Retro Video Review: WWF Action

This will be the first of many retro video tape reviews I do here for my wrestling ramble column. I am finally disposing of these tapes and want to make sure all you wrestling fans know what they were before I do so.

First up we have the WWF's (yes this was pre-WWE times) release 'Action' .

This special video was a 90 minute look at some of the best action from 2001 in the world of the WWF/WWE.

First up we got a look at just how wonderful the attitude era was. The much-missed Hardcore Championship was one of the best inventions during this era and it was perfectly suited to the time in the companies growth.

The Hardcore Title was created for Mick Foley, but as the violent matches grew so did the titles legacy. By 2001 the championship had become one that had evolved into one that was defended on a 24/7 basis. This led to countless titles changes, many memorable encounters and of course some brutal scraps between some of the WWF's finest at the time. There are many highlights included here. This was a time where the title could change many times on one night and blood would flow with ease, unlike today's family friendly WWE.

Next up we saw one of the WWF of the times less family friendly approaches to wrestling. This was the 'bra and panties' series of matches. These were basically the companies attempt to draw in more male viewers and they were more than often shot scraps that saw one or both of the females involved standing in the ring in their underwear. Here we get to see Ivory, Chyna, Trish Stratus and Terri all involved in these poorly judged encounters.

We then get to see Perry Saturn become a deranged madman (due to countless head shots), the former ECW legend ended up becoming a joke of a character and instead of being aligned with Terri he became obsessed with a mop. I'll not say any more about this storyline as it was awful in my opinion and went on far too long.

The risque and Vince McMahon ego-stroking storyline involving Trish, his wife Linda and daughter Stephanie is equally weird as we get to see Vince kiss, degrade and obsess over Stratus, use his wife for his own maniacal schemes and utilise his daughters love the same way. We do get to see Trish gain a measure of revenge, but much of this was unnecessary.

This all led to a few matches that gave Vince his dream of entering the ring as a wrestler. His appearance in a tag match with Trish, William Regal, Stephanie is featured here in parts and works ok until we see poor Stratus degraded once more. (this was not a highpoint in her illustrious career of the WWE's)

Next up we got the fun and very well conceived romantic relationship between Spike Dudley and Molly Holly. This was a great idea and one that saw the Dudley clan embark on a violent series of match-ups against the Holly family. We don't get to see a while match here, but we do get to see some great highlights and some pretty brutal spots.

WWE legend 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's heel turn as a member of Mr McMahon's posse is then given some time. This was a period where Austin held the World Title, was joined at the hip with (a comical) Kurt Angle and also put forward some of his most comical performances, just watch out for his guitar spots with Angle and you will see what I mean.

The buyout of WWF rival WCW was a wonderful event and one that many thought the WWE/WWF would have handled expertly. Initially this was the case and the beginnings were indeed boding well for an invasion storyline. However when push came to shove even after an initial burst of well-received matches and even a few title changes the WWE roster began to dominate proceedings and the idea of a separate WCW brand within the WWE/WWF drifted away quickly. The inclusion of the (also) defunct ECW helped a little, but did not do much to boost PPV buy rates and it dropped off the radar too. (ECW did make a brief comeback though).

Had the WCW/ECW invasion been handled better it could have become a huge piece of wrestling history. WCW had of course dominated the ratings over the WWE for many months and had almost crippled the company. Had Steve Austin and his era of superstars not taken with the fans they may well have lost the fight. ECW were never direct competition, but they did offer something different to the WWE product and gave us a much more violent approach to grappling. The inclusion of Vince's son Shane and Daughter Stephanie to the mix was a nice move, but yet it never saw its full potential.

'Action' offers a wonderful peek at the WWF/WWE at a pivotal time in its existence. The 'Attitude' era had begun, Steve Austin's star had risen and a man called 'The Rock' was nipping at his toes. There was also end of rival companies ECW and WCW to factor in, this was the time that the WWE/WWF saw its full potential as world leaders in wrestling.

It may not be available on DVD yet, but this video tape is a very interesting look at the WWF/WWE in a time of its history that many of remember fondly.

