Shining a Spotlight 08.07.08: The Ultimate DVD Libary Part I

As I may have mentioned before, I’m moving soon, not too far off but it’s a hassle with packing and such nonetheless. As I’ve been going over what to take, it really struck me how much of a huge wrestling DVD library I’ve acquired over the last three years. I don’t know why, but just been a sucker for great DVDs and WWE has put out a ton of those in the last few years. TNA has had a few nice ones too but they lack the key stuff WWE does which is amazing production values and a great library of footage.

We all complain over how much money Vince blew with the failure of the Invasion angle. But we overlook that he’s probably made ten times more utilizing the old shows of WCW, AWA and more. Like it or not, Vince is now the caretaker of much of wrestling history and it’s to the credit of WWE that so much of their DVDs do manage to avoid too much bias and present things fairly. It really works for stuff not as well known to modern wrestling fans, shedding light on past exploits, even by those who had nothing to do with McMahon or WWE.

So, inspired by Julian’s recent Top 10 DVDs, I wanted to give my picks for what I think is the best DVD library for a wrestling fan. Now, some will no doubt say I missed some but these are ones I think are must-haves. You’ll notice I leave off Rob Van Dam’s DVD but frankly, never thought the guy was as huge as other say but if you’re a fan, pick it up. The Dusty Rhodes DVD does have nice stuff on his relationship with Dustin and his WWF run but skips over a lot to merit really having. So for my picks, divided into two categories. First are the best documentary ones, the ones with the best programs. I admit I’m more a fan of the doc style, really works better for profiling and matches are just bonuses. Second are compliation discs of either matches or profiles of various workers which merit attention. Onto the list:

DOCUMENTARIES

Wrestling With Shadows: One of the first big docs on the business, it was going to be a simple look at the year in the life of a pro wrestler. But when that was Bret Hart in 1997, it turned into a behind the scenes look at one of the most infamous moments ever. I know conspiracy buffs claim it’s a big coincidence Bret just happened to have a camera crew around at this time but it’s a fascinating look at how Bret handles his fame at a hot time for him. Yes, Montreal is the focus with the backstage goings-on (which was pretty rare to see at the time) of everyone accusing everyone else of knowing or not and Vince coming out of Bret’s room afterward hiding a black eye. But it also shows how Bret’s own ego and pride contributed to the event and overall, it’s one of the best background pieces you can ask for.

The Monday Night War 2003: I do think this is one disc the guys in WWE video wish they could do again. Now, it’s true a lot of it is “the winners writing history” but considering how WCW has been slammed by so many since, WWE is actually being kind here. Indeed, Eric Bischoff comes off as a daring genius at first with his taking it to WWE with Nitro and the NWO and how things were going great for everyone. Yes, they skip over the entire Hogan-Sting buildup that made WCW so hot in 1997 and Vince whines a lot about it being unfair he’s attacked that way. But then they’ll throw in stuff like the “Billionaire Ted” skits to show how desperate Vince was and nice stuff on Montreal. What really makes it great is how all these WCW guys like Jericho, Big Show, Mysterio and more hit it on the head that the reason WCW fell apart was that they had tons of talent but ignored them for the older stars while WWE was making lots of hot new stars. They skip over the stuff of Vince Russo but still offer a great look at how crazy WCW was at the end. The extras are nice, the best being an “editorial” by Jim Cornette in 1997 where Cornette, ranting and raving as only he can, manages in the space of three minutes to slam Hogan, Piper, Savage, Bret, Shawn and the entire “icon” mentality in a great speech. If you can find it cheap, it’s a fun look with Chris Benoit getting in the perfect coda: “It was a great time to be a wrestler and a great time to be a wrestling fan.”

Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story; Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story, 2004: I include these with some reluctance as frankly, they’re both painful to watch now. Don’t get me wrong, excellent bios on both parts (Benoit’s a bit more crisp) and a great look at two men once well respected. For Eddie, it’s painful to watch him talk of the battle with his addictions and his triumph as champion, knowing the pain never truly left and would lead to his end only a year later. For Benoit…you just can’t shake that feeling as you watch, that this man who talks of loving the sport, of loving his family, who openly states “I’d rather get hurt myself than hurt someone else,” could be capable of the most heinous act the business has ever known. I used to love the Benoit disc, with its great bio of his times in Stampede, Japan and WCW but it’s harder to watch now, knowing what happened. But if you can swallow up the pain, they’re both excellent programs and while the latter doesn’t make you understand Benoit any more, it does offer a more humane glimpse at his life than we’ve seen in the last year.

The Rise and Fall of ECW, 2004 and Hardcore History, 2005: Everyone has extolled the brilliance of Rise and Fall and it’s well deserved. What really gets you is how much credit ECW gets from WWE, more in death than ever in life. There’s the great editing jobs like Bischoff denying WCW intentionally stole talent only to immediately cut to Heyman declaring Bischoff full of shit. Even Vince gets in on the act with him denying WWF was that influenced by ECW while a montage of stuff obviously ripped off is shown. Vince even admits he made a mistake having ECW champ Tazz lose to HHH in 2000. The classic clips are great too, so much amazing stuff and it also showcases how the promotion fell apart with Heyman refusing to flex his style and not as good with business as he was creatively.

Hardcore History can be called the companion volume. While not able to use the same classic footage, it does talk to lots of guys not associated with WWE at the time so you get Douglas, Sandman, Raven, Todd Gordon, Joey Styles and others giving their side of things. It’s fun to hear Douglas talk about throwing down the NWA title and New Jack still unrepentant about Mass Transit. It does hurt that so many guys slam WWE and even Heyman, giving the idea they were the ones behind the promotion’s success but it’s still great hearing another side to famous stories. There’s also great comments like Raven wonderfully summing up all the ECW “smarts” with them being “the easiest fans to con.” So while WWE’s disc is well-deserved, this independent one deserves a look as well to give a complete picture of the promotion that changed the business.

The Road Warriors: The Life and Death of Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, 2005: As a long-time Warrior mark, this was the perfect set. The footage is terrific in showing how the Warriors changed tag team wrestling forever and the business itself. Their attitude, their look, the fan appeal, the no-selling, it’s stunning how different they were when they first broke on the scene. The interviews are great with Cornette, Michael Hayes, Jerry Brisco and more talking about the Warriors and it’s funny to hear Arn Anderson and Barry Darsow relate how guys were literally in mortal fear of the team in their prime. Naturally, the bulk belongs to Animal and Paul Ellering who touch base on everything from their look to their interviews and how things changed as the ‘90’s came. It’s painful to see the Warriors turn from classic bad-asses to out of touch with modern fans and Hawk’s slow destruction but the DVD still credits the amazing impact they had. There’s tons of great matches and interviews, giving the ultimate tag team the ultimate collection.

The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, 2005: I’ve always found it somewhat hypocritical that so many reviewers slam WWE for treating the Warrior this way when most of the IWC has said stuff ten times worse. The fact is, the program is more fair than you’ve heard, showing the Warrior’s rise to super-stardom with his look, his music and his powerhouse attitude. There’s fun stuff like talking of “parts unknown” and it’s worth the price of the disc just to hear Christina’s dead-on impression of Warriors insane Wrestlemania VI promo. As for his fall, let’s face it, Jim Helliwig has always been known as something of a lunatic, so WWE is being kind with their comments on him wrapped up in his own persona and such. Indeed, when they discuss his WCW run, Hogan actually takes a lot of the blame for the insane build-up for their Halloween Havoc match and how bad it all was. It’s not even-handed of course but it’s still more fair than you expect and a nice look at one of the biggest “flash and burn-out” stars the business has known.

