DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's DVD Review
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 at 4:48 AM EST
THE WRESTLING MENU #184
Welcome one and all to the 184th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.
Well, the World Cup & Wimbledon are now past us (couldn't someone have scheduled the finals to take place on a different day?) & now we take a little bit of a rest from world sport. The NFL, NBA & EPL all start soon, so it won't be long before we all turn into couch potatoes once more. My recommendation is for all you people in the northern hemisphere to get out & enjoy the sun, while my fellow southern hemisphere compatriots can freeze their a$$ off as I am doing right now.
The big news in the world of professional wrestling of late has been the great RVD & Sabu scandal. Folks, one word can describe this; STUPIDITY. I may discuss this in more detail in a week or two, but for the time being, I will state that I couldn't have put it any better than fellow columnist Mr.Tito. As far as I'm concerned, he was right on the mark.
On with the show.....
'GREATEST STARS OF THE 80s' DVD REVIEW
NOTE: The full title of this 3 disc DVD set is “The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80s”, and it highlights 5 wrestlers on each of those 3 discs. Included for each wrestler is a 10-15 minute profile, which includes such things as clips, interviews, promos & general information. These profiles are hosted by 'Mean' Gene Okerlund & are narrated by Michael Cole. In addition to the profiles, each wrestler has 2 fully dedicated extras; Being a match & some sort of segment.
APPETIZERS - Disc-1
PROFILES
(1) BOBBY ‘THE BRAIN’ HEENAN: A very good & concise (yet somehow thorough) look through Heenan’s career from his debut in Chicago to the AWA, and then to the WWF as first a manager & then a commentator. The most fitting words spoken here are from Arn Anderson, who states that at one time, Heenan’s heel heat got so large that the WWF had to be careful that he didn’t overshadow the wrestlers he managed!
(2) THE JUNKYARD DOG: Begins with some clips of his NWA tenure (both early & late in his career), but predominantly focuses on his WWF career & how his charisma made him one of the most popular wrestlers ever, despite never wearing any gold. Come to think of it, was JYD ever a heel…???
(3) SGT. SLAUGHTER: Following some brief early clips when he both wrestled as himself & under a mask, we see 2 of Slaughter’s AWA feuds against Boris Zukhov & Larry Zybysko. From there, we go to his first WWF run & how he may have been the man who kickstarted musical entrances. We then only brief touch on Slaughter’s short NWA career (continuing as a heel), until his WWF return as a face who feuded with The Iron Sheik in 1983/84. Of course, his heel turn as an Iraqi sympathizer in 1991 is detailed (including stories of death threats).
(4) GREG ‘THE HAMMER’ VALENTINE: Begins with some very good NWA footage of valentine teaming with Ric Flair & then feuding with him. We then deservedly see 2-3 minutes of clips from The Hammer’s great feud with ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, before his return to the WWF (he had only briefly worked there previously) & his terrific & long feud over the InterContinental Title with Tito Santana. Finally, we see some good clips of his tag-team with Brutus Beefcake (sometimes called ‘The Dream Team’).
(5) 'ROWDY’ RODDY PIPER: Not much narration here as Piper is a natural storyteller himself. He speaks about playing bagpipes to the ring for his 10 second debut against Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig. We then see his move to the east coast and his teaming & feud with Ric Flair. Of course, his late 1983 feud with Valentine is shown, before we see his WWF debut & Piper’s huge feud with Hulk Hogan in early 1985. But don’t forget his feud with Mr. T, which is highlighted in a very entertaining way. Finally, we get some excellent clips of many Pipers Pit segments. Top notch stuff & I have to wonder why we haven’t seen a fully dedicated Piper DVD as yet!
