Shining a Spotlight 5.03.07: DVDs That Should Be
Posted by Michael Weyer on 05.03.2007
Imagining several DVDs wrestling fans would kill for, with Ricky Steamboat, Booker T, tag teams and much more.
I've been talking for a while of my appreciation for how amazing WWE's DVD library has been. I was going through my shelf of them, admiring the great titles they've put out over the years and making space for the upcoming Wrestling Families, Ladder match and World Class volumes, which I'm sure will be great.
What makes these so terrific is how they manage to work in all the past footage with modern-day comments from people, all by the great technical standards WWE is known for. Say what you will about the current booking/writing teams but these tech guys are pros. They make subjects mostly forgotten, like the AWA, shine like never before.
I think a lot of wrestlers are now understanding this and realizing this is a great way to make sure their legacies can be told. It's what made Bret Hart give up his long-standing beef with Vince, in order to properly tell his story to a new generation of fans. Ditto for Verne Gagne and Superstar Billy Graham. Sure, the Ultimate Warrior may have decided not to but then the former Jim Hellwig has never exactly played by the same rules as the rest of us.
However, despite all this, there are still a lot of stars and promotions that deserve DVD spotlights. A couple are updates of past DVDs but others would really be terrific, to give fans a look at the past and how the business grew and developed. Not to mention, they'd pack in some classic matches that deserve new looks by modern-day fans. So, for the hell of it, I made up a list of DVDs I think could be welcome additions to any wrestling library:
Ricky Steamboat: The Dragon's Fire: I've been up front over the fact I am a massive Ricky Steamboat mark and I feel a DVD on him is long overdue. He works for WWE today so he's readily available and they may have to pay a bit extra as his ex-wife got the "Dragon" trademark in their divorce but it would be well worth it. You know Steamboat must have some great stories and the DVD could highlight what he's always said was his best time in wrestling, his partnership with Jay Youngblood that won five NWA tag team titles. You can cover so much, his feuds with Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Ric Flair and Steve Austin among others. As one of the few guys to remain a face through his entire career, it'd be an intriguing look at his feelings at the business over the years and give fans a look at one of the all-time best sellers the sport has ever known.
Needed Matches:
Highlights of the Youngblood/Steamboat vs Don Kernodle/Sgt Slaughter feud, with the cage match for the NWA Tag Titles at Starrcade '83.
A great match against Davey Boy Smith from the King of the Ring tournament in 1985.
Wrestlemania III vs Savage (duh)
Chi-Town Rumble vs Flair (I figure beating Flair for the belt would be the proper one as the two rematches are on the Flair DVD)
The great match from Clash of the Champions XVII where Steamboat is the surprise partner for Dustin Rhodes to beat Arn Anderson and Larry Zybsko for the WCW tag titles.
Beach Blast '92 Iron Man match against Rick Rude.
Clash of the Champions XXIV, beating Paul Orndorff for the TV title.
Clash of the Champions XXVIII, his final match, beating Austin for the US title.
Extras: The Dragon nickname, favorite stories from the road, relationship with family.
Randy Savage: The Macho Man: This one is a bit tricky due to Savage's infamous problems and mentality today which makes it hard to imagine him working with WWE to do this. Then again, Bret Hart seemed impossible too and that happened. It might do well for Savage to work with WWE to properly showcase how huge a star he was. This would develop how he created the "Macho Man" gimmick in Portland before coming to WWF, his partnership (on and off screen) with Elizabeth, how it felt to be the monster heel with his feuds with Steamboat and Hogan and taking over as champion. There'd be talk on how his marriage fell apart, his tenure in WCW and his problems with Hogan. I remember on the Warrior DVD, Hogan mentioned how Savage was a detail freak who'd always make sure everything about a match was planned out perfectly and it'd be good to show that in his tenure. It'd be good for Savage to make sure he's remembered for his great ring work rather than being the lunatic most think he is today.
