Shining a Spotlight 5.10.07: DVDs That Should Be Reader's Edition

Posted by Michael Weyer on 05.10.2007

A huge mailbag leads to reader picks on what wrestling DVDs they'd like to see.

Not long ago, I was wondering if anyone was reading my columns. But last week answered that with a huge outpouring of letters on my DVD column. So many people chimed in on their thoughts for DVDs that I decided to devote this week to all the great ideas in a full letter bag.

First of all, a quick letter by Irv Muchnick, talking about my review of his book Wrestling Babylon:


I'm glad you enjoyed my book, and I very much appreciate your thoughtful and positive review.

A couple of small things: My uncle was Sam (not Stan) Muchnick. And the Jimmy Snuka incident was in 1983 (not 1985).

Sorry about that mix-up. Thank you for the good letter, hope to see more of your excellent writing soon.


All right, now onto DVDs. First of all, a few ideas I had myself but forgot about last week…


The Rock Collection: He's had a few over the years but that WWE has yet to give him the full scale 3-4 disc treatment we all know he deserves is pretty amazing. He still has a good relationship with WWE and they are doing new sets for Austin, Cena and Mysterio so surely they can get Rock to do something. The set would start off with him as the good-guy Rocky Maivia and why the fans turned on him. Then the injury that curtailed his high-flying and led to his heel turn as the Rock. Besides noting his rise to stardom and taking off in Hollywood, the set would compile his best matches and of course, best promos. Hell, you can do one disc of nothing but promos, with insults, impersonations, taunting of Kevin Kelly and the Coach and so much more. If anyone deserves a set like this, it's the Rock and you know it'd be a best seller.

Needed Matches
His big debut at Survivor Series 1996
Upseting HHH for the IC title, 1997
Turning heel and joining the Nation, 1997
Ladder match with HHH, SummerSlam ‘98
Winning the WWF title, Survivor Series ‘98
I Quit match with Mankind, '99 Royal Rumble
Against Austin, Wrestlemania XV
The Rock and Sock Connection fun
Beating HHH for the belt, Backlash 2000
Iron Man Match with HHH, Judgment Day 2000
Against Chris Benoit, Fully Loaded 2000
Winning the belt from Kurt Angle, No Way Out ‘01
Against Booker T, SummerSlam ‘01
Against Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania 18
Beating Austin at Wrestlemania XIX
With Mick Foley against Evolution, Wrestlemania XX

Extras: As I said, TONS of promos, football career, appearances on talk shows, going Hollywood.


Wrestling's Greatest Ladies: No, this isn't another of those Divas DVDs. Rather, this focuses on the actual female wrestlers and managers/valets who have made true impact over the decades. This set (perhaps two discs) could be loaded with famous names showing how women have made a difference over the years and not just as eye candy. Among those who can be featured:

The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Wendi Richter, Precious, Sheri Martel, Medusa/Alundra Blayze, Miss Elizabeth, Sable, Tammy Sytch, Stephanie McMahon, Lita, Trish Stratus, Francine, Beulah, Stacy Kiebler, Molly Holly.

As I said, this could be a great disc looking at the way women have evolved in the business over the years and packed with some good matches, promos and moments to show the modern-day Divas how it's really done.


Edge: The Rise of the Rated-R Superstar: Hate him all you want but I think Edge's time has come for a DVD showcase. The program could show his start as a huge fan breaking into the business, working with Christian, their tag team success eventually leading to singles glory. You can also address his various injuries and how that reshaped his career in different ways. Of course, a big highlight would be him talking about Lita and I think it'd be interesting to get his side of the whole mess which led to his leap to stardom. I always felt Edge was the stronger of the two parts of the E&C team and this could showcase that in a terrific way.

