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Submitted by Wevv Mang on Tuesday, October 11, 2005 at 2:38 AM EST
Ridin’ With The Bossman DVD Review – Greatest Wrestling Stars Of The 80’s The 80’s were a great time to be a wrestling fan. Wrestling exploded onto the pop culture scene with many different and distinctive characters. Indeed, it could be said that personalities refueled the resurgence of wrestling. The memorable characters of the 80’s are paid tribute to in a three disc DVD. Packaging and Layout The cover of the DVD set has four of the greatest legends of the 80’s. It features Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Sgt Slaughter. The back of the DVD provides additional information and also provides the names the wrestling featured. The fifteen wrestlers are: Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Junkyard Dog, Sgt Slaughter, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Ric Flair, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, Iron Sheik, Paul Orndorff, and Hulk Hogan. A brief list of matches is also printed on the back, along with a very short list of non-matches. Inside the set, headshots and match shots of the featured wrestlers adorns the casing for the discs. A two-page pull out guide lists what is on each disc. The features are broken down into profiles, matches, and extras. Main Features The profiles are interview and history pieces, mainly from friends and folks who worked closely with the wrestler. Some additional comments from contemporary wrestlers also makes its way into the profile. The matches and additional promos or televised spot are under the extras heading, and lumped together. The segments are introduced by “Mean” Gene Okerlund. A nice touch. Disc One Chapters Bobby “The Brain” Heenan – 1:30 – 13:10 (11:40) From wrestler to manager, to super manager, to announcer. Plenty of Heenan stories and commentary on Bobby. Junkyard Dog – 13:15 – 23:15 (10:00) A brief history of JYD and highlights of some his greatest moments. Why JYD was a legend. Sgt Slaughter - 23:20 – 36:30 (13:10) The history of the character Sergeant Slaughter, and his transformation from hero to villain, and the controversy and havoc it caused. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine - 36:35 – 48:00 (11:25) One of wrestling’s toughest wrestlers and the stories behind his greatest moments. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper - 48:05 - 1:02:50 (14:45) One of wrestling’s greatest villains. His favorite moments, and stories about and from Piper. Matches Valentine vs Piper (22:00) NWA United States Championship Dog Collar match –11/24/83 Sgt. Slaughter vs Iron Sheik 5/21/84 (22:15) Greg Valentine vs Tito Santana (18:50) Intercontinental Championship Lumberjack Match 3/17/85 Junkyard Dog vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage (11:15) Wrestling Classic Tournament Finals 11/7/85 Bobby Heenan vs Ultimate Warrior (11:50) Weasel Suit Match Extras - Junkyard Dog performing “Grab Them Cakes” at the 1986 Slammy Awards (4:18) - Sgt Slaughter Story about Verne Gagne’s Training Camp (3:48) - Sgt Slaughter Story about meeting President Reagan (3:48) - Piper’s Pit – Haiti Kid (2:30) - Valentine Back Rub, Tuesday Night Titans (5:50) - Bobby Heenan Show with guest James Winger (5:57) Disc Two Chapters Jerry “The King” Lawler - :40 – 13:20 (12:40) Great stories from King’s adventures in Memphis and his tenure in WWE. Arn Anderson – 13:25 – 27:40 (14:15) Great history of Arn. Plenty of Four Horseman history as well. Dusty Rhodes – 27:45 – 41:45 (14:00) History of Dusty. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat - 41:50 – 55:25 (13:35) Great history of Steamboat Ric Flair - 55:30 – 1:09:33 (14:03) A brief synopsis of Ric’s history. Matches Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes (16:45) NWA World Heavyweight 1 Million Dollar Challenge Match 11/22/84 Ole and Arn Anderson vs Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Jack Haynes (10:12) NWA National Tag Team Championship Match 11/28/85 Jerry “The King” Lawler vs Kerry Von Erich (24:30) Championship Unification Match – AWA Super Clash III 12/13/88 Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair (24:40) NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match – Chi-Town Rumble 2/20/89 Ric Flair vs Jay Youngblood (10:40) Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling 2/3/82 Extras - Dusty Rhodes Promo – World Wide Wrestling (2:00) - Jerry Lawler after winning AWA World Heavyweight Title (1:03) - Ricky Steamboat gets his name (4:18) - Arn Anderson Interview (1:40) - Four Horseman Interview (3:08) - Jerry Lawler’s worst injury in wrestling (3:00) Disc 3 Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka - :38 – 11:50 (11:12) Great history about the legend of Snuka “Cowboy” Bob Orton – 11:55 – 21:35 (9:40) Great stories and history about the Cowboy Iron Sheik- 21:40 – 32:15 With subtitles for when Sheik speaks. A good idea. Paul Orndorff - 32:20 – 42:10 (9:50) Great history of Orndorff and some insight into his time spent as a trainer at WCW Powerplant wrestling school Hulk Hogan - 42:15 – 52:10 (9:55) A brief history of Hulkamania. Matches Jimmy Snuka vs Bob Backlund (14:18) WWE Championship Steel Cage Match 5/19/80 Iron Sheik vs Bob Backlund (15:23) WWE Championship Match 12/26/83 Paul Orndorff vs Salvatore Bellomo (20:35) WWE match 1/23/84 Iron Sheik vs Hulk Hogan (9:12) WWE Championship Match 1/23/84 Bob Orton vs Jimmy Snuka (12:42) WWE match 2/18/85 Roddy Piper vs Hulk Hogan (9:36) The War To Settle The Score 2/18/85 Extras - Sheik Swings The Persian Clubs (2:40) - Posedown: Orton vs Tony Atlas (3:45) - Cowboy Bob Orton Goes To The Doctor (5:00) - Jimmy Snuka – Piper’s Pit (10:32) - Hulk Hogan on Hercules – Saturday Night Main Event (1:40) Sights and Sounds The video quality has some problems. Some video look a little grainy, but it’s not an issue. In fact, I would say that WWE has done a great job of restoring it. The sound quality is excellent. The Menu music is great 80’s rock and it fits perfectly. The layout is simple and easy to move through. Final Thoughts A great disc full of history nuggets any fan will appreciate. My only complaint is that the matches are separate from the actual history pieces, as it would have been nice to get this profile and then see the wrestlers in action, instead of having to back out to the main menu and then select the match with the wrestler just profiled. It breaks the mood. The extras, well, time may have dulled their value, as I found them to not be as clever as they once were. There are still some good ones, but after a minute of “Grab Them Cakes” for example, I wasn’t willing to sit through all four minutes. A great bit talked about is one thing, as memory can enhance it from what it was. Minor complaints, as the disc itself offers plenty to any wrestling fan in the way of great interviews and profile pieces and some truly classic matches. As for hidden bonus footage, well, I’m never good at finding it, so I have no idea what it might be. A definite pick up for any collector, and a great gift for the holidays for a wrestling fan. Grades: DVD Score : A Audio Visual Score : A Packaging and Layout : B+ Special Features : A- Matches : A Overall : A Upcoming DVD Reviews: SummerSlam 2005 Until Next Time, Thanks For Readin' and Thanks For Ridin' Wevv Mang mrwevv@mac.com Please label all email DVD FEEDBACK. All Your DVD Review Needs can be filled at : DVDFANATIC.COM *NEW GALLERY* The VERY CREEPY Pix of Hulk Hogan Rubbing His Daughter Brooke!
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