs vs Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy (All American Wrestling,
May 1986) is an excellent five minute tag team encounter in which the giants
leave the Brits to do all of the work. Thankfully, Davey Boy and The Dynamite
Kid do not disappoint with some lightening fast offence which looks out of this
world. They really were ahead of their time. The giants do nothing of note but
sell well as do their counterparts who take a real beating in-between high risk
manoeuvres. A nice filler for what it is.
Ted
Dibiase vs One Man Gang (Power Pro Wrestling, November 1986) is full of pace
and lively thanks to Ted Dibiase’s excellent efforts which One Man Gang sells
really well. It’s not going to rock anyone’s world but it’s very good whilst it
lasts and one of the better television matches on show. You can see why Ted
Dibiase was such a draw even as a heel. The final few minutes of the match are
powerful, well timed and expertly executed. Had it been ten minutes longer then
this could easily have headlined a pay-per view.
Sid
Justice and Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper (West Palm Beach, Florida,
February 18th 1992) stands up and is bearable because of Ric Flair and Roddy
Piper’s collisions which are fast and technically sound. Justice and Hogan
don’t fair as well but that was to be expected and for a television match which
aired on Prime Time Wrestling it can be classed as a triumph. Flair sells well
for Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, in a nice moment which you can’t see Hulk Hogan
doing for him.
Yokozuna
vs Hulk Hogan (King of the Ring, June 13th 1993) isn’t a thrill a minute but
does highlight the very important end of Hulk Hogan in the WWE for nine years.
Yokozuna handles the ego well and even though he doesn’t get a clean ending,
it’s still an interesting moment when Hogan gets blasted with a fireball. The
match itself is respectable considering the participants and Hulk Hogan’s
unwillingness to put anyone over on his way out of the promotion. Yokozuna gets
a bad reputation for being a terrible wrestler, but for a man of his size he
was very good indeed.
Razor
Ramon vs Diesel (Superstars, April 30th 1994) is one of the most underrated
television bouts in WWE history. It’s a thrill per minute and will keep anyone
entertained even if you don’t like this era or weren’t a fan of the duo. Shawn
Michaels plays his part perfectly whilst Kevin Nash is on fine form. The star
of this bout however is Scott Hall who throws himself around the ring like a
gladiator in order to help his opponent get over. This is the best match on the
entire release and deserves to be seen over and over again. It’s also features
a shock ending as titles rarely changed hands on weekly television.
Vader
vs Ric Flair and Arn Anderson (Clash of the Champions, August 1st 1995) goes a
long way to showing why Vader was just so good. Though he’s against two
excellent technical athletes, Vader holds his own and it’s Flair and Anderson
who come out looking like the greenhorns. Though it starts slow, the bout picks
up when Arn Anderson catches Vader with a stunning spinebuster and the height
he gets on the move is just outstanding. Ric Flair adapts his game to work with
Vader’s size whilst Vader is just a tour de force.
Psycho
Sid vs Bret Hart (Raw, February 17th 1997) is another very good technical bout
though it’s not the pay-per view calibre bout it should have been. Bret Hart
works very hard to make sure there are no flaws in Sid’s game whilst the big
man holds his own to perfection. It was the smaller opponents who brought out
the best in Sid and there’s nothing to prove that wrong here. It’s shaky in
places but mostly solid enough to keep you seated.
Big
Show vs Eddie Guerrero (No Mercy, October 19th 2003) is decent enough
considering Big Show is hideously overweight. Eddie takes a beating here which
serves the David vs Goliath motif to perfection but his comebacks are thrilling
enough to stop this being a total squash. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the
greatest display in the world but you can’t fault it for the effort put in.
It’s Eddie Guerrero that makes Big Show look like a star.
