Customer Reviews

Heroes of World Class Wrestling (Director's Cut)

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3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had only previously heard about World Class Championship Wrestling through reading about it on internet websites. One of the things that always struck me what what happened to the Von Erich (a.k.a. Adkisson) family and the tragedy that befell them during the years when WCCW was going through its downward spiral. What director Brian Harrison has done is nothing less than a triumph.

The movie takes a look at World Class' humble beginnings as a territory for the National Wrestling Alliance called Southwest Sports. It then advances to its heyday in the early 80s, when it got so enormously popular that it even started to outdraw Saturday Night Live in Dallas. It also became very popular in Israel, where the Von Erichs and announcer Bill Mercer were the four most popular entertainment personalities in the country (although in the movie, Mercer admits sarcastically that he didn't like being number four). According to the Wrestling Observer newsletter, their ratings were so good, they even outdrew the WWF (now WWE) in Boston (which is traditionally a WWF stronghold).

Many personalities were interviewed in the movie. From manager/booker "Playboy" Gary Hart, to the wrestlers who were a part of the promotion, like Chris Adams and Skandor Akbar. Highlights including the famous Von Erichs - Freebirds feud that lit the Dallas territory on fire during 1982 to 1984. Included in the footage of the famous moment where Terry Gordy slammed the cage door in the face of Kerry Von Erich on Christmas day 1982, which practically started the feud. Also interesting is ther perspective of Mickey Grant, the producer of the WCCW TV show, in that he came up with many revolutionary ways (at the time) to film the action for television.

Of course, this story takes the sad turn. Many of the deaths from World Class, including those of the Von Erichs are highlighted. This leads to the belief that there might be a "curse" over the workers of the promotion.

What really makes this DVD great is Kevin Adkisson (Kevin Von Erich). The movie really is worth buying to see what Kevin's persepctive was when he was seeing his brothers and his father die. Kevin doesn't pull any punches and it is worth the price to see the footage where he goes back to the Dallas Sportatorium before it was torn down.

Now the WWE is going to have their own documentary on the promotion now that the tape library of WCCW has been sold to them. So their documentary will have the political spin. Apparently, the documentary that the WWE will produce will make the Freebirds responsible for the great run in the early 80s when it was more than that. So the reason that people should get this video is that they should a more balanced view of what made this promotion so great, only to have it go down in a blaze of glory.

The only gripe I have about the set is that it doesn't have any matches. It shouldn't deter anyone from buying a great movie about a great wrestling promotion.

I just watched this last night. The main documentary is about 2 1/2 hours long but worth every minute to watch! It really explores the glory and downfall of WCCW without all the political influence of the WWE release (which was good despite that). While the production values are low budget and the tone of the video is darker than the WWE version, it still comes off quite well in telling the story of WCCW.

Who I was most impressed with was Kevin Von Erich himself. This man has had the proverbial "scars of time" roasted onto him yet he manages to see the positive in nearly everything. Through all that tragedy and the loss of his brothers and father, he manages to stay sane! I found him to be a very inspirational man. Definitely pay close attention to how he deals with all of what he's been through because if he can go through that and still stay strong, none of us have any excuse since most of us have never had to deal with that kind of tragedy.

I also liked the interviews with former ring announcer Mark Lawrence, III (who is now a minister), Gary Hart, ring commentator Bill Mercer and others that I remember from that era but can't think of their names at the moment. They provided great insight into the rise and fall of World Class as well as their views on the Von Erich family.

My disc came with two DVD's. On Disc 1, it has the main documentary plus nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes from the film. One of the "deleted scenes" was a match between the late David Von Erich and the late "Freebird" Terry Gordy! The match was only about 2 minutes but it was wild and it does give you a glimpse into the talent of David and why he was being touted as the next NWA World Champion before his untimely death in 1984. Counting this added footage, there is really about 3 hours of footage on Disc 1 alone!

