WWE DVD Review: War Games - WCW's Most Notorious Matches

WWE DVD Review: War Games – WCW's Most Notorious Matches

Cage matches have been part of wrestling for a long time now. More modern viewers of course be aware of such structures as the 'Hell in a Cell' and 'Elimination Chamber' cages. But long before they saw the light of day there was the formidable feud ending 'War Games' match. Up until then the cage match was a rather clunky affair that offered up blood, but no real excitement.

War Games changed all of that. Created by WWE hall of famer Dusty Rhodes this was a match that took the traditional cage environment and put a unique spin on it.

Hosted by Rhodes himself this three disc set takes a look at each and every War Games encounter ever made. The design of the match was simple and yet very effective, WCW took two rings and encased them in a steel cage. Two teams would face off in the match, but as per the stipulation two men started and then after an allotted time members of each would enter alternately.

In the majority of these scraps the heels would always hold the advantage (even though a coin toss was supposed to make that a random thing). This of course added to the atmosphere and made us the fans cheer on the faces.

For the most part the matches here are above average. There are a few duds, but fair play to the WWE for including them all and letting us make the decision as to what works and what doesn't.

Highlights for me are the original match (1987) featuring Rhodes, The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering versus The Four Horsemen (Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson) and JJ Dillon. Which set the standard for this type of match and really does stand the test of time.

Another stand-out match is the 1991 Wrestle War bout between The Four Horsemen (Flair, Sid Vicious, Barry Windham, Larry Zbyszko) and the unit of Sting, Brian Pillman and The Steiner Brothers. This was a very brutal and hard-hitting affair and one that showed all involved at their best.

Other worthy additions are the ones involving Stings Squadron and The Dangerous Alliance, the Tower of Doom match and of course the first time we saw Hulk Hogan enter the structure in 1995.

On the minus side some matches, as stated previously are less worthy of repeated viewing. They still possess some interesting moments. The N.W.O. Make an appearance or two and some work better than others. The infamous Shockmaster turns up too (the former Fred 'Tugboat' Ottman) making a very bad first impression on WCW fans.

War Games was a wonderful concept and one that I do hope the WWE resurrect even for a one-off event.

Yes we have Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber and other similar matches, but there will only ever be one truly exhilarating cage match and it is War Games.

This set is slickly produced (as expected) and will most certainly appeal to many fans of WCW and those who long to explore the history of the industry beyond the WWE. Newer fans may find it less interesting, but to be perfectly honest everyone who says they like wrestling should give this. The matches here are (mainly) from an era where the action spoke for itself and storylines were more of an afterthought. Which is something we do not see as much these days. The matches themselves are also predominantly stiff and at times bloody. They are also unbelievably inviting and innovative at the same time.

Blu-ray buyers get a match Rage in the Cage match from Smoky Mountain Wrestling (1993), the Ultimate Jeopardy scrap from ECW's December to Dismember (1995) and a similar encounter from ECW's Cyber Slam 1999.

War Games: WCW's Most Notorious Matches in available now from all good retailers.

RRP £29.99 (DVD), £39.99 (Blu-ray)

www.wwedvd.co.uk

www..wwe.com

By Phil Allely

Ric Flair misses Japan match due to injury

Injured Flair forced to miss Japanese Match

By Phil Allely

Two time WWE Hall of Famer and former 16 time World Champion Ric Flair was forced to miss his scheduled in-ring return in Japan this past week

The living legend (of NWA, WCW, TNA and WWE fame)  was lined up to tag with Japan's own icon The Great Muta against the formidable duo of Seiya Sanada and Tatsumi Fujinami for All Japan Pro Wrestling. 

Flair however developed a health issue that warranted a visit to the local emergency room, which subsequently saw him removed from the match. Sources say that many fans were unhappy to hear that they would not see the veteran US star once more step into the ring for a match. 

This health scare is rumoured to be a blood clot in his leg, which caused severe swelling and had the possibility of becoming far more serious if untreated. 