MATCHES
GREG ‘THE HAMMER’ VALENTINE vs ‘ROWDY’ RODDY PIPER (NWA Starrcade. November-24, 1983): This is the infamous Dog-Collar match which is apparently a non-title bout over (the heel) Valentine’s US Title. I’m unsure if this was the first match of it’s kind, but I really liked the way the gimmick was used here. It was a heated feud, as Valentine had previously injured Piper’s ear. Both wrestlers showed initial reluctance to let their emotions get the better of them due to the danger of the steel chain that separated the 2. Very naturally booked & performed, both men were busted open by the 7 minute mark. Great back & forth match which had a decent mix of wrestling & brawling, plus some innovative uses of the chain. But above all, the natural flow & realism factor won out here. Piper wins this superb match at the 16 minute mark after a succession of chain shots. The aftermath sees The Hammer choking Rowdy Roddy with the chain. Match Rating...9
SGT. SLAUGHTER vs THE IRON SHEIK (May-21, 1984): This match, which emanated from Madison Square Garden, was approximately 10 months prior to the first WrestleMania. Some pre-match spitting by the Sheik got the crowd & Slaughter well & truly fired up. Methodically paced old-school style of match which mainly relies on the heat generated from the easily booked feud. Slaughter dominates the early going with predominantly pedestrian offense, but Sheik makes a decent comeback & there is some nice byplay concerning Sheik’s pointy boot. He eventually makes contact with Slaughter’s head with it & Sarge is busted open profusely. This bout takes an eternity to get going, but the story, brutality & Sheik’s unorthodox offense eventually win me over. The match ends in a double disqualification at the 14 minute mark. Match Rating...7
GREG ‘THE HAMMER’ VALENTINE vs TITO SANTANA (March-17, 1985): This is a Lumberjack Match from Madison Square Garden for Valentine’s InterContinental Title. Lumberjacks include Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, Rocky Johnson, JYD & Ricky Steamboat. Excellent first 5 or 6 minutes which is both fast-paced & intense. That obviously favors Santana & so does the existence of the lumberjacks. When Valentine eventually gets the upper hand, the pace slows down as ‘The Hammer’ targets a knee. The final 5 minutes or so of this match sees some nice byplay between the 2 both trying to lock on the Figure 4 Leglock. Unfortunately, it all ends disappointingly at the 15 minute mark when Valentine wins by pinfall after a shoulder block! Match Rating...7
THE JUNKYARD DOG vs ‘THE MACHO MAN’ RANDY SAVAGE (WWF Wrestling Classic Tournament Final. November-7, 1985): In true heel style, Savage annoyingly stalls at the beginning of this match (including using Elizabeth as a human shield). When the match finally does get started, JYD’s strength dominates initially. Savage eventually gets on top, but while we do see some top-rope action from him, his true wrestling skills aren’t totally highlighted, as the bout relies on his heel tactics instead. While JYD’s comeback is loved by the crowd, it’s pretty ho-hum really. He gets the victory via countout after 10 minutes. Not terrible, but more of a showcase of Savage’s potential, than anything else. Match Rating...6
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR vs BOBBY ‘THE BRAIN’ HEENAN (June-25, 1988): This is the infamous Weasel Suit match from Madison Square Garden. It actually lasts for 6 minutes as Heenan runs around the ring for a while & then entertainingly attacks Warrior with a foreign object over & over again. Of course, Warrior then pretty much squashes The Brain & defeats him with a sleeper hold. Of course, the whole purpose of the bout is to dress Heenan up in a weasel suit, and watching him stumble around in it for a minute or so is also quite entertaining. Achieves its purpose. Match Rating...5
NON-MATCH EXTRAS
JYD Performs “Grab Them Cakes”: Performed at the 1986 Slammy Awards, JYD shows us how to lip-sync. Cool at the time (I presume), but it’s fair to say that it’s aged badly. 4 minutes in length.
Sgt Slaughter Story About Verne Gagne’s Training Camp: Sit down interview as to how a journalist friend of Slaughters started him in the business, because a non-wrestler (himself) defended himself very well against a group of professionals. Decent 4 minute story.
Sgt Slaughter Story About Meeting President Reagan: 4 minute story about a surprise meeting that Sarge & his wife had with the president after a photo shoot.
The Haiti Kid on Pipers Pit: This was from a March ’86 ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ episode. For those who don’t recall or know, Haiti Kid was a midget wrestler. He was also a friend of Mr. T, and that resulted in Piper & ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton basically kidnapping him & cutting his hair while punking him out. Just over 2 minutes in length.
Valentine Back Rub: This was from a July ’84 ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ episode. Silly 6 minute segment of a blonde (apparently Valentine’s wife) giving The Hammer a massage.
Bobby Heenan Show: July ’89 episode of this talk show which is corniness at it’s best (and worst). His guest is nerdy Jameson Winger, and Bobby basically makes fun of him for 6 minutes. Not exactly scintillating entertainment!
