Customer Reviews

Wrestling Gold Special Edition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wrestling Gold Collection contains 5 volumes collecting vintage wrestling matches from the 1970s and 1980s. Overall, there are 62 matches and about 11 hours of wrestling action.

In addition, volumes I and II feature two biographies each. Volume I features biographies for Shawn Michaels (a contemporary star) and Dave Meltzer, the noted wrestling journalist who co-hosts this series. Volume II features biographies for Bruiser Brody, the late wrestling legend and Jim Cornette, the noted wrestling manager/promoter who also co-hosts this series.

The biggest sell of this DVD series (which distinguishes it from the VHS version) is the optional "Insider Commentary" from series hosts Cornette and Meltzer which can be turned on in lieu of the original match audio. The insider commentary offers great insights into wrestling history, the superstars that made the sport and the world of wrestling in general.

Though called "Wrestling Gold" perhaps a better name for this series may have been "The Best of Memphis and San Antonio Wrestling" which is where most of the matches on these volumes were pulled from. Here's a rundown of each volume:

Volume I - Busted Open: Eleven matches.

Highlights: a "semi-historic" bout between Adrian Adonis and Bob Orton Jr. for the Heavyweight Title with Lou Thesz as a guest announcer, Shawn Michaels as a rookie, several matches with Gino Hernandez and Tully Blanchard, Terry Funk, and one of Bruiser Brody and Abdullah the Butcher's legendary encounters.

Volume II - The Maim Event: Twelve matches.

Highlights: Several matches with Jerry "The King" Lawler, a few matches with Randy Savage, a rookie Rick Rude, The Von Erichs, the Road Warriors, the Rock N' Roll Express, Bruno Sammartino, The Sheik, Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher. Plus, an AWESOME match with Nick Bockwinkel and Manny Fernandez.

Volume III - We Like To Hurt People: Fifteen matches.

Highlights: The historic NWA title match between Terry Funk and Harley Race, a few Jerry Lawler matches, Dory Funk Jr., The Sheik in a Cage match, Randy Savage, the R N' R Express, Ray Stevens and a Tennessee Street Fight.

Volume IV - No More Mr. Nice Guy: Twelve matches.

Highlights: The Wrestling Bear vs. Gene DuBois, The Shark Cage Match, Andre the Giant, 4 matches with Randy Savage, a few Lawler matches, 3 Rick Rude matches, a GREAT Nick Bockwinkel vs. Lawler match.

Volume V - Beat Me If You Can: Twelve matches.

Highlights: A Mud Match between The Sheik and Tiger Jeet Singh, Bobo Brazil, Magnum TA and some great tag action.

Simply put, this DVD series is AWESOME and a must have for ANY wrestling fan. Here's my rundown:

Price of Admission: Seeing some of the legends of the ring (like Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Dick the Bruiser, the Crusher, The Sheik, Nick Bockwinkel, the wrestling bear) and many of the contemporary older favorites ("Macho M an" Randy Savage, Tully Blanchard, Tommy Rich, the Rock N' Roll Express, Manny Fernandez, Magnum TA, etc) in their primes and many of our departed stars like Rick Rude, Bruiser Brody, Eddie Gilbert, Gino Hernandez, etc

Pure Gold: The "Insider Match Commentary." It's a fascinating insight into the stars and the business. You'll learn a GREAT deal about the history of the business and the stars that made it. Also, Cornette's anecdotes are PRICELESS.

Could Improve: The match intros. Cornette and Meltzer do a good job introducing the matches and placing them in context of the feuds and time, BUT they neglect to mention important details like the DATES of these contests. It's something they should mention AND put on the box. You'll have to listen with "Insider Commentary" to get this basic info, and even THEN may not get it!!!

Give Me More!!!: Only four biographies??? If they really wanted to immortalize the older legends of the sport it should have been all of THEIR biographies on the DVDs as opposed to a contemporary star like Shawn Michaels or Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette (the two guys who promotes this DVD series), who come off as simply "patting themselves on the back."