Needed Matches:
Early stuff in WWF fighting Marc Mero before teaming with Christian
Highlights of the E&C/Hardyz feud with the multiple ladder, TLC and cage matches
Winning the King of the Ring and IC matches
His feud with Christian
Winning the Tag Titles with Hulk Hogan, 2002
Beating Randy Orton for the IC title, Vengeance 2004
MITB I
The feud with Matt Hardy with cage match at Unforgiven '05 and the ladder match at Homecoming
Beating Cena for the WWE title
Losing the belt to Cena, 2006 Royal Rumble
Regaining it in the three way with Cena and RVD
MITB III

Extras: Growing up in Canada, injuries, promos and relationship with Matt and Lita.


History of the Intercontinental Championship and History of the WWE Tag Team Championship: Like the History of the WWE Championship, these two sets would be about three discs each, containing some of the biggest matches in the history of those titles. You'd get key title wins, of course, but there would also be big matches as well. That would be especially good for the Tag Title disc, to show how really important those belts once were. The IC belt one would be good too, showing how well it elevated so many stars. The best bit of each set would be the same thing that made the WWE Title set stand out: a full timeline of champions, complete with footage of everytitle change. These would be the perfect companions to that earlier set and a great overview of how championship matches have shifted over the years.


The Ultimate Ric Flair Anthology vol 2: The first set, from 2003, is still one of the best DVDs ever. But there are plenty of great matches with Flair that deserve to be remembered so a follow-up is more than needed. It would follow the same format as the first, where each match is prefaced by a history lesson on how Flair was at this point in his career and extras on the build-up and aftermath of each match. Anything with Flair is golden but collecting some of his best stuff makes it even more amazing.

Needed Matches:
Beating Vader for the WCW title, Starrcade ‘93
Against Ricky Steamboat, Spring Stampede ‘94
His "retirement" match against Hogan, Halloween Havoc ‘94
Against Undertaker, Wrestlemania 18
Winning the IC title from Carlito, Unforgiven 2005.

Extras: As noted, each would have promos, angles that build up the match, videos and more.


Those are my own picks…let's move on to what readers had to suggest. First up is Jimmy K, who's got a detailed set in mind:

Great column and good stuff. A DVD I'd love to see is one on Scott Hall. Seeing as how he's signed a Legends deal and WWE owns practically all of his work, it would easily work. Toss in that Hall is great on the mic and his troubled past ala Jake "The Snake", Eddie and Pillman... the documentary portion alone would be a license to print money.

Matches/Moments to include...
Breaking into the business in Florida and feuding with Dusty Rhodes... teaming with Dan Spivey in the NWA as "American Starship"
Early AWA Stuff
"Big" Scott Hall and Curt Hennig winning the Tag Titles off "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal.
Hall's fallout from the AWA
His original WCW run as The Diamond Studd and the familiar story of how WCW failed to see any potential.

Razor Ramon... with the classic vignettes, back story and possibly even current superstars doing their Razor impersonations.
Rumble '93... Bret Hart defeating Razor Ramon to retain the title.
The Razor/1-2-3 Kid feud with The Kid's surprise win and how Razor gained respect for The Kid and turned face.
Summerslam '93... Razor defeats "Million Dollar Man"
Raw '93 Razor defeats Rick Martel to win the vacant IC title.
Talk of Razor and HBK's feud (with views from both), their ladder matches and the Mania X match shown in its entirety
Summerslam '94... Razor (with Walter Payton) defeats Diesel (with Michaels) to win the IC title
SurSer '94... Team Razor defeats Team Michaels
IYH... Razor defeats 1-2-3 Kid in the "Crybaby" Match
Talk of Razor's personal problems, being suspended for "unprofessional conduct" the MSG House Show and Razor's departure from WWF
Razor shocks the world and shows up on Nitro (with talk of the impact from Razor, Bischoff, Vince, HBK, HHH and assorted others) and the formation of the Outsiders and the nWo with talk of Hall's creative input helping.
Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat
World War III with Hall winning and possibly joking about never getting to wrestle in the actual Royal Rumble.
Hall vs. Goldberg vs. Sid vs. Bret Hart in the four way ladder match for the US title.
Talk of trying to fight his demons, only to get pulled off TV again and subsequently fired. Talk of how he only lasted around 5 years in WWE and WCW.
(easter egg vignette: Hall throws away the TV Championship. "I get no free TV dinners... I didn't get to meet Ted Turner... I meet no TV stars...)
Hall shows up in ECW.
Hall returns to WWE with the nWo.
Hall vs. Austin from 'Mania X-8
Hall vs. Bradshaw from Backlash
And end it with Hall discussing his problems with alcohol and the road.
Toss in some comments from HHH, HBK, Vince, JR, The Hardy Boyz, and maybe Flair and Armando Alejandro Estrada.