ENTREE - Disc-2
PROFILES
(6) JERRY ’THE KING’ LAWLER: Lawler states how he got his foot in the door of the wrestling industry by sending in drawings to a wrestling promotion. Clips are shown from his early Memphis days & his infamous feud with comedian Andy Kaufman (including their entire 1982 match). We then see Lawler defeat Curt Hennig for the AWA World Title, before seeing clips of a December 1988 title unification bout against WCCW Champion Kerry Von Erich. There’s then a quick look at enemy & partner Bill Dundee, his finishing piledriver & his transition into commentating. Oh, and apparently, Lawler has held more titles than anyone else in history. I do recall that he held the SMW title about 23 times.
(7) ARN ANDERSON: Takes a rather lengthy look at AA’s childhood, before looking at his early wrestling career & friendship with Ric Flair. Of course, The 4 Horsemen stable is strongly highlighted & that includes how it started & some stories of their heavy partying schedule! Finally, Arn explains how he was forced to retire from professional wrestling due to a badly broken neck. Interesting, but could have taken a more detailed look at his tag-team with Ole.
(8) DUSTY RHODES: Begins by highlighting his early teaming with Dick Murdoch, before showing clips of his feud with Harley Race between 1979 & 1981, which netted him 2 World HeavyWeight Title reigns. Many interviews are shown to highlight his charisma & common man persona, before finally seeing promos & match clips from Dusty’s huge feud with Ric Flair (including the 1986 cage match title win). Disappointingly his WWF run wasn’t even mentioned or shown. This segment proved how good Dusty was on the mic, but not necessarily in the ring!
(9) RICKY ’THE DRAGON’ STEAMBOAT: We first hear how Ricky became involved in professional wrestling after having an amateur background. Steamboat talks about how he worked his way through NWA territories, before running into Ric Flair & basically feuding with him for about 5 years. We then go back in time to briefly see some clips of his tag-team with the late Jay Youngblood, before heading to his WWF career, where many highlights of his WrestleMania 3 match against Randy Savage are shown. We then see some clips of his 1989 WCW (return) feud with Ric Flair, before some great closing comments from many superstars. Definitely one of the most popular & talented faces of all time.
(10) RIC FLAIR: We start off with a trivia fact that Richard Fliehr was not his birth name (it was Fred), before hearing Ric talk about his beginning in the AWA. His 1975 plane crash injury which broke his back is then described, and how he fought back & eventually won his first NWA World HeavyWeight Title in 1981. His feud with Harley Race is then highlighted, including his cage match title win in 1983. We then look at The 4 Horsemen & how Flair lifted the other 3 men to main-event level, before highlighting his feud with Dusty Rhodes. The segment only has so much time though & due to the title of the DVD, disappointingly skips the past 15 years of his career to finish with some concluding comments, as well as some footage from that special ‘Flair episode’ of Raw in May 2003. I don’t see the difference between 2003 & 1992 or 1997!
MATCHES
DUSTY RHODES vs RIC FLAIR (NWA Starrcade. November-22, 1984): This was the ‘$1 Million Challenge Match’ for Flair’s NWA World HeavyWeight Title & the special guest referee was boxer ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Some decently paced exchanges begin the bout, but it’s not too long before both men are down on the mat, as it’s Rhodes who surprisingly locks on a Figure 4 Leglock within the first 5 minutes of the match. Flair eventually gets back on top & busts Dusty open over his eye. Boxer Frazier then stops the match because of the cut at only the 12 minute mark! Terrible finish to an otherwise ok match that had the crowd support interestingly split. Match Rating...6
OLE & ARN ANDERSON vs WAHOO McDANIEL & BILLY JACK HAYNES (NWA Starrcade. November-28, 1985): This match was for the national Tag-Team Titles. Haynes (looking better than he ever did in the WWF) initially dominates both Andersons, but Wahoo can’t keep the momentum going as Ole & Arn constantly tag, while targeting McDaniel’s arm. When Haynes finally gets the hot tag, he doesn’t stay in there long enough to make a difference. The Anderson’s double-teaming eventually gets the job done as Wahoo is pinned at the 9 minute mark. Usual Anderson’s tag-team match that sees some great heel to face interaction & tag-team wrestling, but this bout is a little too short & genuinely wastes Haynes. Match Rating...6.5