Overall, this series is a MUST HAVE if you are into old-school wrestling or just wrestling. Several of the matches in this volume are great (Taylor/Sabu, the tag and six-man tag matches)!!! You'll see many of the older stars back in their prime or as rookies and some of the legends that older fans always reminisce about. If you are a wrestling nostalgist THIS IS FOR YOU. Plus, you'll learn a great deal about wrestling history through the "Insider Commentary." It's a fascinating listen.

All I got to say is, I hope there's another one coming out down the line!!!

Highest Recommendation Possible

I had purchased this collection on VHS back in the early 90's and found it very good then. Getting to see some of todays stars/legends wrestle when they were alot younger (and greener, in some cases) was great, and also seeing action from the territories, which there are virtually none of these days.

But w/ this collection on DVD, just the quality alone makes it worth watching, but for me, the greatest part is the additional commentary from Wrestling Observer frontman Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette. If you are a wrestling insider "junkie" as I am, and love to learn about the history of the SPORT of pro wrestling, the commentary from these 2 will certainly give you your fix. The biographies I could have done without, but the whole set is great. A completely different world from today's "sports entertainment" wrestling. I hope they are planning a 2nd edition.

For someone like me, who became a wrestling fan just before the big wrestling boom of 1984, a collection like this is priceless...It’s funny, I’m sure those people who have become fans within the past few years, who are used to the glitz and glamour and pizzazz of the current wrestling scene, would find this collection a complete bore. To those who miss the old days of wrestling when having a great body wasn’t the only prerequisite to stardom, when you didn’t have to do a quadruple flip off the top of a cage for a move to seem effective, and when title belts actually seemed important and prestigious, this is great nostalgia. This collection brings back so many great memories in the same way watching an old sitcom or listening to a song that was popular when you were a kid does.

The collection is fun on many levels. It works almost as a “Before They Were Stars”, as many future superstars like Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Bobby Heenan, Tully Blanchard, and others can be seen in their formative years, before they achieved stardom in major promotions like the WWF or WCW. You also get to see many classic pre-1985 matches, such as Rock `n’ Roll Express vs. Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage, Harley Race vs. Terry Funk for the NWA World Title, Jerry Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkle for the AWA World title, and others. I personally enjoyed the chance to see many legendary wrestlers that I’ve heard much about, but never really got much of a chance to see perform, such as Dick the Bruiser, The Sheik, Bobo Brazil, Ray Stevens, and Pepper Gomez (although the matches featuring these performers tend to be at the end of their careers as opposed to in their prime).

The best feature of the collection is the “Insiders Commentary” provided by Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer, and legendary manager/promoter Jim Cornette. This commentary provides expert insight, personal recollections, and historical context to the matches featured in this series. Both Meltzer and Cornette are true wrestling historians. Listening to their insiders commentary is almost like taking a class in the history and evolution of the wrestling business.

Wow, what can I say? Purchased this five dvd set last week and it is definitely worth the price. If you're some johnny come lately fan who doesn't appreciate the history of the sport or the men who broke their backs making it the spectacle it is today, you won't appreciate these dvds. On the other hand, if you enjoy classic stars, classic wrestling, and an absolute history lesson on sports entertainment, this is the set for you. Lots of footage from mid-south (lots of Lawler), Texas, Toronto, Detroit, and Florida. See stars like Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, Sherri Martel, Tito Santana, Jerry Lawler, Terry Funk, King Kong Bundy, Marty Jannetty, Kamala, Rick Rude, Ted DiBiase, and many others very early in their careers. See legends such as The Original Sheik, Abdullah the Butcher, and Bruiser Brody in their brawling primes. Even Bruno Sammartino and Bobo Brazil are here! One very nice feature is that you have the option to flip audio tracks from either the original commentary or new commentary from Jim Cornette and journalist Dave Meltzer. I watched the entire set listening to the latter, and dadgumit, Jim Cornette is a walking wrestling encyclopedia! Well...he screwed up one Ted DiBiase fact, but who's counting? My only real gripe is that one match advertised, Terry Funk vs Harley Race, is not included. Not enough to disappoint, however. Buy these now!