I have to admit, I've always had a soft spot for Hall, even before the Razor act began. I agree, this would be a good disc and nice detail on the matches. The question is if WWE is willing to work with Hall and if he'd be in good enough shape to take part in this. We all know of his personal demons but it'd be nice to see him able to show the legacy he left behind as a true star performer.


Jesse Cory Nelson has a couple of nice ones:

One I would love to see? Personally, mine would be The Bobby Heenan Legacy. You could have two discs of the Heenan Stable (best matches/feuds) (get to see some great 80's heels temporarily forgotten), and a third disc of Bobby's promos and/or assorted material (damn, I'd love to see the Heenan/Ken Patera debate on a DVD), which to me rank up there with Roddy Piper's best bits, and sometimes ever surpasses his stuff (you ham and eggers). Even his choice commentary moments... some of the WCW stuff was golden. Damn, the more I draw this proposal up, the more I need to get Vince on the phone!

Two done the RIGHT way (and not how they are now)?

A definitive, all-inclusive DX DVD (light on the "new" DX, please). Chyna, Bad Ass, X-Pac, Road Dog, and Rick Rude... and some of the great promo bits. Also,
another great nostalgia DVD that the WWE could certainly newly produce is Andre the Giant... a 2-disc DVD with complete documentary.

I agree, a Heenan disc would be good. I know he was featured on the ‘80's disc and the Mangers one but with a legacy spanning three major promotions and so many awesome interview and commentary stuff, he would fit in well. He also has a good relationship with WWE now and it'd be great to hear the pre-cancer voice in all its glory once again. A DX DVD seems unlikely given how on the outs with WWE Road Dogg, Gunn, Chyna and Waltman all are. Of course, it would be nice to see them showing up TNA as to how little the VKM really had to do with DX's success. And yeah, a look at Andre would be great as he may not have been a skilled ring technician but he was a major traveling star and that'd be good to highlight to fans who only know him by his later, slower and sadder days.


Robert Garza had a short list:

Here's a few DVD ideas: The Best of IRS, The Ultimate Man Mountain Rock Collection, and The Shockmaster.

I know he meant this as a joke but as I think about it, I wonder if maybe a "Wrestlecrap" type DVD might not be in order. Lately, WWE Magazine has made a regular feature talking about horrible stuff of the past, even talking to Fred Ottoman about the Shockmaster. I can see a "What the Hell Were They Thinking?" type attitude disc might be pretty fun and even sell well. Put all those goofy WCW mini-movies (White Castle of Fear, Beach Blast '93) and you've got a comedy classic.


Robert Garza has an interesting suggestion:

love your list on what DVDs should come out. But the one that caught my eye would be Don Owen's PWN! My dad went through all of his school days with Art Barr as one of his friends. My dad was a HUGE wrestling fan, so of corse I was as well. I started going to the old shows around 83' or so, and I remember the first match I saw was Billy Jack Haynes (I think he may still have been Billy Jack at this time) vs Ric Flair for the NWA World. As you know this match went to a broad way, but I couldn't help but be in awe. I can't remember if the Sheep Hearders were in the area at this time, but I know I have many matches with them. Damn there were awsome! I would love to see a DVD come out that lets others know what great talent we had back then. I would buy it, even thought I think I have EVERY show on tape! And no I'm not blowing smoke up your ass either, I think I have around 400+ tapes sitting right next to me just on PNW!
Art Barr's #1 Fan

While generally awesome, I always felt one oversight on the Eddie Guerrero DVD was pretty much skimming over his partnership with Art Barr where they were the most hated team in Mexico. While that stuff sounds fun, sad fact is Barr died before he could achieve true stardom so a major release DVD isn't in the cards. However, always the chance for a low-key release and hey, good of you to have so much of that promotion in place.


