By Anthony Parreira of Headlocks2headlines.com
DVD Review
Top 50 Superstars of All Time
Disc 1
I’ll say right off the bat that the list is a controversial one. Among the list you get those who deserve to be in it (Shawn Michaels) and those who probably should’ve been excluded (Jeff Hardy). There were a couple individuals that were surprisingly not included that hurt the legitimacy of the list. It was said that those who were chosen by the WWE superstars which is okay but maybe you could’ve also gotten input from the fans.
Each of the people that are in the list is briefly discussed. Usually they are given around a minute and a half with a few occasionally given two and a half but when it reaches near the end of the lists the time is extended to about five minutes. In each interval we get thoughts about the individual from former and current WWE superstars, legends and sometimes a celebrity. For the time that is given they give the person justice.
I won’t be saying who’s in the top 50 and in what order they are in. Will tell you ahead of time though that the placements will be surprising and will likely lead to many arguments being made. Honestly I don’t entirely agree with the list order but for the most part, I agree that the majority of the people here are deserving of being in it.
Disc 2
NWA World Heavyweight Title Match:
Lou Thesz (c) vs. Argentina Rocca
Buffalo, NY
First time I really had a chance to see both men in a match and it wasn't a disappointment. It was good to see two people who could go and have a straight up wrestling match that didn't have any "flashiness" to it.
Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk Jr.
Championship Wrestling from Florida
Despite what is advertised, this wasn't a title match. Putting that aside, it was good match even though it went about five minutes. A nice difference was the commentary was done post match as Brisco and Gordon Solie.
Women's Championship Match:
Fabulous Moolah (c) vs. Susan Green
Madison Square Garden - June 16, 1975
Never got to see how good Moolah was, excluding a few exceptions, as my first exposure to the character was when she and Mae Young appeared in 1999 so it was good to see a match involving her was included. For its time it was a good match and in some aspects it still is as both women competed in a good technical match.
Gorilla Monsoon vs. Muhammad Ali
Philadelphia, PA - June 2, 1976
This wasn’t an actual match as it was actually incident that followed one. Monsoon made quick work of his opponent then had words with Ali who was sitting at ringside. The boxing legend entered the ring and starting throwing punches, which none hit. Having enough, Gorilla put him in a airplane spin before slamming him to the mat.
Again, it was nothing more than a segment but a memorable one nonetheless. It’s been questioned whether this was planned or not as Monsoon gave no real answer. The debate goes on.
NWA World Heavyweight Title Match:
Terry Funk (c) vs. Harley Race
Championship Wrestling from Florida - February 6, 1977
The match was already in progress. It was good to see how good of a wrestler that Funk was before becoming more known for hardcore style that he began doing later on in his career. Went for about five minutes but what was seen was worth seeing. Wished it was shown in it’s entirely though.
Boxing Match:
Gorilla Monsoon vs. Andre the Giant
Puerto Rico - September 23, 1977
Video quality wasn’t that great but fortunately it wasn’t difficult to see who was who.
A hard-hitting as both Andre and Gorilla went punch for punch with each other. Along with the boxing a few wrestling moves were thrown in.
WWE Championship Match:
Billy Graham (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes
Madison Square Garden - September 26, 1977
Graham was definitely ahead of his time. He portrayed as a great heel and knew how to get underneath the skin of the crowd. The same could be said about Dusty as the fans absolutely loved him. Both men went at it from bell to bell and didn’t feel sluggish. Ending wasn’t great but seeing as how Dusty wasn’t really apart of WWWF, they were still known as World Wide Wrestling Federation back then, at the time it was one of the few ways they could’ve went with.
WWE Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Iron Sheik
Madison Square Garden - December 28, 1984
Instead of going with the match that Hogan won the title from the Sheik, we get a rematch between these two. Although the match was short, it was good to see these two in a match other than their more remembered one.
Elimination Match:
Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper & Junkyard Dog vs. Randy Savage, Adrian Adonis & Harley Race
Madison Square Garden - February 23, 1987
In three feuds that were leading into WrestleMania III, this match took place. Overall this wasn’t that great of a match. There were plenty of miscues/botches that occurred throughout but by no means am I saying that you just skip over this match. In some aspects this might’ve been a test run to see whether an elimination style match could work and led to the creation of the Survivor Series.
Rick Rude vs. Ricky Steamboat
Madison Square Garden - December 26, 1987
This wasn’t the best match that these two had with each other. It was probably the first time they wrestled against each other in not only WWE but in general. Ending left a somewhat bad taste in the fans’ mouth but it might’ve been done to help establish a feud between them that regrettably didn’t happen until they were in WCW.
