The Evidence
Here's a more detailed look at what to expect in this loaded collection:
• Hulk Hogan vs. "Cowboy" Bob Orton in a WWE
Championship Match in 1985
Hogan's matchup against Orton is just the right
battle to open this collection. Clocking in at 6 minutes, this one's both
vibrant and highly entertaining, with Hulkamania's energy alone injecting the
match with a solid dose of fun. That said, the wrestling action between these
two athletes works just as fine, with Hogan delivering his great signature
moves.
• Uncle Elmer's Wedding in 1985
Those incredibly silly WWE
weddings always turn into a disaster, and Uncle Elmer's ceremony is no
exception. The segment is relatively small, but it's still somewhat fun to
watch.
• "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Mr. Wonderful"
Paul Orndorff in 1985
This one's more of a brawl than a technically
flawless wrestling match, but it's fact-paced and amusing nonetheless. At 4
minutes, it's also a short battle, but Piper and Orndorff manage to keep the
fans cheering. They even take the action backstage for a bit.
• A Trip to the Zoo in 1985
I couldn't help but break out
in laughter during this utterly ridiculous, yet funny episode. Gene Okerlund
drives over to the zoo to find George "The Animal" Steele, and
together they embark on a 2-minute trip exploring the zoo's fascinating animals.
This piece is as silly as it can get, but watching Steele disappear into the
wilderness at the end is just plain hilarious.
• Halloween Contest in 1985
In this short clip, Piper and
Company go totally nuts at a Halloween party. Enough said.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Terry Funk in a WWE Championship Match in
1986
Here's another great match dominated mostly by Hulkamania. That said,
both Hogan and Funk work together pretty well, offering viewers a balanced
combination of submission holds and those powerful signature maneuvers. Clocking
in at a little more than 8 minutes, this title match is yet another entertaining
matchup with a deserved spot on this first disc.
• Mr. T vs. "Cowboy" Bob Orton in a Boxing Match in
1986
Boxing is not a sport I am interested in, which is why I found it
hard to appreciate this match between Mr. T and Orton. Those of you with a
passion for boxing, however, will probably enjoy this 5-minute battle.
• Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. Ricky "The
Dragon" Steamboat in a Snake Pit Match in 1986
Clocking in at 6
minutes, this match between Steamboat and Roberts certainly delivers the goods,
with both athletes offering us a variety of strong moves and a bunch of other
fast-paced maneuvers. These guys know what they're doing, and the result is an
entertaining and technically strong matchup.
• Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. "Macho Man"
Randy Savage in a Intercontinental Championship Match in 1986
Savage's
costume is undoubtedly the best thing about this title battle, but the quality
of the wrestling is not bad either. Going at it for 9 minutes, these guys pull
off an amusing show, delivering mostly punches and strong kicks that have the
audience cheering. The scarcity of impressive high-risk maneuvers is not so much
a problem in this match.
• Hulk Hogan vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff in a
Steel Cage Match in 1987
Get ready for an intense battle in the
threatening steel cage match! Hulkamania and Orndorff fight each other for a
total of 13 minutes, and the match between these two superstars is technically
perfect and just as surprising. Attempts to escape the cage go awry, both
wrestlers deliver some of their favorite moves, and the action inside the ring
remains intriguing until the very end of this battle.
• Battle Royal in 1987
This collection is officially on
fire, and the best way to boost the action and entertainment is to include an
awesome 12-minute battle royal. In this one, all wrestlers start off together
inside the ring, which obviously causes the match to being on a high note. It's
a suspenseful battle with quite a few surprises, and it's darn fun to watch.
• Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls
Match in 1987
The Harts go up against the Bulldogs in this 9-minute tag
team match, and the wrestling action remains pretty spectacular throughout. Even
though we don't get to see as many impressive high-risk maneuvers, not one
minute of this battle is boring. This one is yet another fine addition to an
already strong collection.
• Honky Tonk Man vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a
Intercontinental Championship Match in 1987
Here's another fine match for
fans of either Savage or Honky Tonk Man. Their 11-minute battle is filled with
quick wrestling action, and a nice surprise toward the end wraps this match up
with style.
• Mega Power Formation in 1987
Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage
shake hands and talk trash in this vignette, and it's just plain hilarious.
• "Pile Driver" Music Video from 1987
This is a
3-minute music video honoring the pile driver, a strong maneuver many wrestlers
adopted as one of their signature moves over the years.