Needed Matches
Early stuff from Portland where he made his name.
Beating Tito Santana for the IC title, 1986.
His wild Madison Square Garden brawl with Hogan, 1986
Wrestlemania III, natch.
Beating Ted DiBiase for the WWF title, Wrestlemania IV.
Meagpowers vs Megabucks, SummerSlam '88.
Losing the belt to Hogan, Wrestlemania V.
The start of his "King" gimmick.
His "retirement match" with Warrior, Wrestlemania VII.
Beating Flair for the title, Wrestlemania VIII.
His wild Great American Bash match with DDP, 1997.
Extras: The "Macho Man" name, stories from the road, the SummerSlam '91 wedding.
Booker T: Can You Dig It?: Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten this already. His childhood in Houston is one of those great "up from nothing" stories WWE loves to highlight and his career is even better. This could track the beginning of Harlem Heat in Global and then WCW as they dominated the tag ranks. It'd follow him in his singles career as TV champ and eventually World champ while chronicling lowlights like "GI Bro." Then to WWE where he bounced around with tag team and US title reigns before "King Booker" restored him to World Title status. All of it done in his great style and touching on his family stuff with Stevie Ray and Sharmell, this is a great highlight to a guy who's done so much for the business.
Needed Matches:
Anything of the Harlem Heat/Nasty Boys WCW tag title feud.
The final match of the best-of-seven series with Chris Benoit, 1998.
Winning the World title from Jeff Jarrett, Bash at the Beach 2000.
Beating Scott Steiner to regain the title at the last Nitro.
Against the Rock for the WCW title, SummerSlam '01.
Finals of his best of seven US title series against Benoit, 2006.
Beating Rey Mysterio for the World title, Great American Bash 2006.
Extras: Sharmell, the Harlem Heat name, a journey back to his home.
Jerry Lawler: It's Good to Be King: Another one I'm surprised they haven't done yet as Lawler has had an incredible career. This DVD can highlight how long before he was the goofy RAW announcer, Lawler truly was the "King" of Memphis wrestling. Sure, you can accuse him of keeping the CWA/USWA on his waist a lot but he was the biggest star there and people loved him. You can do nice highlights like his feud with Bret Hart in 1993 where Bret was booed whether he faced Lawler in Memphis. While the AWA disc covered his reign, it'd also be good to see more of the fallout from Lawler fired as AWA champion. And of course, you can cover a half-hour easy just on the full story behind the "feud" with Andy Kaufman. There can also be some darker elements like how he left the WWF over the firing of his then-wife, Stacy Carter, only to have her leave him for someone else. Overall, this disc can do a great job giving the "King" his royal due.
Needed Matches
There's tons of stuff from Memphis but highlights would be battles with Bill Dundee, teaming with Jeff Jarrett against the Moondogs (including their wild concession stand fight) and much more.
The interesting "$500 a punch" match with Nick Bockwinkel, 1984
Beating Curt Henning to win the AWA title, 1988.
Highlights of his defending the belt against the likes of Kerry Von Erich and others.
Feuding with Bret Hart in 1993 and '95.
His King of the Ring ‘94 battle with Roddy Piper.
Extras: "The King" moniker, the legal mess with Harley Race using that name in 1987, favorite opponents, his commentary style.
Batista: The Animal Unleashed: I know I've never been quite the fan of Dave Batista but I do have to face the fact the man is one of the biggest stars of the company now. It may be a bit early for a DVD but as one of the top stars, it could be time. It could chart his beginnings in OVW and his less than stellar start as "Deacon Dave." Then there's his partnership with Evolution that led him to rise up, claiming the tag team and eventually World titles. This disc would also talk about his injuries and how it felt to give the belt up, his friendship with Eddie Guerrero and his comeback. Like I said, I may not like the guy but he is a player and a DVD showcase seems the right time.
Needed Matches:
His OVW match with a then-raw John Cena.