Chris Irvine had a nice expansion on my Sting disc idea along with another one…

I enjoyed your article on 411. But the problem with a Sting DVD is that there's simply so much I'd want on it!
I can think of 30-40 without too much difficulty...

Putting things like his match with Cactus at Beach Blast '92 and the 'unification' with Flair at one of the Clashes in '94 to one side, since they're already on other DVDs...with my own arbitrary star ratings, how's about this for a line-up?

vs. Flair (Clash I) (****)
vs. Great Muta (Great American Bash '89) (***3/4)
vs. Flair (Great American Bash '90) (***1/2)
w/Luger vs. The Steiners (Wrestlewar '91) (*****)
vs. Vader (Great American Bash '92) (****1/4)
vs. Vader (Starrcade '92) (****1/2)
vs. Vader (Superbrawl III) (****1/2)
vs. Vader (Slamboree '94) (****)
vs. Luger vs. Flair (Starrcade '95) (****)
vs. Regal (Great American Bash '96) (****)
vs. Hogan (Starrcade '97) (DUD - but important)
vs. Goldberg (Nitro Sept '98) (***1/2)
vs. DDP (Nitro Apr '99) (****)
vs. Benoit (Nitro Sept '99) (***3/4)
vs. Booker T (Spring Stampede 2000) (***)
vs. Flair (Final Nitro '01) (**1/2, important)


For a much more unlikely one...how about a Lex Luger DVD? He's mainly remembered for his lazy efforts in recent times, and has a terrible rep with many of the WWE employees from the sound of things...combined with the way he pulled a fast one on Vince to get on the first Nitro, I think this has a snowball's chance in hell of happening (and it would probably be like the Ultimate Warrior's DVD). But if it did...

vs. Flair (Great American Bash '88)
vs. Flair (Starrcade '88)
vs. Flair (Wild Thing '90)
w/Sting vs. The Steiners (Wrestlewar '91)
vs. Sting (Superbrawl II)
vs. Yokozuna (Summerslam '93)
vs. Hogan (Nitro Aug '97)

Good picks for Sting. Like I said in my Four Horsemen column, Luger gets knocked around a lot but if you watch his stuff from '87 to '92, before his motorcycle accident, he wasn't that bad. He had potential but was simply rushed too fast by promoters taking advantage of his physique and didn't want to waste time with him learning the ropes. I told Chris that and he sent this back…

I wonder sometimes about how things might've been if Flair had dropped the title to him in '88.

I know Flair was set on handing it over to Sting, but he was still a little way off the title scene even despite the Clash I performance while Luger was just awesomely over. The guy had some nuclear heat for a good couple of years, which helped make the matches against Flair so good because the crowd was just desperate for him to win.

I don't doubt Luger was no technical marvel, but the guy was so over I couldn't see the harm in a 6 month or so run with the belt...he still would've had Flair to deal with (no Black Scorpion stupidly in wait for Luger) so they would've still continued to do big business. I can't see the harm in that while they were willing to do stuff like give the belt to Ronnie Garvin for a while. Luger could've been the NWA Hogan for a while at least.

Some might feel Chris has a point here. I mean, Hogan wasn't exactly known for his technical skills but was hugely over so why couldn't they give the shot to Luger? The key thing is that Flair simply didn't think Luger was ready for the big spot and the fans were just hot because he was challenging Flair and once he had the belt, they'd cool to him. He might have a point seeing how bad Luger's run as champ in '91 was. But maybe Luger as champ for a little while might have done better business for a bit to help out Crockett. One can only wonder and a DVD could have a nice analysis of all that. The key problem is that Vince still hasn't forgiven Lex for the whole "showing up on the first Nitro 24 hours after wrestling for WWF" thing and some might not be happy working with him due to his involvement in Miss Elizabeth's death, tarnishing a lot of his legacy.