Mark
Henry vs Rey Mysterio (Smackdown, January 20th 2006) is actually an
entertaining watch and that’s not something you hear me say very often. What we
have here is similar to the above in that it’s a demolition of the smaller
talent but done to great effect. Rey Mysterio makes the most of his comeback
but they don’t get him anywhere whilst Mark Henry actually looks really good
for a change. The content is on the light side but male fans will want to keep
an eye on the stunning Melina, whose very short skirt will make this a must see
for any male fan.
The
Great Khali vs Shawn Michaels (Raw, May 7th 2007) may be once again on the
light side for content but it has to be Khali’s finest ever match in WWE
throughout his seven year career. Naturally, it’s all Shawn Michaels’ doing as
he jumps around the ring like a man possessed to make Khali look like a monster
which he succeeds at. The ending is very good and booked to save Khali’s knees.
Weaknesses:
‘One
Man Gang’ shouldn’t really be included on this release when there are at least
three more wrestlers who should that aren’t. The Undertaker, Kane and Antonio
Inoki are nowhere to be found when they should have taken Gang’s place seeing
as he may have been tall but was better known for his weight. On top of that,
the inclusion should have been for One Man Gang and Akeem whilst the stories
from the man himself are boring and nothing special. It’s almost as if WWE are
in a hurry to move onto the next segment and we’re given his story in highlight
form. He may gives insight into Akeem and how he hated the character but it’s
not enough to keep you engaged.
‘Big
John Studd’ may be a giant of wrestling but was in fact one of the most boring
wrestlers to ever step into a ring. Which means this segment presented by an
unrecognizable Ken Patera struggles to find something for the viewer to latch
onto. Studd’s career was as boring as it sounds and even Patera looks jaded
talking about it seeing as there is literally nothing exciting to offer up. The
segment trawls the usual avenues, desperately searching for anything considered
a highlight of his career which means we’re put through his WrestleMania match
with Andre the Giant yet again. It’s tedious stuff which severely brings down
the tone and pacing of this release. Including audio from a WWE television
programme from the day he died is a nice touch, but that’s about the only
notable moment from this inclusion.
‘Diesel’
is a perfect candidate for this release though he was smaller than some
included here, but where this segment falls down is on its footage and its
talking head which of course is Kevin Nash. In an old interview, Nash seems to
be in a hurry when explaining his career which begins in WCW as Vinnie Vegas
amongst a whole host of other gimmicks which he calls the worst three years of
his life. That isn’t the bad part, in fact almost everything that follows send
this careering downhill at a steady rate. Considering Nash is on this release
under the name Diesel would heighten expectation of most people that the
segment would look at his time as Diesel in WWE and nothing else. Instead, his
WWE career may as well not be included for all the time that’s dedicated to it
and swiftly moves onto his well documented time in WCW under his real name and
of course the formation of the NWO. This has been done to death in recent years
and we don’t need to hear anymore about it ever. If this is the path WWE were
going down with Nash then they should have listed and included him under Kevin
Nash instead of Diesel. That way there would be no room for complaint when it
focussed on his time in WCW, though the NWO stuff is so familiar you’ll want to
fast forward it. Disappointing.
‘Ernie
Ladd’ follows suit of Big John Studd in that’s it not very interesting and the
interview with Ladd comes from 2003. That’s not a bad thing in itself but WWE
once again seem in a rush to whack through it to someone who is alive. It’s too
fast to really get a hold of the man and wrestler he was and this makes you
uninterested in the era and man in question. WWE should have made a big thing
about Ernie Ladd on this release and made him of a star than he comes across
here. It’s a shame, but this is what we’ve come to expect from WWE when they
lose interest in a star and are then forced to include them on something such
as this.