Wrestling classic matches have a tendancy to lose a lot with time as wrestling is a product that change very quickly. The 2000 version of the product is a lot faster that what will you see on raw and ppv. What makes this version a lot of fun are the Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer commentary, on the second track. They make all those classics a blast from the past. You get the behind the scene and the reasons they work a match a certain way. The menu is kind of blend for a DVD and there is no extras or bonuses, except for the second audio track. A must for the real fan and collector. Also a must for the new fan who wants a better hindsight into the sport history.

This is a must have for Texas wrestling fans. According to his website, Kevin Von Erich will be releasing DVDs of World Class Wrestling (in other words, he owns most of the footage). However, there is a Kerry and David Tag match on this collection. There were many matches from my favorite wrestling organization: Southwest Championship Wrestling. This was owned by Tully's father - Joe Blanchard.
For those who think Mick Foley is hardcore, watch Bruiser Brody vs Abdullah the Butcher. You will ask, "Mick who????" Brody, as Jim Cornette says, was known as "Texas' favorite son." Who can forget Bruiser Brody!!!!!
The great Wahoo McDaniel is on this collection, too. Tully Blanchard and Wahoo had a great rivalry on SCW. I must not forget Gino Hernandez. Ivan Putski was a favorite. Al Perez, Manny Fernandez, Eric Embry, Scott Casey, the very young Road Warriors, Tommy Rich - the list goes on.
Listening to the alternate commentary with Cornette and Meltzer (mainly the former), gives one insight as well as laughter. Meltzer reminded me of a simple statement that people hated: "Beat me (us).........if you can." The Grapplers always said this in their interviews. I won't give everything away, but Cornette says (and I do remember this) the USA Network did have a weekly Southwest Championship Wrestling show. Bobby Jaggers (who isn't on this collection) had a rivalry with Scott Casey. During one interview, Casey had a bucket, and I'll leave it there. It was hilarious. Cornette then says that was one of the reasons why Southwest wrestling was kicked off the USA Network.
A negative I found was there were no interviews on this collection from the time. At that time the interviews were even more entertaining than the matches such as the altercation described above. Back then, they actually wrestled. Another negative was/is that either the matches are joined in progress or the men were already in the ring when the footage starts. In other words, the entrances are missing. However, there may not have been music playing while the wrestlers went to the ring at the time. I can't remember. And for those of you like Edge who remember the Road Warriors coming out to "What a rush!!!" this is for you (then again, I'm older than Edge): when I first saw them (way before the 90's), the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom came out to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" which was very fitting.
Another reviewer said there were other wrestling organizations besides Texas' and Memphis. In other words, there is too much Texas and Memphis stuff. I agree. Nonetheless, we must keep in mind 1) who owns the material and 2) the owners may want to come out with their own collections such as St. Louis. Jim Cornette also says wrestling organizations often recorded over old tapes which brings up another negative: some of the video quality and video angles (or the lack of).
One of the few positive opinions I have about the WWE, theirs DVD's are pretty good quality. Then again, video became better in the latter 80's. There are few, if any, cameras at ringside in the Memphis footage. In this collection, there isn't really a clear, view at the wrestlers due to the video. The Southwest Championship Wrestling footage is good because it was taped in a small building (the audience was less than 10 rows), and, therefore, well-lit. Some matches were a little dark ( usually in the larger arenas) because, again, back then, video wasn't great, but also because wrestling did not have the big, bright lights like it does now.
We old wrestling fans (I say that for those who think WWE rules since I'm 35) are grateful McMahon doesn't own any of this stuff. If he did, we'd never see it again. I hate the fact that he owns all of the NWA/WCW of the 80's. Too bad my family didn't even own a VCR until 1988. I do have memorable stuff recorded.
Until I saw the Spoiler and Ox Baker on this collection, I forgot about them and something no one knew until now about me. I was SCARED of them. When I watched Ox Baker on a weekly basis, he used the heart punch. I had to be less than the age of 8 or 9. Around the ages 9-11, I saw the Spoiler on a weekly basis. He put a lot of fear into me that sometimes I slept in the living room or on the floor of my sisters' room so I would not have to sleep alone in my room. Of course back then I really thought wrestling was real.
Oh, yeah......... here's a very young Shawn Micheals, too. Many other wrestlers as well.