TBBucs97 had an idea for an update of a past disc:

It's been a while since WWE has come out with a "Before They Were WWE Superstars" DVD. I would include Mr. Kennedy, Mickie James, CM Punk and Bobby Lashley among others. I would enjoy hearing Lashley's stories about growing up in the military.
Extras could be WWE debuts and CM Punk talking about being in John Cena's entrance at WrestleMania 22.

A nice idea there. I liked that previous disc and it'd be good for them to highlight the childhood of other workers who may not warrant a DVD of their own.


SSGT, USAF, Marcus McCray had a short idea:

Just one question, how can you forget Shawn Michaels. WWE did that crappy from the vault that only had like 8 matches. I think its time he gets a real DVD.

Actually, I've always thought that "From the Vault" was great thanks to the extras they would put in (promos, video setups for each match, even the Rockers breakup). But, yeah, an updated and expanded version could be called for now given how Shawn has made such an incredible comeback the last few years. Throw in his matches with Angle (Wrestlemania 21, Backlash '05 and the Iron Man Match from Homecoming) and against Cena at Mania 22 among others is good but also expand the early days like the Rockers in the AWA and his IC title runs. And isn't it about time someone actually put the entire Survivor Series 1997 match on DVD rather than just those last few minutes?


Dusty has a few nice ideas:

I really enjoyed your column today and thought that the picks you made were excellent but here's a few that I thought of.

Rick Rude: Simply Ravishing

Highlighting his fueds in WWE with The Ultimate Warrior, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper and his role in the Heenan Family. Then in WCW his fueds with Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair and his role as the leader of the Dangerous Alliance

Big Van Vader: It's Vader Time

Highlight his dominace in Japan and his battles with Sting, Cactus Jack, Ron Simmons, The British Bulldog and Hulk Hogan in WCW and then about his great start in WWF facing Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker and then highlight how he was misused by Vince and co.

and then a couple of tag teams I thought of were

The Stenier Bros. and The British Bulldogs

I'll leave it to you to come up with matches and things if you think either of these are good enough. Anyway keep up the good work

Rude I had mentioned in my "'80's vol 2" idea but I agree, he was one of the best heels ever and it'd be nice to see his stuff from World Class to WWF to WCW, where he'd hold multiple titles and have wild feuds, all with that great arrogant womanizer attitude. You'd also have the darker stuff of his steroid and drug abuse that led to problems and fights backstage and ultimately contributed to his premature death.
Vader would also be good as he was one of the better "big men" of wrestling, a major heel star who got over huge with the fans and led to his long reigns as WCW champion. It'd be nice to hear from Vader today and how he feels about Hogan popping right back up from his powerbomb in 1995, which pretty much sent his whole career into a tailspin. Yeah his WWF tenure was rough (that whole arrested in Kuwait thing) but Vader could have gone even further had Hogan not no-sold like that and it'd be nice for his earlier power to be shown.
Steiners and Bulldogs I had mentioned in my Tag Team disc but be good to see more of them as well.


JS Bragg had a couple of nice ideas:

Black Hart, King of Harts, the Biggest Hart: The Legacy of Owen Hart I am sure there would be PLENTY of matches to put there.
Curt Hennig is also needed. The Perfect DVD set.

An Owen disc might be nice, particularly if it focuses more on his early stuff in Stampede rather than his actual death. There is a problem as I understand a lot of footage is owned by his widow and naturally, she's not exactly content to have anything to do with Vince again. Henning would also be good for a two-disc set, highlighting him from AWA to WWF and WCW, showcasing his awesome skills and heel stuff along with the personal problems that led to his own early death.


Jamey Patten had a few tag team ideas…

Great article but I think you forgot to Mention Edge and Christian for your Tag Team DVD. if you are going to add Team 3D and Matt and Jeff then you cant leave off E&C. Their Promos were excellent along with great wrestling skills. Maybe Take off the Dudleys and the Hardy and have a dvd devoted to
jsut those 3 teams. Maybe add the New Age Outlaws and a team like public Enemy...Their wrestling wasn't the best but both teams were entertaining as
hell if you just take Public Enemys ECW stint.