His two-fer at Armageddon 2003, losing to Shawn Michaels but then joining with Ric Flair to win the tag titles.
Losing the belts to RVD and Booker T.
Beating HHH for the World Title, Wrestlemania 21.
Their wild Hell in the Cell rematch at Backlash.
Against JBL, SummerSlam '05.
Teaming with Rey Mysterio to win the WWE tag titles from MNM.
Regaining the belt from King Booker.
Extras: OVW days, memories of Eddie, workout regime, tattoos.
HHH: From Snob to the Game: I know he got a DVD back in 2002 but that was before WWE really went to town making them cool. Given his place the last few years, a new version seems overdue. Even if you do hate him, you can't deny the fact the man has been one of the biggest stars WWE has ever produced and a two or three disc DVD is a showcase of how he always brings it to the big matches. You can even begin with his start in WCW where he learned the ropes before jumping to WWE and his rise from Greenwich snob to DX leader to bad-ass heel champion. Maybe he can finally confront his critics about always being in the spotlight and his relationship with Stephanie. We can end up today with him pulling back from the title scene and how it feels to be a father. I do think that years from now, HHH will be given a lot more respect than he is now and this DVD can showcase why.
Needed Matches:
Debuts in WCW and WWF.
Beating Marc Mero for the IC belt, October, 1996.
First teaming with Shawn Michaels, 1997.
The "falls count anywhere" match against Mick Foley from the 1997 MSG RAW.
Their SummerSlam '97 cage match.
The IC ladder match against the Rock, SummerSlam '98.
Winning the WWF title for the first time, 1999.
The 2000 Royal Rumble and No Way Out HITC matches with Mick Foley.
Losing the title to the Rock, Backlash 2000.
Against the Rock and Kurt Angle, SummerSlam 2000.
His wild brawl with Steve Austin, No Way Out 2001.
Against the Undertaker, Wrestlemania X-7.
Beating Chris Jericho for "Undisputed" title, Wrestlemania 18.
His wild December,2003 matches on RAW and Armageddon against Shawn Michaels.
Wrestlemania XX (natch).
Against Ric Flair, Taboo Tuesday.
Against John Cena, Wrestlemania 22.
Extras: Meeting Stephanie, having Vince as a father-in-law, relationship with Chyna, injuries, favorite opponents.
This is Sting: Even before Sting signed with TNA last year, this one was iffy. It's struck me how Sting has often gotten short shrift on WWE DVDs. The Monday Night War completely skips over the entire Hogan-Sting build-up that made WCW so popular in 1997 and the Road Warriors disc skimmed over him too. However, the recent Horsemen disc gave him a spotlight so there is a chance. I think the problem is that Sting is pretty much the one major star of his time to have never worked for WWF and Vince may be hesitant to give someone like that a big spotlight. That he now works for the closest thing WWE has to competition seems to settle the question so Steve Borden actually participating is highly unlikely. But given how they own so much of his stuff, it seems a shame to let such a moneymaker slip by. They'd have to skim over his UWF start but once he gets to NWA/WCW, they can showcase how his star rose huge, winning over the fans and feuding with most everyone. They can spotlight the rough patch he had with stuff like the Black Scorpion and then rising with his feud with the NWO and Hogan. I'm sure Hogan and Bischoff will try to spin Starrcade '97 to make it sound like Sting's fault and his last few years in WCW weren't that good. But as I said, a star as huge as he was deserves to be remembered and maybe some of the guys who used to work for him can convince Vince of that.
Needed Matches:
Clash of the Champions I against Flair (of course)
Beating Mike Rotunda to win the TV title, his first gold.
His great matches with the Great Muta.
Teaming with Ric Flair against Muta and Terry Funk at the first Halloween Havoc.
Beating Flair for the NWA title, Great American Bash 1990.
With Lex Luger against the Steiners, SuperBrawl I.
Beating Luger for the WCW title, Super Brawl II.
Against Vader, Super Brawl III.