Jake the Snake Roberts: Pick Your Poison, 2005: It does seem wrong that so many young guys are gone while a man who’s imbued enough drugs and alcohol to wipe out a football team is still with us. But that gives this disc a terrific vibe to it. Roberts was always one of the greatest mic men the business has ever known and thus his stories are terrific as he relates his growing up and starting in the business. It’s fun to hear the origin of the DDT and tales from the road with him and his snakes. To hear people put him over in his ‘80’s prime makes his fall from grace more painful but they do note that Jake really didn’t want to accept help or even face he had a problem. Again, they put over better than expected stuff like his bad WCW run and his ECW times. More telling is his return to WWF in 1996 where he inadvertely helps create Austin 3:16 and there’s great stuff of Jerry Lawler clearly not understanding how he crossed a line mocking Roberts’ drinking during their feud. It does get catty with Roberts blaming Terry Funk for his portrayal in Beyond the Mat and his family stuff. It’s sad to see the man today but still terrific seeing one of the most charismatic performers in his prime.

Bret “Hitman” Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be, 2005: I contend that Vince deliberately made the “Screwed” DVD to paint Bret in a harsh light, knowing Bret’s pride would make him swallow his hate of Vince and agree to do this DVD. Whatever the case, we should be grateful as this is an excellent portrayal of a great worker. With Bret around, we get tons of classic Stampede footage and the Hart Foundation stuff too, all carried by his great commentary. Naturally, Montreal is the major focus with Bret being reasonable about his side and Vince responding, pointing out how things were different then than now and maybe they wouldn’t make the same mistakes. It is emotional when Bret discusses Owen’s death and how badly WCW dropped the ball with him. While I’ve never put Bret on the same incredibly high pedestal as others have, I do respect him immensely and it’s great he was able to put some of his pride aside to give fans the DVD they deserved.

McMahon, 2006: This may be a bad pick for some but hear me out. Yes, a lot of it is self-serving to Vince like skipping over bad deals and presenting the XFL as a daring experiment rather than an epic failure. But it’s also a great look at Vince’s life and mind and how it’s effected the business. Indeed, there’s lot of shots on Vince from his poor athletic ability to some of the insane stuff he does (like everyone noting how horrible Katie Vick was but Vince still insists it’s funny). It’s notable for how Linda comes off as lively, insightful and funny talking about putting up with Vince with Stephanie detailing her relationship with HHH and how Vince felt about it. But the program doesn’t shy away from Vince’s bad side with Greg Gagne talking about him putting AWA out of business, lots of guys talking about being fired by Vince and William Regal getting the great line “if he played Vince McMahon himself, we’d be off the air.” It’s telling that even Vince’s family seems to not know where the real man begins and the character ends, which makes it harder to judge sometimes. But overall, the disc is a great insight to Vince and how he works with Angle getting the nice observation that you’ll never write the ultimate biography of Vince McMahon because he’ll never let you see the real him. But this comes pretty close.

Loose Cannon: The Brian Pillman Story, 2006: Given the title, you might worry about this look at Pillman’s life. But the DVD is much more fair, giving more focus to Pillman’s upbringing and breaking out in the business. It’s terrific seeing the old footage of him doing high-flying maneuvers years before anyone else in the U.S. and getting credit for the light-heavyweights breaking out in WCW. They highlight the Hollywood Blondes and their run that was cut too short and then we get to the ultimate con game. It’s amazing to see how Pillman pulled it all off to such a degree even those involved aren’t sure who was playing who. On one hand, you’ve got Bischoff saying he planned it with Pillman but then Teddy Long says that Bischoff knew nothing about it and just tells people he did rather than admit he got conned too. As with the Benoit and Guerrero discs, it’s hard to watch the end of it with Pillman refusing to back down after his injury, getting more addicted and frazzled. But thankfully, the DVD pays more tribute to his life and accomplishments than his end, giving a great performer his due but still showing how even the brightest stars can flame out.

Born to Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story, 2006: As one of the greatest talkers ever, Piper naturally fills this doc with his nice insight and charm with classic footage of his wrestling career. Naturally, the Hot Rodd doesn’t hold back when it comes to stuff like Mr. T, Hogan and others, including his own failings. They examine stuff like him painting himself half-black for Wrestlemania VI and his retirements. There’s also intriguing stuff like his discussion of his infamous 2003 HBO interview and how they manipulated his words to make it sound worse. We also get extras like a whole disc of “Piper’s Pit” stuff but overall, it’s a great DVD as close to one of those “Shoot interview” ones WWE has done with a man who can back up those words.