As I mentioned, I think a DVD on Edge alone would be good. Outlaws are unlikely given their stuff in TNA while it might be nice to highlight how big Public Enemy were in the early going of ECW even if they couldn't make it work outside that promotion.


TJ Pridonoff has a few cool ideas:

like the idea of a Steamboat DVD, but you gotta have Steamboat/Youngblood vs the Briscoes from the first Starrcade, one (or more) of the Steamboat vs Flair matches from 1994, simply cause they havent been released yet and they are good, the one from WCW Saturday Night (rematch from Spring Stampede draw) was the best of the 3 from that year, even though Flair won. Also there was a great match from WCW Saturday Night in 94 with Steamboat teaming with Sting against Ric Flair and Steve Austin. Also steamboat vs Luger from GAB89.

I like some of the your other lists--specifically a tag team, but I'd prefer if they just stuck to "Greatest Tag Teams of the 80s"

Also one that you didn't list, I'd love a Steiner Brothers DVD myself, they were arguably *THE* tag team in the first half of the 90s...before Scotty turned to the 'roids and bleached his hair.

Also the DVD I'd probably like to see most is a "Greatest (play by play) Broadcasters of Wrestling" with short bio segments on the classic guys, namely NWA's Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle, AWA's Rod Trongard, WWF's Gorilla Monsoon and Vince McMahon (no Sean Mooney!), WCW's Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. I guess you could throw in color guys too (such as Jesse Ventura), but it might get too big. Then for extras you could have for example JR pick some of his favorite matches that he called, same with Vince (he has nearly 30 years of footage to choose from!), and JR could pick his favorite Solie match since he was practically his idol etc etc.

I'm ashamed I didn't think of the announcers one myself. Yeah, it would be a good highlight for all the greats, especially Solie who gets overlooked even though he was arguably the best announcer ever. Also, it'd be fun to show how before 1985, Vince wasn't that bad on the mic himself. I would also add World Class' Bill Mercer and of course Joey Styles, also excellent guys who managed to call the action by themselves. I'd say a Steiners DVD would be good to show how awesome an athlete Scott was before he became a roided freak but due to his being in TNA, they might have to settle for a tag team compilation.


Borikwa had a short comment:

Wish I hadn't read you column., Don't get me wrong, it was terrific. So much so that I wish I could go out and buy all of those "Dream" DVD's tomorrow. It sucks to realize some of those may never get made.
You especially hit the nail on the head when it came to describing what matches and content should be on each DVD. Hopefully at least some of these will come to fruition within the next few years.

Yeah they would be great and one can hope WWE goes through with them. Like it or not, Vince is the caretaker of the vast majority of wrestling history and seems to be understanding that more and more so one can hope a lot of these come true. The fact that he sees the money to be made in it all should help.

Kevin Ramsey has an interesting list:


i believe the following would be great dvd's.ted dibiase,curt hinnig,STAN HANSEN,owen hart,edge,curt angle,vader,randy orton,midnight express,rock n roll express,gimmics dvd including gangrel,goldust,doink,boogeyman,undertaker,papa shongo,blue blazer,hurricane,missing link,kevin sullivan,kevin thorn/mordecai,ariel you get the picture.also good dvd's would be christian,goldust/dutsin rhodes,fallen wrestlers that have past away,mr. wrestling 2,jesse ventura,ddp,honkey tonk man and the list could go on forever.

out of the above list i believe the hansen,owen,hennig,goldust and mr. wrestling 2 would make the most profit.

im a huge gangrel fan and i made my own personal "greatest matches" video on him.lets face it,we will NEVER see one on him.i loved owen and hennig WAY before they died.hansen was my childhood favorite.goldust was sick when he first arrived but i liked him..i loved his second run with the company.he was funny and not so much perverted.i loved rick martel and would love to own his awa stuff.i loved his "model" gimmic.i would love to see him win the awa world title and world title lose to hansen.well thats my picks.what do you think.

ps-just a side note.wwe should've kept gangrel to start a "new brood" in ecw.when they felt it was time to release gangrel they should've had gangrel and thorn fued with kevin thorn the winner.it would've been nice to see a new brood vs new breed vs originals before the brood split though.