AWA Heavyweight Title Match:
Jerry Lawler (c) vs. Curt Hennig
AWA - August 13, 1988
Originally I thought this was the match where Lawler beat Hennig to win the title but it was actually the rematch. Still didn’t takeaway the fact that these two worked well together. Don’t have anything to really complain about it except that the ending could’ve been done better. Likely this was one of Hennig’s last big matches before becoming Mr. Perfect in WWE.
No Disqualification Match:
Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase
Madison Square Garden - December 28, 1989
This was an underrated feud as you had two men who could go every time. Although their WrestleMania VI match was the more acknowledged one, this was good in its one right. The no disqualification stipulation had little to no bearing as there wasn’t any use of foreign objects.
Disc 3
WWE Championship Match:
Ric Flair (c) vs. Bret Hart
Saskatoon - 10/12/92
At long last that this match is available on DVD. Two of what most fans feel are wrestling’s most technical wrestlers ever competing for a world title. What could be better? Bret winning the title for the first time was a shocker but it showed that WWE was willing to give him a shot as their main champion and they made the right decision.
WWE Championship Empty Arena Match:
The Rock (c) vs. Mankind
Halftime Heat - 1/31/99
Before this match I've never seen an empty area match so I didn't know what to expect except that it would be brutal. We got that and more as both men continued with hard hitting action that had become known for from their previous matches. Along with the action, there were occasional comedy moments when something was said prior one of them using a particular item.
With how well both Rock and Mankind had against each other, it shouldn't be surprising that they worked so well when they became the Rock 'n' Sock Connection.
WWE Championship Fatal Four Way Match:
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Steve Austin vs. Undertaker vs. The Rock
SmackDown! - 12/7/00
Match was in a way that this was to help further set up for the six pack challenge hell in a cell match that was happening later this week. Started with a gang up against the champion before it became everyone for themselves. No actual ending but again, this was to set up for the upcoming PPV.
Undertaker, Kane & Hardy Boyz vs. Steve Austin, Triple H, Edge & Christian
RAW - 4/23/01
The crowd was very into this match. They cheered/booed with everything that was going on. How they were responding helped to make the match, which was above decent, to be even more enjoyable to watch.
Edge & Triple H vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Jericho
SmackDown! - 5/16/02
Another match to help set up the two feuds that were going on between the four. Match itself was good as four of best in not just SmackDown but in WWE in general. Give it a look.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Big Show
SmackDown! - 4/15/04
Wasn’t as good as the one they had at the 2003’s No Mercy but wasn’t that bad. Showed how dominating Show was and we got moments where Eddie was lying, cheating and stealing. Result of the match let to an angle with Kurt Angle but that wasn’t included.
World Heavyweight Title Triple Threat Match:
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
WrestleMania 23 - 4/2/06
Mysterio pursuit and then title win is one that fans either loved or hated. I’m more in the middle as he was deserving of a chance to have the title but the use of Eddie Guerrero’s death and how it was used later on went far longer than it should have. Match lasted around ten minutes and it was nonstop as all three went at each other. Crowd response was interesting to hear as well.
John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker & Batista
No Way Out - 2/18/07
Can you trust your partner? That was the storyline going into here as opponents for the championship matches at WrestleMania were teaming up. Didn’t really get any distrust until around the end which was a smart move as it didn’t take away from the action that went for over twenty minutes.
A little side note, John “Bradshaw” Layfield was doing most of the commentary by himself as his partner, Michael Cole could hardly speak. For as short of time he was doing it, this showed that JBL wasn’t that bad of a commenter.
World Heavyweight Title Match:
Edge (c) vs. Undertaker
WrestleMania XXIV - 3/30/08
These two had some of the best matches WWE had in 2008 and this was perhaps ranks up near the top. Edge was one of wrestlers that fans thought could actually end the Undertaker’s streak. It was the first big one on one match they would have but wouldn’t be their last. Having this ending the set wasn’t a bad choice.
One other thing that will be remembered from this match is when Charles Robinson ran down the isle to count the pin. Check it out to believe it.
Final Verdict
Say what you want about the top 50 list being questionable, it doesn’t takeaway that this three disc set is one to checkout. You get great comments for those on the list and matches that are for the most right are ones that are worth watching. I had my doubts in getting this set but they have been squashed. If you’re uncertain about buying it, at least somehow see it and come to a final decision.
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