JERRY ’THE KING’ LAWLER vs KERRY VON ERICH (AWA SuperClash 3. December-13, 1988): This was the famous match that unified the AWA & WCCW World Titles. This bout was just huge at the time & it was a very interesting mix of styles between the two. Extremely even, with neither man dominating long periods of time. Von Erich no-sells a Lawler piledriver & then hits one himself (with the referee knocked out). They then move to the outside where Lawler gets on top after Von Erich connects with nothing but ringpost after a discuss punch. A foreign object shot (or 20) later & Von Erich is badly busted open. But he somehow manages to lock on his Iron Claw submission hold, before basically being screwed by the referee who awards the bout to Lawler via stoppage (due to Von Erich’s profusely bleeding eye), at the 19 minute mark. I suppose it’s nothing special wrestling-wise, but it’s so well booked to make both men look great in such a historical match. I still to this day wonder what a waste Kerry Von Erich was, as he was very much WWE Champion material. Match Rating...8
RICKY ’THE DRAGON’ STEAMBOAT vs RIC FLAIR (NWA Chi-Town Rumble. February-20, 1989): This match was for Flair’s World HeavyWeight Title. Just the extra pace that Steamboat brings to this bout adds so much to the typical Flair HeavyWeight match. Not to mention that famous crispness with which Ricky performs each & every move with! Great psychological battle, with Steamboat initially having an answer for everything that Flair does. But Ric digs down deep when he realizes he is in for a tough battle & pulls out a great combination of usual & unusual moves. Very entertaining & includes some great back & forth sequences. Flair eventually locks on the Figure 4 Leglock & then goes into full heel mode as he attempts to methodically take apart The Dragon. Multiple nearfalls follow in an extremely exciting few minutes, until a referee bump adds a little bit of unknown to the finish, which sees Steamboat win the title with a roll-up at the 23 minute mark. Absolute classic which deserves to be in the top 10 matches of all time! Match Rating...10
RIC FLAIR vs JAY YOUNGBLOOD (Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. February-3, 1982): This is a bit of a hidden gem of a match, as it uses the pesky young newcomer against the veteran champion storyline very well. While the pace of the bout is very good, the lack of time given to it unfortunately doesn’t let the story play out. In fact, the match ends in a draw at about the 7.5 minute mark! Entertaining, but could have been so much better with more time. Just a word of warning about the annoying screaming girls in the audience. Also, both Steamboat & Flair give after-match interviews. Match Rating...7.5
NON-MATCH EXTRAS
Dusty Rhodes Promo: From May 1985, this rebellious 2 minute promo shows off Dusty’s very different mic skills & is aimed predominantly at Tully Blanchard. Actually, it’s almost a heel promo.
Jerry Lawler Interview: This 1 minute interview from may 1988 takes place after Lawler’s AWA title win over Curt Hennig. Pretty standard & almost strange seeing The King playing the modest face.
Ricky Steamboat Gets His Name: Ricky explains how his real name (Richard Blood) was changed to Ricky Steamboat down in Florida. It seems that Blood wasn’t going to be a good surname for a lifetime babyface! He goes on to further add how the WWF threw in ‘The Dragon’ nickname.
Arn Anderson Interview: From January 1986, this is a backstage NWA interview just after AA wins the television title. Short, but as per usual with Arn, very much to the point.
4 Horsemen Interview: From June 1986, this is a backstage NWA interview while all of The 4 Horsemen held titles. 3 minutes in length, Flair does most of the talking addressing the various title contenders in the NWA at the time.
Lawler’s Worst Injury: Jerry explained how he severed a muscle in his leg in a match against ‘Lumberjack’ Joe LaDuc. A clip of the incident is shown.
MAIN - Disc-3
PROFILES
(11) JIMMY ‘SUPERFLY’ SNUKA: The Fijian born Snuka initially explains how he got started in the business (through Hawaii to Oregon) & what he used to do before he got into the industry. He then tries to describe his feeling of being part of the WWWF after a surprise phone call from Vince McMahon Sr. We take a quick look at some of Snuka’s great offensive moves (including his top-rope splash finisher) before seeing his most famous moment ever; The splash from the top of the cage against Don Muraco. Also highlighted is his feud with ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper after getting hit with a coconut on an episode of Piper’s Pit. During this segment, many of Snuka’s peers speak on how much of a mark the Superfly left on the industry.