Gangrel wasn't too bad but as I recall, he suffered a severe leg injury during a TV match that had him retiring not long afterward. I like some of the lesser guys on the list but most of them are too little known to really warrant DVD treatment. But if a Florida DVD is made, Sullivan would be a big part and Missing Link and the Von Erichs are going to be shown on the World Class disc. Hansen's unsure due to his unstable attitude although his Japan stuff would make it awesome. Martel I had listed on my "'80's vol 2" DVD and I agree, it'd be a good highlight of a nice technician.


Johnny Kinard had a couple I'm surprised I hadn't thought of…

Love your ideas for DVDs. Everyone that you've mentioned (especially Booker) deserves their own DVDs to be able to tell their own stories. I can think of couple of guys whom deserve their own set.

Lionheart: The Chris Jericho Story. Jericho has a WWE-produced DVD but that was when the "E" was still an "F". Jericho did so much since that release, not the least is becoming the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion and set a record for the most Intercontinental Title reigns. The DVD could showcase his early career in ECW and WCW, his feeling on how things were during the height of the nWo, and how things were different once he got to the WWE. The DVD could also show some of his outside projects like his ban and TV appearances.

Shooter: the Dean Malenko Story. While never the most popular guy on any given roster, Dean Malenko was widely respected as a wrestler's wrestler. Similar to his dear friend Chris Benoit, Dean lived wrestling. His DVD should talk about growing up as a second-generation wrestling under his father Boris. From there, the DVD should look at his time in Japan and Mexico, and then talk about when he hit the States with tours in ECW and WCW. As for extras, the DVD should show how he invented moves such as the Jackhammer, the 3D and the Crippler Crossface.

Kurt Angle: Wrestling Machine See Jericho, Chris. Kurt did so much since 2000, that it could be a column in itself. Basically, the DVD can cover his spinal surgery in 2003, how he started using the Ankle Lock submission hold, and his family.

The Big Show True, the man at times was lazy and uninspired, but as a legit giant in the business, I'm shocked that Vince hasn't made a DVD for Show yet. Anyway, the DVD should cover his time in WCW, how he felt about defeating his idol Hulk Hogan for his first World Title, the move to WWE and the 10 years that he spent there.

Jericho I should have thought of myself. He is a great talent and awesome on the mic and he still maintains a good relationship with WWE. I see them waiting more for his inevitable return but a disc loaded with matches and promos is a keeper. Hell, you can do a whole chapter of nothing but Stephanie insults. Malenko is good but may not have the big fanbase and interesting enough background to do a whole DVD on. But maybe a "Best of Light Heavyweights" disc could highlight him. Say, there's an idea…
Big Show disc may make some want to tear out their hair but he is a good guy and has taken part in some huge moments in wrestling so that might deserve recognition. It'd be good to show how he had to put up with some truly stupid stuff in WCW (being "Andre's son" and the Monster Truck match with Hogan) before getting his due in WWF. I'd love to see a chapter highlighting that nice gimmick he had in 2000 impersonating other wrestlers (Like Backlash 2000 where he was the Showster, an act that had the entire arena in tears).
A year ago, I'd have said an Angle disc was inevitable. But Angle's bolting from WWE to TNA puts that in doubt. I still have less respect for him following that and we all know Vince doesn't like being shown up in such a fashion so if it does happen, expect some guys to bury Angle for his disgraceful exit. Which is too bad because the man had some classic bouts that deserved to be remembered along with awesome promo work. Then again, if his TNA run ends soon (and considering how badly they've dropped the ball with him, that might be sooner than expected), maybe Kurt and Vince can mend fences enough to leave a proper legacy.


A nice long listing comes from Scott Szymendera:

Hey, great subject and i could give a whole slew ive been thinking, these are the only 2 i did a little more research on:

Greatest WWE Matches Youv'e never seen.