This collection is well worth buying. It features many of wrestling's greatest from the 1970's to now. Many of the matches are from the early to mid 1980's from regional promotions, but contain many familar stars, including: Jerry Lawler, Terry Funk, Nick Bockwinkel, The Sheik, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, etc. Print quality is quite good. Some of the matches are not complete, however, so that accounts for my rating. The 2nd commentary by Jim Cornette(former NWA/WCW manager and current promoter of Ohio Valley Wrestling) and Dave Meltzer(of the Wrestling Observer newsletter and talk show) is very informational about the wrestlers and history of the business itself. This commentary alone is well worth the collection's purchase.

For the wrestling fan who grew up watching wrestling throughout the 70's and 80's, this collection will amaze you. You will be able to see all your favorite stars, many of them wrestling in the early parts of their careers. Many of the matches include early appearances from future WWF and WCW superstars. Special introductions by Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer are included before each contest, and a special exclusive to DVD audio track with commentary by Cornette and Meltzer for each match.

I received this DVD set for Christmas. At first I thought it was just a cheaply made wrestling video that plagued the scene a few years ago. Man was I wrong! This set is great. But it might not be for the younger fans. The matches shown on this DVD set consist of a time before Vince McMahon attempted to mix MTV with wrestling. Sure you might not get the explosive entrances of today. You do not get the running of the mouth that is overdone each week on both TNA and WWE. You do not get the high flyers, or the grand oversized cages. So what is there that makes this DVD so great? REAL WRESTLING! We all know that most of wrestling is fake, but there was a time when it did appear to be real. In these matches there is blood, there are smaller cages, and something today's wrestling seems to be missing ---- RULES! Today you hardly see a match on television where some wrestler does not take a chair to someones head, or jump off a ladder, or throw someone through a table. But strangely they never appear to get hurt. This is not the case with these classic matches. If a chair is brought in, someone's head will bleed. If someone is jumped by two or three guys, someone will show up and help you out. And when they had a cage match, the cage did not stand three stories off the ground. They were fighting within a small dog kennel, and really getting hurt inside the cage, rather than spending 30 minutes inside a huge cage before they decide to climb to the top of the cage just to throw someone off of it.

Here is why older wrestling fans will want this set. There are matches that features Dick The Bruiser, Bob Sweetan, Gino Hernandez, Tully Blanchard, Bruiser Brody, and so many more classic stars. Many never released or discussed in any other DVD set.

The only problem I have seen so far with this set is that some matches are joined in progress and some of the editing is done poorly. But considering that when many of these matches were wrestled the only type of VCR on the market was a BETA Max, I am shocked these matches look as good as they do.

You can look at other reviews for exact content and other bonus features related to this DVD set but I just wanted to give my 2 cents worth.

This is just a tremendous, tremendous collection of a bygone era of wrestling where fans reacted as if their favorite wrestler were literally being beaten to death by the "bad guys". This, of course, allowed the wrestlers to employ a certain psychology to play on the fans reaction. On top of the matches, what makes this collection a true gem is the commentary track of Dave Meltzer and Jim Cornette. You get a wealth of knowledge and info about the wrestlers and the wrestling biz back in the old days(and also the year and locality of the match they are commenting on).

Since the commentary was recorded around the year 2000, many of their vantage points will be centered around the "Attitude" era as compared to the 80's and before. One thing that seems to occur often is that when Cornett is in the middle of telling some story, Meltzer will cut him off and talk about something else; this happens during every match. Also, there two biography sections in the first two discs, four total. These run about 2 mins each and include Dave Meltzer, Shawn Michaels, Jim Cornett, and Bruiser Brody.