The controversial Starrcade '97 match with Hogan.
Against Hogan, Halloween Havoc '99.
Beating Flair at the last Nitro.
Extras: Makeup designs, interviews, promos, memories by other stars.
All those are for specific subjects but the following are ideas I had for collections/anthologies and such. As you can tell, they would span several different subjects and give some guys who don't get full DVD access a good showcase for newer fans.
Superstars of the ‘80s vol. 2: The first set from 2005 was a great mix of big names (Hogan, Flair, Piper, Rhodes, Steamboat) and others not quite as huge (Orton, Arn Anderson, Iron Shiek, Lawler, Sgt. Slaughter, Junkyard Dog), all in a great mix of classic footage and stories. I'm not the only one who thinks that a second volume is not only needed but required, to showcase more of the big stars of that decade, some famous, others not quite today but still worthy of inclusion. As before, a three-disc set with about 15 stars and ones that came to mind to me…:
Tully Blanchard, Magnum TA, Nikita Kolloff, Kerry Von Erich, Ted DiBiase, Steve Williams, Randy Savage, Brutas Beefcake, The British Bulldogs, Andre the Giant, Tito Santana, Rick Rude, Rick Martel, Adrian Adonis, Barry Windham.
As you can see, a selection like that would have tons of great stories and extras. Picking matches for each is tricky but a few that can stand out…
The final match of the Magnum-Nikita best-of-seven series for the US Title, 1986.
Magnum and Tully's classic "I Quit!" cage match from Starrcade '85.
Nikita beating Tully for the TV title, 1987.
Santana beating Greg Valentine for the IC belt, 1985.
Most any match from DiBiase and Williams' long partnership.
Bulldogs winning the tag titles from Valentine and Beefcake, Wrestlemania 2.
Adonis and Jesse Ventura winning the AWA tag titles.
Martel winning the AWA world title.
Extras: With a list like that, plenty to go around.
Wrestling's Greatest Tag Teams: Like the ‘80's stars disc, this would be a three-disc set highlighting some of the best teams in history, each given their own spotlight with comments from the wrestlers, opponents, friends and more. Like those ‘80's discs, a bit hard to just narrow it down to a set of teams but the ones that spring to mind here...
The British Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, the Steiners, the Nasty Boys, Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens, the Hardyz, the Dudleyz, the Brainbusters, Demolition, the Fabulous Freebirds, Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez, the Rock n Roll Express, the Midnight Express, the Rockers, the Brisco Brothers.
I'm leaving off the Road Warriors because they already got their own DVD. Again, this would be an awesome look at so many terrific teams in their prime. Especially good would be the Bulldogs and how they brought a new energy to the ring while modern-day fans would be surprised to see what a terrific athlete Scott Steiner once was. With the World Class and AWA libraries, it'd be good to show teams less known but still terrific and as with the ‘80's disc, tons of great extras.
Needed Matches:
Steiners vs Nasty Boys, Halloween Havoc '90.
Hardyz vs Dudleyz, table match from 2000 Royal Rumble.
Demolition beating Strike Force for the WWF tag titles, Wrestlemania IV.
Pretty much any match between the RnR and the Midnights.
Rockers vs Brainbusters, 1989.
Hart Foundation vs Brainbusters, SummerSlam '89.
Extras: Again, more than you can count.
The Territories: As WWE 24/7 is doing a great job showcasing the classic territories, a DVD treatment seems due. It's interesting that Vince is starting to let go of his old story of how, before the expansion, wrestling was "in smokey bingo halls" and admitting how big it was in the old territory system. At first, I had thought a series of DVDs on different territories but now that I think about it, maybe a 2-3 disc set with chapters on some of the big ones and how they provided many stars their start in the business. Among those that can be highlighted:
Florida: From the 1970's to being bought out by Crockett in 1987, Championship Wrestling from Florida was a great spotlight for young and hot talent like Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, Gary Hart, Kevin Sullivan and more. This could highlight how huge a fanbase they had and I'm sure Mike Graham is willing to share plenty of stories. They can also give the spotlight to arguably the greatest wrestling commentator of all time, Gordon Solie, who made his name there and helped it succeed for so long.