• "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Bret "Hit Man"
Hart in 1987
Savage goes head to head with Hart in this intense 11-minute
battle, which marks the end of a fabulous first disc. So far, this has been an
extraordinary set, so let's quickly move on to Disc Two.
• Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a WWE Championship Match in
1988
This title match between Hulkamania and Bundy is not exactly as
fast-paced as the previous battles. Bundy's size and weight obviously make it
harder for Hogan to deliver some of his cool moves, so instead, both athletes
engage in a series of slow submission holds and a bunch of kicks and punches. At
12 minutes, this is not a bad match, but then again, it's by far not as exciting
as most of what we've seen on the previous disc.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant in a WWE Championship Match in
1988
Hulkamania faces another big guy in this 8-minute battle for the
ultimate title, and while we don't see many risky maneuvers because of Andre's
size and weight, Hogan at least manages to fire up the crowd by trying to knock
his opponent to the ground. It's not exactly a bad match, but it's not that
exciting either.
• "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. "Million Dollar
Man" Ted DiBiase in 1988
First-class wrestling action returns in this
12-minute battle between Savage and DiBiase, who deliver a thoroughly
entertaining show full of bold kicks, strong punches, and visually pleasing
high-risk maneuvers. Solid match.
• Andre Passes Out in 1988
Andre the Giant may be big, but
he apparently hates snakes. This clip includes footage from a few of Andre's
terrifying encounters with Jake "The Snake" Roberts and his slimy
pets.
• Hulk Hogan vs. "The King" Harley Race in 1988
Clocking in at 7 minutes, this matchup between Hulkamania and Harley Race
delivers the goods, with both athletes showing off their flexibility and
technical skills from start to finish. If there's one match that's anything but
boring, this is it.
• "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Andre the Giant in a WWE
Championship Match in 1988
Personally, I prefer Savage's match against
Andre to Hogan's, primarily because Savage shows more initiative in trying to
knock his huge opponent to the floor. Still, even though this title match starts
off rather strong, the pace slows down in the second part and Andre's efforts
quickly become a tad too repetitive.
• "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan reflects on his Flag Match in
1988
In this short clip, Jim Duggan briefly chats about his flag match in
1988.
• Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man in a WWE IntercontinenTAL
Championship Match in 1989
Ultimate Warrior's match against the Honky Tonk
Man starts off well, but a series of interruptions and action going on outside
the ring end up being a little too distracting.
• Brutus Beefcake shaves Ron Bass' head in 1989
This short
clip is just a recap of Beefcake's Haircut Match against Ron Bass.
• Twin Towers vs. Mega Powers in 1989
This is quite a
spectacle. The Mega Powers don't waste any time in this entertaining tag team
match, using both their popularity and power to crush the Twin Towers and give
the audience exactly what it wants to see. A twist later in the match changes
things up a bit, and added to the wrestling action inside the ring is a
hilarious backstage adventure that will certainly go down as an utterly silly
but amusing moment in the history of WWE's Saturday Night's Main
Event.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man in a Steel Cage Match for the WWE
Championship in 1989
We're in for some more steel cage action in this
title match, and as usual, Hulk Hogan leads an intensely entertaining battle,
complete with all the moves everyone in the crowd loves to see so much. Clocking
in at 10 minutes, this excellent match is one not to miss.
• Rockers vs. Brain Busters in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls Match in
1989
Wrapping up this second disc is a fast-paced tag team match between
the Rockers and the Brain Busters, who don't shy away from delivering high risk
moves, including a series of sweet dives. At 9 minutes, this is a wildly amusing
battle full of energy and solid, well-coordinated pro wrestling action. Let's
move on to disc three.
• Mr. Perfect and The Genius smash the WWE Championship in
1989
We start off with a little backstage episode, in which Mr. Perfect
and The Genius decide to destroy the WWE Championship belt with a hammer.
Utterly silly, but still amusing to watch.
• Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect and The Genius
in 1990
Let's get back to the real wrestling action for now. In this
vibrant eight-minute match, Hulkamania and Ultimate Warrior take on The Genius
and Mr. Perfect, and the ring is on fire from start to finish. It's a great tag
team matchup indeed.
• Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura on Horseback in 1990
McMahon and Ventura get a kick out of riding horses into the arena. Enough
said.
• Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. Perfect in 1990
Clocking in at 7
minutes, this battle between Hogan and Perfect is another memorable match.
Hogan's popularity and the WWE writers' intention to have it last is obviously
reflected in the way most of Hulkamania's matches turn out, but watching him
fight his qualified opponents is mostly entertaining.
• Rockers vs. Hart Foundation in 1990
Excellent tag team
match. This 9-minute matchup is worth it because both teams deliver substantial
double team action, which often looks impressive and has the crowd going wild as
well. Prepare to witness a variety of bold, high-risk maneuvers in this
first-class wrestling fight.
• Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana in a WWE Intercontinental
Championship Match in 1990
Perfect and Santana certainly know what they're
doing, and although their 10-minute matchup is well-coordinated, it seems a
little less energetic and surprising than the previous matches on this disc.
It's by no means a bad fight, but some of their moves end up being a little
repetitive.
• Oktoberfest in 1990
The stars of WWE party like Germans,
although they prefer to throw food at each other rather than just eat it.
Incredibly silly vignettes is what this collection is about, and this one fits
in perfectly.
• 20-Man Battle Royal in 1991
Twenty wrestlers try to throw
each other out of the ring in this awesome battle royal, and it's a pleasure to
watch them kick and punch their way through the crowd. These special matches are
always entertaining, and I am glad this one ended up in this collection.
• Bret "Hit Man" Hart vs. "Million Dollar
Man" Ted DiBiase in 1991
Bret Hart and Ted DiBiase deliver a decent
10-minute match, although it's by far not the best one I've seen so far on this
disc. That said, their battle remains technically solid throughout, even though
surprises are scarce and some of their maneuvers end up being not as impressive
as they could have been.
• Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice vs. Undertaker and Ric Flair in
1992
This is the only time Ric Flair and the Undertaker competed together
on Saturday Night's Main Event, and considering this is an intriguing,
entertaining tag team match, one wishes these two guys had appeared on that show
more often. Anyway, all four men explode with energy and great signature moves
in this 11-minute match, and it's all a pleasure to follow.
• Roddy Piper shocks The Mountie in 1992
This is a short
recap of Piper's match against The Mountie. Yes, Piper ends up shocking his
opponent as well.
• British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels in a WWE Intercontinental
Championship Match in 1992
Bulldog and Michaels go at it for 10 minutes in
this fun title match, and they both offer their fans a variety of tough
maneuvers and a few slow submission holds. All in all, I'd consider this a
decent enough match and a good fit for this collection.
• Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon in a Street Fight in 2006
If you enjoy watching Shane McMahon pulling off some of his crazy dives, this
is the match for you. At 13 minutes, this hardcore battle is definitely too
long, but at least, it's also somewhat entertaining.
• DX vs. Spirit Squad in a 5-on-2 Handicap Elimination Match in
2006
Triple H and Shawn Michaels take on the five-member Spirit Squad,
who, even though they hold the tag titles at this time, are not the most skilled
wrestlers out there. Therefore, I found it hard to take this match all too
seriously. On the other hand, watching HHH and Michaels kick butt for seven
minutes is always enjoyable enough.
• Edge vs. John Cena in a WWE Championship Match in 2006
And here it is: the final match of the set. Clocking in at eight minutes, this
battle between Cena and Edge is not boring, although I admit it's also not as
entertaining as most of the battles I've seen here. Ultimately, it's not a bad
way to wrap this thing up.
As a whole, this is a wonderful collection and a must-have for all wrestling
fans. With comments by retired and active wrestlers, interesting trivia by Gene
Okerlund, some funny comic episodes and great matches, this is a fabulous set
you shouldn't miss if you're trying to beef up your WWE DVD collection.
Everything you see on this three-disc set is presented in full frame, and
even though the older matches obviously carry a weaker image quality than the
more recent ones, the overall video and audio transfers works just fine. This is
good old wrestling, and the quality of sound and picture really don't matter
that much.
Each of the three discs also includes a couple of special features, some of
which are more interesting to watch than others. Disc One boasts the first-ever
match on Saturday Night's Main Event, a music video, and a short clip
featuring Junkyard Dog and his mother. Disc Two includes an interview with Hogan
and a match between Dusty Rhodes and Big Boos Man. Finally, Disc Three features
a vignette with Gene Okerlund and interviews with Shawn Michaels and Matt
Hardy.