Flair's son Reid took his place in the scrap and joined Muta in a pretty decent encounter. Flair senior (against hospital wishes) made an appearance at the show and threw a few of his trademark chops at Fujinami and Sanada. His interference proved to be futile however, as Muta and Reid fell to the superior might of their foes.

Ric is now back in the US and said to be fulfilling his indy obligations and forthcoming ones with the WWE in the lead up to WrestlMania as well.

I hope Ric learns from this medical fright and re-addresses any future in-ring plans. Flair has the potential to be everything from a manager, mentor and even an on-screen  authority figure in the WWE if he so wished. There will always be a place for men like him in the business and we sincerely hope to see 'slick' Ric on our screens for many more years. 

I met Ric two years ago at The TNA live show in Dublin. He was warm, friendly and everything you hope your hero will be. I'd hate to see him come to harm by trying to enter the ring as a grappler again. 

Ric Flair interview highlights

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently spoke with WrestleNewz.com
in an exclusive two-part interview. In the first part, The Nature Boy
discusses WWE's current product, his future, what he has left to
contribute, some of WWE's current talents and lots more.

Flair was asked if he will wrestle again:

WNZ: Will we see you wrestle again?

Ric Flair:
I want to be in the ring, but it will never happen again. I said I'd
never wrestle in WWE... and then there's the Jerry Lawler incident.

WNZ: So Lawler’s heart attack has changed the perception of older wrestlers continuing to perform?

Ric Flair:
Yeah, it really did. I like Jerry very much. What happened to Jerry was
terrible, and thank God he’s OK. But I wish people wouldn’t gauge me by
what happened to him. Everybody's an individual. But I think it kind of
put a decision on my future in the ring, you know what I mean? And
that's fine, because I went back to the ring in TNA, and that will never
happen again.

The full interview can be read at WrestleNewz.com
where Flair gives props to three top WWE stars, reveals who he still
keeps in touch with, if he would have tried MMA and what wrestlers would
have been successful at it, if wrestlers need to be tough these days
and more. Part 2 will be posted later this week and features Flair
discussing his daughter working with WWE, his #1 goal with a WWE return,
his run with TNA and more.

Ric Flair furious over a website article

TMZ posted the following:




Wrestling icon Ric Flair is FURIOUS over an article which claims the Nature Boy is suffering from a serious medical condition caused by years of hardcore boozing ... because Ric claims it's NOT TRUE and now he's threatening to sue.



The unflattering article -- which paints Flair as a troubled, irresponsible mess of a person -- ran on an ESPN affiliated website called Grantland.com ... and the report is mostly based on court documents.



But Flair is particularly pissed about the reporter's claim that he suffers from Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy -- a disease caused by years of alcohol abuse which often leads to heart failure.



A rep for Flair -- -- whose real name is Richard Fliehr -- tells TMZ, "While the information gleaned from courthouse records may be credible, Mr. Fliehr is currently evaluating his legal options with respect to falsehoods in the story, specifically the untrue statement that he suffers from alcoholic cardiomyopathy."



The rep adds, "Our client understands that these allegations are part of the territory when you are not only famous, but a living legend."

DVD Review The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time

WWE DVD Review: The Greatest Cage Matches Of All Time


By Phil Allely

You have to hand it to the WWE they certainly do know how to compile a best of compilation better than most wrestling organisations. The advantage they have of course is that they own the majority of the best match footage form the sports glory days and now they are happily embracing this rich heritage and showcasing them on DVD.

This triple disc set brings together a collection of fair to excellent cage matches from the WWE, NWA, AWA, WCCW and WCW, all of which have not only the curiosity factor, but make for rewarding viewing.

So for those unaware of this particular match style here’s a brief rundown of what to expect in this box set. Cage matches were usually the final match in a feud for wrestlers. These matches were always heavily hyped and often headlined live events, pay-per-views and of course sold-out arenas. The interesting thing was that the imposing cages themselves varied too and the performers often relied on blading to intensify what were at times dull bouts.

The matches on offer here range from the late 1970s and bring us right up to 2009. Those earlier matches are a bit sluggish at times, but the atmosphere and electricity in the air more than make up for the fast-paced action we see these days.