Pacific Northwest: The Piper disc highlighted this a bit but it deserves a larger look with its great fanbase and stars like Billy Jack Hayes, Tom Pritchard, Steven Regal, Magnum TA, Jay Youngblood and so many more. It's good to show that while so much of wrestling focus is on the East Coast, the West had a few nice hotbeds too.
Stampede: Hell, you can give an entire DVD for the best Canadian promotion ever. They were rocking with stuff like ladder matches and cage matches before American territories and produced such huge stars as the Harts, Chris Benoit, Brian Pillman and so many more. There may be the slight problem that Bret owns his match stuff and Owen's widow owns his. But that's still plenty of excellent matches and workers to highlight.
Smokey Mountain: From 1991 to 1996, Jim Cornette's organization provided showcases for stars like Chris Candido, Mick Foley, Tammy Sytch, Lance Storm, Chris Jericho, BG James and others. The storylines were tight, the action excellent and it provided a good way for some stars to rise and even earned the distinction of being the first organization recognized by the WWF in 1993. You can even argue they helped with the "hardcore" mentality with stuff like the Gangstas and rough matches. Some matches have popped up on other discs but a full-scale look would be good.
Memphis: A Lawler disc would highlight this, of course but the action of the Continental/USWA was more than just him. The spotlight here would be on its stars like the Moondogs, Jeff Jarrett, Eddie Gilbert, Bill Dundee, the Armstrongs, Robert Fuller and many more. Their action could be as wild as ECW in its heyday with a fanbase to match and their shows were top-notch and thus deserve to be remembered.
Matches and extras: With a selection like this, the choices are almost endless…
The Rise and Fall of the UWF: Now this one is a bit different as it wouldn't be a WWE release. Pretty much the only wrestling library Vince doesn't own is that of the Mid-South region. It's still in the hands of Bill Watts and seeing as how Watts is pretty much the only guy more set in his ways than Vince, selling it is unlikely. So maybe it's time Watts realized the gold mine he's sitting on and put out a DVD on his groundbreaking promotion. Maybe he can team with Brian Harrison, the man behind Heroes of World Class to showcase how he made a splash with the Mid-South region in the mid-1980s. You can get classic footage of how he used music videos and filmed stuff to make things hotter, then move to his creating the UWF in 1986, raiding most of the WCCW talent base to make it work. Watts is sure to have stories on how it was to come so close to breaking out only to have the Oklahoma economy collapse in 1987 and force him to sell to Crockett. As I said, this is a great promotion with an awesome story just waiting to be told and hooking up with a high-quality director like Harrison can allow Watts to do it right.
Needed matches and extras: So much stuff here, it's hard to really settle for anything specific but the main program should cover the big ones.
So those are my own DVD picks. I really think any one can be a welcome addition to a wrestling library and sell well too. I highly doubt anyone from WWE reads my column (sometimes I wonder if anyone does) but I do hope this gets passed along and gets some ideas going. And if there's anyone else who can think of a DVD that might work, feel free to send it on!
Also on 411mania:
You're an Idiot and Here's Why discusses Kurt Angle
That Was Then looks at two great Wrestlecrap moments.
Friendly Competion has a great examination of TNA.
Piledriver Report has a good look at dream matches and why you just don't see them anymore.
Quick Talkdown wonders why so many wrestlers refuse to resign with WWE.
Just S'Pose imagines a different take on the Rockers split-up.
Julian counts down the Top 10 Upsets. Ah, Honky Tonk Man winning the IC belt not count?
Can They Be Champ looks at the New Breed.
Don't forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 3 R's, High Road/Low Road, Fact or Fiction and the rest.