By Phil Allely

Book Review: The Hardcore Truth - The Bob Holly Story

Book Review: The Hardcore Truth – The Bob Holly Story

American wrestler Bob Holly first popped up on your reviewers radar when he one of the company's mid-card stars and your reviewer was a mere fan with mere dreams of having his own wrestling column (we both have come a long way since then). Holly back then was one of the WWE (then WWF's) newest stars, he was then portraying a character called Thurman 'Sparky' Plugg and to a degree was living the dream, as this car racing incarnation somewhat echoed his own life.

Plugg soon became a thing of the past and Holly went through various in-ring persona's. Some worked better than others, but to his credit Bob still went out there each night and performed to the best of his ability. It was his rejuvenation as a hardcore brawler that saw him finally find career fulfilment and main even wrestling honours.

I first encountered Holly's co-writer Ross Williams a few years back when I was working on piece on Ireland's most famous wrestler Dave 'Fit' Finlay. Williams was a wonderful person to work with back then and we have since became good friends. However whilst I knew of his career in business, acting and as a wrestler, I was quite excited to hear he was embarking on one as a writer too.

So now a few years down the line I am very proud to be one of a few select UK reviewers to be able to critique this fine look at the life of Bob Holly, written by Bob Howard (aka Bob Holly) and of course Ross Williams.

'The Hardcore Truth' is a very well told account of how a hard-working man from Califronia was able to overcome the odds in one of the worlds biggest wrestling organisations and come out of it relatively unscathed.

Howard's early wrestling career was a tough one. He worked hard and kept his head down, as most young grapplers do and he still encountered much politics.

What is refreshing here is that unlike many wrestler biographies this is a book that does not dwell on any bad times. Here we get a warts and all take on Holly's life in the WWE and beyond and it is a wonderfully entertaining and informative one.

The backstage tales of wrestles egos, tantrums, storyline madness and much more make this a book no serious wrestling fan can be without.

I don't want to ruin your reading pleasure, but lets just say that this is one of those rare things, it is a book you cannot put down when you start reading.

Williams and Holly/Howard have worked very closely here. Their images of life in the WWE are unbelievable and yet we now know they are true. The quotes and stories are superbly told too. This is a unique look at the life and career of someone who gave 16 years of his life to an organisation and whilst he found found fame and fortune, he was still left adrift by them.

Bob Holly will always be the hardcore wrestler I remember him as. He was always entertaining, gave his all and most of all he believed in what he did.

I for one would love to see Bob find a place in some wrestling organisations backstage team someday soon. He would be a wonderful trainer/backstage producer. I also wish Ross all the best in his future writing career too.

The Hardcore Truth – The Bob Holly Story, is available from ECW Press now.

Www.ecwpres.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: For All Mankind - The Life and Career Of Mick Foley

As wrestling fan for nearly three decades (scary I know) I feel I  have pretty much seen it all and watched it all in the industry. I was fortunate enough to become a fan at a time when Ted Turner's WCW were on the rise, The UK scene still had a TV outlet and the WWE (then WWF) were on the brink of world domination.

During these years I was able to see many of my heroes perform live. This was a time when the WWE, WCW and UK promotions toured one to two times a year and we got to see some of the companies top stars perform for a very reasonable fee.

I over a short time saw Sting lose the WCW World Title, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart perform live in a small hometown ring and even got to meet WWF superstar Rowdy Roddy Piper in person too. He was a pop star back then (don't ask).

You may wonder where I am going here? Well the answer is that whilst much of the wrestling industry at that time was about the performers physique and character, there were the odd few who defied the rule and broke the mould.

I am of course talking about such guys as Vader, The Fabulous Freebirds and others who stood out for not being musclebound cartoon-ish characters.

Mick Foley was one such wrestler. Mick is not a man who has the conventional build of a grappler. Yet this is a man who as brightened up every company he has worked for and also netted himself a nice selection of title belts along the way.