Basically great, infamous matches that aren't on the ppvs and some not seen by many. Few have seen little coliseum releases and i thought only wwe cause i really couldn't think of much as far as wcw & ecw did. I stayed away from matches that would end up on other bio dvds aswell. I hate when the double up on matches in their releases.

Note: i couldn't find many dates or event names, but some of these have been on coliseum releases that are hard to find

Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana (Cage Match, from Grudge Matches tape)
The Rockers vs. Hart Foundation (Wrestlefest 90, not the phantom title switch, and not the one on the Bret DVD, this one is by far the best,)
The Hart Brothers vs. Steiner Brothers (Wrestlefest 94)
Shawn Micheals/Diesal vs. Razor Ramone/123 Kid (Slamfest 95)
Shawn Micheals/Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart/Randy Savage
Shawn Micheals vs. Ric Flair (Invasion 92, Heel vs Heel)
Bret hart/British Bulldog vs. Owen hart/Jim Neihdhart (Slamfest 95)
Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair (Bret's first title win, why wasn't this on the bret dvd anyway)
Chris Benoit vs. Steve Austin (Smackdown 2001, 10 german Suplexes)

Alittle too Hart/Micheals heavy and a big gap between 95 and 01..its a work in progress.

The Steiner Brothers: Steiener Line

This probably won't be even mention unless scott returns, and that'd be good to get the commentary, but they certainly deserve a dvd. A documentary with the following matches:

Rick Steiner vs. Mike Rotundo, NWA TV Title, Starrcade 88 (steiners first formation)
Scott Steiner vs. Ric Flair, WCW World Title, Clash of the Champions XIV
Steiners vs. Sting/Lex Luger, WCW Superbrawl I
Steiners vs. Doom, WCW Clash of the Champions, Titles vs. Masks, 2/6/90
Steiners vs. Tatsumi Fujinami/Takayuki Iizuka, WCW Tag-Titles, Wrestlewar '92 5/17/92
Steiners vs. Bam Bam Bigalow/Vader, IWPG Tag Titles, 6/26/92
Steiners vs. Chris Benoit/Jushin Liger, 92-93, (its out there on good quality footage, but its hard to find now, AWSOME match)
Steiners vs. Money Inc., RAW 6/19/93, Cage Match (Steiners 1st wwe title win, 2nd win wasn't televised)
Steiners vs. Heavenly Bodies, Summerslam 93

Work in progress, but you try finding something after 93 that would be just as good as whats on the rest of it

That "forgotten match" thing isn't too bad an idea, a good listing of bouts there. I mentioned the problems of a Steiner disc above but again, a focus on how great they once were would show you how tag team wrestling once was and maybe could be again. BTW, a big one you left off on that Steiner disc was the wild brawl with the Nasty Boys at Halloween Havoc '90, a true classic tag match.


Finally, a short but sweet idea from Mike Sexton:

80's Superstars 2............Muraco 2 time IC champ and helped elavate IC title for Tito, Hammer and Savage! .......Hansen and Brody also!

Tag Teams Hennig and Scott Hall AWA & Hansen and Brody

Bruiser Brody is a guy who deserves a highlight, maybe on the upcoming World Class disc or a "Best of the Big Men" DVD (hmmm….). Muraco would be a good choice even though he's been pretty quiet the last several years so might have to settle for a "best of the ‘80's" disc.


So thanks to all for all those great ideas! As I mentioned above, Vince and WWE now have the responsibility of presenting wrestling history to the modern-day audience and given how even-handed some recent DVD releases have been, one can hope some of these come true.


Also on 411mania:

That was Then looks at Curt Henning

Julian counts down the Top 10 Smackdown matches.

Can They Be Champ? imagines Khali in the title scene.

The Ripple Effect looks at Vince's desire to keep himself in the spotlight.

Quick Talkdown examines shuffles in the World title picture

Evolution Schemathic does a great history of Tully Blanchard.

Don't forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 3 R's, Hidden Highlights, High Road/Low Road and the rest.


That's all for this week. For now, the spotlight is off.