‘Mark
Henry’ certainly doesn’t belong here as he’s not a giant, just an overweight
disappointment. Instead of trying to convince us of Henry’s eligibility, the
segment concentrates on his strength and power and we’re told numerous time
that he’s the world’s strongest man when actually, he lost that title a long
time ago. To be the current world’s strongest man you have to win the
competition every year, Mark Henry hasn’t and is therefore living on past
glories. The segment does touch upon his World Heavyweight Championship victory
at Night of Champions but is marred by Henry’s piece as talking head, when he
appears dull, tired and uninterested in everything he has to say. Henry has the
cheek to say that he was a good wrestler who became a great wrestler and seems
to believe that he has a legacy. If he does, it’s not wrestling. WWE shouldn’t
have reminded people Mark Henry had been with us for eighteen years because it
really does make you question what he’s done with all that time.
‘King
Kong Bundy’ does belong here, but you wouldn’t know it from Hillbilly Jim’s
piece as talking head. Jim seems to believe that want to hear his take on
Bundy’s career and his own personal memories when WWE should have informed him
that the segment wasn’t about him. The footage is just about okay but that all.
There’s little here on his actual wrestling career and WWE seem to want to make
us believe that Bundy was a great wrestler but wanted to be an actor more. It’s
disjointed and disappointing and there’s no reason for it when other wrestlers
get a bigger and better look.
‘The
Great Khali’ is undoubtedly a giant and had this piece been as interesting as
the one on Giant Gonzalez then it would have been a worthy inclusion. It isn’t.
Instead of his time in wrestling which is shunted into the shadows, probably
best all around, the segment concentrates on what a hero he was in India and
little else. For a release based around a startling amount of truth, there’s
nothing here about him accidentally killing a wrestler in his training group
whilst his former manager says that he was something special. If so, then we
were obviously watching someone different. This would have been much better had
people been honest about his wrestling ability and the fact that he could
hardly walk towards the end of his career.
Ernie
Ladd vs Bruno Sammartino (Madison Square Garden, March 1976) may be
historically interesting but it’s also as dull as ditchwater thanks to Ernie
Ladd being almost useless against the might of Sammartino and having no answer
to his offence. As good as Bruno may have been, he can do nothing with Ladd or
his inadequate nature and this match stalls at almost every possible turn,
moving too slow and lacking any real flow. The excitement, at least what there
is of it comes from the crowd’s love of Sammartino and to make matters worse
they rush the ending when they went on slow during the entire match.
Gorilla
Monsoon vs ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham (Madison Square Garden, May 1977) starts
off promisingly enough with some terrific offence from an agile Monsoon but
soon turns into a borefest when both men turn to rest holds to pass the time.
Gorilla Monsoon uses a long and dull Bearhug to wear down Graham who then
applies the same hold to Gorilla. The parts in between are laughable as
Graham’s offence looks weak and the less said about the end the better.
Haystacks
Calhoun vs Nikolai Koloff (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 1978) is just
plain hideous and proves Bill Apter wrong in that Haystacks Calhoun plainly
couldn’t wrestle despite the voice of experience insisting he couldn’t. Both
men are just terrible and there’s rarely any movement here let alone pace or
flow, which makes you wonder why WWE chose this as an inclusion. You’ll be
bored to tears watching this dross and only the big splash from the middle rope
is of any importance.
Junkyard
Dog, Dusty Rhodes and Andre the Giant vs Ernie Ladd, Afa and Sika (Mid-South
Wrestling, January 1982) is a spirited but doomed effort. The bout begins
promising but falls apart when Andre and Ladd enter the ring. The pair are just
too big to do anything with and whilst Andre hits some actual wrestling moves
neither can drag it back to something watchable. The action between the pair is
horrible and Ladd lacks any determination with his punches looking more like
strokes. The match deteriorates into a free for all brawl which hosts a comical
moment as Andre tries to climb the turnbuckle. With Ernie Ladd, Andre and
Junkyard Dog – who adds nothing to the match – the whole thing never stood a
chance.