Foley's secret to his success is one that many will not follow. He found out early on in his career that he was not only able to receive an absurd amount of punishment, but he made it look easy. Mick was (and still is) that rare breed of wrestler who would willingly bleed, take un-protected blows to the head with weapons and accept some of the worst beatings imaginable.

Although he started out as the crazed Cactus Jack Mick over the years has fought as himself, Mankind and the party loving Dude Love. Each of which have proved their worth in some way or another.

Mick has always been a wrestler I look up to and I very rarely saw him work a match that I felt short-changed by. Of course to many fans he is the guy who Undertaker famously threw off the Hell In A Cell Cage (which has been seen on many WWE DVDs since). But this is a man who has done so much more.

The worry sometimes with wrestling profile DVDs is that sometimes they can repeat their previous selves (Foley to date has at least five DVDs about him on the market). What is nice here is that even with Mick's previous DVD outings we do have some new material here.

Foley now seems to be happy with his place in life and wrestling. The documentary section here is well made and covers his career perfectly. We get to learn about his early days and the struggles (gambles) he undertook to achieve his dreams. We also get to learn about his trips to Japan, his big breaks and the pivotal moments in his professional life as a wrestler.

This is a man who very literally has given his body, blood, sweat and tears for his profession.

So what can you expect to see here across these three discs? First up disc on is a fine documentary. Mick is wonderfully nice and witty in his pieces and each talking head (from WWE staff old and new) adds to the piece perfectly. Of course we don't get to see anything from any current TNA staff (but that is to be expected). Even the most diehard Foley fan will find something new here.

His charity work for example has not really been touched upon before. It really does endear you to the man.

Discs 2 and 3 house over 15 matches, taking in most of his career and many companies he has worked for. There are also a few nice alternate commentaries by Foley and former ECW commentator Joey Styles (this includes the infamous Hell In A Cell with Undertaker). There are many new to DVD matches, some from WCW, ECW, early WWF footage and much more. We also get to see Foley in Tag action, him battle Sting, being brutalised by The British Bulldogs and a graphic scrap between Cactus Jack and The Sandman. This last one is fought under barbed wire rope rules and leaves nothing to the imagination.

For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley is available from April 22nd 2013.

Visit www.wwedvd.co.uk for more details.
RRP: £24.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blur-ray)

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Top 100 Raw Moments

WWE DVD Review: Top 100 Raw Moments

WWE's flagship TV show Raw celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year and has notched up over 1000 episodes along the way. It is also reputed to be the longest-running episodic TV show . That is no mean feat I am sure you will agree. Since it's debut Raw has been a must-watch show for wrestling fans young and old.

This 3 disc set offers us a countdown of the top 100 moments that have been compiled from those 1000 plus episodes.

Now I am unsure of who actually chose these moments, but they have chosen wisely on the whole. There are a few that perhaps seem odd choices and ones that you personally may not rate as highly. This is as always down to the individual viewer and not something to sway you from purchasing this set.

So what can you expect here? Well first off each moment is presented nicely with a short introduction by either someone involved in that moment or a figure in the wrestling industry who it touched in some way.

It may be hard to believe that it has been 20 years since Raw became part of our staple wrestling diet, but where would we be without it?

These moments do indeed capture a plethora of the WWE's finest moments. There are shocks, laughs, emotional scenes and some outrageous events here. Each one will ring a bell in your mind and some even warrant a replay or two.

Your reviewer was especially pleased to see this 100 moments list feature a nice mix of old school footage alongside more modern ones.

So watch out for 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin at his peak, DX in full on comedy mode, Santino and Kozlov having a tea party, Mae Young get powerbombed and the Stephanie McMahon vegas wedding. We are also treated to Bret Hart's return to the WWE, Edge's emotional retirement speech and we even get to see some stars from the now defunct WCW and ECW make their WWE debuts.

These moments may not be a definitive guide to the show that is Raw, but they do give you a broad view of just what this programme has meant to millions of fans over the last two decades.

Extras wise we are offered the entire 1000 episode of Raw, which of course features a wonderful mix of new talent with some ring legends.