The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, 2006: Possibly the most fair and even-handed look at anything not created by Vince, this DVD is a wonderful history of the once-great promotion. It benefits from the commentary of both Greg and Verne Gagne as they detail how the AWA formed and give credit to Verne for bringing so many great stars to the forefront, not the least being Hogan. They even show clips from The Wrestler movie and how successful their TV shows were. Of course, the focus is on the fall and despite what the case says, you can’t blame it on Vince. Yes, the talent raids hurt but everyone talks about how it was Verne’s own stubbornness and refusal to accept the changing times and feelings of fans that ended him. Indeed, Verne still holds to the idea that “we didn’t need Hogan,” not able to see how that mistake cost him. There’s fun stuff of their past stars (best bit an old interview with Baron Von Rashke which cuts to the Baron today doing his old “And that is all the people need to know!” line) and drawbacks (Hansen and Martel as champions). The DVD also blasts the long-held “fact” that Eric Bischoff came up with the Team Challenge Series and booking for the company. It’s also fun hearing Jerry Lawler discuss his reign as AWA champion and how he still has the title belt with him as he was never paid for SuperClash III. Again, a terrific look at how the company grew and more importantly, how it fell apart which makes it important for fans.

Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling, 2006 and The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class, 2007: If you get one, you might as well get the other, both are excellent and dramatic looks at the promotion. The WWE version is good with interviews with Kevin Von Erich and, better yet, Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin and Buddy Roberts all together, sharing their memories of it all and as usual, their great production values enhance the story. But Brian Harrison’s independent DVD is just as excellent and carries more of an emotional wallop, going even deeper at times into things. In fact, Harrison’s portrayal of Fritz Von Erich is more brutal than WWE’s, as Kevin is shown talking about what a bastard his father could seem while on the WWE disc, he suddenly speaks of Fritz in glowing terms. Both discs cover much the same ground with classic footage and angles and it’s notable that on both versions, everyone continues to cite David’s death as a stomach virus and not drugs. But drugs are noted on both discs along with the high death toll. Harrison’s goes more into that and also credits Mickey Grant with his help in creating the great production values for WCCW shows. I do have a quibble in that both discs pretty much skim over the last two years of the promotion which did have great stuff but they do both insist that fans should remember World Class more for the great times than for the bad, which is very true. Again, both are excellent picks but for emotion, Harrison tops it, if only for the amazing bit of Kevin walking through the soon-to-be-condemned Sportatorium and lost in the memories of the past, which still shines today.

Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen, 2007: I’ll say this right now: It’s worth the price of this disc just for the clips of the promos of the Horsemen in their prime. But the rest of the doc is terrific too, an excellent look of the history of the Horsemen and their great times with interviews with Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, Barry Windham and more, emphasizing just how cool they were. We get a lot on the behind the scenes stuff on their partying ways and how the overspending hurt Crockett but they were big enough stars to get away with it. The doc also covers stuff like Kendall Windham’s brief involvement and even interviews Paul Roma, who comes off as an arrogant jerk over his Horsemen run. But it also focuses on the end of it all with the chaos of WCW in 1998-99 and to his credit, Bischoff apologizes formally for letting Kevin Nash mock Arn’s retirement speech that way. Again, it’s a bit jarring to see Benoit talked about so well (although Arn does make the now-chilling comment of Benoit being “a monster”) but it’s still a terrific look back at the greatest heel team of them all and why they’re still so legendary today.