King
Kong Bundy vs Dusty Rhodes (Mid-South Wrestling, September 1983) lacks any real
star making ability on the part of Dusty Rhodes who just seems focused on
taking a rather dull beating from Bundy before executing his usual comeback
routine. Bundy looks atrocious when in charge of the bout and Dusty Rhodes even
worse with some truly banal offence which drags this match to an even more
unsatisfying conclusion, which you’ll be annoyed at having sat through this
washout and not being given a conclusive finale.
Andre
the Giant vs Kamala (Maple Leaf Wrestling, October 1984) is as bad as it sounds
especially once you realize that Vince McMahon was dumb enough to book both men
to battle inside a steel cage. There’s no magic of mystery to this bout thanks
to Kamala being useless and Andre being as big as the cage. Though I won’t deny
there a few laughs, especially when the ring announcer states that to win one
man has the option to climb over the top of the ‘fence’. And that is exactly
what he says. If either even attempted to climb the thin mesh then you can
easily see it giving out under their weight. Full of punches, kicks and
chokeholds this is for the diehard fan of eighties wrestling only. It’s
actually quite surreal.
One
Man Gang vs Shawn Michaels (WCCW, January 1985) is a worthless inclusion as
it’s a four minute television squash. A young Shawn Michaels doesn’t get any
offence whilst One Man Gang predictably squashes him with his power. What we’re
meant to get from this is anyone’s guess. WWE would have been better served
putting one his better matches as Akeem on the release.
Andre
the Giant vs Randy Savage (Madison Square Garden, September 1988) is another
banal outing which is Andre’s third on the release. Why WWE insisted on putting
so many of his on here is beyond me. This would have been better had WWE
omitted this and his match with Kamala for Yokozuna’s excellent battle with
Bret Hart at WrestleMania X and something else entirely. Putting aside the
startling seven minutes it takes for the pair to actually touch each other
thanks to Bobby Heenan’s presence at ringside, it slow and Randy Savage looks
as bored fighting this as we do watching it. Savage really does try but this
never comes off.
One
Man Gang vs El Gigante (The Great American Bash, July 14th 1991) is another one
of those sigh inducing battles which neither man has a clue. They both trudge
around the ring and hit each other with very little pace or intrigue. It’s just
like Andre vs Kamala except this is worse somehow as neither appear to be
trying. The only entertaining thing happening here is One Man Gang’s ridiculous
ring entrance in which he looks like a mental homeless dosser whilst Kevin
Sullivan rambles on inanely.
Yokozuna
vs Earthquake (San Jose, California, January 25th 1993) is as bad as their sumo
match which actually happened in 1994. They run into each other for a while
until Yokozuna gets the better of Earthquake and squashes him with the Banzai
Drop. That really is all there is to it. It’s too short to matter and both
needed a small, more agile foe to really look good.
Giant
Gonzalez vs The Undertaker (SummerSlam, August 30th 1993) will cure
narcoleptics instantly. This wasn’t The Undertaker’s finest hour one he will
certainly want to forget. You’ll be hard pushed to find any movement here as
Gonzalez hobbles around the ring and The Undertaker has to make the most of his
pathetic offence. Paul Bearer’s appearance lifts this towards the conclusion
but it’s just dismal in everyway.
Diesel
vs Issac Yankem (Superstars, January 20th 1996) is most dreadful, though it’s
somewhat comforting to see that Glen Jacobs hasn’t improved any in eighteen
years although he is a million times more interesting as Kane. Kevin Nash is
respectable and this trumps your usual big man bout, but it’s still just
another television match of which we’ve seen hundreds of thousands.
Big
Show vs Rhyno (Raw, May 21st 2001) adheres to the usual David vs goliath battle
in that Rhyno is beaten senseless and then pinned with little thought. Fought
under hardcore rules, there is very little action of that nature to be seen
apart from in the final few moments of a short and mostly dire bout.
Kane
vs Mark Henry vs The Great Khali vs Big Daddy V (ECW, October 30th 2007) is a
match which you’ll have to take a few minutes to step back and take stock off.