Blu-ray buyers will get an extra 6 Raw moments and a 90 minute Legend Roundtable show on the subject of Raw. This features Jim Ross, Road Dogg and many more superstars.

WWE Raw Top 100 Moments is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP DVD £29.99/Blu-ray £34.99

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Hell In A Cell 2012

WWE DVD Review: Hell In A Cell 2012

Hell In a Cell has evolved from being a one-off gimmick match to becoming the star of its own pay-per-view. The match itself is a fun, involving and exciting one. This DVD offers us the opportunity to take home the 2012 event. The question is is it worth doing so?

Well we will leave that decision up to you. But how about we let you see what you missed, or remind you of what you saw live on the night.

In the main event WWE Champion CM Punk defended his gold in a thrilling encounter with Ryback. This was perhaps one of Ryback's longest bouts to date and he held up well against ring veteran Punk. The HIAC environment certainly suited the storyline and the grapplers in question really did build the action perfectly. This was a perfectly enjoyable cage match and one that was well worth a re-view in our opinion.

The World Heavyweight Championship was on the line as well. Here we had title holder Sheamus face the mammoth Big Show. Big Show may be running down his in-ring career these days. But when presented with the right opponent he can still cut it. This encounter is a fine example of the big man on top of his game.

The tag team scrap between Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara and The Prime Time Players had it moments too. However a mishap involving Cara left Mysterio fending for himself for a while.

Elsewhere Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio had a fun battle. ADR worked Orton's arm over thoroughly throughout this fine addition to their feud.

The dysfunctional team of Kane/Daniel Bryan defended their Tag Team Titles against The superb combo of The Rhodes Scholars. This one had its ups and downs and unfortunately fell a bit flat at times.

The rest of the card saw The Miz battle Kofi Kingston over the Intercontinental Championship. 

We also had Antonio Cesaro put his United States Title on the line against Justin Gabriel and a triple threat Divas Championship war between Kaitlyn, Eve and Layla. 

HIAC 2012 was an event that had its fair share of ups and downs. However when things worked they really worked and there are a few surprises awaiting the viewer as well.

Hell in a Cell is available now from all good retailers and www.wwedvd.co.uk

RRP £17.99 DVD, £19.99 Blu-ray

Extras: DVD (interview with Sheamus), Blu-ray (interviews and a match from Smackdown)

wwe.dvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review - The Attitude Era

WWE DVD Review: The Attitude Era (3 disc set)

For many younger fans of the WWE, the product they see today is the only show they know and to be honest that is perfectly fine. But if you are someone who has a few more miles on your clock then this DVD box set is for you.

The Attitude Era is the term commonly used for the peak period in the WWE (then known as the WWF) between 1997 and 2000. This was the time that Vince McMahon was under extreme pressure from rival company WCW and their owner Ted Turner. Turner and Co. (with his millions of dollars in the bank) were on a roll during this time in the late 1990s, their deep pockets were attracting many big name wrestlers and with each new signing the viewing figures for the WWE product were falling. 

This was a time where Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (all WWF regulars) had jumped ship to the Atlanta based WCW. The viewing figures for WWF programming were slumping and yet it was a time fans will forever remember, as this was the moment wrestling became must see TV. Both major companies pulled out their big guns during this time frame and for the first time in years we saw pay-per-view calibre matches on TV for free.

To combat this all out assault on their core audience the WWE took a bold step and offered up an assortment of wild, wacky and in some cases downright crude storylines. What is nice in this presentation (The Attitude Era) is that the WWE have not pulled any punches and they have indeed allowed us fans to see the mistakes they made, alongside the significant successes that accompanied them. 

The Attitude Era saw the rise of such wrestling superstars as 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, DX, Mick 'Mankind' Foley, Chris Jericho, Christain/Edge, The Dudleys, APA and Diva's such as Lita, Sable, The Kat and Trish Stratus. 

