WWE // 2009 // 540 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Franck Tabouring // May 22nd, 2009
Meet wrestling's biggest stars of the '90s.
The '90s marked quite an exciting time for pro wrestling, and I remember spending many hours glued to the television watching all the action and silliness going on inside the ring. The '90s also saw many talented wrestlers acquiring stardom. In WWE: Greatest Stars of the '90s, viewers get the unique chance to relive that era and witness who their favorite wrestlers rose to fame.
The first disc of this three-disc collection features fifteen brief profiles of some of wrestling's biggest and most popular athletes. Each segment runs for less than 10 minutes and includes interviews with the stars and their colleagues, WWE officials and commentators. Star profiles also include an interesting collection of clips showcasing their debut matches, entrances, and gimmicks. Although they're rather short, they do offer fans a concise account of what influence each of these wrestlers had on the entertainment sport, how they got started, and how they evolved throughout the decade.
Superstars featured on Disc One include Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Kevin Nash, Owen Hart, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sting, Razor Ramon, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Yokozuna, and Bret Hart. The collection of profiles also feature brief pieces on Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, and wrestling entertainment's women of the '90s. Additionally, Disc One also boasts a large bonus section filled with special vignettes, backstage interviews, and a few other funny moments from an exciting decade in the history of pro wrestling.
Discs Two and Three include a total of sixteen matches featuring all the stars from the Disc One. Here are a few of my favorites:
* Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair at Madison Square Garden in 1991
Watching
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair compete inside the ring is always enjoyable, but
watching them wrestle each other is even more electrifying. Clocking in at 9
minutes, this battle between two of pro wrestling's greatest stars offers
viewers a fast-paced, entertaining match filled with energy.
* Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart at Survivor Series in 1992
Even though
this title match starts off incredibly slow, it later develops into an intense
PPV fight filled with high-risk maneuvers and well-coordinated wrestling action.
Michaels and Hart waste the first 15 minutes spending too much time on blows,
kicks and submission holds, but once they decide to kick it up a notch and show
what they're really capable of, this 25-minute matchup lights up and delivers
the goods.
* Diesel vs. Razor Ramon at Superstars in 1994
This match for the
Intercontinental title only lasts 8 minutes, but Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Ramon
offer the crowds a thrilling show. Both guys are extremely flexible despite
their size and weight, and they certainly don't shy away from delivering one
powerful move after another. Very entertaining.
* Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a Steel Cage Match at SummerSlam in
1997
While this is certainly not the best cage match between Mankind and
Triple H, it is nonetheless a quite entertaining one. The battle runs for 16
minutes, and Mankind successfully fires up the crowd by delivering a decent dose
of his usual crazy dives and powerful moves.
* Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger in a WCW Championship Match at Nitro in 1997
This 9-minute title matchup is not Hogan's best, but it marked an important
step in Luger's career. Both wrestlers know how to stir controversy inside the
ring, and Hogan's eccentric energy combined with Luger's powerful determination
make for a solid enough battle.
Even though this collection features fewer matches than other recent WWE three-disc releases, WWE: Greatest Stars of the '90s will make a solid addition to your wrestling collection. The star profiles are not as in-depth as in Legends of Wrestling because the list of featured wrestlers on this set is way longer, but they do offer viewers a whole bunch of useful information about the guys they used to -- and maybe still -- follow in the ring every week.
All the content on this three-disc set is presented in a full-frame transfer, and some of the older matches obviously have weaker image quality than the more recent ones. For the most part, though, video and audio quality work just fine.
WWE: Greatest Stars of the '90s is yet another intense WWE DVD collection you shouldn't miss.
Not guilty.
Review content copyright © 2009 Franck Tabouring; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2012 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 88
Perp Profile
Studio: WWE
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 540 Minutes
Release Year: 2009
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Interviews
Accomplices
* WWE.com
http://www.wwe.com