Because this did really happen regardless of how ill-advised it was. Fought
under over the top rope elimination rules, you have never seen such a calamity
in your life when all four terrible wrestlers attempt to make this interesting
which fires wide of the mark. Big Daddy V is horrendous, Mark Henry is
indifferent, The Great Khali is slow and Kane is wondering what the hell his
career has come to. You don’t need me to tell you what type of match this is. I
think you already know.
Big
Show vs Mark Henry (Raw, September 7th 2009) isn’t even a wrestling match.
Instead, fought under Bodyslam challenge rules, where the winner is the first
man to slam the other, both look like two big bears hugging each other for the
advantage with the odd punch thrown in. It’s ridiculously horrible.
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
Superstars
Earthquake
Abdullah
the Butcher
Kamala
Bam
Bam Bigelow
Giant
Paintings by Rob Schamberger
Matches
ESPN Championship
Wrestling – October 1985
AWA World Heavyweight
Championship Match
Rick
Martel vs Kamala
World Class Championship
Wrestling – June 1986
Abdullah
the Butcher vs Skip Young
Royal Rumble – January
1993
Bam
Bam Bigelow vs Big Boss Man
Madison Square Garden –
November 1990
WWE Championship Match
Hulk
Hogan vs Earthquake
Worcester,
Massachusetts – July 1992
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
The
Natural Disasters vs Money Inc
Conclusion:
‘WWE
Presents True Giants’ is once again a mixed bag from WWE to end the year of
varying releases. Its main documentary is almost all worthy in some shape or
form though it’s apparent that it’s aimed at those new fans who may not know
about those included. This is fine, but then WWE go and throw a spanner in the
works by including more recent wrestlers whom these fans will have no interest
in. A better way WWE could have gone about this to reach their target audience
would have been to make this a purely historical release with old talent
included with the newer talent as Blu-ray Extras only. Going on this premise,
WWE should have shunted Big Show, Mark Henry and The Great Khali to the Blu-ray
Extras whilst promotion Earthquake, Bam Bam Bigelow and Kamala to the main
documentary section.
For
a release on the true giants of WWE, there are several omissions which are
neither explained nor touched upon and these of course include Japanese legend
Antonio Inoki, Kane Mable and The Undertaker who can all be classed as giants
of the squared circle. There is or was no reason to leave these men out as WWE
own all the footage for Kane and The Undertaker whilst they could have stuck a
deal with All Japan Pro Wrestling to include something on Inoki which would
have been a very nice touch and proved they were willing to acknowledge
promotion’s outside their jurisdiction. As for the run time to include these
three, WWE could have extended the run time by thirty minutes to fit them all
in and make this ‘WWE Presents the Definitive True Giants of Wrestling’.
That
this release combines a majority of wrestlers who couldn’t put a decent match
together to save their life wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t for the obvious
inconsistencies through the release. Because this focuses more on their
personal stories rather than their career, WWE should have eased through this
with minimum problems but there are notable mistakes throughout the release and
just one of them is the ‘In Memory’ pictures which appear at the conclusion of
only some deceased wrestlers and not others. It’s a minor gripe but one which
would have made this a more compact release. And then of course, there are the
varying matches which range from disastrous to quite good depending on what
you’re looking for. WWE deserve credit for including bouts from past eras but
they really should have made an effort to search for more entertaining outings
to compliment the main feature.
At
the end of the day, ‘WWE Presents True Giants’ isn’t a must buy but it isn’t
terrible either. One of its redeeming qualities is that just when you think you
know where it’s going, it tails off down a different path altogether and
surprises you. Along with the wealth of historical footage, brand new
interviews from wrestlers you haven’t seen for many years and its feel god nature
you’ll want to purchase this release and rightly so. Like everything else it
has its flaws, but if you can overlook them and many will be able to, this is a
worthy addition to the WWE library of releases.
Rating:
B
Next Time in Review
Corner:
WWE
Best Pay-Per View Matches 2014 DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