So what can you expect from this boxset I hear you say? Well first up we get a glimpse back at a time where the wrestling industry was a very close two horse race and the WWE were worrried (we will get this thrill again as TNA grow) and they put up one hell of a fight. This was a time where fans were spoiled and we loved it, each week on live TV we saw PPV quality matches and our heroes were always there to see as well. 

This a time where Steve Austin could drink beer and flip the bird when he wanted, blood would flow freely and DX would advise us all to 'Suck It'. This was also a time frame where the WWE presented us with an assortment of offbeat characters including Val Venis, The Godfather, Goldust and much more. 

The Attitude Era Three Disc Set is a wonderful look at a key period in the WWE/WWF's history and will not only appeal to older fans, but newer ones too. The main feature paints us a nice picture of the 1997-2000 years involved. It then leads on to (disc 2 & 3) a selection of pivotal in and out of ring moments.

I give The Attitude Era DVD (3 disc set) a 4 out of 5 and highly recommend it.

By Phil Allely

Sir Oliver Humperdinck Passes Away

Legendary Manager Joins the big Roster in the Sky!


By Phil Allely

Sir Oliver Humperdink, the legendary pro wrestling manager passed away early this past Sunday morning, he was 62.

Humperdink (real name John Sutton) had been suffering from bladder cancer and was in hospice care.

The red-haired and flamboyant attired Humperdink first made a name for himself as a heel manager in Florida Championship Wrestling during the 1970s. Forming a heel stable The House of Humperdinck which dominated there and other NWA territories, including Jim Crockett Promotions, based in the Carolinas

Among the many wrestlers he managed during those days were Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, Bruiser Brody, Ivan Koloff and ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham.

Humperdink joined the WWF (now WWE) in 1987 and had a brief run as the babyface manager of Bam Bam Bigelow and Paul Orndorff. He later worked for WCW, where he managed The Fabulous Freebirds as Big Daddy Dink. He retired in 1993, but did however attend many wrestling conventions and events in association with The Cauliflower Alley club

Our condolences to his family and friends

DVD Review: WWE Raw - The Beginning : The Best of Seasons 1 & 2

WWE Raw - The Beginning : The Best of Seasons 1 & 2




By Phil Allely



Back in 1993 the WWE (then the WWF) decided to up the ante in terms of it’s wrestling TV output and created what would become its flagship show Monday Night Raw. The show all but revolutionised the concept of weekly Grappling shows and helped to kick start one of the hottest times in the industry the legendary Monday Night Wars between WWF and its nearest rival WCW. This four disc set takes a look at the first two years of Raw and offers forth a nice insight into just what was happening in this historic period of Vince McMahon’s company history.



The idea of Monday Night Raw was that instead of the constant stream of squash matches that WWE programming offered until then, the shows would sprinkle in many top class match-ups and even title challenges (including the odd title change). This all helped elevate the show to it’s current state as the number one wrestling show in the world.



Some of the confrontations on offer do pale in comparison to the events that we se these days on free TV, but back then such matches as Ric Flair versus Mr Perfect, Lex Luger versus Crush and Shawn Michaels versus Marty Jannetty were things that we all usually had to pay for on PPV or in the case of the UK shell out for a video tape of the event.



Over the course of this set there are some great moment to become nostalgic, there are events like the 123 Kid’s (Shawn ’XPac’ Waltman) upset win over Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), Yozozuna decimating the roster, Doink The Clown’s debut, Bret Hart’s rise from a tag team master to World Title Contender, Macho Man Randy Savage’s final run as a top class performer, Jeff Jarrett’s debut in the WWE, comic character Duke ‘The Dumpster’ Drosse’s appearance and Shawn Michaels career skyrocketing as he turned heel on his former partner Jannetty.



Raw in 1993-1994 was where we all looked to for our entertainment and for a retro look back at the era where muscle men vanished and characters and performers took over you really cannot fault this first instalment of the Raw story. Just how impressive other entries will be is another and one for another time.



This DVD set gets a lofty 8 our of 10 and deserves a spot on every WWE fans shelf.



WWE Raw The Beginning: The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 is available now, check out www.silvervision.co.uk for more information.