Disc 2 is interviews with various people about World Class Championship Wrestling. The main ones of interest are Jim Cornette and Bill Mercer but all the interviews total up 4 hours so you are really getting about 7 hours of footage with this set!

There are some things that are done better on this one than on WWE's "Triumph And Tragedy Of World Class Championship Wrestling." The deaths of Bruiser Brody, Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams are covered better here than they were on the WWE release (in fact, neither Brody's nor Adams' deaths are even brought up on their documentary). The Fabulous Freebirds, while given due credit for their part in WCCW's success, aren't as praised on here as in the WWE release (though they certainly weren't slammed in any case). Plus, the death of Fritz Von Erich is discussed in detail here too.

To give credit where its due, the WWE's version discusses the end of World Class in more detail than this release does (though "Heroes" does mention it as well as their union with the AWA).

Overall, I can't say enough good things about this documentary. My personal recommendation is to get both "Heroes Of World Class" & WWE's "The Triumph And Tragedy Of World Class Championship Wrestling" because what one of them lacks, the other fills the gaps. My fancy way of saying that between the two videos, you will have a near complete look at one of the best NWA territories and organizations ever in the 1980's! See it!

As a fan of 1980's wrestling this DVD provides an entertaining and remarkable look at World Class Championship Wrestling. I remember WCCW only from watching it on ESPN and reading about it Pro Wrestling Illustrated, but to see the innovations that this territory brought to the wrestling landscape are incredible to say the least. Like most wrestling documentaries tragedy seems to overshadow the good feelings you get from the dvd. The whole Von Erich story is incredible to see an entire family to end in tragedy except for one surving member. The second dvd in the set is great for the audio from wrestling experts and hearing stars such as Jim Cornette describe their time in World Class Championship Wrestling.

Growing up as Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. were battling the Four Horseman in the NWA, I had barely even heard of the WCCW and only read of the Von Erich family, usually in regard to the Von Erich curse. After veiwing the trailer for this DVD, I had to check it out. This is extremely well done and ranks right up there with the best wrestling documentaries that I have ever seen(in no order; Beyond the mat, Forever Hardcore, Rise and Fall of ECW, Ric Flair and the Four Horseman). It could be the best. I watched the 2 1/2 hour documentary, then I watched it again. Non wrestling fans actually sat through it and enjoyed it. The story is just so compelling and tragic.

The filmmakers have done a great job in gaining access to the WCCW video library before WWE snatched it for their own use. Being able to get some good information from Kevin made all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, in exchange for that access, you could tell that the director chose to lay off the criticism of the Von Erich family. I have heard they were all on drugs constantly and often missed matches or showed up drunk. No mention of that at all. I think Ricky Morton (Rock n Roll express) mentioned he once had to go and bust out a truck window to get Kerry out of the truck where he was passed out so they could have their match. This documentary doesn't really dwell on the drug abuse much expect to justify some of the suicides.

Overall, the documentary gets up close to the people who lived it and created it and they seemed genuine in their responses to relive the past for us for a couple of hours. The documentary does a good job of taking us chronologically through the years until the organization crumbles and way too many great wrestlers pass away. I would say this one is a MUST SEE dvd for any wrestling fan.

Before I get started, just let me point out for the record that I saw WWE's documentry on World Class first so eventhough this one came out before WWE did their version, just keep in mind that I saw this version after that one. Now just like I stated in my review for the WWE version of his documentry, I'll be honest in that I didn't have the chance to see World Class until I got WWE 24/7 a year ago as it wasn't available to me growing up but after seeing the wonderful WWE documentry & founding a new respect for what I saw there & on the 24/7 channel, I decided to give this video a try. The format of this DVD was different than the usual ones I see (like WWE and others like Forever Hardcore & History Of TNA) in that this came off more as a mix of a documentry movie (like Beyond The Mat). You'll see & hear from various familar faces like Kevin Von Erich, Skandar Akbar, Gary Hart, Bill Mercer along with comments from Chris Adams via an old RF Video shoot interview he did before he died.