(12) ‘COWBOY’ BOB ORTON: This profile puts the second generation wrestler over as rather innovative & able to perform a variety of moves with ease. Following stints in different territories of the NWA, Orton was brought into the WWF as ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper’s bodyguard. Moments from the Piper’s Pit talk show & the first WrestleMania are shown, before taking an extended look at Orton’s fractured arm gimmick. In fact, hardly any of Orton’s wrestling in the WWF is shown, and that’s mainly due to the cast gimmick!
(13) THE IRON SHIEK: The Iranian born Sheik defected to the USA & followed through on his amateur wrestling background by joining the professional ranks. He began in the AWA, before moving to the WWF & then NWA. He then moved back to the WWF & eventually won the World Title in December 1983 by defeating Bob Backlund. Only a month later though, he dropped the title to Hulk Hogan, as the Sheik (through sub-titles) explains how the AWA’s Verne Gagne offered him $100,000 to break Hogan’s leg! We then take a quick look at Sheik’s feud with Sgt Slaughter, before highlighting his tag-team with Russian Nikolai Volkoff (as they won the titles at the first WrestleMania). We finish off the segment with some late 80’s WCW footage, his early 90’s WWF return, his gimmick battle royal win at WrestleMania 17 & his Hall Of Fame Induction in 2005.
(14) PAUL ‘MR WONDERFUL’ ORNDORFF: This profile begins with footage of Orndorff from the NWA in 1983, before looking at his career in the WWF from 1984. His main-eventing of the first WrestleMania is highlighted in depth, before his face turn in late 1985. But that didn’t last very long as Mr Wonderful soon turned heel on Hulk Hogan & feuded with him in a rather under-rated feud. A look at his subsequent WCW career is brushed over, before finishing the segment with a look at his 2005 Hall Of Fame induction. A modern day Orndorff comes off very well as a hard worker, while speaking a little emotionally. That surprises me since he has apparently rubbished the WWE during interviews of late.
(15) HULK HOGAN: Hogan first speaks of his initial training ordeal when trying to break into the industry, as he had his leg broken before eventually getting called to compete in the WWWF. A quick career summary states how he wrestled in NJPW & the AWA before returning to the WWF & becoming their World Champion in early 1984. We then take a good year by year look at the first 5 WrestleManias (before skimming over a title loss or 2), his WCW debut, his legendary heel turn & his WWE return in 2002. It was always going to be difficult to fit Hogan’s career into a profile lasting less than 15 minutes. This segment does a good job with the decade of the 80’s, but is a little selective in what else it includes & excludes.
MATCHES
BOB BACKLUND vs JIMMY ’SUPERFLY’ SNUKA (May-19, 1980): This was a Steel Cage Match for Backlund’s WWE Championship & Snuka was a heel at the time, who was managed by Captain Lou Albano. Snuka just did a great job of playing the heel & I have to say that it surprised me a little. Rather methodically paced for the first 5 or 6 minutes, but it's even enough to get you involved in the contest. It very much picks up when Snuka is thrown into the cage & bleeds profusely. Superfly eventually makes the comeback & looks to have things in control, but it all comes to naught when he misses a splash from the top of the cage & Backlund crawls out for the win at the 11 minute mark. A great back & forth match which showcased Snuka's range & allowed us to see him play a heel character. Match Rating...7.5
THE IRON SHEIK vs BOB BACKLUND (December-26, 1983): This was the match from Madison Square Garden where Sheik wins the WWF Championship. The Sheik begins ferociously as he targets the previously injured arm of the champion. In fact, Backlund hardly pulls off an offensive move before his comeback at the 5 minute mark! But with his arm injury, he struggles to continue the momentum, as the Sheik uses an array of submission holds targeting his arm. A very nice series of counters & reversals (where Backlund struggles to use his injured arm) leads to the Camel Clutch being applied & Arnold Skaaland (Backlund’s manager) throwing in the towel at the 12 minute mark. Not overly entertaining, but a very good story is told & the title change was history-making at the time. Just as a sidenote, keep an eye out on how much the Sheik sweats during the match! Match Rating...7.5