The good news is that in this set for every slow match (let’s simply say Bob Backlund and Lex Luger) there are at least five worthwhile cage scraps to savour. Highlights include a nice Ric Flair versus Kerry Von Erich blood bath from 1982, a hard-hitting tag team brawl pitting Ivan and Nikita Koloff against the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, a superb Road Warriors and Fabulous Freebirds war and some modern classics featuring Steve Austin, Mankind, Triple H, Edge, Chris Jericho and The Rock.

What’s nice about this set is that many of the matches featured are indeed rare ones, they have yet to appear on DVD and the cage gimmick enhances the in-ring action well. These days the blood-letting may have stopped in the WWE, but you don’t need to see the claret flow if the combatants can tell their story well and construct a wild, violent and believable match we can all buy into. That is what this box set best displays, the bouts here all tell stories, they wind up feuds, tie up loose ends and in some cases they take a key player to the next chapter in their career.

The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time is a nicely produced three disc offering that should keep everyone interested until the final match of disc three. The only drawback is that like any other stipulation heavy release there are only so many cage matches you can watch in one sitting, so break your viewing up to get the full impact of the content here.

The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time is available now form ww.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £29.99

Cert 15

Runtime 8hrs 8mins

TNA Lockdown 2011 Review

TNA get Cagey at Lockdown!




By Phil Allely



TNA’s Lockdown pay-per-view is a highlight of the year for many wrestling fans, as it is the only event promoted by a mainstream US organisation that promises bloodshed. The all cage match set-up pretty much guarantees that.



Devon and Anarquia took pre-show warm-up duties with a short brawl, Devon pulling off the popular win.



The X Division then kicked things off (proper). Their Xscape match saw the Buck brothers, Chris Sabin, Robbie E, Amazing Red, Jay Lethal, Kendrick and Suicide battled for the right to be number one contender for Kazarian’s belt. Uber Confident Max Buck taking advantage of a slight ref bump to net himself the win in an exciting crowd-warmer.



The following four tag team affair saw Ink Inc. v The British Invasion v Crimson/Scott Steiner v Eric Young/Orlando Jordan. It offered up a lively mix of brutal moves, eccentric behaviour and some nice set pieces, ending when Shannon Moore stole the pin with a Moore-gasm.



Mickie James’ eagerly anticipated hair versus title match with Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne was cut short due to James shoulder injury, but the gutsy country singer was still able to raise her first TNA title over the cocky Rayne.



The Pope and Samoa Joe’s feud continued with a decent back and forth brawl, each trading the advantage before Joe locked in the ‘rear naked choke’ to take the submission victory.



Hernandez and Matt Morgan had a good big man match next, Rosita, Sarita and Anarquia tried but failed to distract big Matt from nailing a ‘Carbon Footprint’ for the win.



The battle between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett progressed with a ’ultra male’ match, each man trying to outdo the other with their stiff exchanges (including a career shortening cage top moonsault from Angle). With run-ins tight-pulls roll-ups and Karen’s involvement Kurt’s fate was seale, but he did step up to the fray before a bloody Jarrett took the win.



Sting’s defence of the world title against Mr Anderson and Rob Van Dam had its moments, each man getting the chance to shine, Sting especially showing more enthusiasm than he has previously. The champ has found his mojo again (an enthusiastic double ‘scorpion deathlock’ attesting to that), Hulk Hogan appeared to witness the Stinger drop Anderson to retain his gold.



Lethal Lockdown saw Fortune tackle Immortal’s Ric Flair, Abyss, Matt Hardy and Bully Ray. The opening segments were brutally intense at times, but it was when the weapons laden cage roof lowered that the blood and violence overflowed. Flair bled heavily, Daniels put his body on the line and AJ Styles returned to the fold, the main event had it all and more. Flair tapping to a Roode arm bar saw the faction win.



Lockdown saw only one title change and less blood than many expected, but it did do what it said it would do, feuds were progressed, storylines continued and no one left looking like they hadn’t been in a fight.



TNA are now in a classic WCW like position, offering an exciting and innovative alternative to the WWE product, it just needs to maintain that and gain a mainstream push.