The documentry begins talking about the orgins of Fritz Von Erich & World Class Championship Wrestling with the advanced camera & audio production along with bringing in Bill Mercer. The idea of doing something different as far as brining in new young talent such of the Von Erich boys, Chris Adams, Great Kabuki, and the Freebirds is discussed next. The high number of syndication markets the show got is talked about next with very interesting details of how they kept getting new syndication every week along with even getting bigger ratings than the popular Saturday Night Live & even got high ratings than the local territories did in their own markets...including the WWE. Scandar Akbar's devistating stable of Kamala, Missing Link, and the Super Destroyers called Devistation Inc. is profiled next along with their feud with the Von Erich's. How the NWA Champions toured the territory, Brusier Brody, and the companies big events called "Star Wars" were talked about next before the thoughts of WCCW alumni regarding Mike Von Erich as a wrestler were discussed next followed by the personality profiles they would do on talent including showing the one with Jimmy Garvin & Sunshine working on the Von Erich's ranch. David Von Erich's death due to stomach problems in Japan is heavily discussed next including the story how thousands showed up to the funeral & burial before moving on to the tribute show & Kerry winning the NWA Championship. Highlights of the Freebirds/Devistation Inc./Von Erich rivarly is shown next before going into Chris Adams turning heel on Kevin & joining up with Gary Hart. Gino Hernandez's run is profiled next showcasing how he lived the high life, his association with Nickla Roberts, forming the dynamic duo with Chris Adams, and the hair feud with the Von Erichs. Highlights of the Midnight Express & Fantastics' feud is shown before heavy discussion regarding the Mike Von Erich shoulder injury that led to his toxic shock syndrome & how he was brought back too soon. The Lance Von Erich incident is briefly mentioned before the heavy drug problems of Gino Hernandez that led to his death is heavily discussed with some people thinking that it was more than just a drug overdose. Brief notes regarding pulling WCCW out of the NWA due to the politics of Jim Crockett along with the ESPN deal were shown before the negative effects of Fritz Von Erich still respecting the old school "territorial code" is talked about. Kerry Von Erich's motorcycle accident, absence for 18 months, and the lifetime effects of that accident were focused on next before the suicide of Mike Von Erich was talked about along with how his memorial show showed how WCCW was on a downward spiral. The downfall of the company in regards Fritz's selling the company, attendance dropping, failed merge with AWA before Jerry Jarrett changing it to USWA is noted over before going into the details of the murder of Brusier Brody in Puerto Rico & how that effected people to the point where a wrestler on this documenty stated that he will never go to Puerto Rico. The suicide deaths of Chris & Kerry Von Erich, Fritz' death due to cancer, and Chris Adams murder close out the documentry before Kevin Von Erich takes one last emotional walk through The Sportatorium before the building is torn down.

DVD extras include an alternative documentry beginning, footage of the Von Erichs & Bill Mercer going on a duck hunt, David Von Erich's last interview & match on the World Class show against Freebird Terry Gordy, Bill Mercer & WCCW Executive Producer Mickey Grant infont of the Sportatorium one last time (the audio is very bad on this one), trailers for the documentry, various audio interviews & segments, and the section of the ROH shoot video with Jim Cornette where he talks about his time in World Class including a funny & gross story regarding Percy "Paul Bearer" Pringle & french fries.