PAUL ’MR WONDERFUL’ ORNDORFF vs SALVATORE BELLOMO (January-23, 1984): This match is preceded with a locker-room interview with Orndorff. Emanating from Madison Square Garden, Orndorff is accompanied to the ring by ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper. Mr Wonderful stalls for an eternity before finally beginning the bout with an offensive flurry. He then dominates the first 4 minutes before Bellomo makes a nice comeback & gets the crowd on their feet. Nice & even from then on, but nothing super special. Orndorff eventually gets the job done at the 12 minute mark with a piledriver. Not too bad, but more of a match that showcased Piper & Orndorff’s heel heat drawing abilities than anything else. One of Mr Wonderful’s matches against Hulk Hogan would have been better suited here. Match Rating...7
THE IRON SHEIK vs HULK HOGAN (January-23, 1984): A month following Sheik’s title win, he lost the title in this match at MSG. Talk about a hot crowd from beginning to end! Hogan attacks from the opening bell & doesn’t let up until the Sheik makes a comeback at about the 3 minute mark. Sheik’s offense is then rather good, as he sets up & locks on the Camel Clutch. But the Hulkster powers out, hits his legdrop of doom & wins the title at only the 6 minute mark! Nicely paced & entertaining match while it lasted, but it’s definitely too short. I can’t say enough about the crowd though, as that could be the loudest & most constant I’ve ever heard an audience be! Hard to rate due to it’s length. Match Rating...7.5
’COWBOY’ BOB ORTON vs JIMMY ’SUPERFLY’ SNUKA (February-18, 1985): Snuka was well & truly a face by this stage, which was incidentally on the same card as the Hogan vs Piper bout that follows on this DVD. Methodically paced old-school heel vs face match that never quite lives up to it’s expectations, despite showing flashes of potential. Snuka emerges victorious at the 10 minute mark with a nice sunset flip from the outside. I think I would have preferred a pre-WWF Orton bout here. Match Rating...6
’ROWDY’ RODDY PIPER vs HULK HOGAN (The War To Settle The Score. February-18, 1985): Emanating from MSG, the crowd is extremely loud as this bout begins frenetically with great intensity. This was the pre-cursor to the first WrestleMania & many mainstream stars were apparently at ringside (not to mention Paul Orndorff & Bob Orton seconding Piper). When Orndorff gets physically involved at the 6 minute mark, so do Cyndi Lauper & Mr T! This results in a huge brawl that has to be broken up by police & arena security at the 7 minute mark. A DQ win to Hogan is obviously a disappointing finish, but this was a very good set-up match for the first ever WrestleMania main-event. Hard to rate for that reason, but very hot, intense & entertaining while it lasted. Match Rating...7
NON-MATCH EXTRAS
The Iron Sheik Swings The Persian Clubs: From All-Star Wrestling in December 1983, this is an in-ring segment where the Sheik performs a workout with 2 strange looking objects that apparently weigh 75 pounds each. Three minutes in length.
Paul Orndorff vs Tony Atlas Posedown: From the ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ program, this November ’84 posedown actually takes place during the original ‘Café Rene’ (Goulet) segment. Usual stuff as the audience vote the face Atlas the winner & Orndorff proceeds to attack him & ruin the set. Four minutes in length.
’Cowboy’ Bob Orton Goes To The Doctor: From a May ’85 episode of the ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ program, this is a rather humorous segment that sees a doctor going through x-rays that prove that Orton’s fractured arm has healed, while Orton & Piper protest profusely. Piper making quacking noises while the doctor is talking is absolutely hilarious. Five minutes in length.
Jimmy Snuka: From a June ’84 episode of ‘Tuesday Night Titans’, this is a sit-down interview of Snuka conducted by Vince McMahon. Snuka talks cryptically & very softly. It’s very standard until the infamous Piper’s Pit (coconut shot) segment is shown. During & following that, it obviously gets entertaining, as the segment is great, while Snuka gets intense like no-one else afterwards. Eleven minutes worth in total.
Hulk Hogan on Hercules: From a November ’86 episode of Saturday Nights Main Event, this is a locker-room interview before a title defense against Hercules. Usual 2 minute promo from the Hulkster.
DESSERT
Easter Eggs & Conclusion
EASTER EGGS
(1) On Disc-1 in the ‘Chapters’ page, highlight ‘Roddy Piper’ & press ‘Right’ twice to see a 2 minute backstage Roddy Piper promo from 1982. It concerns his ascension to World HeavyWeight Title contender.
(2) On Disc-1 in the ‘Extras’ menu, highlight ‘Pipers Pit’ & press ‘Left’ twice to see a modern day Piper speaking about an interview where he embarrassed Dusty Rhodes.