Busted Open(disc 1):
Sherri Martel vs Juddy Martin
Shawn Michaels vs Ken Johnson
Gino Hernandez & Tully Blanchard vs The Grapplers
Gino Hernandez vs Tully Blanchard
Bob Orton Jr vs Adrian Adonis(Heavyweight title match)
Bruiser Brody vs Abdullah The Butcher
Larry Zbyszko vs Scott Casey
Jerry Lawler vs Bob Sweetan
Terry Funk & Ivan Putski vs Gino Hernandez & Tully Blanchard
Dick Slater vs Mongolian Stomper(cage match)
Bruiser Brody vs Nick Bockwinkle w/Bobby Heenan(ref: Lou Thesz)

The Maim Event(disc 2):
Randy Savage/Lanny Poffo vs The Rock N Roll Express
Nick Bockwinkle vs Manny Fernandez
The Sheik vs Mark Lewin
David/Kerry Von Erich vs Gene Yates/Killer Karl Krupp
The Fabulous Ones vs PYT Express
The Road Warriors vs Austion Idol/Jerry Lawler
Randy Savage vs Jerry Lawler(cage match)
Ted Dibiase/Bob Roop vs The Samoans w/Ernie Ladd
Bruno Sammartino/Dick the Bruiser vs Ernie Ladd/Baron Von Raschke
Tully Blanchard vs Manny Fernandez
Rick Rude vs Jerry Lawler
Crusher/Dick the Bruiser/Little Bruiser vs Black Jack Mulligan/Lanza/Bobby Heenan

We Like to Hurt People(disc 3):
Tommy Rich/Eddie Gilbert vs Phil Hickerson/The Spoiler
Rock & Roll Express vs Randy Savage/Lanny Poffo
Dick Slater vs Dory Funk Jr
The Sheik vs Tiger Jeet Singh
The Fabulous Blondes vs Al Perez/Manny Fernandez
Terry Funk vs Harley Race(NWA Champ)
Pepper Gomez vs The Bounty Hunter
Austin Idol vs Jim Neidhart
JYD vs Butch Reed
Rick Rude/Jim Neidhart vs Ox Baker/Japanese Assasin
King Kong Bundy vs Jerry Lawler
Terry Funk vs Mark Lewin
Tommy Rich vs Massao Ito
Jerry Lawler vs Kamala
Crusher/Dick the Bruiser/Sailor Art Thomas vs Ray Stevens/Blackjack Mulligan/Baron Von Raschke

No More Mr Nice Guy(disc 4):
Randy Savage vs Rick Rude
The Sheik vs Andre the Giant
Pampero Firpo vs Jeff Daney
Bruiser Brody/Scott Casey vs Kelly Kiniski/The Spoiler
King Kong Bundy/Rick Rude vs Jerry Lawler/Randy Savage
Cheif Jay Strongbow vs Bulldog Don Kent(Shark Cage Match)
Randy Savage vs Austin Idol(1)
Terrible Ted The Wrestling Bear vs Gene Dubois
Tommy Rich vs Rick Rude
Jerry Lawler vs Nick Bockwinkle
Randy Savage vs Autin Idol(2)
Bobby Heenan vs Cowboy Bob Ellis

Beat Me If You Can(disc 5):
Nick Bockwinkle vs Terry Allen(Magnum TA)
Ivan Putski vs Eddie Mansfield
Tito Santana vs Kelly Kiniski
The Sheik vs Tom Jones
Bobo Brazil vs Michael Angelo
Chief Wahoo McDaniel vs Tully Blanchard
Eddie Gilbert vs Jerry Lawler
The Sheik vs Tiger Jeet Singh(Mud Match)
Austin Idol vs Massao Ito
Tully Blanchard/Gino Hernandez vs Scott Casey/Terry Allen
Terry Taylor vs Sabu
Chief Wahoo McDaniel/Marty Janetty/Tommy Rogers vs Ted Oates/The Grapplers

The organizations that seem to appear most on this collection are Memphis and Southwest wrestling. Most of the matches are from the early 1980's. Some managers you'll see at ringside include: Jimmy Hart, The Grand Wizard(under different names), Tojo Yamamoto, and Angelo Poffo(the record setter for the most sit-ups). I recommend watching the matches with the original commentating first to get the flavor of the times, then switch over to Cornett/Meltzer to get some inside scoop. 5 DVD's, tons of matches, under fifteen bucks, this is a can't miss for fans of old-school wrestling.