Unfortunally I saw WWE's documentry on World Class before this one so things I would normally point out as a negative in regards to the documentry itself, I can't because whatever was missed or glanced over in WWE's documentry (Devistation Inc., Brusier Brody, Jim Cornette & Midnight Express, Star Wars, Fritz's & Chris Adams deaths) was picked up here & visa versa (Freebirds, AWA merge, seperation from NWA, Lance Von Erich). Very similar to how the "Forever Hardcore" documentry on ECW was to "Rise & Fall Of ECW," both are a perfect alternative to the other. Now outside of the documentry, one big negative I felt was that for a DVD set on a wrestling promotion who actually owned their own footage, there weren't any matches from the feuds they highlighted in the documentry past David's last match. You would think that when you own footage & wrestling matches of popular wrestlers & legends that you would want to put matches on here to attract that non-average viewer/fan of World Class featuring Ric Flair, Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy, Midnight Express, Junkyard Dog, Rick Rude & Percy "Paul Bearer" Pringle. I personally would have enjoyed those more than the bonus audio interviews. In the end, it's the exact same thing I said about the WWE documentry...this isn't just a documenty I just recommend as a wrestling fan who wants to "take a walk down memory lane" in regards to World Class Championship Wrestling but also one I would recommend for parents to show their children as well who are wrestling fans when teaching them the dangers of heavy drug use & the negative effects of suicide.

This is a great documentary and despite it's flaws it's a one of a kind item. It's true that the old footage is grainy and the interview with Kevin Von Erich is of low quality (you can hear the wind coming into the microphone). Otherwise it's a must have for any fan and for anyone wanting to find out more about the golden age of wrestling.

WCCW had a shot at beating Vince Mcmahon. I learned from this (probably the best documentary I have ever scene on Pro Wrestling) DVD that alot of the ideas that WWE uses now were originally from WCCW. I learned that the Von Erichs were the real deal as far as the first American Wrestlers to have been known throughout the world, other than possibly Ric Flair. The interviews are worth the price of the DVD and almost every star from that era is gone (RIP)except Kevin. Who remains a class act to this day.

Timothy Kendrick
author of

PTSD: Pathways Through the Secret Door

I grew up in San Antonio, so watching clips from World Class, wow, they were ahead of the times. It was interesting to learn how they did business back in those days. I've watched this DVD already five times since I've received it. World Class Championship Wrestling made the Freebirds Fabulous, Jimmy Garvin Gorgous, Chris Adams a Gentleman. The feuds with the Von Erichs really put alot of wrestlers on the map and I didn't realize the world wide exposure they had back in the early and mid-eighties. I wish they had talked about some other feuds, Brian Adidas vs. Kevin Von Erich, OMG vs. Kerry Von Erich, and some with Devestation Inc. vs. Iceman King Parsons, but it was a great DVD to purchase.

They do talk about the Von Erich curse in great detail. Again, it was very interesting on how many wrestlers that have passed on so early in their lives, wrestled in World Class. I give it two major thumbs up.

This is a must buy for any World Class Championship Wrestling fan. I never realized how important WCCW was. It's truly a big loss now that it's gone. It's amazing to see what kind of person Kevin Von Erich is. To stay that positive after all he's been through is truly inspirational. The one down side is at times the production value is a little low and people are hard to hear talking. I would still pay top dollar to buy this DVD.

I remember reading thew "Apter" magazines and in the late 70's early '80's
there was the standard Von-Erich article. I first watched WCCW while visting family in Texas. The chill that went down my spine while Championship Wrestling from Florida when the late great Gordon Solie announced the passing of David Von-Erich. About two years earlier David had a successful run as a heel in the territory.

That seemed to be the begining of "The Von-Erich" curse. It seemed that karma caught up with other workers other than the Von-Erichs. However, if there father would have put his foot down and laid the law down to his son's maybe things would have been different. Not to take away from the production and the ahead of its time production and promotion. To see such stars as the Von-Erichs, the Freebirds, Junkyard Dog, and a young Shawn Michaels.

Sadly, as with all of the rest of the promotors of the N.W.A. they were more concerned with their own backyard and the gentleman's agreement "I won't run shows in your territory if you don't run them in mine" and their own postion to fail to see the writing on the wall. Fritz Von-Erich could have beaten Vince McMahon to the punch but couldn't see the forest for the tree. It was good to see some of the old matches but sadly because
of his refusal to face reality he coudln't save his sons.

This was a very good documentary.