(3) On Disc-2 in the ‘Chapters’ page, highlight ‘Dusty Rhodes’ & press ‘right’ twice to see ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper explain a silent Dusty Rhodes promo that he thought was excellent.
(4) On Disc-2 in the ‘Chapters’ page, highlight ‘Ricky Steamboat’ & press ‘left’ twice to see Ricky Steamboat tell a story about a 40 minute match he wrestled in Georgia, in front of only about 18 people because of a terrible blizzard.
(5) On Disc-3, in the ‘Extras’ menu, highlight ‘Iron Shiek vs Bob Backlund’ & press ‘right’ twice to see a backstage interview with The Iron Sheik & Freddy Blassie following the big December ’83 title win. Only 1 minutes worth.
(6) On Disc-3, in the ‘Extras’ menu, highlight ‘Hulk Hogan vs Iron Shiek’ & press ‘left’ twice to see Hogan’s locker-room victory celebrations following his January ’84 title win. Other faces such as Andre The Giant, Rocky Johnson & Ivan Putski join in.
(7) On Disc-3, in the ‘Chapters’ page, highlight ‘Jimmy Snuka’ & press ‘right’ three times to see a modest Jimmy Snuka accept the 1983 Victory Wrestler of the Year Award.
(8) On Disc-3, in the ‘Chapters’ page, highlight ‘Hulk Hogan’ & press ‘left’ three times to see Hulk Hogan’s pre-match promo before his WrestleMania 6 title defense against The Ultimate Warrior.
(9) On Disc-3, in the ‘Extras’ menu, highlight ‘Jimmy Snuka vs Bob Backlund’ & press ‘right’ twice to see an October ’82 episode of (Buddy) Rogers Corner featuring Jimmy Snuka & Lou Albano. More of a feud between Albano & Rogers than anything to do with Snuka!
CONCLUSION
Wow...This was a real pleasant surprise of an offering by the WWE & I really enjoyed it. It just seemed to me to be a great mix of everything that encapsulated the decade of the 1980's. The 15 profiles were very good & went a little beyond telling us the obvious facts that most of us probably already knew. The vision, audio & contents of the 10-15 minute profiles were all that could be expected considering the circumstances.
Unlike most other DVDs that have been released under the "Legends" banner, this 3 Disc Set had a high standard of match quality. Not only did I not fail one match, but there were a few bouts that were well above average (including 9 & 10 out of 10 matches). And while the non-match extras are nothing to write home about, they captured the vibe of the profiled wrestler as well as the decade of the 80's very well in my opinion.
Being critical, some match choices could have been a little better, but there may have been more of a time issue than I realized. I also would have like to have seen the profiles added to by 3 (1 further wrestler per disc). The likes of Randy Savage & Bob Backlund (already included in matches) deserved a little more time, despite the obvious argument that they weren't "stars" for many years of the decade. Tito Santana could probably have been the 18th man profiled.
But getting back to the positives, I really think this is one of the best efforts that the WWE have released. I would say this is in the best 5 DVD Sets that the WWE has released thus far & would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who was a wrestling fan even remotely near the decade of the 1980's. A great mix of profiles, matches & non-match extras, this is both an entertaining & informative set which is sure to get repeated viewings. I would probably even recommend it just as much to fans who have only started viewing wrestling in the past decade because of all that. So if you have always been tempted by one of the WWE's Legends series of DVDs, look no further than this excellent offering. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Ok, that's another one in the books. I always presume that my DVD reviews may help someone decide on whether or not they will purchase it or not. And that goes double for this 3 disc set that I really enjoyed. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about it. I will endeavor to answer them as best I can. Also, let me know if you liked the review & ratings, whether you have seen the DVD or not. As always, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com
Or alternately, if you are an LOPForums member, you may also leave feedback by clicking on the following link: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=4889
It's coming up to another WWE pay-per-view, so next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will have my predictions for the 'Great American Bash' event. I will also take a look at an interesting aspect of the cruiserweight division. While if I am in the mood, I may elaborate on my thoughts concerning the stupidity of RVD & Sabu. Don't hold me to any of that though as the landscape in the WWE seems to be changing with every week right now. So look out for that column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.
DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu. 2002-2006
Exclusive To LordsOfPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com
***DIRECT LINK*** Candice Michelle's HOT NEW LOOK & New Tattoos!!
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