John Cena: My Life, 2007: I know a lot of folks won’t like this due to the Cena hate but I still hold to it being a terrific look at why the guy deserves more respect. It’s a great profile of Cena’s upbringing, emphasizing that he was always a huge fan and loves the industry which drives him so well. It’s fun seeing him in OVW as the Prototype and people saying he’d never make it until he hit on the hip-hop gimmick. They also discuss some of the fan reactions like One Night Stand but emphasize how he’s always pushing himself on and did have a lot of fan approval when he won the belt. There’s fun stuff of his dress sense, rapping and even how dumb his moves can be. But I do think if you give this disc a chance, you’ll see that this is a man who truly loves wrestling and gives his all to it, who endures a lot of abuse but keeps on coming. Maybe it won’t make you a fan of Cena but it might make you at least respect him a bit more.

The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak and Triumph, 2007: Long overdue, this DVD is the in-depth look at Michaels’ life we’ve all waited for. In fact, it can be more insightful than Michael’s autobiography. It tracks his rise in his career with the Rockers, his singles run and his moving into icon status. But it also tracks his personal problems with drugs and drinking (Michaels saying that the steroids suspension in 1993 was a crock because that was just about the only thing he wasn’t on at the time) and they also discuss how Shawn could be just as big a jerk outside the ring as he was talented inside it. This version of Montreal is good with HHH formally going on record admitting he was the one who said to screw Bret and Shawn saying he’s tried to mend fences but Bret’s not listening. They even discuss “losing my smile” and Shawn acknowledging how people still think he did it to avoid dropping the belt back, which is notable. It’s amazing to see how Shawn hit bottom with his injury and drugs but bounced back nicely to not only return but be a champion and main-eventer again. They even poke fun at Vince with his “God” feud and lack of athletic ability. Again, you may not like the guy but this DVD does make you respect his journey and how he’s the rare case of a man who hit bottom but returned to glory afterward.

Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story: Splitting this disc into two stories is an intriguing way to go and helps give focus to the two brothers. It does cover the same ground at times but each takes a different view, which makes sense as Jeff and Matt have different lives and mentalities. The Matt disc is more in-depth as to their beginnings and how they started off as TV jobbers before moving to a regular tag team with Michael Hayes. Of course, the ladder matches and such made them famous but they also broke out well in singles. But it doesn’t slide away from the hard stuff as Matt shares the pain of his love Lita going to Edge and Jeff discusses his drug abuse and even mentions TNA. Yes, the timing was off on its release but it still shows how these men are so driven to succeed, perhaps at the cost of their own well-being (Jeff especially). It also confirms what I’ve long held, that Matt really is the better worker and star than Jeff but both deserve some respect for continuing on through troubles and hopefully continue to fly high.

Ric Flair the Definitive Collection, 2008: We should be grateful that Flair managed to stick around WWE long enough to give fans the documentary long overdue. It’s an amazing look at Flair, from his life as an adopted child to the plane crash that nearly ruined him and how he came back. The classic promos and clips make it worth any price as it tracks Flair from his glory of the ‘80’s to his exit to WWE, his return to WCW and the problems with management and Bischoff. But it also shows another side to Flair, a softer side as the man honestly seems to not see how respected he is by fans and workers alike. I know, I wrote some rough things about Flair in the past but this DVD is a wonderful recap of a terrific career and does remind you why, in so many ways, this man helped make wrestling what it is today and deserves respect for that always.

Well, this ended up rather longer than I thought so I’ll save the compliation list for next week, which will include some non-WWE stuff on it.

Also around 411mania:

Truth B Told discusses luchas.

Chin talks about the Importance of the Wrestlemania X ladder match.

Don’t Think Twice discusses his past as a fan.

Evolution Schematic continues its history of the Undertaker.

The Bard talks about the death of kayfabe.

Julian asks us not to Hate Tenay and West on TNA. Sorry, but ship’s sailed on the latter.

The Shimmy looks at the upcoming Cena/Batista match.

Cook’s Corner talks about Freddie Prinze Jr hired to RAW.

Tim does his Take on WWE’s new youth movement.

The Wrestling Doctor continues his series on Clash of the Champions.

Thoughts From the Top Rope concludes WWE vs TNA.

Scripted Through Sin looks at the problems of TNA.

James Thomilson steals a Take on CM Punk’s title reign.

Piledriver Report examines why so many singles stars are tag team champs.